Ageism still endemic despite legislation

Ageism is still “endemic” in the workplace a year after the introduction of legislation aimed at stamping it out, according to findings published today (Frances Gibb writes).

The Employers’ Forum on Age said that despite widespread awareness of the laws, almost two out of three workers had witnessed ageist behaviour in the past 12 months. Owen Warnock, an employment law partner with the legal firm Eversheds, said many firms were continuing with discriminatory practices in the hope that if challenged at a tribunal, they would show they were justified. He cited pay and benefits as a key area in which employers were resisting change.

Patients denied help

Patients who smoke or are obese are denied operations by one in ten NHS trusts, according to a survey for ITV1’s Tonight programme. It indicates that 16 out of the 152 Primary Care Trusts in England have policies refusing nonemergency surgery such as hip implants to smokers or those classified as obese.

Boy dies in lake

Shane Owoo, 16, drowned when a gang allegedly threw him into Lunt Pool in Bilston, West Midlands, after an argument and hurled rocks at him to stop him climbing out. His body was found in the lake the next day. Police are treating the death as murder. Three men in their early 20s have been arrested.

Muslim campaign

British Muslims will begin a national poster campaign today intended to correct misconceptions about Islam. The campaign, which takes place during Ramadan, will feature advertisements at airports and on buses and trains. One of its aims is to illustrate condemnation of terror attacks.

Last leg for traveller

Jason Lewis, who has pedalled, paddled, skated, walked and swum his way around the globe, stepped on to British soil last night for the first time in 13 years after crossing the Channel in a wooden pedal-craft. He plans to end his human-powered circumnavigation by travelling up the Thames on Saturday.

Unicycle record

A student has broken the Guinness world record for the greatest distance covered on a unicycle in 24 hours. Sam Wakeling, 22, cycled 282 miles around a track at Aberystwyth University where he is studying computer science. The previous record of 235.3 miles was set in 2005 in New Zealand.

Edexcel

Our report (Make science questions easier, August 29) included questions and answers from an Edexcel exam paper. A number of the answers supplied, which were not taken from the official Edexcel marking scheme, were wrong. We apologise for the error. The full paper and the correct mark scheme are available via the education page of timesonline.

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