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After over a decade of living across two countries – and navigating the US’s tangled immigration policies – Tom Kobylecy and Yedid Sánchez’s life together is no longer shrouded in secrecyTom Kobylecy and Yedid Sánchez’s budding romance took place amid the intoxicating odor of woody oak and sawdust of a Chicago-area Home Depot. Her cleaning shift started at 6am, just as his shift restocking store shelves was ending. He would linger to strike up a conversation, but Yedid, a native of Cuernavaca, Mexico, spoke little English. The few Spanish words he could muster came out in a nasally midwestern accent.After a few stilted attempts at conversation with the help of bilingual friends, she asked for his nombre, Spanish for name. “I thought she was asking me for my number,” Tom said. So, naturally, he gave her his number. A week later he asked her out for pizza. On their second date, he asked her to go fishing. Tom caught three and prepared them shake ’n’ bake-style. Yedid didn’t let on that the meal was not particularly appetizing – if she had they might not have kissed later that evening. Continue reading...

Opposition day debate seeks to establish committee to investigate reforming tax benefits enjoyed by independent schoolsLabour will attempt to force a binding vote on ending private schools’ tax breaks and use the £1.7bn a year raised from this to drive new teacher recruitment.The motion submitted by Keir Starmer’s party for the opposition day debate on Wednesday is drafted to push the charitable status scheme that many private schools enjoy to be investigated, as the party attempts to shift the political focus on to education. Continue reading...

Exclusive: After the Michelle Mone scandal and PPE questions, National Audit Office says monitoring conflicts of interest is ‘crucial’Peers and MPs should have to declare any links to firms they recommend for contracts even in an emergency such as the Covid pandemic, the head of the National Audit Office (NAO) has said, in the wake of the PPE controversies including the Michelle Mone scandal.Gareth Davies, the auditor and comptroller general at the NAO, said keeping on top of conflicts of interest was a “crucial part of public stewardship” that was not always followed during the VIP fast lane process. Continue reading...

Exclusive: employment strategy aimed at those ‘written off’ by society like young people with mental health issues, says Jonathan AshworthLabour will “put health and wellbeing” at the heart of its employment strategy by embedding career advisers in health services, including addiction clinics, rehab centres and primary care, the party has said.In an interview with the Guardian, Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said the strategy would help people who had been “written off” to access work.Devolving employment support to local authorities to target the best routes into work.Tailored extra support to work flexibly for those with caring responsibilities or chronic conditions.Offers of “in principle” decisions for access-to-work funding for disabled people.Change the work capability assessment regime to allow people to accept a job without fearing they would not be able to return to the benefits they were receiving. Continue reading...

Man claims psychological injury from allegations his now-deceased son was sexually abused

Forty people have been killed during a month of protests, with the UN Human Rights office calling for impartial investigations into the deathsPeru’s top prosecutor’s office said it has launched an inquiry into new president Dina Boluarte and members of her cabinet to investigate allegations of genocide after violent clashes that have seen at least 40 killed and hundreds injured since early December.The new government, however, won a vote of confidence in Congress by a wide margin on Tuesday evening. A loss would have triggered a cabinet reshuffle and the resignation of prime minister Alberto Otarola. Continue reading...

Toowoomba magistrates court hears the man accused of 2021 assaults is interstate due to a medical conditionA Queensland man charged with raping a young woman in October 2021 has been granted bail as Toowoomba police finalise their brief of evidence against the accused.The man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – is charged with two counts of rape and was scheduled to appear at the Toowoomba magistrates court on Wednesday morning, but remains interstate due to a medical condition. Continue reading...

Oxfam says its analysis of January 2021 to February 2022 underlines need for UK to stop arming Saudi ArabiaAt least 87 civilians were killed by airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen using weapons supplied by the UK and US between January 2021 and February 2022, according to a new Oxfam analysis.The charity accused the UK government of ignoring an identifiable “pattern of harm” caused by the indiscriminate bombing – and argues it amounts to legal grounds for Britain to end elements of its lucrative arms trade with Riyadh. Continue reading...

Refugee Council says long wait times mean people can stay in the country for years during processing

Border Force officials found small amount on passenger flight from Oman on 29 DecemberCounter-terrorism police have launched an investigation after Border Force officials seized material containing uranium at Heathrow.Scotland Yard confirmed its counter-terrorism team was investigating after the contaminated material was discovered as part of a routine security screening. Continue reading...

High-profile figures call on followers to help track down Bolsonaro supporters who stormed congressHigh-profile digital influencers have joined pro-democracy politicians and Brazil’s law enforcement agencies in an attempt to identify insurrectionists who took part in Sunday’s attack on the Brazilian government.Thousands of people stormed and ransacked the presidential palace, the congress building and the supreme court in support of former president Jair Bolsonaro and his pro-military, far-right movement. Continue reading...

December quarter rent growth slowed to 2% but Sydney and Melbourne may resist trend as normal migration patterns return

Film-maker disputes article claiming his self-financed film Megalopolis has descended into ‘madness’, saying: ‘I’m so happy’Francis Ford Coppola has denied allegations in the Hollywood Reporter that the set of his ambitious new film Megalopolis has descended into chaos.On Monday, a report claimed that the director of Apocalypse Now was struggling to maintain control over his new film, a self-financed passion project with a budget north of $100m. The article used multiple unnamed sources who alleged that the set was “absolute madness” with high staff turnover, an escalating budget and visual effects issues. A production source was quoted as saying: “It’s unclear whether the production can go forward as planned.” Continue reading...

Bad Bunny will be the first Latino artist and Blackpink the first all-female group to headline North America’s largest music festivalBad Bunny, Blackpink and Frank Ocean will headline the 22nd Coachella music festival in April, organizers announced on Tuesday.Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican singer and rapper born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, will be the first Latino artist and first Spanish-language performer to ever headline North America’s largest music festival, while Blackpink, the K-pop supergroup, will be the first Korean act and first all-female group to headline. The band became the first Korean all-female group to play the festival in 2019. Continue reading...

Chris Parry and fellow Briton Andrew Bagshaw had been helping people evacuate from frontlineThe family of one of the two British men missing in Ukraine have said they are “very worried” about his disappearance.Chris Parry, 28, was last seen on Friday with fellow Briton Andrew Bagshaw, 48, heading to the town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Last 10 remaining senators leave office, with gangs controlling much of capital, a malnutrition crisis and a cholera outbreakThe last 10 remaining senators in Haiti’s parliament have officially left office, leaving the country without a single democratically elected government official.The expiration of the officials’ terms at midnight on Monday formally concluded their time in office – and with it, the last semblance of democratic order in the beleaguered Caribbean nation. Continue reading...

Long waiting lists putting urgent patients at risk as target to bring backlog to pre-pandemic levels missedA record number of people are waiting longer than ever for cancer treatment, as the total waiting more than three months surpassed 12,000 for the first time.More than 4% of the 287,000 people on cancer waiting lists had waited more than 104 days to receive treatment after diagnosis, despite 2,000 of these being considered urgent patients, according to NHS England figures for the week ending on 1 January seen by Health Service Journal. Continue reading...

Christian Lindner allegedly failed to disclose his mortgage from BBBank, whose general meeting he addressedGermany’s finance minister, Christian Lindner, is facing allegations that he developed close ties to a private bank which provided a mortgage for his luxury home.Prosecutors in Berlin have said they are examining whether to open a corruption investigation into what might have been a conflict of interest. Continue reading...

Opposition challenges prime minister over use of private plane for health visit. This live blog is now closedThe National Education Union, which is currently balloting its members on strike action in England and Wales, has not ruled out teachers going on strike over the exam period.Asked if this was a possibility, Kevin Courtney, the NEU’s joint general secretary, told Sky News this morning:We don’t want to strike during the exam period. But nothing is ruled out.If there were exams on, then teachers are preparing the children for those exams for a long period beforehand. You can have a strike on an exam day and not disrupt the exams.We will stop … if there are talks that we judge to be serious, where the government is actually intending to make a move, not some dog and pony show where it’s just them trying to present themselves to the media as talking.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed the regions in England and Wales with the highest proportion of people with no qualifications, as well as the areas with the most degree-educated residents.More than one in five (21.1%) residents in the West Midlands – one million people – hold no qualifications, figures show. Continue reading...

Clerical leaders hope for ‘lasting legacy’ to serve places affected by past slavery trade, but fund may spread thinly across all of west Africa and CaribbeanThe Church of England’s decision to set up a £100m fund for communities adversely affected by historic slavery is the latest – and biggest – step it has taken over the past few years to “address past wrongs” relating to its links to the slave trade.The report on the origins of the C of E’s healthy £9bn-plus endowment fund correctly describes the 17th century slave trade as “abhorrent” and a source of misery and injustice. Continue reading...

Irene Tracey says she will commission independent inquiry to help alleviate ‘really tough’ pressures many faceOxford University’s new vice-chancellor has said that one of her first acts will be to investigate the pay and working conditions of the university’s staff, in an attempt to alleviate the “really tough” pressures on junior academics in particular.Prof Irene Tracey was inaugurated on Tuesday as Oxford’s 273rd vice-chancellor since 1230 – but only the second woman and the first to be educated at an English comprehensive school. Continue reading...

UK financial PR firm acquired by US group in a deal valuing business at more than £70mThe founder of Tulchan is set for a £35m payday after selling the London-based financial and corporate PR firm to rival global advisory Teneo.Teneo, the US PR firm acquired by the private equity group CVC in a $700m deal in 2019, is understood to have acquired Tulchan in a deal that values the business at more than £70m. Continue reading...

Labour condemns business secretary’s proposed powers over fire, ambulance and other public servicesThe business secretary, Grant Shapps, will be able to decide statutory minimum service levels for a string of public services, in terms of a new anti-strike bill condemned by Labour as likely to increase stoppages.Unveiling details of the proposed law, Shapps said ministers would consult during the progress of the bill on what minimum services levels would be required for fire, ambulance and transport services, including rail. Continue reading...

Former kickboxer was arrested, along with his brother, on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime groupA Romanian court is hearing Andrew Tate’s appeal against his detention and is expected to rule on Tuesday whether the controversial former kickboxer, influencer and professed misogynist must stay in jail, pending an organised crime investigation.Tate, 36, his brother Tristan, 34, and two Romanian female suspects were arrested by prosecutors on 29 December on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit women. Both men have denied wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Nearly half of Londoners hold degree or similar qualification compared with under 30% in north-east EnglandThere are stark regional differences in the level of qualifications of people in London and south-east England compared with parts of the north, according to census data.The new figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal the continuing divide between England’s north and south, with nearly half (46.7%) of people in London holding a degree or similar qualification (level 4 or above) compared with less than a third (28.6%) of those in the north-east. The figure is 35.8% for the south-east. Continue reading...

11-year-old shot dead in Antwerp believed to be victim of rival drug gangs as cocaine seizures hit record highBelgian politicians have expressed outrage over the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old girl in Antwerp in a “drug war” between rival gangs, as authorities said cocaine seizures at the city’s port passed the 100-tonne mark for the first time last year.Figures showing an unprecedented interception of cocaine at Antwerp, Europe’s second largest port, were released on Tuesday, as shock reverberated over the death of the girl. The child, who was hit in a shooting in the Merksem district on Monday evening was described by the city’s mayor, Bart de Wever, as the innocent victim of a drugs war. Continue reading...

Industry hopes China’s reopening might bring wider benefits for travellers with more airfare price competition

The cost of sorting and transporting waste comes as charitable groups see a surge in the number of people needing their help

Taxpayers could save more than $25m a year if parole granted, says peak body on homeless, urging more be spent on social housing

Almost half of deaths occur in babies’ first month and most could be prevented with better healthcare according to campaignersFive million children worldwide died before their fifth birthday in 2021, with almost half (47%) dying during their first month, according to new UN figures.Most of the deaths could have been prevented with better healthcare, say campaigners, adding that deaths among newborn babies haven’t reduced significantly since 2017. Continue reading...

Leighane Melsadie Redmond and three-year-old Melsadie Adella-Rae Parris died at Taplow station in 2019A bereaved mother has said she repeatedly raised concerns about the mental health of her daughter who died after jumping in front of a train with her three-year-old.Yvette Redmond sought help for Leighane Melsadie Redmond by taking her to A&E, calling 111 and going to her GP. Leighane, who was suffering from psychosis, and her daughter, Melsadie Adella-Rae Parris, died at Taplow station in Buckinghamshire on 18 February 2019. Continue reading...

UK says most of Ukrainian saltmine town near Bakhmut is in Russian hands after intensive fighting

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed up wholesale prices of gas and oilThe average UK price for a litre of petrol has fallen below 150p for the first time since the outbreak of war in Ukraine.The AA said that a litre of petrol typically cost 149.74p on Monday, its lowest since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, when it averaged 149.67p a litre. Continue reading...

House of the Vettii features ornate and erotic friezes – and a fresco of the god Priapus with a huge phallusAn ornate house – containing a fresco featuring a huge phallus – that was owned by two freed men freed from slavery in the ancient city of Pompeii has reopened to the public.The House of the Vettii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD74 before being rediscovered in a largely preserved state during excavations in the late 19th century. Continue reading...

The 40-foot yacht had been left to drift at sea after its rudder snapped and crew were rescued by water police

Rain and flood warnings issued for much of Wales and western parts of England and ScotlandSome homes and businesses could be flooded in parts of the UK on Tuesday, forecasters have warned.The Met Office has issued three yellow warnings for “persistent heavy rain” throughout the day, covering much of Wales and north-west England. Continue reading...

Matthew Taylor says PM has delayed putting in place many of measures in 2019 manifesto

Chief executive told workers to treat ‘Monday through Thursday as in-person workdays’, according to emailDisney’s boss has told employees who are working from home to return to the office four days a week from the start of March, according to reports.Bob Iger, the chief executive, said hybrid workers will be asked to treat “Monday through Thursday as in-person workdays”, according to an email seen by CNBC, which first reported the news. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Council says only one competitive bid for central government money has been successful in six yearsRishi Sunak’s boast to Tunbridge Wells residents that he diverted public funds from deprived urban areas to help those such as the affluent Kent borough has been rubbished by local leaders.The prime minister was told by the council this had “not been our lived experience” and only one competitive funding bid by the council for a pot of central government money had been successful in the past six years. Continue reading...

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About 250,000 Afghan asylum seekers have arrived in Pakistan since August 2021, but a migrant crackdown has left many of them in fear of being jailed or deportedMore than 600 Afghans have been deported from Pakistan in the past three days, and hundreds more face expulsion in a renewed crackdown on migrants.On Saturday, 302 people were sent back to Afghanistan from Sindh province and 303 on Monday, including 63 women and 71 children. A further 800 people are expected to be deported in the coming days. Continue reading...

Those of working age who die are twice as likely to spend final year of life in poverty, says charityTerminally ill people are calling on the UK government to start paying their state pensions early so they can enjoy what is left of their lives and tackle a “cost of dying” crisis.People of working age who are unlikely to survive long enough to claim their state pension say the change would cost little more than the amount lost each year to erroneous pension payouts by the Department for Work and Pensions. Continue reading...

Fresh violence breaks out in southern region, as Boluarte says she cannot agree to key demands of protestersAt least 17 people have been killed in fresh clashes between protesters and security forces in Peru as rolling anti-government protests turned deadly again, pushing the overall death toll to nearly 40 in the nationwide unrest after the ousting and arrest of former president Pedro Castillo a month ago.Monday’s bloodshed took place near the airport in the city of Juliaca in the southern region of Puno, as demonstrators fought running battles with police. Social media images showed gunshots wounds and clouds of smoke as protesters threw stones using slings and used metal plates as shields. Continue reading...

Daniel Duggan’s solicitor says case is an arbitrary prosecution brought about as US entered a geopolitical contest with China

Ex-army captain Tanya Brady, 49, died in Hampshire in April after animal became ‘spooked’A former rower for Team GB and army captain was killed after she was thrown from her horse, an inquest has heard.Tanya Brady, 49, died at the scene of the accident in Liss, Hampshire, on 28 April last year after the horse was spooked and began running out of control. Continue reading...

Legislation may be brought forward in ‘coming weeks’ to help reunite animals that have been run over with ownersMillions of cat owners could be forced to microchip their pets as legislation to make it a legal requirement is expected to be brought forward in the “coming weeks”.The long-awaited proposals could soon be brought to parliament as MPs considered a petition on requiring drivers to stop when they run over a cat, according to the transport minister, Richard Holden. Continue reading...

Australia’s leading universities say redesign of how students are assessed is ‘critical’ in the face of a revolution in computer-generated text

Pair named in reports as Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry said to have been travelling from Kramatorsk to SoledarTwo British men have gone missing in Ukraine, the Foreign Office has said.The families of both UK nationals were being supported after they disappeared, according to a statement released on Monday. Continue reading...

Sunday’s insurrection by supporters of far-right ex-president was organised first on private messaging networks, experts sayThe role of social media platforms and messaging apps in Sunday’s political violence in Brasília is under the spotlight after experts highlighted their use by Jair Bolsonaro supporters to question the presidential election result and organise the protests.Facebook and Instagram’s owner, Meta, has said it will take down content that praises the storming of government buildings in Brazil’s capital, amid claims that tech firms had not done enough to head off the attacks or quell disinformation. Continue reading...