2 h. ago New Motability Scheme update for people on PIP, ADP and other disability benefits due next month

Around 815,000 people across the UK are now leasing a vehicle or equipment through the Motability Scheme.

Politics

23 h. ago Celebrate the rise of accessible design – it benefits everyone

I’ve spent almost a decade working in the luxury fashion industry because I want more representation and respect for disabled customersFashion is a vocabulary. Clothing communicates parts of who we are, what we are interested in and how we want to be seen. It reveals choices that we make – but it also exposes lack of choice.I am a disabled woman; I have dwarfism. My disability and stature is obvious and often shapes a first interaction. I’ve learned to love scouring through rails of clothes in high street stores and charity shops, and taking the items for alterations to make sure they fit. I know that if there are patterns or embroidery near the shoulder or ankle of a garment, altering it won’t work. I’ve found that jeans and trousers have to be elasticated at the back so they go over my hips with ease and don’t gape at the back. I’ve also learned that dresses and skirts should have an asymmetrical hemline to accommodate the curve in my spine. As I’ve got ol...

Politics

3 d. ago Why more and more people are tuning the news out: ‘Now I don’t have that anxiety’

Emotional toll of constant negative news and unlimited access to ‘doomscrolling’ has led to record-high news avoidanceNews has never been more accessible – but for some, that’s exactly the problem. Flooded with information and relentless updates, more and more people around the world are tuning out.The reasons vary: for some it’s the sheer volume of news, for others the emotional toll of negative headlines or a distrust of the media itself. In online forums devoted to mindfulness and mental health, people discuss how to step back, from setting limits to cutting the news out entirely. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Government Council Tax update says some people don't need to pay

Government chiefs have issued an update, as some people may not realise they are exempt from Council Tax bills

Politics

6 d. ago Blue Badge update for people with a temporary health condition

Councils have the power to provide ‘locally determined parking concessions within their areas’.

Politics

7 d. ago ‘Massive’ Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv kills at least 14 people

Zelenskyy says Moscow ‘chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table’ after assault affecting more than 20 locations• Europe live – latest updatesRussian airstrikes have killed at least 14 people in a succession of attacks on Kyiv and wounded dozens in the most deadly night raid on the Ukrainian capital since the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.Twelve people were reported killed when a five-storey residential building in the eastern Darnytskyi district was struck in the middle of the night, Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Minneapolis school shooting updates: two children and shooter killed as 17 people injured – latest

Police say children were aged eight and 10; 14 of the injured are children as police say gunman approached during massMultiple victims in Minneapolis Catholic school shooting and suspect reportedly deadMinneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara provided more details about the shooter, saying:“It appeared he had some black clothing on, cargo type pants.”“I do believe there was one, I guess you would call it a smoke bomb, like not an explosive, but a sort of a firework that would release smoke.”“We believe it is one suspect, a sole shooter. We believe he is deceased. He is in his early 20s, does not have an extensive known criminal history, and we are looking through information left behind to try and determine some type of motive ”“There’s a vehicle that we believe that the suspect used, that is being searched, and we will be conducting other searches related to this inside the parking lot,” he said. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Home Office planning to halve time asylum seekers given to find accommodation

Charities sound alarm over plan to give asylum seekers just 28 days to find new housing once they have a decision on their caseUK politics live – latest updatesRefugee charities warn that thousands of people in the UK could find themselves homeless on the streets this winter after the Home Office quietly reversed its asylum accommodation policy.The Guardian has learned that ministers are planning to halve the period asylum seekers are given to find new accommodation after getting a decision on their case, from 56 to 28 days. Refugee organisations say this is not enough time to find work and a home to rent and will lead to many people pitching tents in the streets. Continue reading...

Society

8 d. ago Charities raise alarm after Home Office reverses part of asylum accommodation policy

The Guardian has learned ministers are planning to halve the time asylum seekers are given to find new accommodation after getting a decision on their caseUK politics live – latest updatesRefugee charities warn that thousands of people in the UK could find themselves homeless on the streets this winter after the Home Office quietly reversed its asylum accommodation policy.The Guardian has learned that ministers are planning to halve the period asylum seekers are given to find new accommodation after getting a decision on their case, from 56 to 28 days. Refugee organisations say this is not enough time to find work and a home to rent and will lead to many people pitching tents in the streets. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Emergency alert update as millions of people to receive warning message

Mobile phones connected to 4G and 5G networks will vibrate and emit a siren sound for up to 10 seconds, and users won't have to do anything, just swipe the message away

Events

8 d. ago ‘There needs to be justice,’ UN tells Israel after Gaza hospital bombing

Human rights office demands that Israeli investigation into ‘double tap’ attack that killed 20 people yields resultsMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe UN has demanded that Israel’s investigations into unlawful killings in Gaza, including its “double tap” bombing of Nasser hospital which killed 20 people, among them five journalists, yield results and ensure accountability.“There needs to be justice,” Thameen Al-Kheetan, the spokesperson for the UN’s human rights office, told reporters on Tuesday in Geneva. He added that the number of journalists killed in Gaza raised many questions about the targeting of media workers. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago DWP payments of £560 for those with a disability or health condition

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit is designed to help disabled people and those with a long-term health condition who are unable to work

Economics

1 week ago UK tourists in Turkey issued swimming warning in Foreign Office update

The Foreign Office has updated its advice for people travelling to Turkey

Events

2 w. ago Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden issues 'fast forward' update after tribute to people who 'saved her life'

The professional dancer has openly shared her breast cancer in a bid to raise awareness and support others

Events

2 w. ago New DWP update for people on PIP and legacy benefits ahead of changes next April

Changes to Universal Credit are set to start from the new financial year.

Politics

2 w. ago People on PIP, ADP or DLA in Scotland to get an extra £255 payment this year

The annual heating payment for young disabled people usually starts landing in bank accounts at the end of October.

Economics

2 w. ago Did the system update ruin your boyfriend? Love in a time of ChatGPT | Arwa Mahdawi

Some people with AI partners expressed dismay at the new GPT-5 modelYou’ve met the love of your life; someone who understands you like no one else ever has. And then you wake one morning and they’re gone. Yanked out of your world, and the digital universe, by a system update.Such is the melancholic lot of a group of people who have entered into committed relationships with digital ‘partners’ on OpenAI’s ChatGPT. When the tech company released its new GPT-5 model earlier this month, described by chief executive Sam Altman as a “significant step forward”, certain dedicated users found that their digital relationships had taken a significant step back. Their companions had undergone personality shifts with the new model; they weren’t as warm, loving or chatty as they used to be.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago DWP to send huge payouts to thousands on Universal Credit as lawyers urge further action

The DWP failed to adequately protect the income of disabled people who were transferred from legacy benefits to Universal Credit, according to lawyers

Politics

3 w. ago Thousands evacuated in Spain amid deadly wildfires and new heatwave

Temperatures of 44C predicted as blazes rage across EuropeEurope live – latest updatesAlmost 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in northern, central and southern Spain as wildfires continue to burn amid a heatwave that could bring temperatures of 44C to some parts of the country.The deadly heat across large parts of Europe has created what scientists have called a “molotov cocktail” of climatic conditions that is fuelling vast wildfires. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago New PIP assessment update for people making a claim for DWP disability benefit

More than 3.7 million people are now receiving PIP of up to £749 every four weeks from the DWP.

Politics