Independent News & People Network Desk of News

Starmer hopes his China trip will begin the thaw after recent ice age

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-31T06:00:55+00:00

PM flies out after courting world’s second biggest economy aware of difficult balance of risks and potential rewardsThe last British prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018. Before the visit, she and her team were advised to get dressed under the covers because of the risk of hidden cameras having been placed in their hotel rooms to record compromising material.Keir Starmer, in Beijing this week, was more sanguine about his privacy, even though the security risks have, if anything, increased since the former Tory prime minister was in town. Continue reading...

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French MPs demand explanation over tech firm’s contract to help ICE in US

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-31T06:00:52+00:00

Revelation that subsidiary of Capgemini is to help trace and expel migrants in US provokes outrage in FranceFrench lawmakers have demanded an explanation after one of the country’s biggest tech companies signed a multimillion dollar contract to help the US enforcement agency ICE trace and expel migrants.The revelation that a subsidiary of Capgemini, a multinational digital services firm listed on the Paris stock exchange, had agreed to provide “skip tracing” – a technique for locating targeted people – with big bonuses if successful, has provoked outrage in France. Continue reading...

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‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-31T06:00:51+00:00

As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictionsWhen flooding hit the low-lying Somerset Levels in 2014, it took two months for the waters to rise. This week it took two days, said Rebecca Horsington, chair of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group and a born-and-bred resident. A fierce barrage of storms from the Atlantic has drenched south-west England in January, saturating soils and supercharging rivers. Continue reading...

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Cambridge university accused of ‘obfuscation’ over arms investment

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-31T06:00:51+00:00

Academics say £4bn investment fund is ‘designed to prevent any troublesome democratic interference’Cambridge academics have accused the university of “maximal obfuscation” in a row over its £4bn investment fund and how it profits from investing in arms manufacturers.The university’s governing body is expected to meet on Monday to consider a report on its financial ties to the defence sector, but some senior staff have said investments cannot be properly scrutinised because the institution has not been transparent about the companies involved. Continue reading...

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Daniele Cavalli, héritier rock et dandy

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-01-31T06:00:18+00:00

Son père était un géant de la mode italienne, mais Daniele Cavalli, 39 ans, vit pour la musique. Dans la villa familiale de Florence, connue pour les soirées tapageuses du paternel, mort en 2024, le fils a converti sa chambre d’ado en studio d’enregistrement où a défilé la crème du rock indé, des Rolling Stones à La Femme. A l’heure de l’héritage, il s’apprête à investir une part de sa fortune dans la création de son label.

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How does ICE spend its budget? And who profits?

Source: Al Jazeera - World · Published: 2026-01-31T05:49:41+00:00

ICE now has a larger budget than the FBI, bigger even than the militaries of 170 countries. So where does that money go?

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Epstein files dump: DoJ releases 3 million pages, videos and images

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-31T05:44:20+00:00

Disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the records include correspondence and references involving powerful figures such as Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and Elon Musk

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Sunetra Pawar set to take oath as Maharashtra deputy CM

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-31T05:33:52+00:00

About 40 NCP legislators will meet at Vidhan Bhavan at 2 pm to elect their leader, leading to Sunetra Pawar’s appointment as deputy chief minister

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Trump ups pressure on Iran to make a deal as US fleet nears

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-31T05:27:30+00:00

US officials have called for the end of Iran’s uranium enrichment, new limits on its ballistic missiles and the termination of support for militant proxy groups

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How Europe Is Moving to Reduce Dependence on Trump

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-01-31T05:01:07+00:00

Since President Trump made threats about Greenland, the continent’s leaders have debated the rapid deterioration of U.S. ties in policy papers and at dinner.

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US government shuts down partially over homeland security funding

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-31T05:01:02+00:00

Democratic senators refuse to vote for bill authorizing continued DHS spending after killings of two US citizens Funding lapsed for several US government departments on Saturday, the result of a standoff in Congress over new restrictions on federal agents involved in Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign following the killings of two US citizens in Minneapolis.The partial government shutdown is the result of Democratic senators refusing to vote for a bill authorizing continued spending by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), after federal agents killed Alex Pretti in Minnesota’s large

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‘It’s like a gift from God’: undocumented foreign workers welcome Spanish amnesty

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-31T05:00:49+00:00

Half a million migrants will be ‘regularised’ under plans to boost economic growth that have angered rightwing partiesNot everyone has been enthused by the Spanish government’s decision this week to buck European political trends by announcing plans to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers to boost “economic growth and social cohesion”.Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the conservative People’s party (PP), described the move as a reward for “illegality” that would bring more people into the country and “overwhelm our public services”. Continue reading...

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Bloquer l’armée russe, la mission impossible du génie militaire ukrainien

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-01-31T05:00:35+00:00

Avec des moyens techniques et humains limités, les soldats et les ingénieurs de ces unités, exposés au feu croissant des drones, s’efforcent de contenir l’armée russe, qui progresse lentement mais régulièrement.

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En Italie, la « famille des bois », du pain bénit pour la droite radicale

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-01-31T05:00:16+00:00

La Ligue du Nord a pris fait et cause pour un couple vivant reclus dans une forêt, auquel la justice a retiré la garde des enfants. Au nom de la liberté d’éducation, le parti de Matteo Salvini se déchaîne contre les juges.

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« Aux Etats-Unis, le nationalisme chrétien participe au démantèlement de la démocratie »

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-01-31T05:00:05+00:00

L’universitaire Julie Ingersoll montre, dans une tribune au « Monde », combien les trois courants constituant le nationalisme chrétien se sont éloignés des idéaux imprégnant les Etats-Unis des origines, notamment en défendant l’idée d’une société théocratique gouvernée par ceux que Dieu a choisis.

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PRAGATI portal monitors 15 projects worth ₹1.22 lakh crore: Uttarakhand CM

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-31T04:59:06+00:00

Chief Minister Dhami said the portal is designed for the quick review and resolution of projects, schemes, and public grievances, ensuring that development plans are implemented rapidly on the ground

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Si Rusia quiere invadir, Gotland está preparada

Source: El País - Internacional · Published: 2026-01-31T04:45:01+00:00

La estratégica isla sueca del mar Báltico, a solo 275 kilómetros del territorio ruso de Kaliningrado, levanta una arquitectura de defensa total ante una posible agresión del Kremlin. La preparación de los civiles apuntala la presencia creciente de militares

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Nvidia's plan to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI has stalled, WSJ reports

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-31T04:44:51+00:00

In September, the chipmaker announced plans to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, providing the ChatGPT maker with funds and access to essential advanced chips for maintaining its competitive edge

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