There’s a warning hundreds of British teenagers are refusing to go to school because of how they look. It’s thought around 5 per cent could have body dysmorphic disorder, where sufferers believe they have flaws which often go unnoticed by others.

Jessie Smart, founder of Christian youth charity Belle Ministry, told Premier that excessive use of social media worsens body image because social media posts “aren’t representative of real life”.

She said: “Girls are thinking social media is having a positive influence on the way they see themselves when the scary thing is they are basing their validation and finding their affirmation in likes and comments.”

Smart said everyone can be part of the solution.

“It’s not conforming to these crazes and fads that come up and all the different standards and expectations that seem to flutter through society.

“Another side of it is being real on social media. Often we post the highlights and actually sometimes we need to take a step back and check that we are being authentic in what we’re putting out there.”

Smart also advised people to support those who feel negative towards their body by affirming their character, talents and gifts rather than outward appearance.

Listen to Jessie Smart speaking with Premier’s Cara Bentley here:

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Jeremy Dowling, a lay preacher, school teacher and church employee, abused young boys in the 1970s and was jailed in 2015.

A review by the Diocese of Truro said several bishops were told about the abuse and did not act.

It found there was a “probable misunderstanding” by church leaders over a decision by the authorities not to prosecute Dowling in the 1970s.

Dowling became a member of general synod in 1977 and was communications officer for the Diocese of Truro from 2003 to 2009.

The school in Cornwall where Dowling carried out the abuse is not identified in the report.

But in September 1972 an unnamed canon, who was chairman of the board of governors, wrote to Bishop of Truro Maurice Key to inform him Dowling had admitted some sexual offences against boys and offered to resign.

In reply, the bishop said: “It is terribly said that his should have happened, not only because it is a tragedy for Jeremy Dowling, but it can be a real blow for the school and the Church.

“The devil is certainly a master at attacking where he can do most harm.”

The following December the director of public prosecutions decided not to prosecute Dowling.

The diocese review noted “the level of corroborative evidence to bring a successful prosecution of sexual abuse against a child was extremely high” but said the Church had “its own responsibilities to judge such behaviour”.

The review said…

The schemes which are known as Local Welfare Assistance, aim to provide food, fuel and furniture to people in crisis.

However, the report, Not Making Ends Meet, from The Children’s Society and the Church of England found that increasing numbers of destitute people are turning instead to food banks and other voluntary agencies for help.

The Children’s Society chief executive Matthew Reed said in a statement: “Families in need of financial crisis support are often experiencing one of the hardest times of their life, such as fleeing domestic violence or experiencing a serious mental or physical health problem.

“It’s vital that when they need help to buy food or nappies, put money on the electricity meter or replace a broken fridge that they can access this help quickly and easily. Instead, families who are in desperate need may find there is nowhere to turn.

“Local charities are having to step in to provide the safety net that the government and councils used to, relying on donations and volunteers to do so.

“Sadly with more and more people facing crisis, particularly as Universal Credit rollout continues apace, it’s becoming increasingly urgent for local crisis support to be coordinated and more consistent so that vulnerable people don’t fall through the gaps.”

The report concluded that a lack of publicity, bureaucratic hurdles, and restrictive eligibility criteria…

According to aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), three patients left of their own accord from the isolation zone of the Wangata hospital in Mbandaka city between Sunday and Tuesday.

Henry Gray, emergency coordinator for MSF said: “One patient had been about to be discharged.

“The two others were helped to leave the hospital by their families in the middle of the night on Monday.

“One of the men died at home and his body was brought back to the hospital for safe burial with the help of the MSF teams; the other was brought back to the hospital yesterday morning and he died during the night.”

Hospital staff made every effort to convince the patients and their families not to leave and to continue treatment, Mr Gray said.

It was not immediately clear if the two deaths reported by MSF were confirmed Ebola ones.

As of Thursday, Congo’s health ministry reported 31 confirmed Ebola cases, 13 probable ones and eight suspected.

This is Congo’s ninth Ebola outbreak since 1976, when the disease was first identified.

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Experts in the UK claim this could be achieved if cells, tissue and DNA of every animal from around the world are preserved at temperatures of -196C in the CryoArks Biobank.

Professor Mike Bruford at Cardiff University is leading the creation of the CryoArks Biobank.

He told The Natural History Museum: “Collections of tissue and DNA from laboratories, zoos, aquariums and museums will come together under a single structure, providing us with an unparalleled opportunity to better manage and share the vast amount of genetic material we have.

“It will allow researchers and conservationists to access material they never thought existed – including samples from wild populations and animals that are now extinct. CryoArks is making a step change in the way that genetic material is curated, and is making it available to more scientists.”

The new £1-million biobank will be the first national bank of frozen animal material in the country.

Bruford said he hoped extracting and freezing DNA from as many threatened species as possible would providing some hope for the future, serving as a “back-up copy of a species” via their DNA, should the worst happen.

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