Stigmabase | Isles

Alcohol abuse blights West : The number of alcoholics claiming benefits due to their addiction in many parts of the Westcountry is significantly higher than the average for England , figures have revealed. In Devon and Cornwall there are currently more than 1000 people claiming ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Woking has higher than average HIV rate : Volunteers from THT, the HIV and sexual health charity, will be out in force around Woking town centre on Saturday November 26 as they fundraise, offer advice and information and hand out red ribbons to support their World AIDS day campaign in December ... United Kingdom | Ireland

20th anniversary of Freddie Mercury's death : Mercury, 45, passed away at his London home on 24 November 1991. He had been diagnosed HIV positive several years earlier and died of bronchial pneumonia, brought on by AIDS . Queen's lead singer is remembered for his captivating live performances, ... PinkNews.co.uk

US professor: Pro-gay Israeli stance “conceals Palestinian human rights ... by Stephen Gray for PinkNews.co. uk A New York professor has said the promotion of gay rights in Israel may be “blinding” people to human rights violations in Palestine through “pinkwashing”. In an Op-Ed Sarah Schulman wrote for the New York Times, ...

Bradford Bulls rugby player warned over shirtless photo shoot comment : by Stephen Gray for PinkNews.co. uk A Bradford Bulls player has been warned by the club for saying a fellow rugby player's photo shoot in a gay magazine had let the side down. An investigation was launched immediately by the club after Elliott ... PinkNews.co.uk

Drug stash worth more than £4million found in Christmas decorations By Owen Bennett » Heroin, cocaine and cannabis worth more than £4million were discovered hidden in Christmas decorations being delivered to Harwich Port. The UK Border Agency discovered the haul in a trailer which arrived at the port from the ...

Glan Conwy Cllr launches campaign to tackle fuel poverty He said: “Statistically, in Conwy there are likely to be more than 1500 homes living in fuel poverty with more than half being older people . “Age UK estimates that in England and Wales there are 25000 additional winter deaths every year. ...

Swarovski and Jack & Jones open office space in Glasgow's shopping and leisure ... The luxury crystal brand and the menswear clothing brand have announced their decision to use the Glasgow Fort Shopping Park as their desired Glasgow office space and as the location for their first out-of-town stores. Jack & Jones, owned by Bestseller ...

New Benidorm Specsavers Opticas to hold EMAUS charity raffle on Open Day, Dec 1st : “EMAUS is a very important charity running nine children's centres, training for teenagers, counselling for families with problematic children and a shelter for battered wives. They are always looking for funds to keep these shelters open so we hope ...

Call for a minister to protect elderly : By Claire Lomax » A champion for the rights of older people in the district has called for the appointment of a Minister for Older People after the publication of a report condemning England's home care service. And Bradford Council pledged to ...

Is this the end of the fees freeze on caring for older people? : Local authorities in the UK may soon be forced to end the freeze that many have imposed on the amount they spend on older people's care, following a ruling in the high court earlier this month. The decision, in Sefton Housing Association and others v ... The Guardian

Child killer James Reid, 73, dies in prison : James Reid brutally killed James Ward in February 1997 as he walked from his great grandmother's home in Castlemilk, Glasgow , to his great-aunt's home. His trial at the High Court in Glasgow heard how traces of James's blood were found on Reid's ... BBC News

Psychiatrists should have less influence over psychiatric inpatients, says report : Instead, psychiatric inpatients should have more support from peers who have experienced mental health problems, concluded a report by mental health charity Mind into acute and crisis mental health care in England and Wales. ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Prison programme team win inspirational award An inspirational mental health team has scooped a top regional prize for their work in a prison. Hunts Mind and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) Mental Health In Reach Team has been awarded the NHS East of England prize for ...

UK Posts Growth, Concerns Remain : By NICHOLAS WINNING And ILONA BILLINGTON LONDON —The UK economy rebounded in line with expectations in the third quarter, driven by stock building and government spending, but the official data didn't ease concerns that activity is stagnating. ... Wall Street Journal

Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan visits Occupy Cardiff camp ... The Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan visited anti-inequality protesters who are part of the global Occupy movement in Cardiff yesterday.

City to face Liverpool at start of tough schedule LONDON (AP) -With its Champions League campaign in danger, Manchester City returns to the safe haven of the Premier League by putting its unbeaten start on the line in a testing trip to Liverpool . City struggled again in Europe's elite club competition ...

Prisons chief: jails must stop being 'Victorian warehouses' : Mr Clarke has called for a " rehabilitation revolution" but prison officers say their work has been set back by a lack of investment, and a surge in prison sentences. Figures released last year by the Ministry of Justice showed that 14 prisons – mostly ... United Kingdom | Ireland

Is this the end of the fees freeze on caring for older people? : While articulating the scope of local authority responsibility the decision has also highlighted the plight of councils as they seek to maintain funding for elderly care at a time of significant public sector spending cuts and growing demand from an ... The Guardian

Stars turn out to raise £100000 for Nicki's Smile “Pancreatic cancer research is very underfunded so charities such as Pancreatic Cancer UK and Nicki's Smile are vitally important in the fight to improve survival statistics.” Rachel Stevens added: “As a mother I can't imagine the anguish that Nicki ...

Charity raises research cash : A charity dedicated to supporting diabetics has handed over a cheque for £3000 for research into the condition. The money has been given to the Diabetic Research Fund, a part of the national Diabetes UK charity . It was raised by the Lincoln and ...

Ajay and Kajol attend charity event with Cherie Blair in UK The Loomba Foundation's Educate a Widows Child in India annual charity dinner was held at the Savoy in London and was attended by eminent industry leaders and senior politicians, including the British deputy prime minister, Rt. Hon Nick Clegg MP as ...

UK Government criticises proposed anti-gay Russian law : by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co. uk for PinkNews.co. uk The UK's Foreign Office has described plans by lawmakers in St Petersburg to implement a law against “ gay propaganda” as “wrong” and “mistaken”. The law, which has been introduced by the ruling United ... PinkNews.co.uk

Housing in crisis: The future of the private rented sector : Pressure in the social sector has also filtered through to the rented sector. According to the DWP's Single Housing Benefit data release, the proportion of UK housing benefit recipients in the private rented sector has grown from 25% to 32% since 2008 ... 24dash (press release)

Blackburn poppy tin thief beaten up in prison : Eddie Maxwell, the Poppy Appeal organiser for Blackburn, said: “It sounds like the prisoners have being dishing out a bit of restorative justice. You can't condone the use of violence but you can understand it.” Des Owen secretary of the Royal British ... United Kingdom | Ireland

The Equality and Human Rights Commission says elderly people face unchecked ... The 44-year- old first time buyer. This Citywire graphic visualises how long it will take to save for a deposit, and quotes Richard Miles, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, who predicts that while the economy may recover from ...

George Michael's Glasgow concert dates in doubt as he is taken ill with pneumonia Michael is due to play at the SECC in Glasgow on December 6 and 7. Earlier this month, the star played a special gig at the Royal Opera House in London which raised money for Sir Elton John's Aids Foundation. A star-studded audience including Sir Elton ...

Under-sea energy network 'possible' The report was published as government ministers from the three countries met to discuss the proposal in Glasgow . The grid concept, known as Isles, would harness wind, wave and tidal energy and help meet European Union renewable energy targets. ...

'Gardener' at major cannabis factory is jailed The court heard Duong, an illegal immigrant, arrived in the UK two years ago in the back of a lorry which came through France. In mitigation, Linda German said Duong had pleaded guilty. Recorder Adrian Redgrave QC sentenced him to five years in prison ...

Christmas decorations used to smuggle £4 million worth of drugs into UK By Mirror.co. uk - The haul of heroin, cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis was found in a trailer that arrived at the port of Harwich on a ferry from the Netherlands in the early hours of last Thursday. When officers searched the trailer they ...

Campaign to help pensioners in Suffolk and Norfolk struggling with winter fuel ... East Anglia Euro MP Richard Howitt told a debate last week on poverty and social exclusion that he was proud that Age UK has pledged to combat fuel poverty amongst local elderly. Labour's Richard Howitt MEP told MEPs in the European Parliament that ...

Support shown for LGBT adopters The LGBT adoption and fostering Week, from February 20 to 26, is a recruitment campaign for prospective LGBT adopters and foster carers with 18 events around the UK hosted by local adoption and fostering agencies. The free events will include talks ...

Juvenile prisons now safer and more effective In January 2012, a new state law takes effect which will require juvenile courts to consider less restrictive alternatives than confinement before sentencing a youth offender to prison . Meanwhile, a state-run program to provide rehabilitative services ...

Homeless Link responds to Government's housing strategy ... Today, the Government published 'Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England ', which aims to promote choice, flexibility and affordability and to ...

UK steel town bears scars of government cuts ... jobs after the decline of their old industries, Middlesbrough faces an uncertain future as Prime Minister David Cameron tries to cut spending and avoid the sort of debt crisis that has toppled governments across Europe. The town of 139000 people , ...

Accessibility is vitally important for people with disabilities and older ... According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the number of people older than 60 reached 739 million in 2009, but is expected to increase to 2 billion by 2050. Smart accessibility is thus also about ensuring older people are also not left ...

The government's housing strategy is 'radically and shamefully unfair' Just one day after the housing strategy was published, the disastrous impact of cuts to affordable housing was revealed: housing starts fell 99% for homes at social rent over the last six months, from 26300 to 259; affordable homes also fell from 35735 ...

Why is sleep important? Sleep is a fundamental biological need, essential for good physical, mental and emotional health . Lack of sleep can have serious consequences on health and wellbeing, in particular. According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard University, ...

Peruvian mayor concerned tap water “will turn town gay” by Stephen Gray for PinkNews.co. uk The mayor of a small town in Peru is concerned that mineral levels in the water could lead to an increase in homosexuality, LGBT Asylum News reports. José Benítez, the mayor of Huarmey, a coastal town in the Ancash ...

UK Government will redirect aid for anti-gay countries but NOT cut it ... Secretary of State for international development, Andrew Mitchell, today held a meeting with leading gay -rights groups in the UK and confirmed that foreign aid ...

Dutch anti-gay bullying website reports 200 cases in less than a month by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co. uk for PinkNews.co. uk The Dutch LGBT support group COC has been raising awareness about the problem in schools. A gay magazine in the Netherlands is surprised by the amount of people who have contacted the publication to ...