Independent News & People Network Desk of News

Two people unfold banner atop Empire State Building in apparent marriage proposal stunt

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-07-01T17:30:58+00:00

Sign displaying message of peace was seen on the New York landmark after two people climbed to top of the skyscraperAn elaborate apparent marriage proposal unfolded atop the Empire State Building’s spire on Wednesday – above the level where the general public are permitted to go – after two people climbed to the pinnacle of the New York City landmark.The two people, both wearing black clothing and who appeared to be masked, also unfurled a large black banner at the top of the iconic skyscraper with the words: “When the power of love beats the love of power the ‌world knows peace.” Continue rea

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The Iran talks expose the collapse of US diplomacy

Source: Al Jazeera - World · Published: 2026-07-01T17:05:20+00:00

In the Trump era, American diplomacy is being led not by impartial diplomats, but by real estate investors.

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A storm, overpriced food and a sad ferris wheel: inside Trump’s dreadful state fair

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-07-01T17:00:41+00:00

Attendance at the Great American State Fair is sparse and the heat is extreme, but at least you can pay $25 for a pretzelThis was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every WednesdayI have been to some disappointing fairs in my time. There was one, in a small town in north-west England, where the main attraction was a little slide that you rode down on a burlap sack: except the guy who owned the slide had forgotten to bring the sacks, so me and my sister slid down on a T-shirt.Another time, at a village fete in a place called Longton, I won the ma

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Badenoch urges Burnham to condemn defence investment plan as No 10 says funding is ‘credible’ – as it happened

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-07-01T17:00:31+00:00

Minister and MPs have raised concerns that his ‘poisoned chalice’ plan will take cash from much-needed road projectsMinister and MP ‘furious’ over cuts to road projects to fund defence planDan Sabbagh is the Guardian’s defence and security editor.Andy Burnham is a “true patriot” who will provide the money needed to maintain Britain’s security when he becomes prime minister, the new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, said on a visit to a factory in Cambridge today.I’ve known Andy Burnham for more than 15 years, he is a true patriot, and I absolutely believe that he will make sure that we have the r

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En Algérie, des élections législatives privées d’enjeu

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-07-01T17:00:04+00:00

Près de 25 millions d’Algériens sont invités à renouveler les 407 sièges de l’Assemblée populaire nationale, jeudi 2 juillet, dans un climat de désenchantement vis-à-vis du verrouillage politique qui fait craindre une abstention massive.

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En Algérie, le verrouillage du jeu électoral fait craindre une abstention massive

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-07-01T17:00:02+00:00

Près de 25 millions d’Algériens sont invités à renouveler les 407 sièges de l’Assemblée populaire nationale, jeudi 2 juillet. Un scrutin que les partis proches du pouvoir ont toutes les chances de remporter, faute d’une concurrence sérieuse.

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Keir Starmer suggests Andy Burnham borrow billions for defence

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-07-01T16:47:14+00:00

Prime minister says he will take no lectures from Tories after Kemi Badenoch says investment plan is insufficientUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has suggested Andy Burnham borrow billions more to cover the hole in the government’s Defence Investment Plan (Dip), in a move which economists say would severely reduce Burnham’s headroom against his fiscal rules.The prime minister said on Wednesday that his successor – who is very likely to be the Makerfield MP – should use the headroom to fund a £4.7bn gap in defence spending over the next four years. Continue reading...

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Bombings in Greece Target Governing Party Members, Officials Say

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-07-01T16:42:36+00:00

A candidate for Parliament for the New Democracy party was injured in one of the bombings in the city of Thessaloniki, as were her parents, the police said.

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We are all for electrification, alternative fuel vehicles: Pawan Munjal

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-07-01T16:38:38+00:00

“Both domestic as well as export markets were doing much better than they were anticipated, and not only in internal combustion engine (ICE) products, but also electric vehicles (EVs)”

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Lethal Weapon star Danny Glover reveals Alzheimer’s diagnosis

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-07-01T16:34:17+00:00

The 79-year-old actor told media ‘I don’t feel like it’s the end of my life. There’s work to do. Your life continues’Lethal Weapon actor Danny Glover has revealed he has been living with Alzheimer’s for several years.Glover, 79, announced the news during an interview on The Today Show, during which he explained that he had been diagnosed “not long” after receiving an honorary Oscar in 2022. “I could live with it, in a sense. I’m sure as it advances, things are going to be different and changing,” he said, adding that his movements, speech and memory have slowed. However, the support of his fam

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UK national lottery funding too concentrated in south, Nandy says

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-07-01T16:31:33+00:00

Culture secretary launches first review of how money is spent in more than two decadesFunding from the national lottery is too heavily concentrated in the south, the culture secretary has said, as she launched the first review in more than 20 years into how billons raised by ticket sales is spent.In comments that chime with Andy Burnham’s pledge to devolve more power from London if he becomes prime minister, Nandy said the model governing how lottery money is spent was “showing its age”. Continue reading...

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How extreme heat is exposing extreme inequality

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-07-01T16:30:40+00:00

The climate crisis and worsening disparity could be responsible for more than 100,000 deaths a year in Europe, which should set off alarm bells for policymakers• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereCall it a tale of two heatwave experiences.As brutally hot conditions brought much of western Europe to its knees, an American writer living in Paris asserted that, for many, the heat was not “nearly as apocalyptic” as most media were suggesting. He said he had yet to buy a fan, instead relying on closed shutters, misting sessions and open windows in the evening to keep his

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Author of England maternity care review ‘listened to wrong voices’, says adviser

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-07-01T16:23:44+00:00

Dr Bill Kirkup said section of Valerie Amos’s report criticising ‘normal birth ideology’ was removed before publicationThe author of a major inquiry into maternity care altered its final report to remove criticism of “normal birth ideology”, one of her expert advisers claims.Dr Bill Kirkup said Valerie Amos had “listened to the wrong voices” before a section outlining the potential risks of encouraging women to have a vaginal birth “disappeared” from the final version of her government-commissioned report. Continue reading...

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‘Please think again’: fury over Exeter University plan to scrap dozens of humanities posts

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-07-01T16:17:48+00:00

Rowan Williams and Mark Kermode join campaign against proposed cuts for humanities, arts and social sciencesLeading writers, broadcasters, academics and theologians have thrown their weight behind a campaign to save 150 jobs at the University of Exeter, amid growing outrage at a sector-wide hollowing out of the humanities.In excess of 21,000 people – and counting – have signed a petition railing against the proposed redundancies at Exeter, which are expected to disproportionately fall on the humanities, arts and social sciences for which the highly ranked Russell Group university is famed. Con

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What is a heat dome? The US heatwave explained

Source: Al Jazeera - World · Published: 2026-07-01T16:13:09+00:00

The heatwave will likely see record high temperatures, ahead of Fourth of July celebrations and FIFA matches in the US.

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Fire kills five at Antwerp apartment block

Source: BBC News - World · Published: 2026-07-01T16:12:18+00:00

A man was seen clambering through a window to escape black smoke in the block where some 200 people live.

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