Author: Loveworld UK

It is absurd to accuse Russia of lying about two men accused of poisoning the Skripals in Salisbury, the Kremlin has said. Claims by Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov on Kremlin-funded TV channel Russia Today that they were in Salisbury on 3 March as tourists to visit the cathedral and nearby Stonehenge have been met with widespread incredulity.The Kremlin has said that it would consider a British request to interview the two men, but had not received one. Image: Boshirov (left) and Mr Petrov were named as suspects by the UK Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any request would be looked…

British Steel has announced plans to cut 400 jobs in what unions describe as a “body blow” to workers. The proposed losses will be in managerial and back office roles in the UK, Ireland, France and the Netherlands, according to the firm.No closures are being considered as part of the “streamlining process”, which the company says is aimed at ensuring the long-term growth of the business.The move comes despite the firm itself pointing out it had turned a business losing tens of millions of pounds a year into one making profit – some £21m in the first quarter of this…

The most senior judge at Sheffield Crown Court has been forced to abandon the sentencing of a drug gang because the prison officer strike meant some of the defendants failed to arrive in court. Judge Jeremy Richardson QC, Honorary Recorder of Sheffield, expressed his “displeasure” after making the decision, and said he was “blissfully unaware” of the industrial action, which involves thousands of members of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA).He said at least two of the six defendants who were in custody failed to arrive at the court and added he had been told that a van waiting to transport…

The Archbishop of Canterbury has been accused of hypocrisy after it emerged the Church of England invests in Amazon and uses zero-hour contracts, having attacked both. In a speech to the TUC Congress in Manchester earlier this week, Justin Welby criticised firms like Amazon for paying “almost nothing” in taxes, and branded the so-called gig economy and zero-hours contracts as “the reincarnation of an ancient evil”.However, the Church has now confirmed the online retail giant is one of its 20 biggest investments worldwide and at least two of its cathedrals are advertising zero-hours contract jobs. 1:09 Video: Archbishop on tech…

The Philippines is braced for a “super typhoon” with powerful winds and gusts set to hit the northeast of the country on Saturday. Authorities have been evacuating thousands of people from the path of Typhoon Mangkhut, which is on course to hit Cagayan province.Schools have been closed and bulldozers are ready to cope with landslides, and rescuers and troops have been put on full alert.An estimated 4.2 million people are vulnerable to the most destructive effects near the typhoon’s eye, which is 77 miles (125km) wide.Nearly 48,000 houses in those high-risk areas are made of light materials and vulnerable to…

Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated as Hurricane Florence closes in on North Carolina’s coast with “life-threatening” winds. Just before 5am ET (10am BST) the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the eye of the storm was about to make landfall in North Carolina as hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated.Florence was downgraded overnight to a category one hurricane – with 90mph (145kmh) winds – but forecasters have warned that conditions will only get more lethal as the storm pushes ashore in the early hours of Friday morning.At least 280,000 people are already without power as the outskirts…

The Bank of England has maintained interest rates at 0.75% as the clock ticks down to Brexit in March next year. The monetary policy committee (MPC), which voted unanimously in favour of no change to the benchmark rate, raised its projection for UK economic growth in the current third quarter to 0.5% from 0.4%.It credited better-than-expected household spending in the warm summer.However, the minutes from the meeting stated there was little new data to shift its other main forecasts.The MPC did continue to point to increased downside risks from US president Donald Trump’s trade battles. Image: The MPC sees risks…

Two men suspected of targeting the Skripals with novichok have denied being Russian agents or having anything to do with the poisoning. Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov told Russia Today (RT) they were only in Salisbury on 3 March as tourists to visit the cathedral and nearby Stonehenge.In their first interview since being named as suspects by the British government they said they are victims of a “fantastical coincidence” and would like an apology from the real poisoners.The pair, who claim that is their real names, said their friends had told them to visit “this wonderful town, Salisbury, which has…

A mass surveillance programme by the UK government violated human rights, the European Court has ruled. In a landmark case brought by charities including Amnesty and human rights group Big Brother Watch, the top court ruled that the “bulk interception regime” breached rights to privacy (Article 8).It comes after US whistleblower Edward Snowden disclosed British surveillance and intelligence-sharing practices.The former CIA employee revealed that security services had been collecting bulk data, including telephone calls, messages and internet communication, whether or not people were suspected of a crime.The case centred on powers given to security services under the Regulation of Investigatory…

The John Lewis Partnership has announced a 99% slump in half-year profits, saying its department stores are being squeezed by the “most promotional market we have seen for almost a decade”. The company, which has John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets in its stable, had previously warned that it expected to make no profits over the first six months of its financial year to 28 July.It reported that profit before tax and exceptional items came in at just £1.2m, down £95m on the same period last year.That was despite gross sales rising 1.6% to almost £5.5bn.:: Why the John…