Markus Andrews

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read more Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the European Union country last year.Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flag and chanting slogans such as “Down with the Government” and “Thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round.George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which organized the protest, told supporters on Saturday: “We are united, we are strong. We are here because our vote was stolen. Because democracy was trampled on.”Simion told reporters that the protest aimed to “restore democracy and free elections” and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.“We do not trust that the upcoming elections will be free and fair,” he said. A no-confidence vote on Friday, which was backed by AUR and two other far-right opposition parties, failed to unseat Ciolacu’s pro-Western coalition government, which was formed after a Dec. 1 parliamentary election. Election rerun scheduled for May 4 Romania has seen recurring protests after the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the election two days ahead of the Dec. 8 runoff following Georgescu’s surprise first-round win. The far-right populist had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending. Allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference quickly emerged. Moscow has denied it meddled in Romania’s election.On Wednesday, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu, accusing him of supporting fascist groups, “incitement to actions against the constitutional order,” and false declarations regarding electoral campaign financing and asset disclosures. Prosecutors have placed him under judicial control, according to his lawyers.Georgescu, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, attended Saturday’s protest where he told supporters that “the system has maliciously tried to divide us” and that “old and new cronies tried to block my candidacy.”The first round of the rerun of the election is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate gets more than 50% of ballots, a runoff will follow on May 18.It isn’t yet clear whether Georgescu will be able to participate in the new election. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreLabour is gearing up to increase its attacks on Nigel Farage’s Reform UK over his party’s stance on Russia, as fresh polling makes clear that the public is strongly pro-Ukraine. It comes amid growing animosity between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky over the White House’s attempts to negotiate a peace deal with Vladimir Putin. As Reform rises in the polls, both Labour and the Tories have been grappling with how to tackle the threat posed by party.It is now understood that Labour is preparing to use Mr Farage’s previous comments about Russia against him as tensions over Ukraine grow.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Ben Whitley/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreKeir Starmer has skewered efforts by his chief climate change adviser to force people to eat less meat by reducing their intake by the equivalent of two kebabs a week.The prime minister was famously vegetarian for 30 years and did not let his children eat meat until they were 10 but has insisted that he does not want to get involved in people’s personal decisions on how they live their lives.Sir Keir was challenged after remarks by Emily Nurse, head of net zero at the Climate Change Committee.In a recent interview, she said: “We are absolutely not saying everyone needs to be vegan. But we do expect to see a shift in dietary habits to get to net zero.”Sir Keir and Lady Victoria were vegetarians More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreDonald Trump is facing a furious backlash and accusations of bullying and thuggery from UK politicians after an extraordinary shouting match with Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.Prime minister Keir Starmer declared his “unwavering support” for Ukraine as senior Conservative MPs, including Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, leapt to the Mr Zelensky’s defence after Trump accused Kyiv of “gambling with World War Three”.A spokesperson for the prime minister said Sir Keir had “tonight spoken to both President Trump and President Zelensky.”“He retains unwavering support for Ukraine, and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine,” the spokesperson said, adding the prime minister looked forward to hosting the Ukrainian president in London at the weekend.Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch has spoken out in support of Volodymyr Zelensky More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreA diplomatic row has exploded after Sir Keir Starmer declined to back Canada against Donald Trump’s ambitions to turn it into the 51st state of the USA.A Conservative MP in Canada and a former ambassador are among those to criticise the UK prime minister for failing to stand up for their country.Mr Trump has made repeatedly made calls for Canada to become America’s 51st state in recent months, including a claim that without a massive subsidy from the US “Canada ceases to exist as a viable country”.The backlash followed The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg challenging Sir Keir on his position on Canada during a press conference after the meeting between the US president and prime minister.US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington DC after their meeting in the Oval Office (Carl Court/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreAn Olympic gold medallist boxer unveiled as Reform UK’s candidate for the mayor of Hull and East Riding’s metro sent homophobic tweets, it has emerged. Luke Campbell, 37, who won gold for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics, made the offensive remarks in tweets from 2011 and 2012. Mr Farage’s party had pledged to clean up its vetting system after a series of rows over its general election candidates last year. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage with Luke Campbell on Thursday night (Danny Lawson/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreMoments after the plane had taken off from Andrews military airport in Washington DC to take Keir Starmer and his entourage home, an emotionally drained but clearly happy prime minister walked down the aircraft for a mini victory lap for what he and his team considered to be a triumphant trip to the White House.While he felt he had achieved as much as he could have hoped for on his foreign policy agenda, the real success for the prime minister though may have actually been in terms of domestic politics.In particular there was one big loser from what transpired in the Oval Office on Thursday – Nigel Farage.The key moment came when a journalist shouted out a question to President Trump asking him if he would veto the Chagos deal. Trump’s answer stunned everyone listening by endorsing the proposal.( More

Trump signals good news for Britain on TariffsYour support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreAnneliese Dodds has quit her role as international development minister over prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to slash the international aid budget to increase defence spending. The Labour MP predicted in a letter to the prime minister that he would find it impossible to continue support for Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan given the severity of the cut to 0.3 per cent of GNI (gross national income). She revealed she was only told of the decision on Monday, but held off resigning until he had returned from Washington, to ensure a united and successful visit to Donald Trump. Earlier, health secretary Wes Streeting has stressed that the NHS was “not on the table” in any US trade deal. The US president said he had “great discussions on trade” with Sir Keir and expressed confidence that a deal could be reached “rather quickly”.“I think we’ll have two deals,” he said, “a deal on ending the war [in Ukraine] and a great trade deal with you [the UK]”. But the prime minister failed to secure key concessions over Ukraine in critical White House talks.Sir Keir opened his talks with Mr Trump with a charm offensive, delivering an unprecedented second royal invitation for a state visit, which the US president readily accepted.Trump ‘recognises the strength’ of Chagos deal – No 10 says Donald Trump “recognises the strength” of the Chagos Islands deal, Downing Street said after the US president signalled he would back it.Mr Trump said he thought the US would be “inclined to go along” with Sir Keir Starmer’s deal to hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius when the two leaders met at the White House on Thursday.No 10 said it was right for the new US administration to look at the agreement, which was agreed under Mr Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.The agreement includes a plan to lease back the strategically important US-UK military base on Diego Garcia at British taxpayers’ expense.The UK has offered Mr Trump an effective veto on the deal because of its implications for US security, and allies of the president have criticised the plan.Speaking in the Oval Office alongside the Prime Minister, Mr Trump said: “We’re going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well.”He said it was a “very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease” and that “I think we’ll be inclined to go along with your country.”Holly Evans28 February 2025 14:48Anneliese Dodds’s resignation is like Robin Cook’s – principled, but ultimately pointlessHer loyalty to the prime minister, the government and the party resembles that of Robin Cook in 2003. He resigned as foreign secretary over the decision to join the US invasion of Iraq, but he did so respecting Tony Blair’s integrity, and very much more in sorrow than in anger – as resignations on matters of principle ought to be.Dodds’s resignation letter says that she agrees that “we must increase defence spending”. In this, she differs from Diane Abbott, the former shadow home secretary, who argued in The Independent yesterday that more spending on defence will make us less safe.Read the full article here: Holly Evans28 February 2025 14:27Starmer to discuss how to make peace ‘stick’ with ZelenskyThe Prime Minister is preparing to discuss how to guarantee a peace deal in Ukraine will last when he meets Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street this weekend.Leaders from across Europe will gather in London on Sunday, following a week which will have seen Sir Keir, France’s Emmanuel Macron and the Ukrainian president travel for talks with US president Donald Trump.The Ukrainian leader will follow Sir Keir in meeting with Mr Trump in Washington on Friday and finalising a deal that will give the US access to Ukraine’s earth minerals, which Downing Street has welcomed as it would “bind” Washington to Kyiv.Ahead of Sunday’s summit focused on security, the Prime Minister will meet with Mr Zelensky separately.Sir Keir Starmer with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Carl Court/PA) More