All posts tagged: surprise

UK economy: Surprise fall in unemployment rate to 4.9% | Money News

UK economy: Surprise fall in unemployment rate to 4.9% | Money News

Published by Sam Flores

The UK’s unemployment rate has taken a surprise fall, according to official figures, released amid warnings of a spike in job losses to come. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the rate fell to 4.9% during the three months to February. That was down from a previous level of 5.2%. But the ONS said that early data from HM Revenue & Customs, covering workers in payrolled employment, showed a drop of 11,000 during March – the first month of the US-Iran war that saw global energy prices rise sharply. Money latest: Experts disagree on overpaying your mortgage The wider figures showed average annual earnings growth, excluding bonuses, fell to 3.6% from 3.8%. ONS director of economic statistics, Liz McKeown, said: “The number of workers on payroll remained broadly flat in recent periods, reflecting ongoing weak hiring. “Vacancies fell to their lowest level in almost five years, but with unemployment also falling the number of vacancies per unemployed person remains broadly unchanged. “Alongside falling unemployment, the number of people not actively seeking work increased, …

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s sweet surprise for their parents after Australia trip

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s sweet surprise for their parents after Australia trip

Published by Daniella Wilson

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially touched down at their Montecito home after a jam-packed four-day visit to Australia, and they received the sweetest surprise from their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Taking to Instagram Stories, Meghan shared a video of their happy return, complete with a ‘Welcome Home’ banner that had been strung thoughtfully above the open door. Also on hand to greet them was Harry and Meghan’s excited Labrador, Pula, who wagged her tail enthusiastically as she led the way inside. © POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe couple at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum in Melbourne In a follow-up clip, the Duchess also revealed a care package of gifts and letters sent by Australian well-wishers. Among the thoughtful items was a handwritten note addressed to her daughter, Princess Lilibet, which read: “May your world always be as bright and beautiful as the colours you choose… Love from Australia.” Meghan and Harry’s unseen moments in Australia  Meghan also took to her Instagram grid to share a compilation of unseen moments from her …

The surprise health benefits of eating honey – from sleep to heart disease

The surprise health benefits of eating honey – from sleep to heart disease

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sign up to IndyEat’s free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free Honey is often praised for a range of health benefits, from soothing a sore throat and helping you get to sleep to healing woulds and lowering risk factors for diabetes and heart disease. Honey’s acidity has the potential to prevent bacterial growth, while its density and stickiness generate osmotic pressure (in the same way as quicksand), which restrains bacteria. Other compounds in honey contribute anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. But do the claims about honey for specific health problems and injuries stack up to science? Let’s check what the evidence says. First, what’s in honey? Honey contains up to 20% water. The remaining 80% is made of simple sugars: monasaccharides that we rapidly digest. Fructose (32-28%) and glucose (26-31%) are the main ones, followed by small amounts of sucrose and others. This can increase blood sugar levels to varying degrees. The glycemic index (GI) measures how …

Madonna joins Sabrina Carpenter for surprise Coachella performance – and shares astrology warning

Madonna joins Sabrina Carpenter for surprise Coachella performance – and shares astrology warning

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Sabrina Carpenter brought out Madonna as her surprise guest during the second weekend of Coachella festival. On Friday (17 April), the pop singer, 26, was singing her track “Juno” when she reached a popular moment where she asks, “Have you ever tried this one?” and then strikes a pose. In this instance, the song cut to Madonna’s iconic hit “Vogue”, at which point Madonna joined Carpenter on stage. The duo then performed a new song, from Madonna’s upcoming album, Confessions II, a sequel to her 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna officially released a new track, “I Feel Free”, today (Saturday), after sending it out early to select DJs and clubs. “Sabrina, thank you so much for inviting me on your show,” the queen of pop told the younger star. “No thanks needed, Madonna, you can have whatever you want,” Carpenter …

Lana Del Rey Surprise Releases 007 First Light James Bond Theme

Lana Del Rey Surprise Releases 007 First Light James Bond Theme

Published by Sam Flores

At a time when rumours surrounding who will be the next James Bond only continue to intensify, Lana Del Rey fans are simultaneously growing impatient for her follow-up to 2023’s Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. In a benevolent gesture towards both fanbases, the Born To Die singer unveiled a surprise on Thursday in the form of her take on the classic Bond theme. Lana’s new release First Light is actually a companion song to 007 First Light, a new video game based on the iconic MI5 agent, and delivers all the high-octane drama of a classic Bond theme with the Grammy nominee’s distinctive lyrics and vocal delivery. Take a listen to First Light for yourself below: Interestingly, First Light isn’t Lana’s first time recording a theme song for a James Bond project. Back in 2024, Lana disclosed that her song 24, taken from her 2015 album Honeymoon, had actually been written with the then-upcoming James Bond film Spectre in mind. However movie bosses decided at the time to go with …

Irish government loses key rural voice in surprise resignation amid fuel-price fury – POLITICO

Irish government loses key rural voice in surprise resignation amid fuel-price fury – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Rising to his feet from the government benches, Healy-Rae said he’d spent Monday night talking to aggrieved voters in the Plough Bar in his County Kerry constituency — and had come away persuaded he should stop supporting Martin. “I met tractor men, lorry men, farmers, telling me how unhappy they were. The leader of the country should have listened,” Healy-Rae told a hushed chamber. “Because I believe this government have let the people of Ireland down, I will be voting no confidence in the leader of the country, and I will be tendering my resignation as a minister of state from now,” he said. Healy-Rae accused the government of lacking sympathy for farmers and truckers struggling to pay runaway diesel prices. “People cried at the protests — and they were workers! They were respectable people!” he shouted. He then exited the Leinster House parliamentary building to cheers from the hundreds of fuel-price protesters, mostly middle-aged men, who had gathered outside behind security barriers. Healy-Rae — who invariably dons an Irish flat cap — is the …

Jennifer Lopez reflects on surprise Coachella debut: ‘Don’t ever stop surprising yourself’

Jennifer Lopez reflects on surprise Coachella debut: ‘Don’t ever stop surprising yourself’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This The crowd at David Guetta’s Coachella set were not the only ones shocked by Jennifer Lopez’s guest appearance. The 56-year-old singer said she surprised herself by making her debut at the iconic festival in Indio, California, after decades in the spotlight. “The most fun day!!” Lopez wrote in an Instagram post shared Sunday. “’Save Me Tonight’ with David live for the first time at MY FIRST COACHELLA was so special.” She added, “My happy era is rewriting everything. Don’t ever stop surprising yourself.” Her post included a clip of her surprising Guetta’s crowd as a guest performer Saturday when she walked on stage in a glittery bodysuit, thigh high boots and sunglasses that she threw into the crowd. Jennifer Lopez made her Coachella debut in a surprise appearance during David Guetta’s set (Getty) “I invited a friend,” Guetta told the screaming audience. “Make …

Aubrey Plaza speaks out on ‘interesting’ surprise pregnancy

Aubrey Plaza speaks out on ‘interesting’ surprise pregnancy

Published by Daniella Wilson

Aubrey Plaza has spoken out for the first time about her surprise pregnancy in an appearance on the Smartless podcast with actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes.  The Parks and Recreation actress confirmed on the April 13 episode that she was expecting her first child with her partner, Christopher Abbott, six days after the news broke on social media. “Well, there’s a baby inside of me,” Aubrey told the hosts. “No, I said there is a baby inside of me right now.” “Today was a big day. I went to the doctor’s today, and my dog also went to the doctor’s,” she continued. “And both of us – my dog’s getting a scan right now. I got a scan earlier. I’m not kidding.”  © Bruce Glikas/Getty ImagesAubrey and her partner, Christopher Abbott, are expecting their first baby “She had to get an ultrasound on her stomach. And then I got an ultrasound on my stomach, and there is a baby in there,” Aubrey added. “It already has a cloak and a little hat. I think it’s …

Pragmata review: Electrifying combat underpins a big 2026 surprise

Pragmata review: Electrifying combat underpins a big 2026 surprise

Published by Daniella Wilson

A star rating of 5 out of 5. 2026 is a big year for Capcom, and while Resident Evil Requiem was always going to be a tremendous hit, it would be a lie to say that I had particularly high hopes for Pragmata. I am delighted to have been proven tremendously wrong. Pragmata tells the story of Hugh, a spacefarer who becomes trapped on an abandoned lunar research station, and Diana, the android child he finds there. On the hunt for an escape back to Earth, Hugh and Diana are forced to contend with the station’s hostile rogue AI, IDUS, who sends waves of militarised robots to eliminate them. In terms of gameplay, Pragmata takes clear inspiration from survival horror, encouraging precise aim and strategic combat, such as kneecapping bots to knock them down. It firmly sets itself apart, however, via its central gimmick of hacking. All of the enemies you face have armour that makes them almost invulnerable. But, it’s through Diana that players can complete a real-time grid-based puzzle to hack these enemies, …

Brooklyn Beckham’s heartfelt surprise for wife Nicola Peltz as they put up ‘strong’ front

Brooklyn Beckham’s heartfelt surprise for wife Nicola Peltz as they put up ‘strong’ front

Published by Daniella Wilson

Days on from their four-year wedding anniversary, Brooklyn Beckham has kept the celebrations going with an incredibly heartfelt gesture for his wife, Nicola Peltz. After gushing that they had “been through so much” together and that their marriage was “stronger than ever” in a public note posted last Thursday, Brooklyn surprised his wife with another personal gift. Nicola showed off the gorgeous bouquet of flowers she received from her husband on Saturday on social media, which came with words from Brooklyn. “Surprise flowers and love letters are my favourite ever,” Nicola captioned a photo of her husband smiling from the front seat of a car with the floral arrangement in hand.  “I love you soo much,” she added. The model then shared a close-up of the mixed flowers, which included vibrant blue hydrangeas. © Instagram/ nicolaannepeltzbeckhamBrooklyn surprises Nicola with a post-anniversary gift © Instagram/ nicolaannepeltzbeckhamA close-up of the flowers ​​​Brooklyn’s anniversary message  Brooklyn and Nicola celebrated four years of marriage on 9 April in a low-key fashion in Los Angeles, where they live. Along with …