Independent News & People Network Desk of News

France passes budget after months of wrangling and no-confidence motions

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T19:43:06+00:00

PM Sébastien Lecornu pushed budget through using constitutional powers that avoided vote in parliamentFrance has finally passed a budget for this year after the minority government survived a series of no-confidence votes in a long-running political saga that has unsettled debt markets and alarmed the country’s European partners.The prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, told parliament on Monday, after months of wrangling, that French people “refuse this disorder and want our institutions to function”. Continue reading...

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U.S. and Iranian Officials to Meet as Trump’s Threats Loom

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-02-02T19:26:28+00:00

President Trump’s Middle East envoy and his son-in-law were expected to meet Iran’s foreign minister in Istanbul on Friday amid tensions between the countries.

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‘Where r u? I miss you’: how vivid new Epstein emails sealed Mandelson’s fate

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T19:18:18+00:00

The latest revelations and reaction to them may mean he has finally encountered a scandal he is unable to outrun It was the evening of 6 May 2010 and months after being released from jail for procuring a child for prostitution, Jeffrey Epstein was curious as to the result of Britain’s general election.“Well?” he emailed Peter Mandelson, the then de facto deputy prime minister in Gordon Brown’s government. Continue reading...

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Рік допомоги та небайдужості: "FoodTruck - їжа без кордонів" нагодував понад пів мільйона українців

Source: UNIAN (General) · Published: 2026-02-02T19:15:00+00:00

Гуманітарному проєкту "FoodTruck – їжа без кордонів" виповнився один рік. За цей час команда ініціативи приготувала 500 000 порцій гарячих страв для людей, які постраждали від російської агресії, а також...

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Trump Announces Initial Trade Deal With India

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-02-02T19:14:01+00:00

The agreement was short on details, but President Trump said India had promised to stop buying Russian oil and would buy more U.S. products for a reduction on tariffs.

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Iran’s top diplomat says government is ready for talks with US on a nuclear deal

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T19:07:00+00:00

Abbas Araghchi suggests nuclear programme negotiations could begin imminently, after Trump moves US forces to regionIran’s top diplomat has said the government is ready for negotiations with the US as the two countries reportedly prepared to send top envoys to Istanbul for high-stakes talks on the Iranian nuclear programme later this week.As US warships and airpower have amassed in the region for a potential strike on Iran, the country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, suggested that talks could take place imminently, adding that Iran’s “enemies … have now turned to diplomacy”. Donald Trump

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France Adopts a Budget After Months of Turmoil

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-02-02T18:53:53+00:00

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s budget, subjected to judicial review, paves the way for relative political stability.

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Attempt to Drill Through Thwaites Glacier Is Foiled

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-02-02T18:49:36+00:00

Scientists lost their instruments within Antarctica’s most dangerously unstable glacier, though not before getting a glimpse at the warming waters underneath.

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First medical evacuee leaves Gaza as Rafah crossing reopens for handful of Palestinians – as it happened

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T18:42:59+00:00

This live blog is now closed. You can read the latest full report here:Sick and wounded Palestinians enter Egypt after Israel reopens Rafah crossingMore than 400 European former top diplomats and officials have urged the EU to increase pressure on Israel to end “excesses and unremitting violations of international law” over Gaza and the West Bank.The statement, due to be sent to EU leaders on Monday, calls on the bloc and its member states to take action in line with its support for a UN resolution for a two-state solution and a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Continue reading...

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Florida couple sue fertility clinic after being implanted with wrong embryo

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T18:40:25+00:00

Couple say they love their daughter immeasurably but have moral obligation to find child’s biological parentsA couple is suing a Florida fertility clinic after learning that they were implanted with the wrong embryo, and are going public with their attempts to find their child’s biological parents.Tiffany Score and Steven Mills have filed a lawsuit against IVF Life Inc, which operates as the Fertility Center of Orlando, and its lead physician, Dr Milton McNichol. The suit, which was initially filed under pseudonyms to protect their family’s privacy, states that three viable embryos were create

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US tariffs on India cut to 18% under trade deal, Trump says

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-02-02T18:40:02+00:00

Trump said India would also move to reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers on American products to zero, while committing to purchase more US goods, including over $500 billion in energy, technology, agriculture, and coal

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London schools face cuts to staff and budgets as pupil numbers fall

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T18:36:24+00:00

Demand for year 7 pupils is expected to fall by 7.6% over the next four years, with similar numbers expected in primary schoolsSchools in London could lose £45m in funding over the next four years as pupil numbers continue to fall, with secondary schools facing cuts to staff and curriculum as their budgets dwindle, a report has warned.Until now primary schools in the capital have been worst hit by falling birth rates, leading to around 90 school closures or mergers in the last five years, but the crisis is extending into secondary schools, which are facing large declines in numbers. Continue r

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Sick and wounded Palestinians enter Egypt after Israel reopens Rafah crossing

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T18:31:57+00:00

About 150 people expected to leave Gaza on first day border is unsealed out of 20,000 adults and children who need medical care Middle East crisis – live updatesSick and wounded Palestinians have begun crossing into Egypt to seek medical treatment after Israel permitted a limited reopening of the Palestinian territory’s Rafah border post as fragile diplomatic efforts to stabilise the conflict inch forward.About 150 people were due to leave the territory on Monday, and 50 to enter it, according to Egyptian officials, more than 20 months after Israeli forces closed the crossing. Continue reading

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The next stage of the Gaza genocide has begun

Source: Al Jazeera - World · Published: 2026-02-02T18:28:20+00:00

Recent remarks by former US State Secretary Mike Pompeo herald the next phase of Israel’s genocidal project: erasure.

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Royal Families of Norway and Britain Face Pressure Over Epstein Files

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-02-02T18:20:40+00:00

Newly released emails offer new details about ties between Jeffrey Epstein and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, as well as Sarah Ferguson, once the Duchess of York in Britain.

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US and India agree on trade deal, tariffs reduced to 18%

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-02-02T18:08:59+00:00

Under the deal, the US will lower reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25% to 18%, while India will gradually eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US products.

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Arizona home of Today show host missing mother treated as ‘crime scene’

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T17:54:18+00:00

Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, 84, was last seen on Saturday evening and signs indicate she did not leave aloneAuthorities in Arizona searching for the 84-year-old mother of the Today show presenter Savannah Guthrie said on Monday they were treating the missing woman’s home as a crime scene, and expressed “grave concern” for her safety.Nancy Guthrie was last seen by her family at her house near Tucson on Saturday night, and was reported missing on Sunday lunchtime, sparking a search using a helicopter, drones and dogs, officials said.The Associated Press contributed to this report Continue

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Arizona home of Today show host’s missing mother treated as ‘crime scene’

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T17:54:18+00:00

Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, 84, was last seen on Saturday evening and signs indicate she did not leave aloneAuthorities in Arizona searching for the 84-year-old mother of the Today show presenter Savannah Guthrie said on Monday they were treating the missing woman’s home as a crime scene, and expressed “grave concern” for her safety.Nancy Guthrie was last seen by her family at her house near Tucson on Saturday night, and was reported missing on Sunday lunchtime, sparking a search using a helicopter, drones and dogs, officials said.The Associated Press contributed to this report Continue

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Lack of mental health beds contributed to UK teenager’s death, inquest finds

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-02-02T17:54:11+00:00

Poor communication also cited as factor in death of Ellame Ford-Dunn, 16, on Worthing hospital’s groundsA shortage of mental health beds and poor communication between agencies contributed to the death of a teenage girl on hospital grounds, an inquest has found.Ellame Ford-Dunn, 16, who had a history of self-harm, died in March 2022 after absconding from an acute children’s ward where she had been put because of a dearth of appropriate mental health beds. Continue reading...

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