From business to the disabled, Monday was special even for a cabinet whose dogmatic bungling is unrivalled in modern Britain Greece, the birthplace of democracy, has set off a voters’ rebellion against the dictatorship of financiers. In the eye of the vortex, no one knows if the centre can hold or what happens next when voters say no to austerity imposed by the same financiers who caused the crash.
32-year-old is greeted by crowds of supporters as she becomes first to finish marathon in bionic suit A paralysed woman has become the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic suit. Claire Lomas finished the London Marathon 16 days after the race began. The 32-year-old said she was “over the moon” as she completed the 26.2-mile route, which she started on 22 April with 36,000 other participants
Disabled people have been characterised as fraudsters by the press, yet our submissions to the inquiry are being ignored When the select committee on culture, media and sport wrote in its recent report : “In failing to investigate properly, and by ignoring evidence of widespread wrongdoing, News International and its parent News Corporation exhibited wilful blindness, for which the companies’ directors – including Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch – should ultimately be prepared to take responsibility”, I couldn’t help but smile. We all look to Lord Justice Leveson to clean out our stables in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal – after all, he is investigating “the culture, practices and ethics of the press” – arising from it. Yet he, like Rupert Murdoch, also appears to be “wilfully blind”; he too is failing to investigate properly; he too is ignoring evidence – in this case that some journalists, fed by unscrupulous politicians, are whipping up a perfect storm for disabled people.
Mobility scooters are big business – and they can transform the lives of people with disabilities. But their rising popularity in the UK is creating hostility, not least when able-bodied people use them as a cheap alternative to a car The TGA Supersport tends to be bought by people who were fond of motorbikes in their youth, and many of its owners know it affectionately as the Harley, because its high silver handlebars supported by chrome springs are immediately reminiscent of the brand. It’s a Hell’s Angels look for people with limited mobility
Games artistic directors reveal details about the event, including the title and the number of performers London’s Paralympics opening ceremony will be called Enlightenment and will feature disabled performers, including soldiers, who are learning circus skills to help them perform aerial work on a 35 metre-high rig. A few details of the ceremony, due to take place on 29 August, were disclosed at a briefing on Wednesday.
When Rachel Cooke went to meet historian David Starkey, often called the rudest man in Britain, she expected it to be war. But that was before she started laughing at his tales of a first date in the Beaver’s Retreat In the afternoon of 3 June, the Queen will mark her diamond jubilee by sailing the Thames from Hammersmith to the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich aboard the royal barge, the Spirit of Chartwell
Government’s upcoming reforms must take the needs and contributions of unpaid carers into account, says Heléna Herklots We will all need care or provide care for loved ones at some point in our lives – it is an issue for all of society and all parts of government. As care and support for older and disabled people rises up the political agenda, decision-makers and the public are confronted with an array of stark statistics on the rising demand for care – with the number of people over 80 to double by 2020, 11 million people alive today expected to live to 100, the number of adults with learning disabilities to rise by a third by 2030 and the number of carers by 50% in the next 25 years to 9 million.
Government’s upcoming reforms must take the needs and contributions of unpaid carers into account, says Heléna Herklots We will all need care or provide care for loved ones at some point in our lives – it is an issue for all of society and all parts of government. As care and support for older and disabled people rises up the political agenda, decision-makers and the public are confronted with an array of stark statistics on the rising demand for care – with the number of people over 80 to double by 2020, 11 million people alive today expected to live to 100, the number of adults with learning disabilities to rise by a third by 2030 and the number of carers by 50% in the next 25 years to 9 million. But these statistics do little to shed light on what this care challenge means in practical terms or what solutions might look like
An eye disease left Wheatcroft blind at 18, but by memorising routes he runs unaided and even competes in ultramarathons. Mark Russell joins him for a run and hears his remarkable story The London Marathon will see tens of thousands of competitors take to the capital’s streets this weekend, but for some runners the prospect of covering 26.2 miles just isn’t enough and only an ultramarathon will satisfy their itchy feet.
He may be the star of the new Snow White adaptation, but Povinelli’s dwarfism means he’s fighting for varied roles In his hotel room in New Orleans, Mark Povinelli is reflecting upon the sort of scripts he receives.
