Your support helps us to tell the story
From 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.
Russian forces have claimed a breakthrough in capturing two settlements in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region as an onslaught of overnight bombardment across Ukraine killed six people.
The Russian Defence Ministry announced the capture of Petropavlivka, a village near the contested towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, and Vremivka, located further south.
However, Ukrainian military officials dismissed suggestions that Russian forces had breached Pokrovsk, a critical transport hub.
Ukraine’s popular Deep State blog, which documents changes in the positions held by both sides using open source materials, confirmed Petropavlivka and Vremivka falling into Russian hands.
In Kyiv, three people were killed and three others injured following a deadly nighttime attack which saw Putin’s forces launch a barrage of drones and missiles in the early morning on Saturday.
A shopping mall, business centre, metro station and water pipe were damaged in the assault, said city military administration chief Timur Tkachenko.
Three others were killed in the country’s south as Russian forces unleashed a combined drone and missile strike.
It comes as France accused Russia of “intimidation” after its air defences locked onto a French patrol plane over the Baltic Sea.
Biden’s departing UN envoy says US rivals will fill the vacuum if Trump abandons global leadership
The outgoing US ambassador to the United Nations says she watched America’s leadership diminish in the world during Donald Trump’s first presidency and China fill the vacuum.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield is warning that if it happens again during Trump’s second term, adversaries will move in anew.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Thomas-Greenfield said during Joe Biden’s presidency, the United States again engaged with the world, rebuilt alliances and reestablished America’s leadership.
“That is the gift that we hand over to the next administration,” she said, “and I hope that they will accept that gift in the spirit in which it is being given to them.”
In a brief meeting with Trump’s nominee, Rep Elise Stefanik of New York, Thomas-Greenfield told her “that the UN is important, and that it is important that we not cede any space to our adversaries.”
Those rivals “will change the rules of the road,” she warned. “And so, US leadership is extraordinarily important.”
Shweta Sharma19 January 2025 09:00
Biden’s departing UN envoy says US rivals will fill the vacuum if Trump abandons global leadership
The outgoing US ambassador to the United Nations says she watched America’s leadership diminish in the world during Donald Trump’s first presidency and China fill the vacuum.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield is warning that if it happens again during Trump’s second term, adversaries will move in anew.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Thomas-Greenfield said during Joe Biden’s presidency, the United States again engaged with the world, rebuilt alliances and reestablished America’s leadership.
“That is the gift that we hand over to the next administration,” she said, “and I hope that they will accept that gift in the spirit in which it is being given to them.”
In a brief meeting with Trump’s nominee, Re. Elise Stefanik of New York, Thomas-Greenfield told her “that the UN is important, and that it is important that we not cede any space to our adversaries.”
Those rivals “will change the rules of the road,” she warned. “And so, US leadership is extraordinarily important.”
Shweta Sharma19 January 2025 09:00
Russian missile strikes Zelensky’s hometown on Friday
On Friday, a Russian missile strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s hometown, killed four people and partially destroyed an educational facility, officials said.
“All those who assist the Russian state in this war must face pressure as impactful as these strikes,” Zelenskiy wrote on social media in response to Saturday’s attack.
Russia has carried out regular air strikes on towns and cities far behind the front line since the start of its almost three-year-old invasion of Ukraine, targeting critical infrastructure in particular.
Shweta Sharma19 January 2025 08:30
Trump can lay claim to the ceasefire in Gaza – doing the same in Ukraine will be much harder
When outgoing president Joe Biden was asked if he or Donald Trump deserved credit for the Gaza ceasefire deal struck in Qatar he shot back: “Is that a joke?” It wasn’t. Trump’s claim of having secured the “EPIC” deal was comic, but his contribution was real.
Biden’s team worked in tandem with Trump’s incoming administration – and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff – to deliver the agreement which had taken many months to thrash out.
It was no accident that it was struck in the dying days of the Biden years, less than a week before Trump was due to move back into the White House. Israel’s prime minister knew that involving Trump would set him up to warm relations with the 47th president.
Hamas knows he’ll always be an enemy, but one who might actually make good on a threat to “rain hell” on the movement if no deal was made.
Shweta Sharma19 January 2025 08:00
Ukraine downs 43 Russian drones over nine regions, air force says
Ukrainian air defences shot down 43 out of 61 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on Sunday that targeted nine regions across Ukraine, the air force said.
It said that 15 other drones were “lost” in reference to Kyiv using electronic warfare to redirect them.
No major damage or casualties were immediately reported by officials.
Shweta Sharma19 January 2025 07:40
An imprisoned Nobel laureate underscores human rights abuses in Belarus
The yellow name tag that Ales Bialiatski wears on his prison garb sets him apart from other inmates in Penal Colony No. 9 in eastern Belarus.
It marks Bialiatski as a political prisoner to be singled out for harsh treatment. Because he’s been labeled an “extremist” by authorities, he’s routinely denied medications, food parcels from home and contact with relatives, and is subjected to forced labor and stints in punishment cells, according to former inmates.
Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko often claimed in his three decades in power that Belarus has no political prisoners, but activists say it currently holds about 1,300 of them. Many endure harsh conditions like Bialiatski, 62, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for his human rights activism and is believed to be in worsening health.
Shweta Sharma19 January 2025 07:30
Russian attack damages Ukraine’s oldest McDonald’s
An overnight onslaught on Russian missile strike on 19 January damaged Ukraine’s oldest McDonald’s in capital’s Shevchenkivskyi district.
McDonald’s confirmed the damage to the outlet opened in 1997.
“Today, during an aerial attack on Kyiv, a McDonald’s restaurant near the Lukianivska metro station was damaged. Our staff were able to evacuate to a shelter in time thanks to our safety protocols.”
The restaurant has been closed but the company has pledged to reopen it after repairing the damages.
Shweta Sharma19 January 2025 07:00
Senior military figures warn Starmer against sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
The UK sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine is “highly risky”, a former security adviser to Gordon Brown has warned, arguing the “grotesquely underfunded” armed forces do not have the resources to do so.
But a number of senior military figures have expressed concerns at the plan. Among them is Lord West of Spithead, retired admiral of the Royal Navy and Mr Brown’s former advisor.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans19 January 2025 07:00
Trump intends to visit China to meet Xi, WSJ report
President-elect Donald Trump is considering a visit to China early in his presidency, possibly within his first 100 days, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal.
Mr Trump’s inauguration is Monday, and Chinese state news agencies said on Friday that Chinese Vice president Han Zheng will attend as Beijing stands ready to strengthen cooperation.
The proposed trip would aim to ease tensions with Beijing, heightened by Mr Trump’s campaign promises to impose significant tariffs on Chinese goods.
Although Mr Trump’s transition team has not issued a statement, advisors have also explored the idea of inviting Chinese president Xi Jinping to the United States to initiate discussions on key issues.
A meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Xi could prove critical as both nations face complex economic and geopolitical challenges, including trade disputes, Taiwan, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
On January 17, Mr Trump and Mr Xi had their first phone conversation since the November election.
They discussed topics such as trade, the fentanyl crisis, and concerns surrounding TikTok. Expressing optimism, Mr Trump later stated on social media that he anticipates the two countries will “work together to address many pressing issues without delay.”
Shweta Sharma19 January 2025 06:06
Trump can lay claim to the ceasefire in Gaza – doing the same in Ukraine will be much harder
When outgoing president Joe Biden was asked if he or Donald Trump deserved credit for the Gaza ceasefire deal struck in Qatar he shot back: “Is that a joke?” It wasn’t. Trump’s claim of having secured the “EPIC” deal was comic, but his contribution was real.
Biden’s team worked in tandem with Trump’s incoming administration – and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff – to deliver the agreement which had taken many months to thrash out.
It was no accident that it was struck in the dying days of the Biden years, less than a week before Trump was due to move back into the White House. Israel’s prime minister knew that involving Trump would set him up to warm relations with the 47th president.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans19 January 2025 06:00