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The latest published reporting from this region.

Entertainment

Lords of Serendipity by Randy Boyagoda review – a campus satire for this moment of crisis

This propulsive, globe-trotting tale brilliantly skewers the corruption and corporatisation of higher education It’s no secret that academia is on the blink; Canadian author Randy Boyagoda’s new novel, which is equal parts satire, dystopia and exposé, tells the story of all that’s wrong, glitchy and broken. Set across Sri Lanka, the United States and Italy, it centres on a cast of students, parents and professors, and their dealings with a common antagonist: the university. The first character we meet is Sri Lankan teen Devi, who is set on obtaining offers from “Ochpys” – her acronym for Oxfor

The Guardian
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Finance

Poundland staff could be out of work for years if retailer collapses, founder says

Steve Smith calls on owners to accept proposed buyout as 12,000 staff face uncertain future in run-up to Christmas The founder of Poundland has warned that staff at the retailer could be out of work for “years” if it collapses, as he called on the owners of the troubled chain to accept a proposed buyout deal. Steve Smith, who set up the firm with a store in Burton upon Trent in 1990, said: “Once these jobs are lost, they are lost” from Britain’s struggling high streets. His warning comes as the chain’s 12,000 employees face uncertainty over their future in the run-up to Christmas. Continue rea

The Guardian
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Politics

‘This is direct’: positive early feedback from pilot community mental health hub in Cumbria

Hope Haven in Whitehaven is one of six trial open-access, 24/7 schemes in England offering preventive care The night Tamara first walked through the doors of Hope Haven, a new community mental health hub in the heart of Whitehaven, she was afraid. “Terrified, actually,” she says. “Like, my life was falling apart. I didn’t know how to stop it from hurting.” The 22-year-old, who works in children’s transport, had been in and out of therapy and counselling since she was 14, after being abused by an acquaintance as a child. After a lengthy legal process her abuser was sentenced, but the “mental ch

The Guardian
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Politics

UK MPs could undergo criminal record checks to stop violence against women

Exclusive: Members may be vetted before getting security passes for Commons, and receive anti-harassment training MPs and others working at the House of Commons could be required to take a criminal record check before being given a security pass, and receive anti-harassment training under a pioneering scheme to root out violence against women. The UK parliament will on Tuesday become the first legislature in the world to receive what is known as White Ribbon accreditation, a commitment to culture change which originated in Canada. Continue reading...

The Guardian
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