Independent News & People Network Desk of News

GSK to buy food allergy drug maker RAPT in $2.2bn deal

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-20T11:25:01+00:00

US-based biotech firm is developing treatment for allergies such as nuts, milk and eggs in children and adultsBusiness live – latest updatesGSK, the UK’s second-biggest drugmaker, has unveiled a $2.2bn (£1.6bn) deal to acquire a Californian biotech company which owns a drug that aims to protect against severe food allergies such as nuts, milk and eggs.It is the first large deal announced by GSK’s new chief executive Luke Miels, who joined the London-based company in 2017 as chief commercial officer and took the reins from Emma Walmsley at the start of the year. Continue reading...

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‘An evolving era of play’: UK toy sales rise for first time since pandemic

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-20T11:20:58+00:00

Film and TV tie-ins, Lego sets and Toniebox speakers help push sales 6% higher in 2025, after five years of no growthLego brick flowers, Toniebox audio players and Squishmallows are among the top sellers that have helped UK toy industry sales rise for the first time since the pandemic.In 2025 UK toy sales increased by 6% to £3.9bn, according to the annual industry report by the market research company Circana. The recovery was hailed as a “turning point” by analysts after five years of no growth when the cost of living crisis weighed heavily on demand. Continue reading...

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Starmer Approves Contentious Chinese Mega-Embassy in London

Source: New York Times - World · Published: 2026-01-20T11:13:12+00:00

The government approved plans for a massive new Chinese Embassy near Tower Bridge, disappointing critics who fear it will enable spying.

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UK government approves Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-20T11:04:13+00:00

Critics expected to mount legal challenge to plans for vast complex at Royal Mint Court amid security concernsThe UK government has approved the construction of a vast new Chinese embassy complex in east London, despite concerns about security and its impact on political exiles in the capital.The decision brings to an end, for now at least, the saga that has been running since 2018 over the site at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge. Continue reading...

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Modulus Alternatives launches ₹2,000 crore private credit fund

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-20T11:01:34+00:00

The fund, structured as a SEBI-registered Category II Alternative Investment Fund, has a tenure of five years from first close and targets a gross internal rate of return of approximately 16% per annum

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Barhem Saleh, haut-commissaire des Nations unies pour les réfugiés : « Le monde a besoin d’en finir avec cette guerre au Soudan »

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-01-20T11:00:06+00:00

L’ancien président irakien, entré en fonction le 1ᵉʳ janvier à la tête de l’agence onusienne, a effectué son premier déplacement officiel au Tchad, pour rencontrer les déplacés du conflit en cours au Darfour voisin. Il expose, dans un entretien au « Monde », les défis de son mandat, alors que l’aide internationale est en baisse.

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Barham Saleh, haut-commissaire des Nations unies pour les réfugiés : « Le monde a besoin d’en finir avec cette guerre au Soudan »

Source: Le Monde - International · Published: 2026-01-20T11:00:04+00:00

L’ancien président irakien, entré en fonctions le 1ᵉʳ janvier à la tête de l’agence onusienne, a effectué son premier déplacement officiel au Tchad, pour rencontrer les déplacés du conflit en cours au Darfour voisin. Il expose, dans un entretien au « Monde », les défis de son mandat, alors que l’aide internationale est en baisse.

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Rayner urges Starmer to keep promise on leasehold reform

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-20T11:00:03+00:00

Ex-deputy PM says government must stick to plans to cap charges for leaseholders in England and WalesAngela Rayner has urged Keir Starmer to stick to his campaign pledge to cap ground rents for leaseholders in England and Wales, as cabinet divisions over the government’s plans to rip up the leasehold system come to a head.The former deputy prime minister has intervened in a tense standoff between Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, over whether to stand by Labour’s promise to limit annual charges for existing leaseholders. Continue reading...

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US supreme court to hear challenge to Hawaii’s strict gun law

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-20T11:00:03+00:00

Court will consider legality of state law banning guns on private property open to the public unless owner allows itHawaii, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the United States, will see its regulations challenged before the supreme court on Tuesday.The court will consider the legality of the state’s law that bans people from bringing firearms on private property open to the public unless they have permission from the property owner. Continue reading...

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Economic blackout day planned in Minnesota to protest ICE surge

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-20T11:00:02+00:00

Unions, faith groups and local leaders urge residents not to work, shop or go to school after killing of Renee GoodLabor unions, community leaders and faith groups are calling for an economic blackout in Minnesota on Friday to protest the surge of federal immigration agents in the state and mourn Renee Good.Organizers are urging Minnesotans not to work, shop or go to school. The Trump administration has dispatched some 3,000 federal agents to the state, in what it claims amounts to its largest enforcement operation thus far, amid a broader crackdown on immigration. Continue reading...

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"Лицар семи королівств" стартував: перші рейтинги та відгуки на повернення у Вестерос

Source: UNIAN (General) · Published: 2026-01-20T10:59:00+00:00

Колаж УНІАН / фото HBOЦього тижня у всесвіті "Гри престолів" відбулася нова прем’єра - на HBO стартував серіал "Лицар семи королівств", заснований на новелах Джорджа Р. Р. Мартіна. Перші рейтинги свідчать,...

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AI should improve lives, not fuel a bubble, says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-20T10:58:03+00:00

Speaking at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, he said AI must drive economic growth rather than just higher spending, while boosting productivity in areas such as education, healthcare and the public sector

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Что известно о «Совете мира» Трампа

Source: Vedomosti – All Articles · Published: 2026-01-20T10:56:26+00:00

22 января на полях Всемирного экономического форума в Давосе состоится подписание устава «Совета мира», чьим председателем будет президент США Дональд Трамп. Структура, которая первоначально должна была заняться вопросами восстановления Газы, вероятно, возьмет на себя более широкие функции. Приглашение войти в ее состав получили главы десятков государств, включая лидеров России и Белоруссии Владимира Путина и Александра Лукашенко. Что известно о новом глобальном органе – в справке «Ведомостей».

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Davos: Ursula von der Leyen says tariffs over Greenland would be a mistake, and promises ‘unflinching, united and proportional’ response from Europe – business live

Source: The Guardian - World · Published: 2026-01-20T10:55:02+00:00

Rolling coverage of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Bessent claims reports Europe could sell Treasury bonds is ‘completely false narrative’Scott Bessent then denies that European Union countries, and the UK, could exercise the “nuclear option” over the Greenland crisis, and dump their holdings of US Treasuries.Asked how the Treasury Department, and the White House, would prepare for this, Bessent insists it is a “completely false narrative”, and claims the media are “hysterical” over the issue.I would say this is the same kind of hysteria that we heard on April 2nd. There was a panic.

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Розвиток попри війну: Метінвест у 2025 році освоїв 11 нових видів продукції

Source: UNIAN (General) · Published: 2026-01-20T10:54:00+00:00

У компанії підкреслюють, що розвиток продуктової лінійки під час війни є важливою частиною стратегії збереження промислової спроможності, робочих місць і валютної виручки.

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Jio BlackRock AMC attracts 10 lakh investors, 18% first-time participants

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-20T10:53:23+00:00

The joint venture between Jio Financial Services and BlackRock has attracted notable investor participation from B-30 cities, with 40% of its retail investors coming from these areas, surpassing the industry average of 28%

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Government likely to extend BIS fee concessions for MSMEs by three years

Source: The Hindu Business Line – Markets · Published: 2026-01-20T10:51:46+00:00

The Bureau of Indian Standards has proposed continuing fee reductions of up to 80 per cent for micro units, 50 per cent for small firms and 20 per cent for medium enterprises.

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