Author: INDEPENDENT

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planetGet our free Climate emailGet our free Climate emailOil prices rose again on Tuesday after US military strikes in southern Iran shattered hopes of an imminent peace deal. Positive noises about peace talks coming from both the US and Iran had sent crude tumbling 7 per cent on Monday – one of the sharpest single-day drops in weeks.But Brent crude climbed again by $1.40, or 1.5 per cent, to $97.56 a barrel on Tuesday morning after Washington struck missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to…

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 high streets and shopping destinations are showing signs of recovery as more than 13 retail stores opened each week over the past year, according to new figures.However, England and Wales have still seen more than 6,000 retail premises vanish from local communities over the past five years.Analysis of Valuation Office Agency data by tax firm Ryan, found that there were 507,810 retail premises across England and Wales…

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 Sir Derek Jacobi has spent almost 70 years in showbusiness – but there’s just one director he’s worked with who’s “terrified” him. The veteran actor, 87, opened up about his life and career in a new interview, revealing that working with theatre director John Dexter was a difficult experience. Jacobi and Dexter worked together multiple times at the National Theatre, with Dexter directing him in Othello in…

Get Travel Insider with Simon Calder. A newsletter packed with tips, deals, inspiration, and the latest travel newsGet the Travel Insider newsletter with Simon CalderGet the Travel Insider newsletter with Simon CalderBritish Airways is putting up the price of reward tickets for customers using Avios, giving five days’ notice of the increases.The cash element of tickets booked through its loyalty scheme will rise by up to 33 per cent from Wednesday 27 May. For example, a ticket in Club World from London Heathrow to New York JFK, once requiring 176,000 Avios, will now also require £499 – an increase of…

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 emailsJohn Swinney must work “tirelessly” with businesses to make growing the economy the “defining priority” of his Government, the industry has warned.CBI Scotland said the First Minister is now in a “race against time” to deliver economic growth amid a near £5 billion budget black hole facing the country by the end of the decade.The business group said the SNP leader must work with other parties and with…

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 emailsAn average of four dogs were stolen every day across the UK last year, latest police figures suggest.The figure brings the total number of reported dog thefts to around 25,000 over the past 11 years, with breeds such as French bulldogs, Staffordshire bull terriers and dachshunds most at risk, analysis of police data by Direct Line found.However, improved awareness and the introduction of the Pet Abduction Act 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 Jinkx Monsoon is Judy Garland,” screams the advertising for Soho Theatre Walthamstow’s new staging of End of the Rainbow. On the surface, it’s punchy and unconventional casting: Garland, legend of Old Hollywood, played by a trans woman of reality TV fame. That’s not to sell Monsoon short – her two victorious runs on RuPaul’s Drag Race (in 2013 and as part of the all-winners series in 2022)…

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 Government “must focus on how it will reduce the public policy costs which are pushing up food prices”, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said after reports the Treasury asked supermarkets to limit food prices in return for the lifting of some regulations.The proposals would see shops voluntarily cap the prices of essential groceries such as eggs, bread and milk, according to the Financial Times.The Treasury has…

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 emailsFan spending for Harry Styles’s 12-night run at Wembley Stadium is set to reach £1.1 billion despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures, figures suggest.Ticket-holders are expected to spend a total of £981 on average attending the Together, Together tour – which is limited to London in the UK – including travelling to the venue, staying overnight, buying merchandise and other costs, according to a survey for Barclays bank.The figure exceeds…

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 UK has the highest commercial property tax burden of any major economy, according to a report.The findings from global tax firm Ryan’s annual business rates review comes as thousands of UK companies prepare for a jump in their rate payments for the next year.The report, published on Monday, found that the UK ranks first globally for the property taxes as a share of gross domestic product (GDP).Experts…