Independent News & People Network Desk of News

Mandelson’s lobbying firm Global Counsel went bust owing £4.6m, report says

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-23T16:26:47+00:00

HMRC owed more than £640,00 by company that advised clients such as TikTok, GSK and PalantirPeter Mandelson’s former consultancy business, Global Counsel, went bust owing £4.6m – including more than £600,000 to the taxman – a report by the group’s administrators reveals.The company, which provided advice to high-profile clients including Chinese-owned TikTok, US tech business Palantir and UK pharmaceutical firm GSK, collapsed into administration in February, after it lost a series of accounts over the peer’s relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading..

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Michael Tilson Thomas, award-winning conductor and composer, dies aged 81

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-23T16:22:49+00:00

Renowned artist, who won 12 Grammys, died at home after being diagnosed with an aggressive type of brain cancerSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMichael Tilson Thomas, a leading American conductor for a half-century who headed orchestras in Buffalo, Miami, London and San Francisco while also composing, died on Wednesday. He was 81.Tilson Thomas had surgery for a brain tumor in 2021 and resumed his career, then said in February 2025 that the tumor had returned. He conducted his final concert with the San Francisco Symphony in April 2025 and died at his

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Southern US wildfires force residents to flee: ‘I don’t know if I have a house standing or not’

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-23T16:21:42+00:00

Fires that spread during drought in Georgia and Florida have blanketed cities hundreds of miles away in smokeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxWildfires tearing through the south have forced hundreds of Georgia residents to flee in minutes, leaving them distraught about the homes and animals they left behind.The fires that spread this week during an extreme drought in Georgia and Florida have blanketed cities hundreds of miles away in smoke, leading to more air quality warnings Thursday across the southeast. Continue reading...

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What Questions Do You Have About the Trump-Xi Summit?

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-04-23T16:14:37+00:00

“Ask a Correspondent” will take your questions to David Pierson, who covers China’s foreign policy for The Times.

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Spreads are crucial to oil prices

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-23T16:09:01+00:00

Oil dynamics. If ceasefire holds, the Brent–WTI spread and the spot–futures gap should fall, easing Indian basket rates

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Microsoft plans first voluntary employee buyout: Report

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-23T16:08:59+00:00

The one-time ‌retirement programme will be open ‌to US ‌workers at ⁠the senior ⁠director level and below, whose years of employment and ​age ‌add up to 70 years or more

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Editorial. Misreading markets

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-23T16:06:58+00:00

Primary market does not need special dispensation

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UK braces for price rises driven by Iran war as economic confidence plummets

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-23T16:05:48+00:00

Consumer confidence hit its lowest level since October 2023 this month, with surveys showing the cost pressures companies are facingConfidence in the UK economy has fallen sharply amid the mounting economic fallout from the Iran war, surveys show, as businesses prepare to raise their prices and consumers brace for a fresh cost of living shock.Highlighting the knock-on impact of the Middle East crisis in Britain, several closely-watched surveys of business activity and consumer confidence blamed the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran for a marked deterioration in the outlook in April. Continue read

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Authorities arrest man suspected of planning mass shooting at New Orleans festival

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-23T16:04:05+00:00

Man from North Carolina arrested at Florida hotel with a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammo, authorities saySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAuthorities say a man suspected of planning a mass shooting at a large New Orleans festival was arrested at a Florida hotel with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.The event was not named, but the New Orleans jazz and heritage festival, commonly known as JazzFest, runs from Thursday through 3 May. The gathering celebrates Louisiana’s music, food and culture, and attracted about 460,000 people last

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Trump ally asked FIFA to have Italy replace Iran at World Cup

Source: Washington Post - World · Published: 2026-04-23T16:02:26+00:00

Italian officials expressed no interest in a substitution that would give Italy’s national team a charitable berth after failing to qualify for the tournament.

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EN DIRECT, guerre en Ukraine : Volodymyr Zelensky et les dirigeants de l’UE demandent une « mise en œuvre rapide » du prêt de 90 milliards d’euros, définitivement validé jeudi

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-04-23T16:02:18+00:00

Les dirigeants ont ainsi salué l’adoption, plus tôt dans la journée, du prêt pour 2026 et 2027 et du 20e paquet de sanctions à la Russie, tout en exhortant les « pays tiers à contribuer à combler les lacunes restantes dans les finances ukrainiennes ».

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Infosys posts steady Q4 as profit jumps 28% q-o-q; guides 1.5%-3.5% FY27 growth

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-23T16:01:41+00:00

Despite a slight decline in large deal total contract value (TCV) to $3.2 billion, the IT giant forecasts a revenue growth of 1.5% to 3.5% for FY27, reflecting a cautious outlook amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

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Senate Republicans advance $140bn plan to fund Trump immigration crackdown amid DHS shutdown

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-23T15:59:20+00:00

Bill clears 50–48 vote to boost ICE and CBP funding as Democrats oppose and shutdown continuesUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailSenate Republicans on Thursday approved a plan to fund Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants for the remainder of his term and pave the way for an end to the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).The budget resolution adopted along a near party line vote in the early morning hours sets the stage for Congress to craft legislation allocating as much as $140b to Immigration and Customs

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Transferring equity to coastal communities

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-23T15:59:01+00:00

Access Benefit Sharing will ensure a fair share of profits generated by commercial entities from marine resources return to the traditional custodians

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Top Business & Market Headlines Today — BL Morning Report, April 24, 2026

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-23T15:53:55+00:00

BL Morning Report April 24, 2026: Get today’s top business news, market headlines about the Stock Market, Sensex & Nifty trends, key market insights, economic highlights, and the latest updates from India and global markets.

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EU approves €90bn loan for Ukraine and fresh Russia sanctions – as it happened

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-23T15:51:28+00:00

Move comes after Hungary and Slovakia dropped opposition following reopening of the Druzhba oil pipelineMeanwhile, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Kyiv will seek to receive the first tranche of the €90bn European Union loan by the end of May, or early June.“This is strengthening of our army,” he told reporters in a WhatsApp chat, reported by Reuters. Continue reading...

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Misreading markets

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-23T15:50:15+00:00

Primary market does not need special dispensation

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США витрачають проти Ірану зброю, яка може знадобитися їм в разі війни з Китаєм, - BI

Source: UNIAN (General) · Published: 2026-04-23T15:48:00+00:00

Двоє експертів з питань військової справи поділилися, що армія США "інтенсивно використовувала" сім основних видів боєприпасів протягом війни проти Ірану.

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Warner Bros shareholders approve Paramount’s takeover

Source: Al Jazeera - World · Published: 2026-04-23T15:46:36+00:00

Attention now turns to regulatory authorities, with both Washington and London expected to examine the merger's impact.

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EN DIRECT, guerre au Moyen-Orient : Donald Trump affirme contrôler le détroit d’Ormuz et ordonne de détruire les bateaux iraniens qui y posent des mines

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-04-23T15:43:48+00:00

« Il ne doit y avoir aucune hésitation », a ajouté le président américain sur son réseau, Truth Social. Par ailleurs, selon les données maritimes de la société Kpler, la fermeture du détroit décidée par l’Iran après le maintien du blocus américain a fait chuter le trafic de plus de 96 % par rapport à la normale.

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EN DIRECT, guerre au Moyen-Orient : « intense activité » de la défense antiaérienne de l’Iran, selon les médias d’Etat ; Israël affirme ne pas être en train d’attaquer

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-04-23T15:43:45+00:00

Des images diffusées par l’agence de presse Mehr montrent ce qui est présenté comme « une intense activité de la défense antiaérienne dans l’ouest de Téhéran, tandis que des habitants scandent “Allah akbar” lors de rassemblements nocturnes » de soutien au régime. Le ministre de la défense israélien avait déclaré, en fin d’après-midi, qu’Israël « attend[ait] l’accord » de Trump pour « ramener l’Iran à l’“âge de pierre” ».

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Has Starmer’s sacking of Olly Robbins backfired? – podcast

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-23T15:43:35+00:00

After Keir Starmer’s statement to the Commons and gripping evidence from the sacked top civil servant Olly Robbins, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey talk about how the story of Peter Mandelson’s vetting for his job as UK ambassador to the US, which was first broken by the Guardian last Thursday, has unfolded this week Continue reading...

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UTI AMC incurs ₹51 crore net loss in Q4

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-23T15:41:47+00:00

The assets under management of the mutual fund business increased 14 per cent to ₹3.88 lakh crore (₹3.39 lakh crore).

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Campaign launched to reunite young Britons with forgotten savings accounts

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-23T15:41:21+00:00

HMRC is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds, with an average balance of £2,200Rather than demanding money, HMRC is giving it away for once with a new campaign to reunite thousands of young Britons with forgotten savings accounts typically containing £2,200.HM Revenue and Customs is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds (CTF) – the tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between September 2002 and January 2011. Continue reading...

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