Author: LoveWorld UK

RENTS HIT RECORD HIGH – Experts say double-digit rises are unsustainable due to affordability Average asking rents outside of London hit a record £1,280 per month towards the end of last year, according to a property website. Rightmove, which released the index covering Britain, said agents are typically receiving 11 enquiries for every rental property. However, there are indications the market may have reached its peak with 2024 expected to see a slowdown in rent hikes. A 0.2% quarterly increase in asking rents in the last three months of 2023 was the smallest rise since 2019. There have also been…

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP TO CUT JOBS AS IT MOVES TO ONLINE BANKING – There will be a net loss of 769 roles  Lloyds Banking Group is to cut about 1,600 jobs across its branch network as it continues to shift its business towards online banking. Some 830 new roles will also be part of the strategy, resulting in a net reduction of 769 jobs. Some staff will be offered voluntary redundancy and the most junior employees are expected not to be affected by the losses. The new jobs will be customer-facing and provide services across branches, via video meetings and…

FRENCH COURT SCRAPS LARGE PARTS OF NEW IMMIGRATION LAW – Measures make it harder for migrants to bring relatives in & access state welfare Large parts of a new French immigration law, including restrictions on access to welfare benefits for migrants and to citizenship for their children born in France, must be scrapped, the Constitutional Council said on Thursday, January 25th. The court, which determines whether laws are constitutional, struck down 35 of the 80 measures contained in the bill. Most of the scrapped clauses were introduced by opposition right-wing lawmakers during a turbulent parliamentary process. Measures, including making it…

DR CONGO ADVANCE TO AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS LAST 16 – Tanzania draw 0-0 with the Democratic Republic of Congo DR Congo reached the knockout stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after a goalless draw with Tanzania in Korhogo. The result eliminated the East Africans, who had needed to win to progress themselves. A point was enough for DR Congo to finish second in Group F behind Morocco, who topped the table thanks to their 1-0 win over Zambia. The prize for the Leopards is a last-16 tie against Egypt, with Morocco taking on South Africa. The results…

JAPAN SAYS SLIM MOON PROBE ACHIEVED ‘PINPOINT’ LANDING Touchdown within 100 m (328 feet) of its target Japan’s moon lander achieved an unusually precise touchdown within 100 m (328 feet) of its target, the space agency said on Thursday (January 25), after the nation became the fifth to put a spacecraft on the moon with the weekend touchdown of its SLIM probe. “I believe that we have achieved something that no one has ever been able to do before, proving that you can get off where you want to get off, rather than just getting off where you can,” project…

LIVERPOOL ADVANCE TO CARABAO CUP FINAL – Liverpool draw 1-1 with Fulham and will face Chelsea in the final Liverpool are through to the Carabao Cup final after a 1-1 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage was enough to give them a 3-2 aggregate win. Holding a one-goal advantage from the first leg at Anfield, Liverpool took the game further away from Fulham early on through Luis Diaz’s deflected strike and looked set for a comfortable evening until Issa Diop ensured a tense finale late in the game. But there were no further scares for Liverpool who held on for…

CARMAKER AUDI’S MEXICO UNION WORKERS STRIKE OVER WAGE INCREASE – Last year a 9.4% salary raise was agreed  Union workers at Audi’s Mexico unit went on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the carmaker for a new contract, the company’s union leader said, with the company saying the two sides are far apart on a wage increase. Approximately 1,000 workers protested outside the Audi plant in the central state of Puebla, shouting, “We are workers, not beggars.” Audi said the union declined its offer for a 6.5% salary raise and asked for a 15.5% increase. Union leader Cesar…

PROTESTING FARMERS IN SOUTHWEST FRANCE SET BALES OF HAY ALIGHT IN FRONT OF PUBLIC BUILDING Farmers are demanding  help from cheap imports In the southwestern city of Agen, angry farmers set fire to bales of hay, old tyres and rubbish they had dumped in front of the wrought-iron gates of the prefecture, which represents the central state locally. Protesting farmers also blocked several roads across France to press the government to loosen regulations and help protect them from cheap imports and rising costs. Farmers said the protests, with long lines of tractors snarling roads, would continue as long as their…

WOOLWORTH STORES COULD RETURN TO UK HIGH STREETS – It had 807 British stores and its closure left more than 27,000 people unemployed Once loved for its pick ‘n’ mix sweets and bargain prices, Woolworth stores could return to the UK. Woolworths originated in the US and operated for 100 years in the UK, having opened its first store in Liverpool in 1909. It had 807 British stores and its closure left more than 27,000 people unemployed. It suffered from the economic downturn of 2008-09 and from cheaper competitors eating into its market share. Some analysts say it was also…

CAMEROON INTO LAST 16 AFTER FRANTIC FINISH WITH GAMBIA – Cameroon beat Gambia 3-2 to advance in Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon staged a late fightback to snatch a place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations with a dramatic 3-2 win over the Gambia to finish second in Group C. A lacklustre, goalless first half led to a remarkable second, which saw Cameroon take the lead three times in between Gambia’s first two goals in their history against the Indomitable Lions. Gambia thought they had equalized again in the 94th minute, only for the goal to…