Author: INDEPENDENT

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsFord is set to bolster its European vehicle offerings through a new joint venture with Chinese automotive giant Geely Auto.Announced on Thursday, the partnership will see the companies jointly manufacture low- and zero-emission vehicles at Ford’s factory in Valencia, Spain. This strategic move is designed to reignite Ford’s presence in the competitive European auto market, where the legacy carmaker faces increasing pressure from rapidly expanding Chinese companies that…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsEngland and Scotland World Cup matches helped drive stronger sales across British pubs last month while restaurants and bars suffered a weaker month, according to new figures.The latest monthly NIQ RSM hospitality business tracker showed that pubs were the standout performer across the hospitality sector during the month due to the boost from football fans.Experts have said they expect England’s progress to the semi-finals will have also driven…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsUK inflation is set to have eased last month in a temporary boost for the new Prime Minister ahead of a jump in the household energy price cap.Official figures for June’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI) will be published on Wednesday, two days after Andy Burnham took the reins and formed a new Cabinet.Most economists think a sharp drop in petrol and diesel prices will have helped pull the…

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Everyone’s a critic. Or at least that’s what they want you to believe. It’s hard to open Instagram or TikTok without being served a video of someone trying to shove an opinion down your throat. Influencers especially love to chime in on everything from the latest blockbuster releases to Broadway performances. These voices have transformed the way we discover and discuss culture, becoming trusted tastemakers in their…

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planetGet our free Climate emailGet our free Climate emailOil prices held close to a one-month high on Tuesday despite efforts to broker a truce between the US and Iran as the widening conflict and a new threat to Red Sea shipping kept supply fears alive.Brent crude, the international benchmark, slipped 0.4 per cent to $88.87 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate held steady at $82.47. Both remained near the highs reached the day before, when Brent broke above $90 for the first time in more…

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Everyone’s a critic. Or at least that’s what they want you to believe. It’s hard to open Instagram or TikTok without being served a video of someone trying to shove an opinion down your throat. Influencers especially love to chime in on everything from the latest blockbuster releases to Broadway performances. These voices have transformed the way we discover and discuss culture, becoming trusted tastemakers in their…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsThe UK version of the world’s biggest jackpot game Powerball is set to launch this week, operator Allwyn said.The National Lottery’s Powerball will see UK players pay £4 per line to compete with their US counterparts to win shared jackpots that can balloon to into the billions, which will be paid out over 30 years.Allwyn said players will be able to buy into the game from Tuesday.If the…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsAndy Burnham has been urged to stick to Labour’s manifesto and block further drilling in the North Sea amid reports he is considering backing new oil and gas projects.Allies of the new Labour leader have said he intends to make a “dynamic” start to his premiership on Monday, when he formally takes over from Sir Keir Starmer.In a speech in Downing Street, he is expected to set out…

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Ben Platt was technically 12 years old when he told his family he liked boys, but there may have been clues. “My parents tell me that they always knew,” he recalls now, surrounded by the tatty, primary school canteen chic of a south London rehearsal space. “I mean, I asked for a fog machine for my seventh birthday. And then – at eight or nine – I…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsA majority of United Utilities’ shareholders have given the green light for the water supplier to pay its top boss a shares “allowance” despite previously being stripped of her bonus.Some 75.8% of votes cast at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Friday were in favour of its remuneration policy, meaning it gained enough to be approved.Nevertheless, that left 24.2% of votes against the policy that led to…