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 emailsStocks in London closed mixed on Tuesday as oil prices edged lower again and investors looked for signs of a thawing in relations between the US and Iran.The FTSE 100 index ended down 30.68 points, 0.3%, at 10,708.33, the FTSE 250 rose 35.08 points, 0.1%, to 24,526.45, and the AIM all-share rose 0.44 of a point, 0.1%, to 795.84.In European equities, the Cac 40 in Paris rose 0.2%,…

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 thing is,” says Maria Friedman, “you carry it all with you. I am five years old, I’m 15, I’m 20, I’m 30. I am all those ages.” In a very real sense, the actor, director, and theatre stalwart is in fact 66 – though can currently be seen on stage playing a 16-year-old girl in the award-winning musical Kimberly Akimbo. “I think actors, particularly… that’s our…

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 emailsHousehold electricity bills could fall if the Government promoted the take-up of time-varying prices, according to a report.The costs of producing electricity vary “a lot” over time and place, but most consumers do not face prices that reflect these differences, said the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and LSE report, published as part of the IFS Green Budget and funded by the Nuffield Foundation.The study said electricity 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 Cate Blanchett had a message for the audience at London’s National Theatre after a performance of her new play, Electra/Persona: please stop filming.In a video shared on social media Saturday, Blanchett addressed the audience after the curtain call, asking anyone who had recorded the performance to put their phones away.“There are few places on this planet where we can simply be together and be present,” she says…

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 has pledged to bring back tax-free shopping for tourists by reversing a post-Brexit rule change.The decision to scrap the VAT refund scheme for international visitors in 2021 left the UK “less competitive” than many other European destinations as the country left the EU, the Tories said.The Opposition leader, who was a Treasury minister at the time of its abolition, said retailers were being “let down by…

Sign up to our free money newsletter for investment analysis and expert advice to help you build wealthSign up to our free money email for help building your wealthSign up to our free money email for help building your wealthCosta Coffee has been overtaken as the biggest branded coffee operator in Britain, with Greggs taking the crown after another expansion.While better known for its sausage rolls and pasties among its to-go food offerings, Greggs has muscled in on consumer taste changes to put lower-priced coffee on the menu than some rivals who are more traditionally coffee-and-cake focused.Greggs added 34 shops…

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 Duncan Sheik, the Tony Award-winning composer of the hit Broadway musical Spring Awakening, has died at 56.Sheik died Thursday night of organ failure at a hospital in Manhattan, his mother told The New York Times Friday.Sheik’s family put out a statement earlier this week on Instagram sharing that the composer was “receiving medical care” and was in “critical but stable condition.” Further details were not disclosed.In 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 emailsThe FTSE 100 fell heavily on Friday as bond yields pushed higher amid fears that higher inflation will keep interest rates elevated.In London, the FTSE 100 index ended down 157.01 points, 1.5%, at 10,659.13.The FTSE 250 fell 146.72 points, 0.6%, to 24,205.42, but the AIM all-share climbed 3.46 points, 0.4%, to 796.09.For the week, the FTSE 100 was up 0.1%, the FTSE 250 was was up 1.0%, and…

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 Barbra Streisand is condemning Donald Trump’s battle over the Kennedy Center’s name as the dispute has threatened the future of the iconic art institution.“In 2008, I was deeply honored to be included in the 31st annual class of Kennedy Center Honorees,” the legendary singer, 84, said in a message on her website Thursday. “For me, and for so many artists, that honor represented something larger than 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 emailsThe Conservative Party has “instructed lawyers” to challenge government cuts to a Tory-run London council, which they say amounts to 40%.These cuts are forcing Wandsworth to increase its council tax by 94%, according to Kemi Badenoch.Speaking to Matt Chorley on BBC Two’s Newsnight, the Conservative leader claimed the Government is deliberately taking money away from areas that do not vote Labour and giving them to places that do.Mrs…