Independent News & People Network Desk of News

Polymarket in fundraising talks that could value the prediction platform at $15bn

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-20T17:03:08+00:00

Bets placed on Middle East conflict has led to US firm experiencing big increase in volumePolymarket, the online prediction platform that hosts bets on events such as the Iran war, is in talks to raise $400m (£296m) at a valuation of up to $15bn.The company has gained notoriety in recent months over wagers placed on the Middle East conflict, including on the timing of US-Israel strikes against Iran, and on a US-Iran ceasefire, some of which appeared to bear signs of insider trading. Continue reading...

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Starmer says it ‘beggars belief’ he wasn’t told about Mandelson vetting failure as he faces down the Commons – UK politics live

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-20T16:59:07+00:00

MPs jeered as PM said it is ‘incredible’ he was not told full story and he was wrong to appoint Mandelson as US ambassadorAt his press conference Nigel Farage was asked about reports saying that Keir Starmer knew about the security concerns about Peter Mandelson that led to him failing his security vetting interview. That was a reference to the Telegraph splash, which says:Senior Whitehall sources told The Telegraph that the UKSV [UK Security Vetting] findings largely restated security risks that had already been drawn to Sir Keir’s attention.One senior source with knowledge of the process sai

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Starmer orders inquiry into any security concerns over Mandelson’s tenure in US

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-20T16:43:57+00:00

PM sets out his side of events relating to appointment and security vetting in address to parliamentUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has ordered an investigation into any security concerns relating to Peter Mandelson’s tenure as UK ambassador to the US as he gave his side of events in a politically crucial statement in parliament.“I know many members across the house will find these facts to be incredible,” Starmer told jeering MPs, after setting out how the Foreign Office opted to overrule the initial decision to refuse Mandelson’s security vetting without informing him and other

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John Keats’s love letters returned to owner after being stolen in the 1980s

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-20T16:22:49+00:00

Romantic poet’s letters to Fanny Brawne, dated between 1819 and 1820, had been stolen from a Long Island estateEight original handwritten letters from the Romantic poet John Keats to his muse and “one passion”, Fanny Brawne, were returned to the family of John Hay “Jock” Whitney, the former US ambassador to the UK, on Monday after being stolen from Whitney’s home in the 1980s.Keats’ letters, including the first letter he ever wrote to Brawne, are dated between 1819 and 1820. Valued at approximately $2m, the 37 letters are held in a gilt morocco-bound portfolio. Brawne was Keats’s neighbor in H

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Israeli Soldier in Lebanon Sledgehammered a Statue of Jesus

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-04-20T16:14:50+00:00

The military is investigating the soldier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret for any hurt caused to “believers in Lebanon and around the world.”

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За дії під час теракту в Києві, двом поліцейським повідомлено про підозру, - генпрокурор

Source: UNIAN (General) · Published: 2026-04-20T16:14:00+00:00

Він наголосив, що патрульний екіпаж, маючи при собі табельну вогнепальну зброю та всі законні підстави для її застосування, фактично втік з місця події.

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За дії під час теракту в Києві двом поліцейським повідомлено про підозру, - генпрокурор

Source: UNIAN (General) · Published: 2026-04-20T16:14:00+00:00

Він наголосив, що патрульний екіпаж, маючи при собі табельну вогнепальну зброю та всі законні підстави для її застосування, фактично втік з місця події.

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Cross-border insolvency laws and trade

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-20T16:08:45+00:00

Sound insolvency laws benefit not just the domestic insolvency ecosystem but also enhances international trade and economic cooperation

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Велика Британія підготувала до відправки в Україну німецький вертоліт Sea King Mk41

Source: UNIAN (General) · Published: 2026-04-20T16:07:00+00:00

Раніше Берлін оголосив про передачу шести таких машин, а також про забезпечення підготовки українських екіпажів та постачання запасних частин.

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Editorial. Snooping around

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-04-20T16:05:39+00:00

CCTVs with Chinese spyware must be weeded out

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Victory slips away as marathon runner celebrates too soon

Source: BBC News - World · Published: 2026-04-20T16:02:14+00:00

The dramatic end to the Delaware Marathon occurred when the lead runner slowed in celebration before a trailing marathoner sprinted toward the finish line .

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Supreme court to hear Catholic preschool case over funding and LGBTQ+ rights

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-20T16:01:34+00:00

Schools say Colorado violated their rights by excluding them from state-funded program over admission policiesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe supreme court will hear from Catholic preschools that say Colorado violated their religious rights by excluding them from a state-funded program over their admission policies.The court agreed on Monday to take up the appeal from St Mary Catholic Parish, which is supported by the Republican Trump administration. Continue reading...

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Remains of US soldier who went missing in Korean war laid to rest after 75 years

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-04-20T16:01:12+00:00

Sgt Celestino Chavez Jr, accounted for in 2025, given full burial honors and posthumous medals in New MexicoThe remains of a US soldier who went missing in action during the Korean war were identified by DNA analysis, and he was recently laid to rest in his hometown of Gallup, New Mexico, authorities said.US army Sgt Celestino Chavez Jr’s burial ended a decades-long saga that began with him being wounded while defending his post near the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir in North Korea and then being taken to an aid station on 30 November 1950. Chavez, 19, was then reported missing in action three d

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