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 FTSE 100 slumped on Friday as talks between the US and China failed to deliver hoped for progress on the Middle East, adding to jitters caused by domestic political uncertainty.“There’s a downbeat feel around at the end of the week as big problems crowd in, without resolutions in sight,” said Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club.The FTSE 100 closed down 177.56 points, 1.7%, at 10,195.37.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 Nearly a dozen people were sent to the hospital Wednesday evening after an escalator at New York City’s Gershwin Theatre malfunctioned.Eleven people were injured when the escalator jolted without warning and threw riders forward shortly after 5 p.m. Ten children and one adult were taken to nearby hospitals, the Department of Buildings confirmed to The Independent. Updates on their conditions weren’t immediately available Thursday morning.“Inspectors were informed…

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 closed higher on Thursday as ongoing political uncertainty was offset by encouraging UK GDP data, a cooling oil price and easing gilt yields.The FTSE 100 closed up 47.58 points, 0.5%, at 10,372.93.The FTSE 250 ended up 299.70 points, 1.3%, at 22,828.07, and the AIM All-Share fell just 0.09 of a point at 817.12.In the UK, Health Secretary Wes Streeting quit his post, paving the way…

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 emailsTrust in water companies across England and Wales has plunged to a new low as households grapple with soaring bills, an annual survey has found.Some 13 water companies saw their customer trust ratings fall during the year and the overall score for England and Wales drop from 6.28 to 6.07 out of 10, according to the 15th Water Matters report by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).The most…

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 emailsTwo ads promoting British beef and milk have been banned after television presenter and environmental campaigner Chris Packham complained that they misled consumers about the products’ carbon footprints.Both ads for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) Let’s Eat Balanced campaign used the carbon footprint of British beef and milk to promote the products, firstly stating: “British beef not only tastes great, but has a carbon footprint that’s…

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 Michael Pennington, the British actor whose illustrious career took him from Stratford-Upon-Avon to a galaxy far, far away, has died aged 82.Pennington, who played Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, died on Sunday (10 May), reports The Telegraph. No cause of death was given.Born in Cambridge in 1942, Pennington found a passion for the stage as a member of the National Youth…

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 emailsBritain is expected to lose 163,000 jobs this year amid the economic woes caused by the Iran war with lower income regions set to be hit hardest, according to a report.The Item Club’s latest regional outlook warns that two of the UK’s lowest income regions – South Wales and the Humber – will suffer the most painful jobs market woes in the next year or so because of…

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 In the early Noughties, Toby Stephens was a leading man with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Then came his breakthrough screen role: a North Korean general transmogrified into a swashbuckling insomniac English billionaire with a union jack parachute. Maybe not the most likely choice for today’s aspiring thespians – and as Stephens admits, it felt eccentric at the time. Imagine casting a Bond villain like that now. “You’d…

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 emailsMillions of car finance payouts are in jeopardy after the UK’s financial watchdog indicated its compensation scheme faces significant delays, changes, or even collapse. This uncertainty stems from four legal challenges against the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).The FCA has advised motor finance firms to prepare for the possibility that its redress scheme, which could see an average payout of £829, may not proceed. The regulator stated that while…

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 and stock markets pulled back slightly on Friday after the US and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, although Asian markets remained on course for their strongest weekly performance in years on the back of an AI-driven rally.Brent crude rose 1.3 per cent to $101.60 per barrel as the renewed Middle East hostilities unsettled markets that had spent much of the week pricing in a negotiated resolution. Iran targeted three US destroyers with…