33 h. ago Five years on: how Covid changed sport for better and for worse

With the pandemic in the rearview mirror it was clearly a boost for Fifa and Saudi Arabia but harmed grassroots sport and player welfareSound the trumpets, beat the drum, let loose the buttock-rockets of hope. One of the strangest and most unsatisfying things about the Covid-19 pandemic, among a great many deeply strange and unsatisfying things, is that it never actually had a shared end date or ceremonial send-off.Jarringly so, because this was a period in the national life built around a rigid roster of public events. The numerical rules. The weekly banging of pots in honour of people you secretly consider to be serfs. Such unlikely figures as health secretary Matt Hancock appearing in public every day in order to say inauthentic-sounding things about public health, all the while resembling the doomed subcommander of an imperial space galleon who keeps announcing that he’s got the situation under control sir, just as the bridge behind him is cleaved in two and he’s sucked out into...

Politics

46 h. ago LGBTQ+ charities warn of ‘genuine crisis’ for trans people after UK ruling

Charities say the judgment creates ‘a legal framework that simply cannot uphold the dignity’ of trans peopleFourteen national LGBTQ+ charities have written to Keir Starmer seeking an urgent meeting to discuss what they describe as “a genuine crisis for the rights, dignity and inclusion of trans people in the UK” after the supreme court’s ruling on biological sex.The UK supreme court ruled last month that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 referred only to “a biological woman” and to “biological sex”, with subsequent advice from the equality watchdog amounting to a blanket ban on trans people using toilets and other services of the gender they identify as. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago New call to scrap PIP eligibility rule to help more people with fluctuating health conditions claim

An online petition is calling for the change to enable more people to access additional financial support.

Science

5 d. ago Young disabled people using a wheelchair may need driving licence under UK Government rules

UK Government legislation refers to wheelchairs as ‘invalid carriages’.

Politics

6 d. ago Vancouver street festival: nine people killed after car is driven into crowd, as PM says Canada is ‘heartbroken’ – latest updates

Police say several people have also been injured at Lapu Lapu celebrations, but rule out terrorism as motive after man arrested at sceneThe festival, celebrated especially in the central Philippines, honours Datu Lapu-Lapu, an indigenous Filipino leader who famously defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521 and became a national hero.The centrepiece of the festivities in Vancouver is a multi-block street party in the Sunset neighbourhood featuring Filipino food and traditions, live performances and cultural displays.The party on Saturday was just starting to break up but many people were still in the streets when the dark SUV rammed into the crowd.The government of British Columbia officially recognised 27 April as Lapu-Lapu Day in 2023, acknowledging the cultural contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, one of the largest immigrant groups in the province.Lapu-Lapu’s victory is celebrated in the Philippines as a symbol of nation’s res...

Events

6 d. ago Vancouver street festival: nine people killed as car is driven into crowds at Lapu Lapu celebrations – latest updates

Police say several people have been injured, but rule out terrorism as motive after man arrested at sceneThe festival, celebrated especially in the central Philippines, honours Datu Lapu-Lapu, an indigenous Filipino leader who famously defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521 and became a national hero.The centrepiece of the festivities in Vancouver is a multi-block street party in the Sunset neighbourhood featuring Filipino food and traditions, live performances and cultural displays.The party on Saturday was just starting to break up but many people were still in the streets when the dark SUV rammed into the crowd.The government of British Columbia officially recognised 27 April as Lapu-Lapu Day in 2023, acknowledging the cultural contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, one of the largest immigrant groups in the province.Lapu-Lapu’s victory is celebrated in the Philippines as a symbol of nation’s resistance to colonisation and the...

Events

8 d. ago State Pension rule can raise payments by £5,000 a year but some are 'missing out'

An FOI request by a pension provider has found that more than two million people are being boosted by a particular rule in the State Pension system

Economics

9 d. ago State Pension inheritance rule helps more than two million people boost payments by over £5,000

More than half a million pensioners were receiving over £5,000 a year in inherited Serps payments in 2023/24.

Economics

1 week ago HMRC expands Help to Save scheme to half a million more people in major rule change

The government's Help to Save scheme, which offers a 50 per cent bonus on savers' money, has been expanded to include an extra 550,000 people - here's everything you need to know

Politics

1 week ago Oscars SLAMMED after revealing members never even watched the films they voted on

The Oscars are the biggest night in Hollywood, but a new rule will now require the people who vote on who or what deserves awards will have to put in some more work.

Politics

1 week ago New Council Tax rules now in force for people who miss a single monthly payment

Councils can seize benefits and take other actions to recover the owed payments.

Economics

2 w. ago DWP urged to scrap 'unfair' PIP rule that affects people with this condition

Campaigners fear seriously ill people could be unfairly missing out on PIP and have called on the Department for Work and Pensions to scrap the rule as it is denying some essential help

Politics

2 w. ago People with a Blue Badge cannot park in these 11 places at any time of day or night

Full list of Blue Badge parking rules for people travelling in a vehicle as a driver or passenger.

Politics

2 w. ago Twenty years of Scotland’s right to roam: Key rules people need to know

People enjoying Scotland’s “right to roam” are being urged to ensure they do not stray onto the wrong side of the law while exploring the countryside.

Politics

2 w. ago Pension Credit rules older people need to know before going on holiday this year

Over 1.4 million people on Pension Credit should tell the DWP if they plan to leave mainland Britain for any reason.

Politics

2 w. ago Pension Credit payment rules people should know before going on holiday this year

Over 1.4 million people on Pension Credit should tell the DWP if they plan to leave mainland Britain for any reason.

Economics

2 w. ago What does the UK supreme court’s ruling on definition of ‘women’ mean?

Top court’s ruling that ‘sex is binary’ in law has implications for trans people and single-sex spacesThe UK supreme court has ruled on how a woman is defined in the Equality Act, deciding unanimously that this does not include transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates (GRCs). The judgment could significantly affect how associated rules and restrictions are applied in Scotland, England and Wales. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Supreme Court to rule whether transgender people can be defined as women and have access to single

The decision could have far-reaching implications on how sex-based rights apply, including how women-only spaces are allowed to operate.

Events

2 w. ago DWP rule change means thousands more people can claim £333 every month

Carer's Allowance is paid to those who are providing at least 35 hours of care a week and is worth £83.30 a week after this crucial benefit went up this month

Economics

3 w. ago Attendance Allowance rules older people must know or £441 payments could stop

Nearly 1.7 million State Pensioners will receive either £73.90 or £110.40 each week from April 7 on Attendance Allowance.

Economics