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 UK economy is expected to have grown modestly again in the last three months of 2025 amid pressure from budget uncertainty, according to economists.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will shed light on how the economy fared when it reveals the latest UK GDP (gross domestic product) data for December, and the final quarter and year as a whole, on Thursday.Economists have broadly predicted that the economy…

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 first Instagram, TikTok and Facebook posts by members of the public promoting weight-loss jabs have been banned by the advertising regulator.The posts used discount codes and referral links to advertise the injections, including Mounjaro, for the online pharmacies Voy, Zava, MedExpress and the online prescribing service UK Meds Direct, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.Weight-loss injections are a prescription-only medicine and therefore cannot be advertised to 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 emailsNo new restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland have been awarded the illustrious three Michelin star rating, despite much speculation Ireland’s first would be named.Michelin revealed its latest guide at a ceremony in Dublin on Monday night, the first time the event has been held in the country.Ten restaurants retained their three Michelin star status, but no new names were added to the prestigious list.There had been predictions…

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailThe head of Britain’s largest energy supplier has warned that the UK risks being “left behind” if it fails to collaborate with China on renewable technology, suggesting that importing Chinese wind farm innovations could create thousands of jobs.Greg Jackson, founder and chief executive of Octopus Energy, recently accompanied Sir Keir Starmer on a UK delegation to China. He emphasised China’s significant advancements in technology and renewables, which he believes could provide Britain with…

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 Costume designer Tahra Zafar has said she was “overwhelmed” by the public response to the lifelike Paddington Bear puppet, following the West End musical’s opening night.Zafar, a costume and creature effects designer, has worked on a number of productions and national events, including the 2012 London Olympics. There, she met the late Queen to design a replica wig for a stunt double in a James Bond sketch.More…

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 closed a volatile, and record-breaking, week on the front foot on Friday, recouping some of Thursday’s heavy falls.The FTSE 100 Index closed up 60.53 points, 0.6%, at 10,369.74.The FTSE 250 ended up 104.54 points, 0.5%, at 23,207.89, and the AIM All-Share advanced 3.90 points, 0.5%, at 806.80.For the week, the FTSE 100 was up 1.4%, the FTSE 250 was down 0.2%, and the AIM All-Share…

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 emailsThere have been 36 clinical reports of children suffering symptoms consistent with toxin poisoning linked to recent baby formula recalls, the UK Health Security Agency has said.The UKHSA said it and partner agencies had received 24 notifications in England, seven in Scotland, three in Wales, one in Northern Ireland and one from the Crown Dependencies of children who had consumed implicated batches and developed symptoms.On January 5, 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 JK Rowling has addressed claims she invited Jeffrey Epstein to a Harry Potter premiere, calling them “beyond silly”.The author hit out at the suggestion she had contact with the convicted paedophile 10 years after he was found guilty of sex offence charges, writing on X/Twitter: “This is beyond silly. Neither I, nor anybody on my team, ever met, communicated with or invited Jeffrey Epstein to anything.”Rowling’s statement…

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 emailsCriminals are using AI to clone people’s voices and set up unauthorised direct debits over the phone, National Trading Standards (NTS) has warned.NTS said “advanced” voice cloning was part of an organised criminal operation that appeared to be targeting older people.Fraudsters began the process by asking victims to participate in a so-called “lifestyle survey” phone call, which was actually designed to gather personal, health and financial details.The criminals…

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 world premiere of Monster’s Paradise, an opera by Olga Neuwirth and Elfriede Jelinek, features a gluttonous, ravenous, insatiable President-King, directly lampooning President Donald Trump. Tobias Kratzer, artistic director of the Hamburg State Opera, expressed his astonishment ahead of the debut, noting how the satirical work has increasingly mirrored reality.”The metaphor has become a reality,” Kratzer remarked on Sunday morning. He added, “I’m really hoping in —…