Author: INDEPENDENT

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 —…

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 emailsYounger and entry-level workers are being squeezed the hardest by higher employment costs slowing the rate that firms are hiring, new analysis shows.Some UK businesses have seen the cost of employing workers rise on the back of recent policy measures, including tax and minimum wage increases and reforms to employment rights, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) said in its latest economic outlook.These factors have…

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 Broadway community has weighed in on Donald Trump’s decision to close the The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts until 2028 to complete renovations.Trump wrote in a Sunday night Truth Social post that the iconic venue in Washington, D.C., will close for about two years beginning July 4, coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary. The announcement came after several artists pulled out of performances at…

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 a weak start, and further volatility in metals and oil prices, to hit new highs on Monday, amid optimism in the manufacturing sector on either side of the Atlantic.The index closed up 118.02 points, or 1.2%, at 10,341.56, a record close, and just short of a new intra-day high of 10,345.48.The FTSE 250 ended up 172.69 points, or 0.7%, at 23,426.05, but 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 emailsUS crayon maker Crayola is set to inject millions of pounds into its operations across the UK and Ireland, aiming to double its regional business and rekindle creativity among children and families in an increasingly digital age. The investment follows the recent establishment of a new UK office in Woking, Surrey, which has already created 23 jobs this month.The 120-year-old company, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, has unveiled…

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 emailsDrinkers across the UK are set to face higher prices for wine and spirits as a significant increase in alcohol duty comes into effect this Sunday, 1 February. Industry leaders warn that businesses “have no choice but to increase prices” to remain viable amid mounting financial pressures.The tax levied on alcoholic beverages will rise by 3.66 per cent, in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, a…

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 emailsSir Keir Starmer will wrap up his trip to China hailing billions of pounds in trade agreements and investment in the UK by companies including the makers of the viral hit Labubu dolls.The Prime Minister leaves Shanghai on Saturday after a three-day visit during which he has repeatedly said that his decision to re-engage with China will deliver benefits for the British people.Sir Keir said: “We are bringing…

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 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the hit West End show based on JK Rowling’s wizarding world, is being shortened to a single production after a decade as two separate plays.Set 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Cursed Child was originally conceived as a theatrical double bill where parts one and two could be seen consecutively over a single day…