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 emailsThe FTSE 100 ended the week on a positive note on Friday as data showed the UK private sector speeded up in August and a soaring gold price supported miners.The FTSE 100 index closed up 68.40 points, 0.6%, at 10,816.56. The FTSE 250 ended up 210.16 points, 0.9%, at 24,718.82, and the AIM All-Share closed up 7.87 points, 1.0%, at 811.96.For the week, the FTSE 100 was up…

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 FTSE 100 struggled for direction on Thursday, closing little changed, with miners and oil stocks providing support and balancing a hefty fall in JD Sports Fashion after a profit warning.The FTSE 100 index closed up just 4.81 points at 10,748.16. The FTSE 250 ended down 134.86 points, 0.6%, at 24,508.66, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.55 points, 0.3%, at 804.09.Weighing on London’s blue-chip index was a…

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 US actress Sadie Sink and musician Tom Fletcher feature among the high-profile stars nominated for the Stage Debut Awards.They will compete for honours at the ceremony next month alongside prominent figures such as Harry Potter star Ralph Fiennes, Oscar-nominated actor Brendan Gleeson and I Swear actor Robert Aramayo.Stranger Things star Sink is among 10 contenders nominated for best West End debut performer, alongside her Romeo and Juliet…

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 FTSE 100 shrugged off early falls to close higher on Wednesday after the US Treasury said it plans to boost buybacks of longer-dated bonds.The FTSE 100 index closed up 15.31 points, 0.1%, at 10,743.35. The FTSE 250 ended up 82.09 points, 0.3%, at 24,643.52, and the AIM All-Share closed up 7.29 points, 0.9%, at 801.54.The move by the US Treasury came after yields on the 30-year US…

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 famous Harland & Wolff cranes in Belfast will be “at their busiest for many years”, after a comprehensive modernisation.The yellow gantry cranes, known as Samson and Goliath, will be refurbished to the tune of £3.1 million by owners Navantia UK.The engines of the two cranes will be overhauled and their catenary cables, which supply them with power, are to be replaced.Engineers will make structural and electrical repairs…

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 New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has discovered a novel way to promote free Broadway tickets for the city’s high-school students: speaking directly to them in Bengali, Mandarin, and Spanish.The multilingual videos, which were released as part of a campaign promoting a lottery for more than 2,000 free Broadway tickets, have quickly become a talking point in their own right, with social media users praising Mamdani’s apparent…

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 rollout of artificial intelligence (AI) must be made a national economic priority and firms need to move past “pilot mode” to avoid being left behind in the race to adopt the new technology, according to an influential business group.The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called on the Government to make the next 10 years Britain’s “adoption decade” and put AI at the heart of its strategy…

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’s decision on whether to approve the controversial Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas fields could be the difference between “life and death” for the North Sea industry, the Scottish Conservatives have said.A public consultation on Rosebank – the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea, 80 miles north west of Shetland – closes on Monday.A similar exercise for the planned Jackdaw gas field, about 150…

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 The hit movie musical The Greatest Showman is set to make its West End debut in 2027 following a sell-out regional run.Released in 2017, the original period drama was inspired by the life of Barnum & Bailey Circus founder PT Barnum, and featured a star-studded cast including Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams and Zendaya.After a completely sold-out premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome in March, the theatrical…

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 emailsStocks in London closed mixed on Friday, with weak mining and pharmaceutical stocks dragging the blue-chip FTSE 100 lower, but mid-caps posting modest gains.The FTSE 100 index closed down 22.56 points, 0.2%, at 10,750.11. The FTSE 250 ended up 29.71 points, 0.1%, at 24,867.42, while the AIM All-Share closed up slightly at 800.92.For the week, the FTSE 100 was down 1.4%, the FTSE 250 was up 0.1%, and…