Independent News & People Network Desk of News

Rachel Reeves pushing ‘generational opportunity’ for fiscal devolution to English regions, and admits student loan system is ‘broken’ – business live

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:12:23+00:00

Chancellor says Brexit may have cost 8% of UK GDP in wide-ranging Mais lecture at Bayes Business School in LondonThe number of people in England and Wales falling into insolvency has jumped.There were 11,609 individual insolvencies registered in England and Wales in February, the Insolvency Service has reported this morning. This was 18% higher than in February 2025 and 6% higher than in January 2026.The individual insolvencies consisted of 768 bankruptcies, 4,210 debt relief orders (DROs) and 6,631 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). The number of DROs in February 2026 was a record high

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RBI fixes redemption price of ₹15,814 for SGB

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-03-17T15:10:31+00:00

Investors who are opting for premature redemption now will get a return of over four times

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Top counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns in opposition to Iran war

Source: Washington Post - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:10:21+00:00

Kent, a top counterterrorism official and close aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, cited deliberate Israeli “misinformation” and lies to President Donald Trump about a “swift path to victory.”

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Top counterterrorism official resigns in opposition to Iran war

Source: Washington Post - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:10:21+00:00

Kent, a top counterterrorism official and close aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, cited deliberate Israeli “misinformation” and lies to President Donald Trump about a “swift path to victory.”

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Kent meningitis outbreak: a timeline of the health authorities’ response

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:09:07+00:00

The cases recorded so far have all been linked to a nightclub popular with students in Canterbury on 5-7 MarchTwo young people have died in an outbreak of meningitis in Kent as private supplies of vaccines run out. Here’s what we know about how the disease spread and what the authorities did to tackle it. Continue reading...

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Death of influential Ali Larijani may be bigger loss to Iran than Khamenei

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:06:43+00:00

He had IRGC’s trust while having his differences with hardliners and had huge sway with likes of China and RussiaMiddle East crisis – live updatesIf confirmed, Israel’s assassination of Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council and one of the linchpins of Iranian politics, would be a devastating body blow to the country and probably a bigger reverse than the loss of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the outset of the war.In any attempt to decapitate the Iranian leadership, Larijani would always be the prime target, largely because of his ability to straddle so ma

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Death of influential Ali Larijani would be bigger loss to Iran than Khamenei

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:06:43+00:00

Security chief’s huge influence on many levels of Iranian politics and abroad would make his killing devastatingMiddle East crisis – live updatesIf confirmed, Israel’s assassination of Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council and one of the linchpins of Iranian politics, would be a devastating body blow to the country and probably a bigger reverse than the loss of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the outset of the war.In any attempt to decapitate the Iranian leadership, Larijani would always be the prime target, largely because of his ability to straddle so man

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Death of influential Ali Larijani could be bigger loss to Iran than Khamenei

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:06:43+00:00

Security chief’s huge influence on many levels of Iranian politics and abroad will make his killing devastatingMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s assassination of Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council and one of the linchpins of Iranian politics, will be a devastating body blow to the country and probably a bigger reverse than the loss of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the outset of the war.Larijani would always have been a prime target in any attempt to decapitate the Iranian leadership, largely because of his ability to straddle so many levels of

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Reeves plans to give regional leaders a share of national tax revenues

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:06:24+00:00

Chancellor seeks to tackle centralised and ‘geographically unequal’ country in ‘a genuine break with the past’Business live – latest updatesRachel Reeves has announced that the Treasury will draw up plans to give regional leaders a share of national tax revenues as part of a radical plan to rebalance the economy of England.Setting out her intention of creating “investment-led growth”, the chancellor promised “a genuine break with the past” that would shift spending power away from Westminster. Continue reading...

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Trump counter-terrorism chief quits over Iran war, blaming Israel

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:05:36+00:00

Joe Kent resigned as national counter-terrorism center director, saying Iran posed no imminent threat to the USSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxJoe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and a far-right political figure and supporter of Donald Trump, resigned from his position on Tuesday in protest of the war in Iran.“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote in a resignation letter posted to X. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Is

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Futility of cabotage law

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-03-17T15:03:32+00:00

Protection for Indian shipping is not beneficial

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Top Business & Market Headlines Today — BL Morning Report, March 18, 2026

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-03-17T15:00:50+00:00

BL Morning Report March 18, 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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US media mogul sees a big opportunity in the cuts at the Washington Post

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-03-17T15:00:49+00:00

Robert Allbritton’s Notus plans to double its newsroom staff, which includes hiring prominent ex-Post journalistsRobert Allbritton, the billionaire media entrepreneur, said he was “pained” by the Washington Post’s decision to lay off a large chunk of its newsroom in early February. But, he also saw it as an opportunity to hire some of the Post’s most well-known journalists, including many who would have been hard to poach in previous years.“Opportunity knocks, and you’re going to decide if you’re going to answer the door or not,” Allbritton, 57, said. “I’m always the one that says: ‘Look, if a

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India’s IPO rush hits pause as macro volatility delay listings

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-03-17T14:58:22+00:00

The move comes at a time when several new-age firms, including Zepto, OYO, Acko and Turtlemint, were gearing up to tap public markets in what was expected to be a blockbuster year for listings

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Policy action in times of geopolitical crises

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-03-17T14:57:44+00:00

Crisis management. It is time to think of an inventory policy to stock up critical goods in times of supply disruptions, arising out of political factors

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BambooBox raises $6.6 million to expand AI-driven ABM platform

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-03-17T14:52:40+00:00

The company will use the funds to strengthen its AI capabilities, expand its AI-native ABM services globally and enable more enterprises to derive value from their existing GTM investments

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Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith buys 27% stake in the Economist

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-03-17T14:50:40+00:00

Weekly news magazine’s parent company makes third significant ownership shake-up in its 183-year historyBusiness live – latest updatesThe Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has bought a stake in the parent company of the Economist, held by Lynn Forester de Rothschild, in only the third significant ownership structure shake-up in its 183-year history.Smith and his family holding company, Smith Financial Corp, which owns financial businesses, including co-ownership of influential proxy advisory group Glass Lewis, has acquired a 26.9% stake in the Economist Group (TEG) for an undisclosed sum. Con

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VinFast extends free EV charging program in India, The Philippines and Indonesia

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-03-17T14:47:30+00:00

Under the new policy, all VinFast electric vehicle owners in India, Indonesia and the Philippines will receive free charging at the V-Green-developed-and-operated charging network through March 31, 2029

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NCLT approves Adani Enterprises’ resolution plan for Jaiprakash Associates

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-03-17T14:46:15+00:00

Under the approved plan, all existing shares, preference shares, unissued capital, convertible instruments, rights, warrants, and other pre-insolvency interests will be fully cancelled on the Effective Date, which will occur within 90 days of NCLT approval

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