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Security guard tried to stop her from entering urgent care with her sick daughter A blind woman has shared her ordeal of being denied access to a hospital with her guide dog and her ill child. Dr Amy Kavanagh, a historian and disability activist, said she was stopped by a security guard at the West Middlesex University Hospital in London on Monday night. She said she was trying to enter the urgent care unit with her guide dog Ava and her poorly baby, but the guard told her that dogs were not allowed. She said she kept walking after firmly…

A senior SNP MSP has questioned the party’s co-operation agreement with the Scottish Greens after the shock loss of a Westminster seat to Labour. SNP needs to improve its messaging, says Thomson Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, said the SNP needs to look at its policies, proposition and messaging after the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election result. She said the party needs to speak for the people of Scotland and acknowledge the defeat. She also said she supports Humza Yousaf as the leader, despite being a rival campaign manager in the leadership contest earlier this year. Greens deal not…

How the proposal would have affected pupils and parents The Falkirk Council had proposed to reduce the covered travel distance for school pupils from two miles to three miles for secondary schools and from one mile to two miles for primary schools. This would have affected more than 1600 pupils, who would have to walk or find alternative transport to school. The council said this was the “least worst” option to save more than £1 million, as it faces a budget deficit of £64 million over five years. The proposal sparked a public outcry, with many parents and pupils expressing…

The 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final line-up has been confirmed following the conclusion of the group stages in France. Here are some of the highlights and surprises from the tournament so far. Portugal shocks Fiji with last-minute try In one of the biggest upsets in Rugby World Cup history, Portugal defeated Fiji 24-23 in their final Pool C match in Toulouse. The European minnows scored a try in the final minute and converted it to snatch a dramatic victory over the Pacific Islanders, who had led 23-10 at one point. Portugal, ranked 24th in the world, had never won a…

A Scottish father who fought for more than three years to secure greater contact with his young son has shared his story to raise awareness of the rights that many separated parents do not realise they have. He said he was only seeing his son for five hours a week before he sought legal help and eventually obtained a court order that allows him to have his son for 15 days a month. Separation and divorce affect millions of children in the UK According to statistics, there are about four million children in the UK whose parents are separated, and…