Student loan payments start up again for most borrowers in October, but more than 800,000 people who have been paying for years are having their loans forgiven

Wall Street is off to a mixed start following a messy mix of economic reports that yielded no clear sign about where the economy and inflation are heading

A model has shared her battle with an incurable condition that causes struggles when walking – saying evil bullies call her “penguin.” Victoria Matosa used to work out tirelessly in the gym but didn’t notice any results, leaving her feeling deflated. She had no idea that a health condition was standing in the way of her fitness progress. At school, the influencer, who now has 4.3 million followers on Instagram (@soyvictoriamatosa), was bullied for the appearance of her “thick” legs, with peers giving her cruel nicknames. Feeling too “ashamed” to leave the house and wear certain clothes, such as shorts, Victoria sought out medical advice and was diagnosed with lipedema, an incurable disease that causes abnormal fatty deposits to build up unevenly in the body. Now, the 26-year-old is hoping to raise awareness about the condition and help others accept themselves. “I always had thick legs but it started to get worse after [I started getting] my period [and] I couldn’t even wear shorts outside the house, I felt too ashamed,” Victoria told NeedToKnow.co.uk. “I started to avoid going to the beach and only [wore] leggings and jeans, which made me very uncomfortable, [as well as] distancing myself from friends out of embarrassment. “Due to bullying and pressure to always be doing a lot of exercise to lose weight, I tried many restrictive diets, which resulted in me binge-eating. “I [used to] spend three hours in the gym until I reached exhaustion, giving up and then eating compulsively.” Victoria, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was diagnosed in February 2023. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Since then, she has experienced “heavy pain” in her swollen, inflamed legs, as well as feeling very tired in the knees. While “relieved” to finally have an answer for her unusual symptoms, she’s also been left sad knowing that the only options are to either have surgery or go on a restricted diet for the rest of her life. The influencer said: “It was a mixture of feelings – before, I blamed myself for not being able to lose weight in my legs, even working out intensely. “Now, I go to the gym and have an anti-inflammatory diet, but I don’t feel ready to [have an] operation, as I’d have to do three liposuctions. “I feel sad and discouraged with each passing day [but] I try to accept and love myself more.” While sharing her health battle online, Victoria has received lots of praise but has also experienced her fair share of verbal “attacks”. She added: “I’ve already suffered a lot of bullying on the internet, people didn’t like me because of my weight and my body. “I got tired of receiving messages of curses that only had the objective of hurting me. “This continues to be routine in my life, only different than before, because I don’t let these people make me feel like a monster. “In my love life, I’ve been very lucky. “I haven’t dated much but the relationships I have had never had insecurities with my body and they [my partners] made me feel very secure about myself. “I want to be able to help other women, because after revealing lipedema on Instagram, I had several reports from women who felt bad and didn’t know they had this.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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President Putin moved his £75million superyacht three weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine to avoid having it seized as part of war sanctions, a new investigation has claimed. Secret documents released by Russian investigative journalist Maria Pevchikh, who heads the anti-corruption foundation set up by Alexei Navalny, show the Russian president had his yacht ‘Graceful’ sail from from Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany to the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad two weeks before the invasion. The documents show an email was sent by an employee of Russia’s largest shipping company, the SCF Group, to Blohm & Voss saying the owner of Graceful is unhappy with an on-going “refit” and wants the ship to sail out of the Hamburg port on February 1, 2022. The email does not provide any reason why the owner of the yacht was unhappy with the on-going “refit”, which added two new balconies to the vessel and extended the pool. “The owner is not happy with the retrofit. He is dissatisfied with the delays in the construction process,” the email says. “The owner wants the Graceful to be brought to the Russian Federation on February 1st (...). Please mobilise an uninterrupted crew – 2 shifts.’ The email, sent on January 19, 2022, adds: “Please accelerate all works which may interfere with Graceful sailing out on 01 February. “Please calculate the amount to be paid by Owners due to early departure. Crew and myself will provide full assistance to prepare Graceful for Towing.” According to investigators, Blohm & Voss was set to work on Graceful for another year to fix open holes in its surface. But the company was forced to cancel its work and get the ship ready to set sail in just 12 days. The yacht’s crew, based in Hamburg, were also forced to move out of their homes so they could move the vessel. Reports suggest the company did not meet the deadline of February 1, with pictures showing Graceful being towed out of Hamburg on February 7. Sanctions imposed by the UK, US, European Union and other allied nations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have seen Putin and his allied Oligarchs have their assets seized across the world, including numerous superyachts and houses. But president Putin was preparing for this eventuality by ordering Graceful - which has since been renamed Kosatka (Russian for ‘killer whale’) - to return to a friendly port well in advance, according to investigators. Graceful is alleged to have cost the Russian president 87 million euros (£75 million) and has a 50-foot indoor swimming pool that turns into a theatre and dance floor with the press of a button, a helipad, a gym, and a wine cave that can store 400 bottles. It also features a large library, spa and plunge pools and a cocktail bar. President Putin allegedly owns three yachts, however, his officials deny this. As well as Graceful, Mr Putin is alleged to own the Olympia, gifted to him by a top oligarch almost two decades ago, and the £550 million ‘floating palace’ Scheherazade - seized by the West. Read More Scheherazade: Giant £570m superyacht ‘owned by Vladimir Putin’ is seized by Italian authorities Vladimir Putin owns £500m superyacht moored in Italy, Alexei Navalny allies claim Wealthy Russian businessman loses fight over detained superyacht The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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