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 emailsA tree surgeon said he thought he “was going to die” when he suffered a powerful electric shock from an overhead line while clearing hedges in Wiltshire.Joshua Pocknell was working just after midnight on the A3102 near Royal Wootton Bassett when the mobile lighting tower he was pushing touched an 11,000 volt overhead powerline.The 26-year-old was seriously injured and taken to hospital, where he spent the next five…

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 triple lock should be scrapped, Sir Tony Blair’s think tank has said in a proposal for the biggest overhaul of the state pension since it was introduced in 1948.The former PM’s Tony Blair Institute has issued a new report calling for the state pension to be replaced with a “Lifespan Fund” that it claims is “built for longer and more fluid lives”.It argues the state pension is…

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 West End performers and stage management are set to vote on potential strike action, signalling a significant escalation in their dispute over pay and working conditions. Their union, Equity, aims to push producers towards a “reasonable multi-year settlement” after negotiations with the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) stalled.Talks, ongoing since last December, have been described as “constructive” but Equity asserts that current proposals do not meet its…

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 price of Brent crude oil surged past $125 a barrel early Thursday as stalled US-Iran talks raised doubts over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a permanent end to the Iran war.Brent crude to be delivered in June jumped 6.2 per cent to $125.36 early Wednesday. Brent to be delivered in July rose 3.1 per cent to $113.85. Before the start of the war 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 Laurie Metcalf has addressed her decision to work with Broadway producer Scott Rudin on two of his latest projects.Rudin, 67 — who faced explosive allegations in 2021 of abusive, violent and bullying behavior toward employees — is attempting a career comeback, serving as a producer on Broadway’s currently running Death of a Salesman revival and last fall’s Little Bear Ridge Road, which concluded its limited run 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 emailsThe Middle East energy shock could wipe around £35 billion from the UK economy over the next two years in a “best-case” scenario, an economic think tank has warned.The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) said that a more protracted crisis in the Middle East could see the UK enter a recession in the second half this year.The group’s latest quarterly economic projections pointed to an…

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 Megan Thee Stallion has announced that she will depart the Broadway production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical ahead of schedule.The 31-year-old rapper’s final show will now be this Friday, May 1.In a statement to The Independent, she said: “Unfortunately, my last performance on Moulin Rouge! The Musical will be May 1. It’s been such an honor to be part of Moulin Rouge and I’ve met so many…

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planetGet our free Climate emailGet our free Climate emailOil prices jumped on Tuesday as Donald Trump weighed Iran’s latest proposal to end the war.The US president is unhappy with the latest Iranian ​proposal, a US official said on Monday. Iranian sources disclosed that Tehran’s ​proposal avoided addressing its nuclear programme until hostilities cease and Gulf shipping disputes are resolved.Trump’s ⁠displeasure with the Iranian offer leaves the conflict deadlocked, with Iran shutting shipping flows through the Strait of ​Hormuz, which typically carries supply equal to about 20…

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 emailsSantander has agreed to pay compensation for its portion of unfair motor finance deals.Payouts are due on about 12.1 million mis-sold deals from an array of lenders at an average of £829 each, the financial watchdog said in March as it unveiled plans for its redress scheme.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) expects the total amount of redress paid under its scheme to be about £7.5 billion, based on…

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 the back foot as the crisis in the Middle East remained deadlocked.The FTSE 100 closed down 77.93 points, 0.8%, at 10,379.08. The FTSE 250 ended down 181.71 points, 0.8%, at 22,582.81, while the AIM All-Share fell 5.73 points, 0.7%, to 796.40.For the week, the FTSE 100 fell 2.7%, the FTSE 250 also declined 2.7% and the AIM All-Share dipped 1.7%.The oil…