Independent News & People Network Desk of News

Thursday briefing: Will Keir Starmer’s cautious China gamble pay off?

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-29T06:46:22+00:00

In today’s newsletter: With China now central to the world’s green tech​ and economic future, the UK faces a ​s​eries of strategic ​discussions it can no longer postponeGood morning. The Starmer has landed.Yesterday, Keir Starmer became the first British prime minister to make the trip to China since Theresa May’s in 2018 (meaning a surprisingly large number of PMs didn’t) and has vowed to bring “stability and clarity” to the UK’s approach to Beijing.Iran | Donald Trump has warned time is running out for Tehran and said a massive US armada was moving quickly towards the country.Assisted Dying

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She Couldn’t Defend Herself, but He Wasn’t Charged With Rape

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-01-29T06:34:20+00:00

A decision in China not to charge a man who fathered children with a woman with a mental illness has set off a debate about consent and the state’s push for babies.

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"Слабка, але не приречена": The Economist пояснив, чому світові лідери критикують Європу

Source: UNIAN (General) · Published: 2026-01-29T06:34:00+00:00

Ключові світові лідери критикують Європу за бюрократію, слабку оборону та роздробленість, але континент залишається важливим гравцем на світовій арені.

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UN human rights rapporteur applies to join legal case against protest laws – as it happened

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-29T06:30:35+00:00

This blog is now closedAlbanese defends Isaac Herzog’s Australia visit as federal MP joins calls to rescind invitationGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnne Aly says it is ‘huge relief’ there were no casualties at Perth Invasion Day rallyAnne Aly, the minister for multicultural affairs, as well as a counter-terrorism expert, says she is relieved no one was hurt in the potential terrorist act as an improvised explosive device was thrown into a crowd at an Invasion Day rally in Perth.Well, first of all, I guess it was relief, really, that nobody was hurt. When you throw

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China executes 11 members of Myanmar scam mafia

Source: BBC News - World · Published: 2026-01-29T06:30:35+00:00

China executes 11 members of the Ming family that ran scam centres in Myanmar, state media report.

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Albanese defends Isaac Herzog’s Australia visit as federal MP joins calls to rescind invitation

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-29T06:30:10+00:00

Independent MP Sophie Scamps joins Labor’s Friends of Palestine group and Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi in objecting to Israeli president’s visitFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has defended the government’s invitation to Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, to visit, after another federal MP joined calls to cancel the visit after the Bondi terror attack.Herzog’s arrival in February will be met by a “major security response” in Sydney and planned protests nationwide from pro-Palestinian groups demonstr

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Germany's Merz: US must not cast doubt on trade deal with EU

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-29T06:28:12+00:00

After US President Trump withdrew new tariff threats on imports from the ​EU and appeared to strike ⁠a deal with NATO over Greenland, the foundations were laid for the 2025 deal ​to be ⁠implemented, said Merz

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Inquiry to call for ban on ‘globalise the intifada’ in NSW – but only when used to ‘incite violence’

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-29T06:24:04+00:00

Opposition ‘deeply unimpressed’ with recommendation that ‘adds nothing except confusion’, shadow attorney general saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA New South Wales parliamentary inquiry will recommend banning the phrase “globalise the intifada” when it is used to incite violence, but won’t call for banning the statement outright or recommend a ban on phrases such as “from the river to sea”.The Labor MP Edmond Atalla, the chair of the inquiry, confirmed the draft recommendations to Guardian Australia ahead of a final closed meeting on Thursday. Continue reading...

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Inquiry calls for ban on ‘globalise the intifada’ in NSW – but only when used to incite hatred and violence

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-29T06:24:04+00:00

Opposition ‘deeply unimpressed’ with recommendation that ‘adds nothing except confusion’, shadow attorney general saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA New South Wales parliamentary inquiry will recommend banning the phrase “globalise the intifada” when it is used to incite violence, but won’t call for banning the statement outright or recommend a ban on phrases such as “from the river to sea”.The Labor MP Edmond Atalla, the chair of the inquiry, confirmed the draft recommendations to Guardian Australia ahead of a final closed meeting on Thursday. Continue reading...

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EN DIRECT, guerre en Ukraine : les dernières informations

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-01-29T06:10:15+00:00

Des attaques russes ont tué trois personnes dans la région de Zaporijia, dans le centre-est de l’Ukraine, a annoncé son gouverneur. Emmanuel Macron a, lui, condamné l’attaque russe contre un train de passagers dans la région de Kharkiv.

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SBI Life Insurance shares swing after Q3 results

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-29T06:06:08+00:00

Morgan Stanley maintained an outperform rating on the stock at a target price of ₹2,550. It raised its VNB forecasts, flagged upside risks to annualised premium equivalent growth and margins, and said continued valuation re-rating is likely

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Record number of offenders being recalled to prison in England and Wales

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-29T06:00:39+00:00

Exclusive: Union claims some offenders are deliberately breaking probation terms in order to deal drugs in jailRecord numbers of offenders are being recalled to prison in England and Wales with union officials claiming that some are deliberately breaking the terms of their probation in order to deal drugs in prison.Prison sources said that after the implementation of early release schemes, as many as 5,000 men were recalled in December alone – more than a third of the total number released in the year to June 2025. Continue reading...

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China executes 11 people linked to Myanmar scam operation

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-29T05:50:27+00:00

Beijing has stepped up cooperation with south-east Asian nations to crack down on the multibillion-dollar industryChina on Thursday executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” involved in scam operations, state media reported.Scam compounds have flourished in Myanmar’s lawless borderlands, part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry. Continue reading...

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Vietnam, EU elevate diplomatic ties as international order is ‘under threat’

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-29T05:49:16+00:00

The upgrade is “a historical milestone underlining the great achievements that the ​two sides have made,” Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong ⁠said at the start of a meeting in Hanoi with European Council President Antonio Costa

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