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.CloseRead more Top diplomats from the United States, the Arab League and Turkey are meeting in Jordan to discuss plans and goals to assist Syria’s transition from the deposed government of Bashar Assad.Some 12 foreign ministers and senior officials from the European Union and United Nations on Saturday gathered in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba to try to forge consensus on what new leadership in Syria should prioritize. No Syrian representatives are set to attend, however.The collapse of the Assad family’s more than half-century of rule last week has sparked new fears of instability and turmoil in a volatile region already immersed in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon despite a tenuous ceasefire.The U.S. is also making a renewed push for an ceasefire in Gaza, where the war has plunged more than 2 million Palestinians into a severe humanitarian crisis.Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.The October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.Here’s the latest: US Secretary of State Blinken wrapping up regional tour in Jordan AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says broad consensus exists among regional partners that Syria’s new government must be inclusive, must respect women and minority rights, reject terrorism and secure and destroy suspected Assad-era chemical weapons stockpiles.Blinken is wrapping up a three-country regional tour in Aqaba after visiting Iraq, Turkey and Jordan once already this week. Earlier Saturday in a meeting with U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pederson, Blinken said he expected to talk about the challenges ahead for Syria and “our determination to work together to support a Syrian-led transition where the United Nations plays a critical role, particularly when it comes to the provision of assistance, to the protection of minorities.”Pederson agreed, saying: “What is so critical in Syria is that we see a credible and inclusive political process that brings together all communities in Syria. And the second point is that we need to make sure that state institutions do not collapse, and that we get in humanitarian assistance as quickly as possible. And if we can achieve that, perhaps there is a new opportunity for the Syrian people.”In announcing Saturday’s meetings, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the ministers would “discuss ways to support a comprehensive political process led by Syrians to achieve a transitional process,” which “ensures the reconstruction of Syrian state institutions, and preserves Syria’s unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty, security, stability, and the rights of all its citizens.” 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.CloseRead moreBrussels is said to be preparing to ask the UK to follow European Union laws for the first time since Brexit as part of plans for a new trade deal with Sir Keir Starmer.It comes as the prime minister attempts to reset the UK’s relationship with the bloc after years of tense relations under successive Conservative prime ministers. While the prime minister has repeatedly insisted the UK will not rejoin the single market within his lifetime, he has pledged to “make Brexit work” by renegotiating the deal agreed upon by Boris Johnson and pursue closer co-operation, particularly on defence, security and trade.A blueprint for European negotiators looking at the trade deal, seen by The Times, indicates that EU leaders are planning to make UK acceptance of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) a red line for an improved trading relationship.The document also reportedly sets out British concessions on fishing and a youth mobility scheme as key priorities for the EU.The prime minister is currently attempting to pursue a reset with the EU 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.CloseRead more Donald Trump hosted Apple CEO Tim Cook for a Friday evening dinner at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Cook is the latest in a string of big tech leaders — including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — who have sought to improve their standing with the incoming president after choppy relations with Trump during his first term.Trump has said he has spoken with Cook about the company’s long-running tax battles with the European Union. The meeting comes less than two months after Trump said he spoke to Cook by phone, and soon after Apple lost its last appeal in a dispute with the EU over 13 billion euros ($14.34 billion) in back taxes to Ireland. “He said the European Union has just fined us $15 billion,” Trump recalled of his conversation with Cook, in an October interview with podcaster Patrick Bet-David. “Then on top of that they got fined by the European Union another $2 billion.”The decision by the EU top court was the finale to a dispute that centered on sweetheart deals that Dublin was offering to attract multinational businesses with minimal taxes across the 27-nation bloc. The European Commission in 2016 ruled that Ireland granted Apple unlawful aid that Ireland was required to recover.Trump’s transition team and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment about his dinner with Cook.OpenAI CEO Altman is planning to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, the company confirmed Friday. Amazon and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, confirmed this week they had each donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.During his first term, Trump criticized Amazon and railed against the political coverage at The Washington Post, which Bezos owns. Meanwhile, Bezos had criticized some of Trump’s past rhetoric. In 2019, Amazon also argued in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. More recently, Bezos has struck a more conciliatory tone. Last week, he said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York that he was “optimistic” about Trump’s second term while also endorsing president-elect’s plans to cut regulations.The donation from Meta came just weeks after Meta CEO Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president, but voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt. 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.CloseRead moreBritain is not properly prepared to defend itself in a war with Russia and cannot rely on the United States and Nato, a retired senior general has warned.Writing in The Independent, Sir Richard Shirreff, who served as Nato’s deputy supreme allied commander in Europe from 2011 to 2014, said another global conflict will only be prevented if there is a “band of deterrent steel from the Baltic to the Black Sea” – something he said the UK may have to be prepared to help realise without the support of Washington.His dramatic intervention comes alongside warnings from former defence secretary Ben Wallace and Labour peer Admiral Lord West that a failure to prioritise defence would be a grave error for the prime minister. Lord West’s warning follows a foreboding speech by Nato general secretary Mark Rutte who said the West is not ready to deal with the threat of war from Russia, declaring it is “time to shift to a wartime mindset and turbocharge our defence production”. Richard Shirreff’s intervention comes amid global turmoil 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.CloseRead moreSurvivors will feel “let down” by the Government’s rejection of proposals to crack down on deepfake abuse, Parliament has heard.Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge said she was “devastated” that ministers were not backing her proposed legislation banning the creation and solicitation of intimate images of people without their consent.The Conservative peer has tabled a proposed law in response to concerns over how technology is aiding the abuse of women, with so-called nudify apps allowing users to create fake nude images or videos of other people through generative artificial intelligence.While the Government has not backed her private members’ bill, it has promised to bring forward its own legislation tackling this issue next year.Lady Owen said: “I am actually devastated with the Government’s refusal to back this Bill and I know that survivors will feel let down.“I will continue to fight using every legislative vehicle available to me because we cannot afford any more delays in getting these protections enshrined in law.”Lady Owen’s Non-Consensual Sexually Explicit Images and Videos (Offences) Bill, which would apply to England and Wales, aims to create new offences, with those found guilty facing a fine, up to six months in prison or both.The courts would also be able to order the deletion and destruction of physical and digital images.While the Online Safety Act 2023 made it illegal to share or threaten to share intimate images – including deepfakes – of people without their consent, it did not outlaw the creation of such images.Deepfake abuse is the new frontier of violence against women and the non-consensual creation of a woman’s naked image is an act of abuseBaroness Owen of Alderley EdgeLabour’s general election manifesto stated the party would ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, and the Government has re-iterated its promise to do this through its own legislation.Justice minister Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede said: “Of course I share – and the Government shares – your concern that more needs to be done to protect women from this form of abuse….“I know there will be frustration across the House about the Government pursuing its own legislation within this session.“But I hope that you will understand that we want to make it sustainable; we want the legislation to be solid legislation and future-proof as far as is possible.”He told peers that the Government is determined to “act carefully so that any new measures work with existing law and, most importantly, protect victims and bring offenders to justice”.Introducing the Bill, Lady Owen told the House of Lords: “I believe in a woman’s right to choose. The right for her to choose what she does with her own body. The right for her to choose who owns her naked image.“With the dawn of AI technology, women have lost this ability. A woman can no longer choose who owns an intimate image of her.“Technology has made it possible for them to be created by anyone, anywhere, at anytime, regardless of whether she consents.“This Bill will return power to where it belongs – the hands of each individual woman.”Lady Owen added: “Deepfake abuse is the new frontier of violence against women and the non-consensual creation of a woman’s naked image is an act of abuse.”All women are forced to live under the ever-present threat that anyone can own sexually explicit content of themBaroness Owen of Alderley EdgeThe peer said research had found that one app processed 600,000 images in its first three weeks – while the largest site “dedicated to deepfake abuse” has 13.4 million hits every month.She added: “It’s a disproportionately sexist form of abuse with 99% of all sexually explicit deepfakes being of women.“Women are sick and tired of their images being used without their consent to misrepresent, degrade and humiliate them.”Peers heard how survivors experience “untold trauma, anxiety and distress” as a result of deepfakes, with Lady Owen adding: “All women are forced to live under the ever-present threat that anyone can own sexually explicit content of them.“The current law is a patchwork of legislation that cannot keep pace and means we’re forever playing catch-up whilst the abuse of women races ahead in a technological revolution of degradation.”Lady Owen said the measures in her Bill, if approved by Parliament, would be implemented as soon as it received royal assent.The former Downing Street special adviser added: “The victims of intimate image abuse have waited long enough.“Given the rapid proliferation of this abuse, every day that we delay is another day when women have to live under this ever-present threat.”Lady Owen said she had met ministers to discuss her Bill, adding: “I’m disappointed by their response suggesting they will not support this vital Bill and their apparent willingness to delay on legislating on image-based abuse.”Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Grender said the Bill is “essential”, adding: “Women can’t suffer delay on this issue.”The Bill was given a second reading and will undergo further scrutiny at a later date, although it is unlikely to become law in its current form without Government support. 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.CloseRead moreMinisters have been urged to speed-up efforts to criminalise deepfake abuse amid warnings women can no longer choose who owns their naked image.Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge has proposed criminalising the creation and solicitation of intimate images of people made without their consent.She has tabled a proposed law in response to concerns over how technology is aiding the abuse of women, with so-called nudify apps allowing users to create fake nude images or videos of other people through generative artificial intelligence.Lady Owen’s Non-Consensual Sexually Explicit Images and Videos (Offences) Bill, which would apply to England and Wales, aims to create new offences, with those found guilty facing a fine, up to six months in prison or both.The courts would also be able to order the deletion and destruction of physical and digital images.Labour’s general election manifesto stated the party would ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, but Lady Owen expressed disappointment at ministers for not supporting her Bill.Justice minister Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede offered to meet peers to discuss the Bill and how the Government can “try and meet the objectives of this Bill through other legislation”.Deepfake abuse is the new frontier of violence against women and the non-consensual creation of a woman’s naked image is an act of abuseBaroness Owen of Alderley EdgeIntroducing the Bill, Lady Owen told the House of Lords: “I believe in a woman’s right to choose. The right for her to choose what she does with her own body. The right for her to choose who owns her naked image.“With the dawn of AI technology, women have lost this ability. A woman can no longer choose who owns an intimate image of her.“Technology has made it possible for them to be created by anyone, anywhere, at anytime, regardless of whether she consents.“This Bill will return power to where it belongs – the hands of each individual woman.”Lady Owen added: “Deepfake abuse is the new frontier of violence against women and the non-consensual creation of a woman’s naked image is an act of abuse.”All women are forced to live under the ever-present threat that anyone can own sexually explicit content of themBaroness Owen of Alderley EdgeThe peer said research had found that one app processed 600,000 images in its first three weeks while the largest site “dedicated to deepfake abuse” has 13.4 million hits every month.She added: “It’s a disproportionately sexist form of abuse with 99% of all sexually explicit deepfakes being of women.“Women are sick and tired of their images being used without their consent to misrepresent, degrade and humiliate them.”Peers heard how survivors experience “untold trauma, anxiety and distress” as a result of deepfakes, with Lady Owen adding: “All women are forced to live under the ever-present threat that anyone can own sexually explicit content of them.“The current law is a patchwork of legislation that cannot keep pace and means we’re forever playing catch-up whilst the abuse of women races ahead in a technological revolution of degradation.”Lady Owen said the measures in her Bill, if approved by Parliament, would be implemented as soon as it received royal assent.The former Downing Street special adviser added: “The victims of intimate image abuse have waited long enough.“Given the rapid proliferation of this abuse, every day that we delay is another day when women have to live under this ever-present threat.”Lady Owen said she had met ministers to discuss her Bill, adding: “I’m disappointed by their response suggesting they will not support this vital Bill and their apparent willingness to delay on legislating on image-based abuse.”Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Grender said the Bill is “essential”, adding: “Women can’t suffer delay on this issue.”The Bill was given a second reading and will undergo further scrutiny at a later date, although it is unlikely to become law in its current form without Government support. 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.CloseRead moreEd Miliband has defended his decision to vote against military action in Syria while he was Labour leader, dismissing criticism from Wes Streeting as “just wrong”. The public split in Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet began after the health secretary criticised Labour’s previous position on Syria, saying hesitation from the UK and US “kept Assad in power for much longer”. Mr Miliband, who is now Sir Keir’s energy secretary, led efforts to block Lord Cameron’s attempt to launch strikes in Syria to deter the use of chemical weapons in 2013.Mr Streeting told BBC Question Time on Thursday: “With hindsight, I think we can say, looking back on the events of 2013, that the hesitation of this country and the United States created a vacuum that Russia moved into and kept Assad in power for much longer.”Ed Miliband is now Sir Keir’s energy secretary More

‘There won’t be another budget like this again,’ says ReevesYour 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.CloseRead moreTory leader Kemi Badenoch said figures showing the economy shrank in October show that Rachel Reeves’ Budget is “crashing the economy”.She told the PA news agency on a visit to Essex: “I think it shows that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have been making the wrong choices. They inherited an economy that was growing and now it is shrinking. Their Budget is crashing the economy and they need to reverse thisThe UK economy shrunk again in October, according to official figures, putting economists on “recession watch”.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said output fell by 0.1 per cent following the 0.1 per cent decline recorded for the previous month.The latest figures cover the month ahead of the government’s first budget, which saw Labour unveil £40bn worth of tax rises.It marks a fractional shift in the outlook for the economy after it eked out 0.1% growth over the latest quarter, between July and September.Julian Jessop, economics fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “The second successive monthly fall in economic activity in October should put the UK firmly on recession watch. Indeed, output per head may already be falling for the second quarter in a row.“The loss of momentum is not contained to the UK. Indeed, the manufacturing sector appears to be struggling even more in the rest of Europe, notably Germany and France.“Nonetheless, the new government’s negative rhetoric over the summer and the anticipation of a tight Budget have damaged sentiment and encouraged many households and business to put spending, hiring and investment on hold.”The ONS said the services sector recorded no growth in October after also stalling in September.The Chancellor said: “We are determined to deliver economic growth as higher growth means increased living standards for everyone, everywhere. This is what our Plan for Change is all about.“While the figures this month are disappointing, we have put in place policies to deliver long-term economic growth.”The latest economic news comes as the government continues to face criticism over the more controversial elements of the Budget, including changes to inheritance tax and the winter fuel payment. The pound has fallen in value following the ONS’s update on Britain’s shrinking economy. Sterling fell by as much as 0.4 per cent before gaining ground to trade at $1.27.The drop provided a boost for the FTSE 100, which rose by 2 points to 8,313.8A weaker pound makes the index’s predominantly foreign earnings more attractive.Howard Mustoe13 December 2024 14:30The National Institute of Economic and Social Research think tank says it expects grind to zero in the final three months of the year, which means Ms Reeves could avoid a recession. Construction is likely to be hit hard, the think tank said.NIESR associate economist Hailey Low said: “A weakening export climate amid rising global policy uncertainties and declining business confidence, exacerbated by the impact of recently announced budget measures, raises concerns about sustaining the growth momentum.”Howard Mustoe13 December 2024 13:44( More