Author: Loveworld UK

Three thousand extra midwives are to be trained over the next four years in the largest-ever increase of maternity staff in England. The plans will be announced on Tuesday and will include the introduction of a “continuity of carer” model, which will see expectant mothers treated by the same midwives throughout their pregnancy.The changes to England’s maternity services will start with a target of one in five women benefitting from the model by March next year.By 2021, the majority of pregnant women will be receiving care from the same midwives throughout their pregnancy, labour and birth.Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is…

The husband-and-wife theatre tycoons who ‎have run a swathe of London’s live entertainment scene for decades are lining up their next fortune by selling a chunk of their business empire. Sky News has learnt that Sir ‎Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire, the co-chief executives of Trafalgar Entertainment Group (TEG), are in advanced talks with the private equity division of Barings about a potential deal.The negotiations are expected to see TEG, which owns the Trafalgar Studios theatre in the West End, raising tens of millions of pounds to fund its expansion as well as a windfall for the company’s shareholders.A deal…

A French policeman who took the place of a hostage during a terror attack at a supermarket has died of his injuries. Arnaud Beltrame had voluntarily swapped himself with a female hostage and surreptitiously left his mobile phone on so his colleagues could hear what was going on inside.The 45-year-old was left fighting for his life after being shot by Moroccan-born Redouane Lakdim.Counter-terrorism officers then stormed the supermarket in Trebes, southwest France, and shot the terrorist dead.Mr Beltrame’s death takes the number of people killed to four – in addition to the gunman – and 15 others were injured.Paying tribute…

Political tensions between the UK and Russia after the Salisbury nerve agent attack could force some England football fans to alter their travel plans for this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Some reports suggest ticket sales to England supporters are nowhere near the level they were for the last tournament in Brazil in 2014, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued new travel advice to anyone intending to visit Russia in June and July.Russia is making final preparations to host the sport’s most prestigious tournament with England playing group games against Tunisia, Panama and Belgium in the cities of Volgograd,…

Russia’s ambassador has written to the police officer treated in hospital after the Salisbury attack, wishing him a “full recovery” and assuring him Russia had “nothing to do with this reckless incident”. Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey was discharged from hospital on Thursday after several weeks of treatment.He was one of the first to respond to the nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.Alexander Yakovenko, Russia’s UK ambassador, wrote: “I was relieved to hear you were released from hospital and reunited with your family. I wish you full recovery and hope that you will be able to…

Britain’s retailers are facing “a perfect storm” that will see businesses squeezed and more corporate failures, according to the UK boss of McDonald’s. In an exclusive interview for Sky News, Paul Pomroy said he had made the “bold decision” to keep investing in restaurants and staff since Brexit, but said conditions were getting ever tougher.Describing a “perfect storm of challenges, Mr Pomroy said: “I am really concerned by the amount of inflation that companies are carrying at the moment.”Food inflation is running at between 4% and 7% across retail, there’s pressure on wage inflation, interest rate movements and now you…

Lenders to House of Fraser (HoF), the embattled department store chain, have called in advisers amid growing doubts about its ability to see out the escalating crisis on Britain’s high streets. Sky News has learnt that‎ a syndicate of banks, understood to include HSBC and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, appointed EY earlier this week.The appointment will stoke fears that the retailer’s lenders are preparing for HoF to succumb to the cost pressures and structural changes to the industry which have already claimed the scalps of Maplin and Toys R Us UK this year.EY is understood to have carried…

A “large number” of EU countries are set to impose tougher sanctions on Russia after the Salisbury poisoning. Member states are said to be considering a range of measures – including expelling diplomats – to take effect on Monday.France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark and the Czech Republic have all warned of further action.It is understood nations including France, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania are preparing to expel Russian diplomats or spies posing as diplomats from their countries.”Coordinated measures” will be announced “very shortly”, French President Emmanuel Macron announced.It came after the EU withdrew its ambassador to Russia, a move described…

EU leaders have agreed their opening negotiating position for the final round of Brexit talks. The guidelines adopted at the European Council summit in Brussels, which focus on the future relationship between the UK and the EU, will provide the mandate for the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier in the coming months.Both sides remain committed to a timetable that aims to reach a political declaration outlining the basis of a future agreement by the end of this year, ahead of the UK’s exit from the EU in March 2019. Decision: EU27 has adopted guidelines for the future EU-UK relations after…

Theresa May has shared new information on the Salisbury nerve agent attack with her fellow European leaders, according to the Lithuanian President. Dalia Grybauskaite told Sky News that Mrs May shared “more detailed information” at a dinner in Brussels last night.”I think discussion was very deep – quite interesting and important,” she said.”We got more detailed information from the Prime Minister May and it was very good information. I mean, trustable.”Mrs May’s spokesman confirmed Mrs May has been sharing intelligence on the attack with her EU counterparts.Asked whether she felt she had learnt more at the meeting than she knew…