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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 Kosovo will hold a parliamentary election on Sunday considered a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti whose governing party achieved a landslide win four years ago.This is the first time since independence in 2008 that Kosovo’s parliament has completed a full four-year mandate. It is the ninth parliamentary vote in Kosovo since the end of the 1998-1999 war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists that pushed Serbian forces out following a 78-day NATO air campaign. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, proclaimed in 2008.The vote will determine who will lead the Kosovo side in negotiations on normalizing ties with Serbia, which stalled again last year. Those talks brokered by the U.S. and the European Union did not figure high on any party’s agenda. Some 2 million eligible voters are to cast their ballots in 941 polling stations. They will elect 120 lawmakers among almost 600 candidates from 27 political groupings. One independent candidate is also running.The Kosovar parliament has 20 seats reserved for minorities regardless of election results; 10 of which are for the Serb minority.Kosovars abroad started voting on Saturday at 43 diplomatic missions around the world where some 20,000 voters from the nearly 100,000 of the diaspora, have physically cast their ballots. Others sent their votes by post.Kurti’s left-wing Vetevendosje! or Self-Determination Movement Party is seen as the front-runner but is not expected to win the necessary majority to govern alone, leaving open the possibility the other two contenders join ranks if he fails to form a Cabinet.The other contenders are the Democratic Party of Kosovo, or PDK, whose main leaders are at The Hague tribunal accused of war crimes, and the Democratic League of Kosovo, or LDK, the oldest party in the country that lost much of its support after the death in 2006 of its leader, Ibrahim Rugova.The parties made big-ticket pledges to increase public salaries and pensions, improve education and health services, and fight poverty. However, they did not explain where the money would come from, nor how they would attract more foreign investment.Kosovo, with a population of 1.6 million, is one of the poorest countries in Europe with an annual gross domestic product of less than 6,000 Euros per person.Kurti has been at odds with Western powers over some Cabinet actions last year, such as a ban on using the Serbian dinar and transfers from Serbia to Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority members who depend on Belgrade’s social services and payments. Washington, Brussels and the NATO-led stabilization force KFOR have urged the government in Pristina to refrain from unilateral actions, fearing the revival of inter-ethnic conflict.The EU suspended funding for some projects almost two years ago. Brussels has set conditions for the gradual lifting of the temporary measure, linked to Kosovo taking steps to de-escalate tensions in the north, where most of the Serb minority lives.Kosovo is also suffering after Washington imposed a 90-day freeze on funding for different projects through the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has been key in promoting the country’s growth.KFOR has increased its presence in Kosovo after last year’s tensions and added more for the parliamentary election period.A team of 100 observers from the European Union, 18 from the Council of Europe and about 1,600 others from international or local organizations will monitor the vote which starts at 0600 GMT and ends at 1800 GMT. 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 moreHealth minister Andrew Gwynne has been sacked over alleged “antisemitic” and “racist” comments posted on a WhatsApp group.Mr Gwynne becomes the latest former ally of Jeremy Corbyn to be ousted by Keir Starmer after reportedly making antisemitic comments and “joked” about a pensioner constituent, saying he hoped she died before the next election, according to the The Mail on Sunday.He is also accused of making racist comments about Labour MP Dianne Abbot, and sexist remarks about deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, the paper claimed.Sir Keir has made it clear that he will not tolerate antisemitism in the party after the issue almost destroyed Labour’s reputation under Mr Corbyn. Another ally of the former leader Rebecca Long-Bailey was sacked in 2020 from the shadow cabinet for retweeting an antisemitic post on social media.Andrew Gwynne said he deeply regretted his ‘badly misjudged’ remarks 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 moreThe last culture secretary to renegotiate the BBC charter has claimed that the licence fee is now “unsustainable” and must be replaced by an alternative form of funding.Sir John Whittingdale has responded to a new report which suggests that viewers have turned off from the BBC and moved to streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon.It comes just ahead of the Labour government opening talks for the next charter renewal.While Sir John has not specified a preferred option, theBBC could turn to advertising or a new version of the licence fee. One of the options understood to be on the table is that viewers of Netflix, Amazon and Disney Plus who do not watch the BBC may be forced to pay the licence fee in the future.Former culture secretary minister Sir John Whittingdale (Dominic Lipinski/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 moreThe government has denied it is set to hold talks with Caribbean representatives over reparations for the slave trade as one Labour MP called for the UK to take steps towards acknowledging the damage caused by its colonialist past.The Foreign Office angrily denied reports on Saturday that it was to meet with a Caribbean delegation on reparations.Clapham and Brixton Hill MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on Afrikan Reparations, said she had been “surprised” by the initial reports in The Telegraph, but added it was “a shame” they are not going ahead.She told The Independent: “Talks with Caricom nations would be a significant step towards acknowledging the enduring harm caused by enslavement and colonialism. Critics often misconstrue the campaign for reparations as being solely about financial compensation, or historic events that have no relevance today.“But for these countries our historic crimes play a central part in their present struggles. So reparations at its core is about equality and justice. There are many ways we can go about righting our wrongs, and that starts with a conversation.”Bell Ribeiro-Addy 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 moreClaims that Nigel Farage may be the biggest problem for Reform breaking the political mould and winning the next election have been supported in a new poll.The findings by Opinium suggest that while voters are tempted to support Reform UK, particularly on immigration, the party leader is the main reason they may not bother.It follows a row last month when X boss Elon Musk, who has been backing rightwing parties across Europe, suggested that Farage was not the right leader for Reform in an inflammatory Tweet.However, the survey taken on 5 February also provide dreadful results for Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch.Farage has led Reform to new heights 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 moreReform’s popularity surge in the polls is legitimate and could be sustained until the general election, polling guru professor Sir John Curtice has told The Independent.Prof Curtice argued that while the problems for the Tories persist, the notable trend has been a historic collapse in Labour support after just seven months in power. For the Conservatives, questions are being asked about Kemi Badenoch’s future as leader, but a similar spotlight is being shone on chancellor Rachel Reeves with economic woes being blamed for Labour’s unpopularity.Prof Curtice’s assessment is backed up by two other leading UK polling experts Lord Robert Hayward and Luke Tryl of More in Common.It comes after a week where several polls put Nigel Farage’s Reform UK either in top spot or equal first.‘The fall in Labour’s vote of this size so quickly is, I think, a record,’ says John Curtice 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 Labour MP has issued a warning to Sir Keir Starmer as he helps lead protests against the government giving the greenlight to a controversial new Chinese embassy in London.East Renfrewshire MP Blair McDougall, a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, will join other MPs including former security minister Tom Tugendhat and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick in a protest today against the proposed new building.It comes amid growing concerns over attempts by Sir Keir’s government to build relations with China at a time when the new Donald Trump administration in the US is on the cusp of a trade war with the Communist country.The Labour Government has sought to improve relations with China as it pursues economic growth (Stefan Rousseau/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 moreForeign secretary David Lammy has warned Donald Trump that slashing foreign aid to countries could be a major ”strategic mistake”, drawing parallels to the fallout from Britain’s own aid cuts. Mr Trump has sent shockwaves across the countries that were dependent on US foreign aid after his administration imposed a sweeping freeze on aid programs under the US Agency for International Development (USAID).Thousands of staff have already been laid off, and programs supporting health services, disaster relief, and anti-poverty efforts in nearly 100 countries are scrambling after the shutdown, including in Ukraine.Mr Lammy told the Guardian on Friday that the US government should “look closely at what went wrong” when the previous UK government shut down its Department for International Development (Dfi). He was referring to former prime minister Boris Johnson’s actions of merging Dfid with the Foreign Office in 2020.“What I can say to American friends is it’s widely accepted that the decision by the UK with very little preparation to close down DfID, to suspend funding in the short term or give many global partners little heads up, was a big strategic mistake,” he told the newspaper. “We have spent years unravelling that strategic mistake. Development remains a very important soft power tool,” he added.”We were hugely critical of the way that the last government handled the decision. So I would caution US friends to look closely at what went wrong in the United Kingdom as they navigate this decision.”The top receivers under the USAID programme’s roughly $40bn budget were Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan, Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Syria.On Friday, a federal judge in Washington, DC, put the brakes on the controversial plan to gut the USAID workforce by issuing a temporary restraining order. It blocked the Trump administration from placing roughly 2,200 USAID workers on administrative leave, hours before the administration was set to send them packing at midnight.It was after unions representing nearly 2,000 USAID employees filed a lawsuit against Trump and administration officials on Thursday.Mr Lammy, who was in Kyiv, met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior officials.He said he did not see any hope of an imminent end to war with Russia despite Mr Trump’s pledge to end the war under his second administration. Peace talks are set to begin at a security conference in Munich next week.“I am not sure we are weeks away from peace talks. And I say that because our assessment, which I’m quite sure the US shares, is that Putin shows absolutely no appetite for negotiation and to bring this war to an end,” he told the Guardian.He added that the “Ukrainians are pretty clear there can be no ceasefire before negotiations”.“So I don’t anticipate a ceasefire in this war anytime soon. I’m very clear that Putin at the moment shows no desire to negotiate. And therefore, sadly, I think this war of attrition will go on for some months yet,” he said. More