Author: INDEPENDENT

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child director John Tiffany has admitted that he and writer Jack Thorne had to be “dragged kicking and screaming” to condense the play into a shorter version. Earlier this year, it was announced that the play – which has been performed as two separate productions over a single day or two evenings – would be shortened into a single version that’s 175 minutes long. The Harry Potter spin-off, which first…

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in A new toothpaste for sensitive teeth created by a former head of the Sensodyne brand and with the financial backing of a group of UK dentists has gone on sale in the UK.S3 Sensitivity Science, with a recommended retail price of £19.99, has been developed by former global head of Sensodyne Mick Cox and former formulating chemist at GSK Majedeh Mazraei.Mr Cox headed up Sensodyne for eight years, while Ms Mazraei worked on the formulation…

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in There are times I think this might be the greatest thing I’ve ever been given to do,” says Jonathan Groff, looking for all the world like he means it. This is no small claim, either. The 41-year-old actor has taken on some pretty exceptional parts over the years – leading roles in TV shows like the Netflix serial killer drama Mindhunter and HBO’s soulful gay dramedy Looking (plus a recurring part in Glee); in films…

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in The Tories have pledged to halve employer national insurance on jobs worked by young people if they win the next election.The flat rate for businesses would be slashed from 15% to 7.5% for workers aged 21 to 24 at an estimated cost of £2.3 billion, the Conservatives said.Tory leader Kemi Badenoch insisted the plan was “fiscally credible” as party officials said they would publish a “savings plan” setting out how it would be funded on…

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Michael Flatley has announced the death of his wife, the dancer Niamh O’Brien, stating that his “heart is broken”.The choreographer, 68, who is best known for creating the Irish dancing troupe Riverdance, paid tribute to his “beautiful wife” and “best friend” in a post shared on social media on Monday evening.The couple were married for 20 years and had performed together in Lord Of The Dance, the Irish dance show set up by Flatley.In a…

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in More than two-thirds of firms believe the Scottish Government does not understand business, a report has suggested.According to the Scottish Business Monitor, 69% of companies do not think the Government understands the business environment, while 71% do not think ministers engage effectively with businesses on policy.The University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute said the figures show an increasingly “negative picture” in the relationship between business and government.Finance Secretary Jenny Gilruth will deliver the Scottish…

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in 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 emailsRestaurant chain Slim Chickens has set its sights on opening a raft of drive-throughs across the UK as part of expansion plans set to create up to around 1,000 jobs in the next year.The brand, which opened its inaugural restaurant in the UK…

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in 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 Slow Horses star Kristin Scott Thomas has revealed the worst theatergoer behaviour she’s ever seen: a fan in the front row eating a ready meal. The Four Weddings and a Funeral star, 66, last took to the stage in the 2023 for…

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in 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 emailsG7 countries have agreed to release 100 million barrels of strategic petroleum reserves over four months.Members of the group, which includes the UK, France and the US, have also agreed to “refrain from” measures which restrict them from the trading of oil products…

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in 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 emailsNearly 400 people are at risk of losing their jobs after a chemical manufacturer announced plans to cease all operations at its Grangemouth site.The move comes just over a year after Syngenta, owned by state Chinese firm Sinochem, was given more than £2…