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 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…

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 Co-op has announced plans to open 18 stores across the UK in the coming months. This retail investment includes a mix of new outlets and refurbished sites, spanning from Sussex to Stirling. The first new Co-op store of 2026 will be in Didcot, Oxfordshire. Initial reopenings following makeovers include a convenience store in Eastern Green, Coventry, and a franchise-operated site in Ealing, London. Kate McCrae, Co-op operations director, said: “We’re focused on…

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 Top theatre director Rupert Goold has admitted that he wouldn’t enter the industry if he was graduating now. The 53-year-old has been in charge at London’s Almeida Theatre since 2013, overseeing more than 70 productions, including a musical version of Bret Easton Ellis’s novel American Psycho in 2013, and a 2023 run of A Streetcar Named Desire starring Paul Mescal.Goold is now preparing to leave the intimate…

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 number of vehicles built in the UK fell by 15% in 2025 as the industry dealt with the toughest year in a generation for manufacturing, according to a report.The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 717,371 cars and 47,344 commercial vehicles left factories, down 8% and 62% respectively.Issues affecting production included a cyber incident which halted production at JLR, new tariffs on trade across 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 Award-winning composer Philip Glass has withdrawn the premiere of his new symphony from the Kennedy Center lineup, saying that the current values of the institution are in “direct conflict” with his composition. The composer and pianist, 88, was scheduled to premiere his new work at the performing arts center — which has since rebranded to the Trump-Kennedy Center — this June 12 and 13. However, 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 emailsA task force aimed at supporting workers at risk of redundancy at Mossmorran will meet for the first time on Wednesday.The Fife Ethylene Plant will close next month, with more than 400 jobs put at risk, according to owners ExxonMobil.The global energy giant said the plant was no longer economically viable and they were unable to sell it, forcing the decision to shutter the facility in another blow…

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 Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is set to headline a stellar line-up of acclaimed actresses gracing the National Theatre stage in 2026, as the London institution unveils its ambitious new programme.Blanchett, who earned Academy Awards for her performances in The Aviator and Blue Jasmine, will star alongside Nina Hoss and Ella Lily Hyland in Benedict Andrews’ new production Electra / Persona this August. This innovative theatrical event…

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 new team that aims to help small businesses win more defence contracts and make defence an “engine for growth” has been launched by the UK Government.Luke Pollard, minister for defence readiness and industry, described small business as the “backbone of UK defence” as he announced the establishment of the Defence Office for Small Business Growth (OfSBG).The OfSBG team will be made up of staff who are policy…

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 Beckham family dispute has now found its way onto the West End. Titanique, the Olivier Award-winning comedy musical currently playing at London’s Criterion Theatre, commemorated its first anniversary with a gala performance that folded in the latest episode of Beckham family discord. In an explosive post this week, Brooklyn Beckham, 26, shared his side of the story regarding his long-rumoured feud with his family. In it,…

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 a volatile week in subdued fashion on Friday, closing slightly lower, despite a batch of encouraging economic data as retail sales, consumer confidence and business activity all picked up.The FTSE 100 index closed down 6.61 points, 0.1%, at 10,143.44.The FTSE 250 ended 53.40 points lower, 0.2%, at 23,317.53, and the AIM All-Share closed up 5.08 points, 0.6%, at 822.75.For the week, the FTSE 100…