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 emailsEuropean stocks rallied on Wednesday as comments from both sides of the Middle East war gave some conviction for a near-term end to hostilities.“The market appears increasingly optimistic that an end to the war in Iran is in the offing as big gains in the US and Asia were matched in Europe,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.The FTSE 100 closed up 188.34 points, 1.9%, at 10,364.79.…

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 Dog Day Afternoon, Sidney Lumet’s hit 1975 film about a Brooklyn bank robbery and hostage situation, has been adapted — and seemingly reimagined — for the Broadway stage. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis penned the adaptation, which opened Monday night at the August Wilson Theatre to dismal reviews.Jon Bernthal plays Sonny, the role brought to life in the film by Al Pacino. Starring opposite Bernthal is…

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 emailsCadbury World has unveiled  the “world’s largest” mini egg, dubbed the Mega Mini Egg, which will be on show for chocolate fans to view from Monday.The 70cm milk chocolate egg, which is enchased in a speckled, pastel pink, crisp sugar-coated shell, will be on display at Cadbury World in Bournville, Birmingham, until Sunday April 12.Cadbury World’s chocolatiers Claire Fielding, Dawn Jenks and Donna Pitt created the 55kg larger-than-life…

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 emailsKemi Badenoch is to launch a campaign calling for Britain to maximise the use of its oil and gas reserves.The Conservatives will put a “Get Britain Drilling” campaign at the heart of their proposals for bringing down the spike in energy prices caused by the war in the Middle East.Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has led to a drastic rise in oil prices across the globe.Tory…

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 emailsBlue chips in London outperformed European and US peers on Friday, but closed marginally lower, as oil prices rose once more amid few signs of progress in ending the Iran war.“The simple fact is that sentiment is likely to stay negative for as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains unsafe for shipping and controlled by Iran,” commented David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation.The FTSE 100…

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 emailsConfidence in the general economy has fallen significantly as “a ripple of fear” spreads about the effects of the Middle East conflict, figures show.GfK’s long-running consumer confidence index dropped two points to minus 21 this month amid expectations of further sharp price rises.Expectations for the general economy over the next 12 months have slumped six points to minus 37 – eight points worse than this time last year.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 As far as human emotions go, hope is a complicated one. It can be joyful. It can be fickle. It can be dangerous. Increasingly, it can be hard to come by. But above all hope is necessary – that is the message at the heart of Possible Futures, a new show at the Southbank by the composer Max Richter and his creative partner Yulia Mahr, the husband-and-wife…

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 mothballed carbon dioxide plant is to be reopened with a Government grant of up to £100 million amid fears of shortages caused by the Iran war.Business Secretary Peter Kyle signed off the grant to reopen the Ensus plant on Teesside, according to the Financial Times.It is understood the grant will pay to get the plant up and running again for an initial three-month period.The plant was mothballed…

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 emailsFresh figures are expected to show that UK inflation remained steady last month but households could face another “twist” to the cost-of-living story in the months ahead due to war in the Middle East, according to experts.The rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation has been gradually easing back towards the Bank of England’s 2% target level since last summer.Some analysts are expecting CPI to have held relatively…

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 Trainspotting: The Musical, adapted from the best-selling novel by Irvine Welsh, will make its West End debut this summer, it has been announced.Scottish author Welsh wrote the cult novel in 1993, which was later adapted into a 1996 hit film starring Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle.Scottish actor Robbie Scott will take the stage in London this summer to star in the musical as Mark…