Mothers wrongly blamed for their babies’ deaths

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( March 31, 2022 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Shrewsbury maternity inquiry: ‘Cruelty beyond comprehension’ as mothers blamed for babies’ deaths]( Mothers were blamed for their babies’ deaths while fatal issues with care went ignored over decades, a damning report into the biggest maternity scandal in the NHS has concluded. The review into failings at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust found that 300 babies had died or suffered a brain injury as a result of poor care. Maternity expert Donna Ockenden, who led the inquiry, warned that poor treatment was still an issue at the trust despite calling for immediate action to be carried out after the initial findings in 2020.   2 / [Russian soldiers refusing to carry out orders and accidentally shot down own aircraft, claims UK spy chief]( Putin advisers ‘afraid to tell him the truth’ about war, head of GCHQ says 3 / [Chris Rock breaks silence on Will Smith Oscars slap]( Actor struck comedian for joking about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith at the Academy Awards 4 / [Clash over Partygate as Boris Johnson refuses to endorse Raab’s admission laws were broken]( ‘You’re pretty much toast, aren’t you?’: Calls for Boris Johnson to resign over ‘criminality’ in Downing Street 5 / [Bruce Willis has aphasia and is ‘stepping away’ from acting, family says]( Actor’s family says condition has been ‘impacting his cognitive abilities’     The Big Question Who have been the most high-profile victims of Russian poisoning plots? Russian oligarch and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was poisoned while taking part in peace talks intended to stop his country’s war in Ukraine, it has been alleged. The investigative website Bellingcat said on Monday that it had evidence Mr Abramovich, 55, who has been heavily sanctioned by the UK government over Vladimir Putin’s invasion, had “experienced symptoms consistent with poisoning with chemical weapons” as he served as a go-between in talks in Kyiv on 3 March. Much remains unknown but, if the story proves accurate, Mr Abramovich would be just the latest person deliberately exposed to dangerous toxins by agents of the Kremlin out to punish those who stand in its way. [Read the full story >](   Watch/ [British man buys bus to drive Ukrainian refugees to Poland](   NUMBER OF THE DAY 295 – Number of avoidable baby deaths or brain damage cases caused by mismanagement at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust, according to inquiry findings.   QUOTE OF THE DAY “Now is actually the time to double down on the aid that we give to Ukraine, that actually might end up breaking a pretty poor Russian army and bring peace to that part of the world whilst consigning the likes of Vladimir Putin to the dustbin of history where he belongs.” – Conservative MP Johnny Mercer appeals for more support for Ukraine at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.   [Refugees Welcome](     Other stories you might like   [Dismay from climate campaigners as PM comes out against onshore wind farms](   [MPs vote to permanently allow at home early medical abortions in England](   [British jihadist denies he was member of infamous Beatles terror cell as landmark US trial begins](       Articles available exclusively to subscribers Saphora Smith, The Independent: [Heatwave threshold rise offers window into how climate emergency is impacting Britain](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.