Stigmabase | Isles

A kaleidoscope for global equality : UK leaders from all sides of the political divide have thrown their weight behind a new international initiative aiming to reduce homophobia and violent crimes against LGBT individuals and communities, particularly in Africa and the Middle East where ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Society daily 15.09.11 : An incredibly moving film on the Opening Doors group, a pioneering Age UK project supporting LGBT elders. As 74-year-old Willie explains: "We're elderly folk and we come from a generation where you kept quiet about it ... It is nice now to be meeting ... The Guardian (blog)

Gay Iranians come out on Facebook : by Jessica Geen for PinkNews.co. uk A Facebook group has been set up for gay Iranians to come out and discuss their personal stories. Iran has the death penalty for homosexuality and there is no gay rights movement operating openly within the country. ... PinkNews.co.uk

PayPal asked to block accounts of 'gay hate' groups : by Jessica Geen for PinkNews.co. uk PayPal has been asked to cancel the accounts of religious groups accused of supporting anti- gay legislation. Campaign group AllOut says that as the e-payments site quickly banned white supremacist group the Ku Klux ... PinkNews.co.uk

Gay troops prepare for end of gay ban : by Jessica Geen for PinkNews.co. uk The ban on openly gay US troops will come to an end on Tuesday, 18 years after it was signed into law. Despite some attempts to derail the repeal, the process is on track. This week, two powerful Republicans on the ... PinkNews.co.uk

Debunking the myths about squatting : So ran the Daily Mail's headline story of 10 August 1946, in which the newspaper praised the "robust common sense" of action taken by the desperate homeless in the immediate postwar years, action that put a roof over their heads when the state had ... The Guardian (blog)

UK rents rise by record amount in August : Through ruthless social engineering the government is trying to increase poverty so poor people die sooner leaving the rich to inherit the earth. It is the Tory way! Combined with record low borrowing costs and strongly rising rents, the scope for ... The Guardian

UK immigration: Polygamy, welfare benefits and an insidious silence The post-war generation of politicians and civil servants were motivated by the desire to protect the vulnerable, the sick and those in genuine poverty . Tragically, over recent decades, the system has become corrupted. It might have once been a safety ...

£7000 gift to homeless charity : Frances Rayner and her colleagues decided to complete the Three Peaks Challenge, which involves walking the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours. And she chose to use the opportunity to raise funds for the Purfleet Trust. ... Lynn News

Help for elderly and ill pet owners : The Cinnamon Trust is a charity providing volunteers to help elderly or terminally ill pet owners with services such as dog walking, cat care, transport to the vets and even short term fostering. Thanks to a fantastic response to the Luton News and ... Leighton Buzzard Today

Warning to Border Agency after singer Kelis alleges racism at London airport The Mayor's letter, reminding staff they are the 'face and voice of modern Britain', came after the 32-year- old American took to Twitter to vent her rage about the incident. Mr Johnson also wrote to Kelis on Twitter saying: 'Heard about the treatment ...

Opinion: LGBT progress in Scotland – are we there yet? : Scotland has had a tumultuous relationship with the LGBT community over the years. Indeed, decriminalisation of homosexuality itself only occurred in Scotland in 1980, with Northern Ireland being the only part of the UK doing so later (in 1982). ... So So Gay

Will the localism agenda undermine rural housing development? : A shortage of housing has raised concerns that some communities are becoming the preserve of the affluent and elderly , with younger people in low paid sectors, including farming and tourism, priced out. Figures from the commission suggest that this is ... The Guardian

People with dementia deserve a hearing : The opportunity for us to do this has grown hugely in the past few years – before that, it was largely assumed that people with dementia (or indeed learning difficulties, mental health problems or any other cognitive or communication impairment) had ... The Guardian (blog)

Jason Koumas considers quitting playing career by Terry Phillips, South Wales Echo JASON Koumas, the talented midfielder ex- Cardiff City manager Dave Jones banked on to weave his magic last season, is pondering whether to end his playing career. Former Wales international Koumas is still a free ...

Angel Springs Supports Charity Hospice Walk : Angel Springs, the UK's leading water cooler company, helped more than 300 volunteers raise money for a Halifax hospice this month. Angel Springs, the UK's leading supplier of bottled and mains-fed water coolers, helped more than 500 people stay ... United Kingdom | Ireland

One million families face fuel poverty The figures suggest that close to one million families will be in fuel poverty in Scotland. Official figures show that 32.7% of households north of the Border spend a tenth of their income on energy costs, compared with 18.4% in England . ...

The challenge of keeping Nepalese girls in school : Poor , marginalised, illiterate girls and women have little access to resources and opportunities. Breaking the current political deadlock is the key to unlocking a better future for them. And for a better, more prosperous Nepal. • Emma Reynolds is a UK ... The Guardian (blog)

Half of hospitals and nursing homes at risk of poor care : Meanwhile councils are restricting support to elderly and disabled people with only the most severe difficulties and mental health trusts are cutting jobs to save money, according to the regulator's annual report. However concerns have been raised that ... Telegraph.co.uk

Pattaya Pride musical dinner raises 50000 for AIDS patients : Tom Kalb and David Kerrige, the managers of the Le Cafe Royal donated 200 baht of every 750 baht buffet meal to Pattaya Pride's HIV and AIDS work headed by Dr. Philippe Seur. UK drag queen “Miss Jason” headlined the evening's entertainment, ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Catholics reviving meat penance : Those aged under 14, the sick, elderly , pregnant women, seafarers, manual workers or others in situations where there are moral or physical reasons for eating meat are excused from abstaining. The Catholic Church defines meat as the flesh of ... BBC News

UK alters law targeting war crimes suspects : LONDON - Britain amended a law yesterday to make it tougher for ordinary citizens or activist groups to get arrest warrants against suspected war criminals or torturers - a move that angered some human rights lawyers and ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Women inmates won't just be let out : Most importantly, they must have some place safe and stable to go, and must enroll in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs , school or job training, or find work. Because the state is not investing a dime in alternative sentencing programs , ... United Kingdom | Ireland

UK Older People's Day UK Older People's Day 2011. Saturday 1 October 2011. There are a number of events taking place around Birmingham to celebrate. UK Older People's Day ...

How half our hospitals and care homes are failing the nation's elderly : By Sophie Borland Half of the UK's hospitals and care homes are failing to look after patients, a damning report warns. Shockingly, nurses at some institutions are serving up people's evening meals at 3pm – just because it is more convenient, ... Daily Mail

Hospitals and care homes are failing the elderly : Michelle Mitchell, charity director of Age UK , said: 'It's not acceptable that NHS hospitals and care homes with nursing are not complying with basic minimum standards required for the wellbeing and welfare of older people . 'It's shocking to see that ... Daily Mail

Soft sentencing blamed for riot rampage as it is revealed two thirds had ... 'We are talking about career criminals, and people like that deserve to be sent to prison for a prolonged period to protect ordinary people. There is no evidence that any community sentences are more successful than prison at rehabilitation . ...

Homeless households rise 17 per cent in 12 months : The paper, by Heriot-Watt and York universities, comes as government figures, published last Thursday, revealed the number of households accepted as homeless in England between April and June 2011 rose 17 per cent to 11820 compared with the same ... United Kingdom | Ireland

'Webcam 101 for Seniors': Fumbling Elderly Couple Becomes Viral Sensations By Jennifer Madison, Daily Mail - An elderly couple struggling to learn how to use a webcam have become viral video sensations after their granddaughter posted the fumbling footage online. Bruce and Esther Huffman, of McMinnville, Oregon, captured close ...

Doctors furious over decision not to advertise free flu jabs : An estimated 16 million people in England can get a free flu jab. They include 8.8 million elderly people, 5.4 million with an existing medical condition and 600000 pregnant women. The decision against a campaign has been relayed to senior levels of ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Two assaults in Liverpool's gay quarter : by Jessica Geen for PinkNews.co. uk Liverpool police are investigating two attacks on young men on streets in the city's gay quarter. Police say there is no evidence yet that the assaults were motivated by homophobia but have sought to reassure the gay ... PinkNews.co.uk (blog)

People with serious mental illness 'still more likely to die young' : In fact, the mortality gap for people with serious mental illness is increasing, despite improvements in mental health care, according to scientists at the University of Oxford and King's College London. The research team looked at data on all people ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Gay London deputy mayor accused of making racist joke ... : Richard Barnes, one of London mayor Boris Johnson's deputies, is being investigated for allegedly making a racist joke about rioters. United Kingdom | Ireland

Social media 'positive in riots' : ... there is mass disorder and this is the only way to stop it happening," he argued. "There may be a set of circumstances or situation, to do with terrorism or high criminality , where they might have to do this." RIM's UK managing director Stephen Bates. BBC News

Armed Forces online mental health forum launched - MOD home When it comes to dealing with mental health issues, UK Service personnel, veterans and their families now have access to specialised online help and support. ...

Warning over rise in UK prison gangs : He criticised the “continuing high level” of unmet mental health need in all forms of custody. Nick Herbert, policing minister, on Wednesday hinted at an alternative to custodial sentences, saying the government was exploring “a role for robust ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Patients left at risk by watchdog's focus on red tape : The CQC, which has a budget of more than £160million, was formed in 2009 in a merger of three separate watchdogs for healthcare, mental health and social care, and set about registering thousands of NHS hospitals and care homes. ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Sheena Hastings: Employers must wake up to changes in retirement date “The second reason is that those older workers who are currently in the workforce are likely to be there for some considerable time to come. Economic conditions mean that many older people need to continue to work, so ensuring their ongoing engagement ...

Age no protection as STI rates skyrocket : Older people are becoming more and more sexually active, but according to the experts they are a little out of touch when it comes to sexual health. A new study from the University of Florida has found older women need and want sex education just as ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Adopting one healthy habit cuts heart failure risk : About 900000 people in the UK have heart failure. Older people are more likely to get the condition, with men more likely to be diagnosed with it than women. Heart failure means that the heart is having difficulty pumping enough blood around the body. ... United Kingdom | Ireland