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Voices

<p>Ukrainian soldiers wait in a military vehicle near the border with Russia</p>
Sean O’Grady

What good will Zelensky’s ‘buffer zone’ actually do?

After Ukraine’s audacious incursion into the Kursk region – which made Vladimir Putin the first Russian leader since 1941 to suffer a foreign invasion – establishing a fully demilitarised zone between the warring neighbours could yet prove useful in the event of Donald Trump’s re-election, says Sean O’Grady

<p>Comedian Mark Simmons got the award for funniest joke at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. There’s a problem though </p>
Clair Woodward

Why the ‘funniest joke at the Edinburgh Fringe’ won’t make you laugh

<p>Prime minister Keir Starmer promised in his party manifesto to improve the relationship with the EU by ‘tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade’</p>
Anand Menon

Labour can’t afford to keep dragging its heels on its Brexit reboot

<p>Research has found that the ageing process isn’t a gradual one, but instead happens in two dramatic surges </p>
Will Gore

If you believe the science, you’re ‘old’ when you reach this age

<p>Harry and Meghan at the National Centre for the Arts in Bogota</p>
Flic Everett

¡Basta! It’s time Brits abroad gave up trying to speak the local lingo

<p>Baby Reindeer is based on show creator Richard Gadd’s own story of survivorship </p>
Duncan Craig

Baby Reindeer got it right on men – and victimhood

<p>Molly-Mae Hague mentions she was ‘solo parenting’ in the days leading up to the shocking split with Tommy Fury</p>
Olivia Petter

The Tommy Fury cheating rumours prove something I’ve always known

<p>Kamala Harris may be rising in the polls but she is under growing pressure to start talking policy </p>
Jon Sopel

The uncomfortable truth is Trump has the edge on Kamala in a key area

<p>2023 was the hottest year on record</p>
Climate 100

The choice to save the planet is ours to make

<p>We need to build trust in what our armed forces, agencies and civil contingencies organisations are doing</p>
Penny Mordaunt

The autumn Budget will show if we have our heads in the sand

<p>In 2024, when books with queer characters and authors are boxed up and pushed into a dark corner, are we really so far from Section 28?</p>
Katie Dancey-Downs

Censorship in UK school libraries is worse than you think

<p>A damaged monument to Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin stands in a central square in Sudzha, Kursk</p>
The Independent View

Kursk’s damaged Lenin statue is a monument to Putin’s incompetence

<p>Consumers are drinking less, but they’re drinking better quality wine </p>
Rosamund Hall

Is this the end of cheap wine?

<p>The home secretary should ensure her review is as ‘rapid’ as she promises</p>
The Independent View

Yvette Cooper is right, the government must do more to fight extremism

<p>Penny Mordaunt’s comments show she and her Tory colleagues are totally removed from what the country actually needs</p>
Letters

Penny Mordaunt has forgotten who got us into this mess

<p>If you make it through the torturous delay of diagnosis, there is no guarantee you can get medication due to serious shortages and medication rationing </p>
Redmond Mitchard

So what if ‘everyone has ADHD’? The more diagnoses, the better

<p>Is it fair to call Donald Trump ‘weird’? </p>
ryan coogan

Kamala’s VP pick might have already sunk Trump’s ‘weird’ running mate

Democrats have started pointing out just how strange the former president and his ilk really are. Ryan Coogan explains why this could be the thing that finally gets under his skin – and might help win Kamala Harris the White House

<p>Ed Davey celebrates in London on election night </p>
John Rentoul

Can the success of the Lib Dems force the Tories back to the centre?

<p>The magazine will relaunch in February </p>
flic everett

Playboy magazine is coming back – sorry, is it 2024 or 1954?

Explore news for you

More Voices

<p>The government’s plans to introduce a right to switch off</p>
UK Politics

Would you support a four-day working week? Join The Independent Debate

UK Politics

Would you support a four-day working week? Join The Independent Debate

Independent
<p>The government’s plans to introduce a right to switch off</p>
<p>Certain non-violent offenders are to be released after 40 per cent of their tariffs, rather than the usual 50 per cent</p>
The Independent View

It will be a long stretch until our jails are fit for purpose

<p>The secretary of state for work and pensions Liz Kendall </p>
Letters

Liz Kendall is right – let’s end the ‘blame culture’ around benefits

<p>At this point decent people should no more be found on Twitter/X than they would 4chan or the Stormfront forums </p>
Letters

It’s time for somebody to step in and regulate social media

<p>If we want the next generation to stay just as well off as we are now, there is a mountain to climb. If we want them to be better off, it is even higher</p>
Voices

A three-point plan for how we grow the British economy

<p>If we want the next generation to stay just as well off as we are now, there is a mountain to climb. If we want them to be better off, it is even higher</p>
Voices

A three-point plan for how we grow the British economy

<p>It is unfair to blame Sunak for the failings of May, Truss and Johnson, but that is how the party system works</p>
Voices

Is this Britain’s worst government ever? Not compared to this lot...

<p>Labour is not ‘caving in’ to its union paymasters, as some critics claim</p>
Voices

Labour will have to learn to say ‘No’ – or risk being walked over

Most commented

Half of people think Britain is ‘moving in wrong direction’ in blow to Starmer

408 comments

Investigation reveals UK schools are banning LGBT+ books after parents’ complaints

484 comments

Russia Ukraine latest: Kyiv hits third bridge in Kursk to create ‘buffer zone’

150 comments

Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? Latest poll updates from the 2024 election

101 comments
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More Voices

<p>David Lammy has condemned the ‘widespread rampage’ of Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank</p>
Voices

Lammy’s Israel mission is proof Britain can lead on the world stage

<p>Elon Musk has been criticised (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)</p>
Letters

If social media won’t change, we have to

<p>Ukrainian personnel hold a Ukrainian flag as they stand on a Challenger 2 tank during training at Bovington Camp in southwestern Britain</p>
Voices

Britain keeps poking the Russian Bear – don’t be shocked if it reacts

<p>‘I step over my threshold / To see a cranefly struggling. At first, I couldn’t understand / The smaller reason for its immobility’ </p>
Voices

The argument for being a natural born killer (and not a vegetarian)

<p>Elon Musk bought the site in 2022 </p>
Voices

What would happen if we all abandoned Elon Musk’s toxic platform?

<p>Have your say </p>
Voices

The results of our Independent Voices newsletter poll

<p>‘I step over my threshold / To see a cranefly struggling. At first, I couldn’t understand / The smaller reason for its immobility’ </p>
Voices

The argument for being a natural born killer (and not a vegetarian)

<p>Elon Musk bought the site in 2022 </p>
Voices

What would happen if we all abandoned Elon Musk’s toxic platform?

<p>Have your say </p>
Voices

The results of our Independent Voices newsletter poll

<p>Sir Keir Starmer (third from left), pictured at the Metropolitan Police Command and Control Special Operations Room at Lambeth Police Headquarters (Toby Melville/PA)</p>
UK Politics

Readers praise ‘calm’ Starmer for handling riots in ‘baptism of fire’

UK Politics

Readers praise ‘calm’ Starmer for handling riots in ‘baptism of fire’

Independent
<p>Sir Keir Starmer (third from left), pictured at the Metropolitan Police Command and Control Special Operations Room at Lambeth Police Headquarters (Toby Melville/PA)</p>
<p>Former prime minister Liz Truss, as a banner featuring a picture of a lettuce unfurled behind her on the stage at an event in Suffolk</p>
Voices

Have conservatives lost the ability to laugh at themselves?

<p>The number of students achieving top grades is up from last year in England and Wales, and standards have returned to broadly pre-pandemic levels or better</p>
The Independent View

Education remains one of the biggest tests for Labour

<p>The IAEA’s Grossi said on 5 August that Iran could enrich enough uranium to build a nuclear bomb within a few weeks to a few months</p>
Voices

What Iran could be capable of with a nuclear capacity

<p>Trump must be held accountable by trial </p>
Letters

Winning the election means Trump would be above the law

<p>Trump must be held accountable by trial </p>
Letters

Winning the election means Trump would be above the law

<p>Taylor Swift is returning to Wembley Stadium (Ian West/PA)</p>
Voices

I fell for a Taylor Swift ticket scam – don’t make the mistakes I did

<p>Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was jailed for taking part in a pro-democracy rally</p>
Voices

How can the judge who upheld Jimmy Lai’s conviction sleep at night?

<p>‘There are plenty of already approved sites yet to be built out – no more should be approved until these are finished’</p>
Letters

The housing crisis is no excuse for profit and greed

<p>‘The security services and the army have long been rivals in Russia’ </p>
Voices

This is now a crisis for Putin – the coming days will be decisive

<p>Students across the country receive their results today </p>
Voices

This A-level results day, it’s time to apologise to young people

<p>Ukrainian servicemen operate an armoured military vehicle in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia</p>
The Independent View

The Ukraine incursion has got Russia – and Putin – running scared

<p>‘Too many cases have seen individuals plead mental health problems and obtain more lenient sentencing’ </p>
Letters

If people refuse help or medication, they should be held responsible

<p>Keir Starmer has been commended for his handling of the riots so far </p>
Voices

The big question for Starmer after the riots is: What’s next?

<p>‘The overall picture shows the UK treading a very narrow path towards modest economic growth’ </p>
Voices

Why the rise in inflation might actually be... good news

<p>Canon Andrew Hindley had worked in the Blackburn diocese in the Church of England (Peter Byrne/PA)</p>
Voices

Is the Church of England safe for children and young people?

<p>(L) Tesla chief Elon Musk and Former president Donald Trump went head to head in a rambling interview </p>
Voices

How poking fun at Donald Trump’s lisp could backfire

Voices

How poking fun at Donald Trump’s lisp could backfire

Head shot of Marc Burrows
Marc Burrows
<p>(L) Tesla chief Elon Musk and Former president Donald Trump went head to head in a rambling interview </p>
<p>Keir Starmer spoke to Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday evening to urge him to refrain from attacking Israel</p>
Voices

Will Keir Starmer calling the president of Iran make any difference?

<p>Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrives at the Court of Final Appeal</p>
The Independent View

Jimmy Lai’s prison sentence in Hong Kong is hypocritical and an insult

<p>Displaced Palestinian women from Rafah walk next to their shelters in Deir Al Balah, southern Gaza </p>
Voices

How Israel’s assault on Gaza amounts to a ‘war on women’

<p>‘One of the core traits of toxic masculinity is bullying’ </p>
Voices

As an expert in men and masculinity – here’s my advice to Elon Musk

<p>‘One of the core traits of toxic masculinity is bullying’ </p>
Voices

As an expert in men and masculinity – here’s my advice to Elon Musk

<p>The conclusion is that Colcane should have been detained under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983</p>
The Independent View

The Nottingham stabbings could – and should – have been avoided

<p>Riot police hold back protesters near a burning police car in Southport </p>
Voices

The far-right rioters have no right to say they’re ‘friends of Israel’

<p>‘Unity is needed to prevent riots that target ethnic minorities’ </p>
Voices

These are the mistakes the government must avoid making with the riots

<p>It’s a simple plan: corporations who import or extract fossil fuels pay a price per tonne, a price that is set to increase over time</p>
Letters

Labour must adopt a climate income – it would enrich us all

<p>Any credible strategy by the government needs not just to condemn the rioters but also directly address the ‘root causes’ </p>
Voices

Enough of ‘stop the boats’ – this is how to deal with immigration

<p>The West was as surprised as the Kremlin by this week’s events</p>
Voices

Putin’s greatest fear is coming true – and he’s panicking

<p>The Prime Minister met with police officers on Friday (Toby Melville/PA)</p>
UK Politics

How effectively has Keir Starmer handled the riots?

<p>There were plenty of outstanding, world-beating achievements in Paris </p>
The Independent View

At a time of strife and suffering, the Olympics were a beacon of hope

<p>Social media flamed the riots but also helped the counter-protesters </p>
Letters

It’s easy to forget that social media does a lot of good

<p>Sadly, based on current trends and with technology evolving at a rapid rate, we can only expect more opportunities to arise for perpetrators to abuse</p>
Voices

We need to do more to protect women from revenge porn

<p>‘You know what this screening of Deadpool and Wolverine really needs? The sound of me chowing down on some Parmigiano Reggiano’ </p>
Voices

Why was the person sitting next to me at Deadpool eating cheese?

Voices

Why was the person sitting next to me at Deadpool eating cheese?

Ryan Coogan
<p>‘You know what this screening of Deadpool and Wolverine really needs? The sound of me chowing down on some Parmigiano Reggiano’ </p>
<p>It doesn’t really matter what form your budget takes, so long as it works for you </p>
Voices

When setting a budget, there’s only one ‘hack’ that really works

<p>There are hundreds of wine competitions spanning the globe</p>
Voices

Why we need the ‘Wine Olympics’

<p>Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, warned that rising sea levels threaten ‘a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale’ </p>
Voices

We need to talk about how climate affects immigration

<p>When you look at Keely Hodgkinson or Tony Roberts, all you see is talent, grit and absolutely no hint of them being anything but delightful. How do they do it?</p>
Voices

Thank goodness the Olympics is over – I can’t take any more brilliance

<p>When you look at Keely Hodgkinson or Tony Roberts, all you see is talent, grit and absolutely no hint of them being anything but delightful. How do they do it?</p>
Voices

Thank goodness the Olympics is over – I can’t take any more brilliance

<p>Figures derived from National Audit Office findings that suggest that the cost of compensation for which provision has not yet been made amounts to £47bn </p>
The Independent View

Rachel Reeves cannot shy away from meeting the costs of state failures

<p>Imane Khelif kisses her gold medal but was attacked for even competing </p>
Voices

As a historian of medicine, the Imane Khelif ‘scandal’ is nothing new

<p>Thousands of counterprotesters demonstrated peacefully on Wednesday night ahead of expected anti-immigration action</p>
Letters

Enough is enough – there’s no room for racism in the UK

<p>Al-Tabaeen school and mosque, which had been sheltering displaced people, was hit in Gaza City</p>
Voices

Israel’s latest attack on Gaza has made an agreement even less likely

<p>One theme that was more prominent than in the past was the need for more civility in public life</p>
Voices

There’s one important thing our new MPs can all agree on

<p>Having failed to prevent the widespread use of cocaine in the UK, the time has come to rethink our policy approach to this and other drugs</p>
Voices

Cocaine helped fuel the riots – but there’s more to the story

<p>You need to fancy someone in order to fall in love with them, and a lot of that initial attraction will inevitably be based on how that person looks</p>
Voices

Love is Blind misses the point – sometimes it’s okay to be shallow

<p>Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick suggested people shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ in the street should be arrested</p>
Voices

The riots are exposing just how irrelevant the Tories have become

<p>Ukraine has been given more freedom in its defence; it is now allowed to take the war to Russia</p>
The Independent View

Russia has shown ineptitude. The West must help Ukraine finish the job

<p>The incredibly depressing spectacle that we have witnessed on our streets over the last few days should be taken as a warning sign</p>
Letters

The nation has lost faith in a parliament for the people

<p>Social media has contributed to the spread of harmful false information </p>
Voices

What the Leicester riots taught us about the spread of disinformation

Voices

What the Leicester riots taught us about the spread of disinformation

Head shot of Martyn Snow
Martyn Snow
<p>Social media has contributed to the spread of harmful false information </p>
<p>Rioters are being branded as ‘thick’, ‘chavs’ and ‘yobs’ </p>
Voices

Call out rioters for their beliefs and actions, not their social class

<p>Noah Lyles has suggested his Olympics are over</p>
Voices

Noah Lyles raced with Covid at the Olympics – he shouldn’t have

<p>Three men stole the work from a roof in Peckham </p>
Voices

Why the thieves who stole a Banksy may have made a huge mistake

<p>In the first six months of Musk’s ownership of X, revenues fell by nearly 40 per cent </p>
Voices

Musk is an arsonist with a box of matches – politicians must stand up

<p>In the first six months of Musk’s ownership of X, revenues fell by nearly 40 per cent </p>
Voices

Musk is an arsonist with a box of matches – politicians must stand up

<p>Frieda and her friend, Sue Sillitoe, who came to stay: ‘And then there are friends as antidote’ </p>
Voices

How to get rid of toxic people (your life is much better without them)

<p>‘While there might be positive Muslim individuals on screen, the communities are invariably portrayed as problematic; populated with forced marriages and potential terrorists’ </p>
Voices

Not all Muslim communities harbour terrorists – but TV thinks they do

<p>11-year-old Zheng Haohao is China’s youngest Olympian </p>
Voices

How young is too young to take part in the Olympics?

<p>Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings Corp., speaks at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference</p>
Tech

Readers say ‘X is the disinformation company’ – and call for boycott

<p>Thousands of counter-protesters demonstrated peacefully on Wednesday night ahead of expected anti-immigration action</p>
The Independent View

The British people have spoken – racism has no place here

<p>Give men like Musk attention and they begin to think their ideas have merit</p>
Letters

The best way to deal with Elon Musk? Ignore him

<p>Sir Keir Starmer has promised swift action against the rioters </p>
Voices

Has Starmer passed his first unexpected test as prime minister?

Voices

The UK’s resistance to the racist mob shows the true spirit of Britain

<p>Give men like Musk attention and they begin to think their ideas have merit</p>
Letters

The best way to deal with Elon Musk? Ignore him

<p>Sir Keir Starmer has promised swift action against the rioters </p>
Voices

Has Starmer passed his first unexpected test as prime minister?

Voices

The UK’s resistance to the racist mob shows the true spirit of Britain

<p>Elon Musk branded the prime minister ‘two-tier Keir’ in a series of tweets</p>
Voices

Has Elon Musk been radicalised by his own platform?

<p>A teacher talks to a student. There stress of the job means few stay on until retirement age </p>
Voices

Are public pensions more generous than private ones? Maybe for MPs...

<p>‘Discourse both on and offline has included pontification on social media’s outsized role in organising the riots’ </p>
Voices

After 25 years studying the far right – here’s how we deal with them

<p>There is no need to terrorise British Muslims or anyone else in the name of politics</p>
The Independent View

Keir Starmer is right to make rioters face the full force of the law

<p>According to the businessman, it is now ‘inevitable’ that the UK is headed for ‘civil war’</p>
Voices

Why Musk is taking on Starmer over far-right riots

Voices

Even when he’s a bad husband, Doug Emhoff is good

<p>The truth about Farage is that he is not a very good demagogue</p>
Voices

Nigel Farage is on the wrong side of public opinion over the riots

<p>The poisonous promotion of male superiority and dominance on social media needs to be a high priority for our new government</p>
Letters

We are failing young boys and paying the price for it

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