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I had an amazing experience as a disabled person at school in the 70s. Since then, discrimination has got far worse | Mik Scarlet
Toxic narratives around ‘benefit scrounging’, fed by successive governments, have become embedded in the national psyche As a disabled person, you’re forced to repeatedly explain your medical history – but for this article, I think it’s important. I was born with a very rare type of cancer called a neuroblastoma. In 1965, it was pretty much a death sentence. Luckily, I took part in a clinical trial and, with only days to live, I had major surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy with a new drug. Despite being given no more than five years to live, on my last birthday I celebrated hitting 60. I doubt anyone in 1965 would have imagined how attitudes towards disabled people would improve as I grew up. It is devastating to see how those same attitudes have reversed in the past decade or two. The cancer left me with a paralysed right leg, so I wore a leg brace, but otherwise I was a pretty normal kid. I was lucky to be starting school in 1970 when the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act came into force, which made it possible for disabled children to attend mainstream schools, if they could manage it. My parents moved across Luton to be near the only school that would accept me on a trial run and then as a pupil. When I was a child, if you could manage living like non-disabled people then you were allowed to do so. Not the fully inclusive practice I later campaigned for, but an acknowledgment that disabled people shouldn’t be written off. Continue reading...
Labour’s new powers for water customers are a ‘stitch-up’, say campaigners
Exclusive: Documents reveal water firms have been allowed to advise on how they wish to be held to account Labour’s new powers for customers to hold water companies to account are a “stitch-up”, campaigners have said, as utilities firms have been advising on how to implement it. The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) is creating what the government referred to as “powerful consumer panels” so the public can question the executives of their local water company and get redress for problems they face from sewage and water companies in England and Wales. Continue reading...
UK’s biggest private hospital firm Spire agrees £1bn takeover by hedge fund
Toscafund, founded by City figure known as ‘the Rottweiler’, signs deal amid fears over creeping privatisation of NHS Business live – latest updates Britain’s biggest private hospital operator has agreed to a £1bn takeover by a hedge fund manager known as “the Rottweiler” for his aggressive business tactics. Spire Healthcare, which owns the Claremont hospital in Sheffield and St Anthony’s hospital in south London, has agreed to a 250p a share offer by an investor group led by Toscafund Asset Management, which values the business at £1.03bn. Continue reading...
Weather tracker: Typhoon Saudel causes mass evacuations in south-east China
Torrential rain causes widespread damage; while north-west South Africa hit by thunderstorms and central-southern US faces oppressive heat Typhoon Saudel brought days of torrential rain to the Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces in south-east China last week. The city of Putian, in Fujian province, recorded 416.5mm of rain in a 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday, with surrounding villages recording more than 500mm in the same period. In Fujian, authorities estimate that almost 600,000 people were evacuated from high-risk, flood-prone areas. A further 128,000 people in 53 counties were also affected across Jiangxi, with emergency evacuations affecting 9,000 people. Flooding, landslips and infrastructure damage were reported widely in the region. More than 2,500 teachers and students were trapped in a school compound in the Zhejiang city of Wenzhou on Wednesday after extreme rainfall caused flash floods in low-lying areas. At least 1,260 people reportedly had to be rescued in Putian after a river embankment collapsed on Thursday, flattening 100 homes. On Saturday, a landslip in a village of Suichuan county, in Jiangxi province, killed three people and nine others remaining missing. Continue reading...
Ministers condemn ‘thuggish’ far-right activists after Portsmouth unrest
Hundreds of men, some wearing balaclavas, attempted to prevent asylum seekers being transported for processing The government has condemned the “thuggish and intimidating behaviour” of far-right activists who blocked roads in Portsmouth after a boat carrying asylum seekers arrived in the city, two days after similar scenes in Dover. Hundreds of men, some dressed in black and wearing balaclavas, tried to stop the arrivals from being transported for processing until 3am, when police removed them with threats of arrest. A witness said two police car windscreens were smashed. Continue reading...
We’re the mayors of Paris, Milan and Phoenix. The heat crisis has us all facing the same question | Emmanuel Grégoire, Giuseppe Sala and Kate Gallego
Our three cities are learning from each other about how to protect residents. These climate policies are also public health measures This summer, mayors met in London during the heatwave that ironically threatened to derail London Climate Action Week. As temperatures broke records across the UK and Europe, leading some climate talks to be suspended or cancelled , we found ourselves seeking shelter and comparing how our cities prepare for extreme heat: how we protect vulnerable residents, communicate risk, and redesign neighbourhoods for hotter summers. Continue reading...
Will hordes of influencers, weed smokers and mid-point talkers bring down the US Open?
This year, the noise at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has officially become A Problem. But changing it would mean changing society The first thing you notice while sitting in the upper tiers of Arthur Ashe Stadium is the noise. A persistent exterior hum filters up from ground level, fed by the massive ventilation and cooling units that sit outside the stadium, the clack of the Long Island Rail Road to the north, and the forklifts receiving goods from the refrigerator trucks that keep the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center flush with its essential supplies of Evian, champagne, and premium IPA. Overhead, planes descending toward LaGuardia airport ensure the auditory assault takes place by land and air simultaneously. In the lower rakes of the stadium, the babble of the spectators is incessant; it’s not unusual to overhear full-volume conversations on various non-tennis topics – work, family, romance, last night’s dinner – that continue without interruption for the duration of an entire match. New York is famously noisy, and the US Open, as the most glamorous annual sporting event in town, has always been loud in sympathy with its environment. Indeed, the brashness of the American grand slam has historically been its major selling point, the signature that distinguishes it from the Australian Open (the “happy slam”), Wimbledon (strawberries and cream, all-white attire, the home of tennis), and the French Open (French). People have been complaining about the volume of the New York crowd for decades. But this year the noise at the US Open feels different. This year noise at the noisy slam has become A Problem. Continue reading...
Minister condemns ‘thuggish’ far-right, anti-migrant protesters in Portsmouth – UK politics live
Emma Reynolds says demonstrations ‘cross a line’ Good morning. John Healey is giving his first major speech on economic policy since he became chancellor seven weeks ago. It is meant to be the main government news of the morning and, as Pippa Crerar writes in her preview story, Healey will argue the government’s plans to boost growth across the whole country will enable the British economy to “turn a corner”. Healey’s deputy, Emma Reynolds , the chief secretary to the Treasury, has been giving interviews as part of the build-up. Continue reading...
Merz to respond as Germany’s far-right AfD wins key state election – Europe live
Group fail to secure majority in Saxony-Anhalt state parliament leaving uncertainty over next steps Far-right AfD wins key German state election but falls just short of majority We are also getting first reactions from European ministers. Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, said: “In Poland, only idiots or traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD in Germany.” “Buckle up. This is just the beginning! ” Continue reading...
UK house prices fall for first time in nearly three years, says Lloyds
Average property cost £298,468 in August, down by 0.4% year on year owing to interest rates and uncertainty Business live – latest updates UK house prices have fallen for the first time in almost three years, as prospective buyers were squeezed by higher mortgage rates, geopolitical uncertainty and stretched affordability. Prices have dropped by 0.4% compared with a year ago, the first year-on-year decrease since November 2023, according to the lender Lloyds. That came in below expectations of a 0.2% annual rise, according to a poll of economists by Reuters. Continue reading...
‘We can win here’: Zack Polanski presses the flesh in Holborn and St Pancras
Polanski is confident of taking seat vacated by Keir Starmer, but says he will stay on as Green party leader even if he loses Zack Polanski has said he will remain as Green party leader even if he loses the Holborn and St Pancras byelection in a high-stakes contest for the left of British politics. Speaking to the Guardian while door knocking in the north London constituency, Polanski calls the Greens underdogs in the race but says he is confident he could beat Labour, which won the seat with a majority of more than 11,000 at the 2024 general election. The seat has been vacated by Keir Starmer, who announced last Tuesdayhe was leaving parliament having resigned as prime minister in June. Continue reading...
Tiny cash buffers leave small UK TV firms at risk of going bust, analysis finds
Median £42,000 in reserve not enough to cover filming overrun or delay to series, industry body warns Hundreds of small UK TV companies have so little cash in reserve that a filming overrun or a delay to a series could send them bust, an industry body has warned, as programme budget cuts by broadcasters threaten their future. Analysis of the Companies House accounts filings of more than 200 of the estimated 800 independent TV production companies in the UK by the industry body Indielab has found that 40% face running out of cash within the next two years. Continue reading...
Ministers propose converting female prison estate into cells for men
Plans would see parts of estate converted but campaigners warn it just ‘moves the crisis from one part to another’ Ministers will seriously examine converting parts of the female prison estate into cells that can safely house male prisoners, as the government looks to reduce numbers of women in prison to ease strain on the system. The prisons minister Catherine McKinnell is to look into the practicalities of converting female spaces to male over the coming months, after warnings from governors and experts that it would pose significant challenges. Continue reading...
Liberal operatives discussed whether to buy Porsche or Ferrari with developer’s payments, Icac hears
Rightwing NSW powerbrokers are alleged to have received illegal political donations from fugitive developer Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Two Liberal operatives traded photos and messages about whether to buy a Porsche or a Ferrari with payments they received for Toplace projects they got approved via a New South Wales government fast-track development process. The Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday heard more evidence from lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood, a principal of Beckington Consulting, who is alleged to have shared in $2m in payments from the fugitive developer Jean Nassif, owner of the now collapsed Toplace. Continue reading...
Bereaved parents to give evidence at independent review of Sussex maternity services
Review led by Donna Ockenden launches after campaign by families and media investigation into deaths Susan Cacciacarro was almost 37 weeks pregnant with her daughter Chiara when she woke up one morning in 2021, unable to feel her baby kicking. “My belly just didn’t feel right,” she said. “I didn’t feel any movements.” Continue reading...
UN expert Francesca Albanese calls for ‘true paradigm shift’ as Miliband resets policy on Israel
Exclusive: UN special rapporteur on occupied territories says ban on goods from settlements ‘important’ but must go further if it is to amount to more than a ‘press release’ The UK’s planned ban on trade with unlawful Israeli settlements is a welcome, if overdue, first step and must be judged according to its practical impact, a UN expert has told the Guardian. The UK foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, has vowed to act more decisively against Israeli settlements, as well as continued restrictions of aid into Gaza, prompting the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to claim on Saturday that Downing Street was motivated by “Jew hatred”. Continue reading...
Ukraine seeks to seize water company owned by billionaire family of British theatre mogul
Row centres on stake held by Patarkatsishvili family in bottled water firm it jointly owns with Russian oligarch A British theatre impresario and her billionaire family are embroiled in a bitter dispute with Ukrainian authorities seeking to seize a water company they jointly own with a Russian oligarch. The row centres on a 34% stake held in the producer of Ukraine’s biggest bottled water brands by the Patarkatsishvili family, including Liana Patarkatsishvili, who recently worked on an immersive show with Toby Jones and Meera Syal. Continue reading...
Jean Nassif’s daughter tells court father ‘pressured’ her to falsify documents for $150m construction loan
Ashlyn Nassif, daughter of Toplace boss who fled Australia in 2022, has pleaded guilty to providing false or misleading information to obtain loan from Westpac Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The daughter of a fugitive property developer succumbed to pressure from her father when she falsified documents for a $150m construction loan, a Sydney court has heard. Ashlyn Nassif, the daughter of Jean Nassif, pleaded guilty in June to providing false or misleading information to obtain the loan from Westpac, which was used to construct three apartment towers in Sydney’s north-west in 2021. Continue reading...
More than 200 people stood down at embattled housing developer Bathla
Sydney-headquartered group suspends work on some of its 45 construction sites impacting 60% of workforce More than 200 workers at Sydney-headquartered Bathla Group have been stood down as administrators of the embattled property developer seek emergency funds to stave off a company-wide collapse. The insolvency advisory Teneo said on Monday that new short-term funding arrangements would only allow Bathla to continue construction on some of its 45 construction sites, though it did not identify which projects were being prioritised. Continue reading...
Germany’s far-right AfD thanks Elon Musk as France warns state election win a ‘serious moment’
Lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt welcomes further ‘strong’ cooperation with Musk as French minister says ‘We cannot forget our history’ The candidate who led the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party to a historic state election victory in Germany has thanked Elon Musk for his support, as one French minister warned that this was a “serious moment” for Europe. The AfD more than doubled its support in the Saxony-Anhalt region and appears to be on the brink of becoming the first far-right party to gain power in Germany at state level since the second world war. Continue reading...
Susan Sarandon says she is losing movie roles because of her support for Palestine
Oscar-winning actor says she and other outspoken critics of Israel have found it ‘impossible’ to get hired by major studios The Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon has said she is still losing work because of her outspoken support for Palestinians, despite what she described as a broader shift in public opinion against US support for Israel. Speaking at the Venice film festival, where she is promoting her latest movie The Echo Chamber, Sarandon said some parts of the film industry continued to shun her over her activism. Continue reading...
‘Gigantic spaceship’: University of Bristol’s flagship £500m campus opens
Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus near to station will make it easier for students and staff to commute Not so long ago, the first impression for visitors arriving by train to Bristol’s main railway station was a derelict building described by David Cameron as looking like the entrance to a war zone. On Monday, a shiny new University of Bristol campus on the site of that crumbling Royal Mail sorting office next door to Temple Meads is opening its doors to students, teachers and members of the public. Continue reading...
Assailant lunged at Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, campaign says
Team says armed suspect attacked Amy Acton during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, injuring several people Amy Acton, Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, was the target of an attack on Sunday during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, campaign officials said. Several people were injured when the armed assailant lunged at Acton. The suspect knocked volunteers to the ground before he was arrested and was “discovered to have weapons”, Mahoning county Democratic party chairperson Chris Anderson said in a statement . Continue reading...
US overcome poor shooting and Italy’s eye-poke claims in edgy Fiba World Cup win
USA edge into quarter’s with nervy 55-52 win Cecilia Zandalasini claims she was poked in eye Caitlin Clark shoots 0-6 from the field Jackie Young had a big fourth quarter and Breanna Stewart made her only basket of the game to put the United States up for good, helping the Americans escape with a 55-52 win over Italy in the FIBA Women’s World Cup on Sunday. The US (2-0), who clinched a quarter-final berth with the victory, led only 42-39 after three quarters and fell behind by two points on three occasions in the fourth. Stewart’s jumper, assisted by Young, gave the Americans a 51-50 lead with 3:20 to go, and Young hit a floater on their next possession. Chelsea Gray made a pull-up with 1:07 left for an important cushion, but Italy hit a quick two-pointer in response to cut it to 55-52. Gray missed a shot on the next US trip but Young corralled the rebound to help her team bleed more clock. Continue reading...