Council chiefs who were shown a video of a mum struggling to carry her disabled son up 30 stairs still refused her priority housing - because she made it to the TOP. Sharon Arkell, 38, and Richard Mikkelson, 37, live with Tommy, four, and his little sister Susie in a second-floor flat. Tommy cannot reach it unaided as he suffers from muscular dystrophy, a progressive illness which means he'll soon have to use a wheelchair permanently. So mum Sharon carries...

A petition has been launched to reverse a decision to block a Greenpeace ship from berthing at Leith Docks. The Esperanza, a former Soviet navy ship, arrived in the Firth of Forth on Wednesday and is expected to stay for a week.The Esperanza is the largest vessel in the Greenpeace fleet. Forth Ports told the group it could not dock as the port is full, but they agreed a compromise letting the vessel moor off Granton Harbour. Greenpeace is visiting...

A sailor stood among the 19,240 figures in 'Shrouds of the Somme' today, each of which represents a soldier who died on the first day of the battle. The art installation outside Bristol Cathedral has been set up to represent the death toll of the first day of the infamous battle. More than one million men were wounded or killed on the Somme overall, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

Marie Curie, esteemed physicist, chemist and isotope enthusiast has been named the most inspirational women of all time in a recent poll. Curie, who was the first woman ever to win the Nobel Prize (twice in fact, and in two different sciences, pub trivia fans) bested Florence Nightingale and Anne Frank, who took 2nd and 3rd in the countdown. It's great to see that Curie's contribution to science is still recognised by modern Brits. The inroads she made in the...

Remember that scene in The Office when David Brent gets promoted at the expense of the rest of his team? I imagine the faces of utter bewilderment that he was met with are quite similar to the gawps we all shot at our television screens yesterday morning waking to the news that Donald fucking Trump is the new President. "I know, gutting", the Brentmeister General said, "but on a more positive note, the good news is...." There is no good...

I feel the need to write something. To rant a stream of confused consciousness about the why's and wherefores of how I personally believe Donald Trump has achieved the position of the most powerful man in the supposed free world. Except it has all been said today by far more intellectual and informed individuals than me. I still feel the need though to add my tuppence halfpenny, if only to cleanse my mind and stop me darkly mulling over and...

Batman villain The Joker has been elected Mayor of Gotham in a stunning electoral triumph. The eponymous villain, who had fired his team of goons and replaced them with a terrifying assortment of old Republicans, Spoke to reporters from his victory party at the Arkham Asylum; "I used to think I had to come up with some ingeniously evil scheme to inflict misery on the citizens of Gotham but, as it happens, my insanity and psychopathy have struck a real...

Dale Hoyland, Strategic Development and Affordable Warmth Manager, National Energy Foundation For most households, energy is an expensive necessity – but not keeping yourself warm enough in the winter can have dire consequences. According to the most recent Government figures, there was an estimated 43,900 excess winter deaths (caused by cold weather) in England and Wales in 2014/15; the highest number since 1999/00. The majority of these deaths occurred among people aged 75 and over. So, it’s very important to...

Nestled in the North of Spain, bordering the South West of France, the Basque region’s cuisine has seen a meteoric rise in popularity over the past eleven months, and what’s more – the trend is showing no signs of slowing down. One of the Basque-inspired restaurants to have opened this year is the first London restaurant from Eneko Atxa, the three Michelin-starred chef behind Bilbao’s Azurmendi. Although Eneko at One Aldwych does bring the chef’s cooking expertise to the Capital,...