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 A Sydney university student replaced a sick musician on stage during the opening night of La La Land in Concert in Sydney on Saturday night. During the interval, Oscar-winning composer and conductor Justin Hurwitz informed the audience at the ICC’s Darling Harbour theatre that the production’s keyboard player was ill and unable to continue, and asked whether anyone in the crowd could sight-read. A 21-year-old student named…

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planetGet our free Climate emailGet our free Climate emailOil prices steadied on Tuesday after surging more than 5 per cent the previous day, pulled back by US president Donald Trump’s claim that he had brokered a halt to Israeli military action in Lebanon and that US-Iran negotiations were still on track.Brent crude slipped 0.6 per cent to $94.45 a barrel, retracing some of Monday’s gains. West Texas Intermediate, the US crude benchmark, traded near $90.60 a barrel during Asian trading. Both had jumped sharply on Monday…

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 Rosamund Pike told off an audience member for texting during her emotional performance in Inter Alia, saying she hoped it was “very important”.The actor, who plays a court judge in the show, returned to the stage at the end of the production at Wyndham’s Theatre in London on Saturday to give a lecture on theatre etiquette.Her speech came as a surprise but elicited cheers from the audience…

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 aim of the world’s biggest tobacco firms of being a “smokeless” business amid tougher rules and changing opinions to smoking is in “sharp focus”, experts say.The issues facing the industry will come to the fore when British American Tobacco (BAT), which is listed on London’s FTSE 100 index, publishes its half year financial results on Tuesday.BAT has for a number of years been shifting its focus away…

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 Maria Shriver has responded to a federal judge’s order to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. On Friday, District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., blocked Trump from renaming the performing space to “Trump-Kennedy Center,” saying Congress made it “crystal clear” that the building is to be named after former President John F. Kennedy. Cooper also said…

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 edged lower on Friday, as US President Donald Trump said he was now making a “final” decision on whether or not to strike a peace deal with Iran.The FTSE 100 closed down 16.68 points, 0.2%, at 10,409.28.The FTSE 250 ended up 100.85 points, 0.4%, at 23,425.77, while the Aim All-Share rose 7.62 points, 0.9%, to 821.25.For the week, the FTSE 100 fell 0.3%, the FTSE…

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 emailWhat do you think about when you picture a British female entrepreneur? Is it Trinny Woodall launching Trinny London after a long TV career or Deborah Meaden from Dragons’ Den? Maybe it’s Anita Roddick who launched The Body Shop in the Seventies. Chances are, beyond these examples, you may struggle to name a female entrepreneur, and you most certainly won’t know that they could be worth over £50bn to the British economy right…

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 JoJo has spoken out after learning that the Broadway production of Chess will be closing just two days before her first scheduled performance.The “Leave (Get Out)” singer, 35, was scheduled to begin performances June 23, taking over the leading role of Florence Vassy from Glee star Lea Michele, who announced her June 21 departure earlier this year. The production was slated to continue its run through September…

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 emailsDigital bank Monzo is muscling into the mobile market by launching a phone plan that gets cheaper the longer a customer stays.Customers of the bank can join a waiting list for the mobile service that is built on the Virgin O2 network and will be rolled out in the summer.Monzo’s entry to the market is set to intensify competition among phone providers which are already being challenged by…

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 emailsHouseholds are set to find out how much energy bills will increase by from July when the price cap is updated as forecasts point to a rise of more than £200 and a painful winter of sky-high bills ahead due to the Iran war.Regulator Ofgem will on Wednesday reveal the level of the annual energy price cap for July to September for a typical dual fuel household across…