A European law that will improve air travel for disabled and older people has come into effect. Under the new rules, airlines and holiday companies will no longer be able to refuse to fly people because of their disability. The European Disability Forum says it is a "key date" for disabled people.
Vandals have caused up to £100,000 worth of damage after breaking into a college for the disabled in Norfolk. The Residential Centre at The College of West Anglia, King's Lynn, has been described as "a horror scene" by college principal Peter Stewart.
A pilot project in Denbighshire to teach people with disabilities first aid is to be rolled out across Wales, says the British Red Cross. The scheme began in north Wales last year and so far more than 250 people have gained life-saving skills. The charity has been training people with a range of physical and learning disabilities.
Two drugs commonly prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes double the risk of heart failure, a study of data on more than 78,000 patients suggests. More than 1.5 million prescriptions for rosiglitazone and pioglitazone were issued in England alone last year. The researchers, led by the University of East Anglia, suggest fluid retention caused by the drugs may be to blame. Writing in the journal Diabetes Care, they call for a rethink on the drugs by the regulatory authorities.
Six disabled people have been arrested in connection with what is believed to be the widespread abuse of a scheme to help wheelchair-users buy cars. An investigation for BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme revealed some had repeatedly bought high-value cars VAT free, then sold them for huge profits. The BBC's Shari Vahl said it was believed those involved had made hundreds of thousands of pounds.
For the eighteenth year in succession the National Audit Office has refused to sign off the Department for Work and Pensions' accounts due to unacceptably high levels of fraud and error. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions Danny Alexander MP said:
