Author: Loveworld UK

Relations between Spain and Catalonia are set to be tested further today as the Spanish government prepares to take away Catalan regional powers. The Spanish Senate in Madrid is to approve Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s plan to use Article 155 of the country’s constitution to remove or limit Catalonia’s self-rule. But some expect the move will motivate Catalan lawmakers to unilaterally declare its independence from Spain, in what is seen by separatists as mandated by the independence referendum on 1 October. In the weeks since the referendum, which was labelled as illegal by Spain, tensions between the two sides have…

State-backed Royal Bank of Scotland has reported a third straight quarter of profits but a looming US fine looks likely to see it rack up a tenth annual loss in a row. The third quarter profit figure of £392m compared to a loss of £469m for the same period last year. It is only the second time since the financial crisis in 2008 that RBS has reported three quarters in a row in the black. But a potential multi-billion dollar penalty from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) over the sale of toxic mortgage bonds could see it in the…

The UK will have to settle for a trade deal with the EU similar to Canada, Michel Barnier has warned. The EU’s lead negotiator suggested the UK’s decision to leave the single market and customs union meant any deal would “have to work on a model that is closer to the agreement signed with Canada”. Theresa May had ruled out a Canada-style deal in her Florence speech last month. Mr Barnier also claimed it would be “several years” before a Brexit trade deal was agreed – another blow to Mrs May, who told the House of Commons on Monday that…

A man charged in connection with the Nuneaton bowling alley lockdown is due to appear before magistrates later. David Clarke, 53, was arrested and charged with false imprisonment and imitation firearm offences after armed officers swooped on the MFA Bowl in Bermuda Park on Sunday afternoon. The arrest came after reports that a man had entered the building with a firearm at about 2.30pm. Specialist firearms officers, police negotiators, and other emergency services arrived at the scene before officers announced they had made an arrest after 7pm. The retail park, which contains restaurants and a cinema, was evacuated and there…

BrightHouse is facing a compensation bill of almost £15m after the City watchdog found it did not act as a “responsible lender” to 249,000 customers. The firm, which describes itself online as “leading by lending responsibly”, provides household goods such as TVs and furniture to customers on hire purchase agreements. But the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said 384,000 customer lending agreements were found that “may not have been affordable” and payments “which should have been refunded” between 2010 and 2016. The regulator hit out at the firm’s lending application affordability assessment and collections processes, saying they “did not always deliver…

A plan to help people in serious debt, by potentially giving them a six-week grace period from things like higher interest charges, has been announced by the Treasury. The Government said it was launching a consultation until January on how its “breathing space” scheme could work and in what circumstances amid concerns about growing problem debt levels among “millions of people in the UK”. It was revealed in the summer that unsecured credit – which is borrowing through credit cards, overdrafts and car loans – had topped £200bn for the first time since the financial crisis. Regulators and economists have sounded…

The outcome of Brexit negotiations is “up to the UK”, European Council president Donald Tusk has said. He told the European Parliament the UK would determine whether there was a “good deal, no deal or no Brexit”. In an update following last week’s EU summit, the former Polish prime minister who represents EU leaders said he was “obsessed” with the remaining 27 countries in the EU staying united. The UK’s departure, he added, was the EU’s “toughest stress test”. “If we fail then the negotiations will end in our defeat,” he told MEPs. “It’s up to London how this will…

On the eve of a crucial Brussels summit, the Prime Minister has appealed directly to EU citizens living in the UK that she wants them and their families to stay after Brexit. The appeal comes as Jeremy Corbyn redoubles his attack on the Government’s “ever more damaging Brexit bungling” and on a possible “no deal Brexit that would be a bad deal for Britain, threatening jobs and living standards”. The Labour leader is also on his way to Brussels on Thursday to meet with three EU prime ministers and the EU’s lead Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. In a social media…

Low pay is “endemic” in the UK with few workers managing to progress into better paid jobs, according to a new study. Just one in six (17%) of those on low pay manage to move permanently up the salary scale over the last decade, the report from the Social Mobility Commission said. It also said that a quarter remained permanently stuck on low pay while 48% fluctuated in and out of this category. On average, people stuck in this group have seen their hourly wages rise by just 40p in real terms – stripping out the effects of inflation -…

Facial detection technology in the new Piccadilly Circus lights is “incredibly intrusive”, according to privacy campaigners. The revamped screen in central London will be turned on later in October in a space where 100 million people pass each month. Cameras hidden in the screen will detect people’s faces, figuring out their age, gender and mood, and use that to tailor brand messages. According to Ocean Outlook, the company that provides the screen’s technology, the system can detect people’s age and gender with 90% accuracy. The system can identify the makes of vehicles and will also feature Wi-Fi to let people…