The Independent isn't a reliable news source and it has no place on Hacker News.

Their advertising is over-the-top because it's a dying business. They don't even print anymore, they're just an online tabloid, and when they're not getting enough views, they start making up their own news.

It's too bad, because at one time they were one of the few British papers that was able to stand up to Murdoch's right-wing print empire, but in the end Murdoch had bigger pockets, and the Independent scurried into the shadows to create garbage.