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 emailsThe Scottish Government must tell the public how it will use the £755 million generated by the risky ScotWind project, a watchdog has said.Audit Scotland said ministers must be much more transparent about how they will use the cash from the scheme that leased portions of the seabed to energy companies for the installation of offshore wind farms.Opposition parties have accused the Government of selling Scotland’s seabed “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 emailsUK inflation is set to have accelerated further last month as higher fuel costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East and more expensive electronics pushed up the cost of living.The Office for National Statistics will reveal the latest rate of UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation on Wednesday.It is expected to reveal that inflation rose to 3.1% in August, from 2.9% a month earlier, according to…

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 planned London revival of Sunday In The Park With George has been called off after stars Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey pulled out.The Wicked co-stars were scheduled to reunite on stage at the Barbican in 2027, directed by Marianne Elliott.In August, Grande announced she was stepping back from the spotlight and leaving the show, though producers Empire Street Productions said it would proceed.Bailey also departed earlier…

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 emailsPubs and retailers will be able to accept digital ID as proof of age to buy alcohol under new rules.The move aims to provide an alternative to carrying a physical ID so punters can use their phones to prove their age at the pub, festivals and concerts.The changes to the licensing act that come into force on Tuesday apply to businesses in England and Wales and the government…

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 emailsMore than 800 hospitality businesses have written to the Prime Minister urging him to set out how he will introduce a lower rate of VAT.The VAT’s The problem campaign has called for the hospitality VAT rate to be reduced from 20% to 10%.Businesses involved in the campaign have signed a letter urging Andy Burnham to deliver on his public support in February for a lower rate of VAT…

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 emailsStock prices in London closed in the green on Friday, with equities in New York bursting higher, even after a US inflation report may have cemented a Federal Reserve rate hike next week.Helping equities, US government bond yields and oil prices came off earlier highs, setting the stage for the confident trade on the New York Stock Exchange.In London, the FTSE 100 index ended up 41.52 points, 0.4%,…

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 Kimberly Levaco is not like other girls. This much is obvious from the first time we glimpse the hero of Kimberly Akimbo, lacing up her skates at a small-town New Jersey ice rink. She is on the cusp of her 16th birthday, but you wouldn’t know this by looking: she is played by 66-year-old stage veteran Maria Friedman. Kimberly, we quickly learn, is a teenager with 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 emailsPlans to give England’s mayors the power to impose tourist taxes will be “hugely damaging” and a “kick in the teeth” for the hospitality industry, hotel and tourism firms have warned.Premier Inn owner Whitbread and Butlin’s are among major businesses to criticise the plans and have urged the Labour Government to rethink the policy.Hotel giant Hilton said the move was a “catastrophic blow” for businesses and would “stifle”…

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 Earlier this year, National Theatre boss Indhu Rubasingham offered a stark warning. If new writing for the stage continued its rate of decline, she said, we would risk betraying the legacy of William Shakespeare. Delivering the 2026 Jennie Lee lecture, a new annual speech honouring Britain’s first arts minister, Rubasingham was armed with shocking stats: the past decade had seen 44 per cent fewer new plays staged…

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 emailsStock prices in London closed sharply lower on Wednesday, as Brent crude surged above 100 dollars a barrel and heightened inflation fears weighed on global equities.The FTSE 100 index closed down 141.60 points, 1.3%, at 10,670.06. The FTSE 250 ended down 240.19 points, 1.0%, at 24,108.66, and the AIM all-share closed down 0.50 points, 0.1%, at 796.25.The pound was quoted at 1.3554 dollars at the time of the…