Tag: UK

This report sets out the nature of poverty in the UK, and evaluates changes under the last Conservative-led Government. It also sets out the scale of action necessary for the current Government to deliver the change it has promised.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation: UK Poverty 2026: The Essential Guide to Understanding “Deep” Poverty in the UK! (27.1.2026)

Disabled people face a higher risk of poverty. This is driven partly by the additional costs associated with disability and ill-health, and partly by the barriers to work that disabled people face. However, the proportion of disabled working-age adults in work increased from 42% in 2010/11 to 53% in 2023/24, while poverty rates remained steady over that period. In the latest data, there were 17 million disabled people in the UK — that is, 1 in 4 people (24%) — and almost 4 in 10 families contained at least 1 person who was disabled. The poverty rate for disabled people was 28%, 8 percentage points higher than the rate for people who were not disabled. Half of all people who were disabled and living in poverty in the latest data had a long-term, limiting mental condition — around 2.4 million people. The poverty rate for this group was 34%, compared with 28% for people with a physical disability.

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The Personal Information Protection Law took effect on Nov 1, 2021

China: Crackdown Intensifies on Misuse of Personal Data! (25.1.2026)

I have been informed the ban is not “blanket” – but rather involves 16 social media sites that are designed for use by adults only. As under-16s should not be on these sites – would a ban matter? The point is that (far-right) White nationalists use adult social media sites to entrap and groom young people – and initiate these unsuspecting minors into Neo-Nazi and neo-fascist propaganda. By banning minors from these adult sites would remove a possible source of recruitment for the far-right. Just as long as our youth is able to still use the net in an appropriate manner – than curbs might not be a bad thing. Even in Socialist China the threat from online criminality – sometimes from outside of China – has been dealt a blow. Twenty-five to thirty years ago – the internet was a free space for sharing – today it has been fully colonised by the capitalists and this has brought an entirely new raft of problems (anarchism was the only problem in 2000 – but that was generally free). Last Thursday – around 200 teenage school-children in Sutton had some kind of tiktok event in Sutton town centre – which initiated a police response and some violence.

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Athika Ahmed - a Wonderful Person!

Wales: Supporting the Wonderful Work of  “Athika Ahmed” – Whilst Exposing and Opposing Hideous UK Media Racism! (23.1.2026)

NHS Voices, an initiative to promote the work of NHS staff and volunteers, praised Ahmed as an “unsung hero” who has contributed for many years: “Athika has been instrumental in many of the Health Board’s children’s plans and now the women’s health plan.

“She is an ambassador for the Love Your Period campaign and supports and educates young Muslim girls when it comes to the stigmatised topic of menstruation and cycles.

“All of her time she volunteers amongst her studies and has gone an unsung hero for many years.”

Misinformation has spread on social media channels including X, Facebook and YouTube across the world claiming she leads health affairs and holds a senior position in the Welsh Government, with some incorrectly claiming she is the Welsh health minister – a role held by Neath Senedd member Jeremy Miles.

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A device called a cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) pacemaker, can switch the heart’s fuel from sugar to fat after only two minutes, a study has found.

Oxford: CTC Pacemaker Could Help Reverse Heart Failure Symptoms by Switching Heart’s Fuel from Sugar to Fat! (21.1.2026)

Professor Neil Herring, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Oxford, said: “The size of the improvement we’ve seen in the hearts in our study in response to CRT is remarkable. The slowing down of electrical signals in the heart, in some people who have heart failure, may mean the signal for the heart to use fat for fuel is lost, and their heart switches to using glucose instead. A pacemaker restores the “use fat for fuel” message through fixing the signalling problem as it regulates the heart. This then helps the heart to start to recover. 

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The hole, located outside a branch of bank on Bath Street, Ilkeston, became a tourist hotspot during Covid, with the bar's installation drawing widespread criticism. Picture: Facebook

UK: Weird Things Happening in England – Bank-Hole Bar Protest! (21.1.2026)

Following the bar’s installation, one local commented on a Facebook post highlighting the bar’s installation: “I’m assuming this has been constructed to allow two people to pass through the hole at the same time, thus cutting down the queuing time down Bath Street.

Another wrote: “So who is going to be the first person to get stuck in the hole and have to be rescued by our brave fire brigade?”

A third added: “Council asked “how can we make money from this” and someone suggested the council should turn it into a bar.”

“I hear it is being turned into a HMO on the top half and a Turkish barbers at the bottom,” wrote another.

The bank are yet to publicly comment on or justify the reasons behind the installation, with many locals left baffled by the high street addition.

The swift pushback from locals and fans of the ‘Bank [trade name omitted] Hole’ alike quickly caught the attention of local MP Adam Thompson.

In a written response, the MP wrote that the hole had become an “iconic symbol” of the town, noting the bar’s installation had raised “concern and speculation among Ilkeston residents”.

“The hole is well known locally and has become something of a landmark,” he continued, insisting the whole is “one of those small quirks that contributes to Ilkeston’s unique character and identity.”

“I believe I speak for many residents in saying there is relief the pole has been removed,” he said.

Adding: “that being said, I’d appreciate some clarification as to why the pole was installed in the first place, and, if possible, the reason for its removal.”

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A British Muslim charity has organised a 300-mile cycle route from Makkah to Madinah, tracing the historic migration journey of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to raise funds for Palestine.

Over 40 British Muslim Cyclists Ride Historic Hijrah Route to Raise Money for Palestine! (20.1.2026)

The event also marked the start of the Islamic Hijri calendar, a lunar calendar consisting of twelve lunar months, holding deep religious significance for Muslims worldwide.

Cyclists depart 

“What began with a shaky start, broken pedals, loose chains and a few punctures became a powerful reminder that no challenge is too big when brothers stand together. With the support team always ready, every setback was fixed, every rider lifted, and unity carried the group forward,” the charity said following their first day of riding.

The reason why M2H are embarking on this journey is to raise funds for Palestine, a cause they have labelled “a crisis beyond imagination”.

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