Author: Loveworld UK

Egypt’s top prosecutor has dismissed reports that poisonous gas emissions caused the deaths of a British couple at the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. John Cooper, 69, and Susan Cooper, 63, from Burnley, Lancashire, died on Tuesday morning while on holiday at the resort with their daughter and her three children.An inspection of the couple’s hotel room revealed there were no toxic or harmful gas emissions or leaks, prosecutor Nabil Sadeq said.His office is waiting for a forensic analysis of samples taken from Mr and Mrs Cooper.The couple’s deaths prompted tour operator Thomas Cook to evacuate 301 of its customers…

The US has been accused of “blackmail” after cutting a sizeable chunk from the total aid it sends to the Palestinian Territories. The State Department said it was not longer providing more than $200m (£155.7m) in bilateral aid following a review of funding for projects in the West Bank and Gaza.Palestinians attacked the decision, with a senior official in Ramallah describing it as “coercion”.Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the ruling Palestine Liberation Organisation’s (PLO) executive committee, said: “The US administration is demonstrating the use of cheap blackmail as a political tool.”The Palestinian people and leadership will not be intimidated and…

Pope Francis has said he shares the Catholic Church’s “pain, shame and outrage” for failing to address “repellent” child abuse by Irish priests. The pontiff touched down in Dublin this morning for a two-day trip – the first papal visit to Ireland since 1979 – and this afternoon travelled through the city’s streets in the Popemobile.In a speech at Dublin Castle, Pope Francis expressed his regret over historical abuse by Catholic priests in the country – but did not explicitly apologise.He said: “I cannot fail to acknowledge the grave scandal caused in Ireland by the abuse of young people by…

Britain’s biggest high street lender faces being severely curtailed in its selection of a new auditor, intensifying pressure on regulators to deliver reforms aimed at strengthening competition. Sky News has learnt that Lloyds Banking Group‎ is preparing to ask Deloitte to put itself in a position to take on its audit from 2021, with a formal tender process expected to get underway in the coming months.While Deloitte has not been guaranteed the role, conflicts involving the other so-called ‘big four’ accountancy firms have left it as the only viable option for Lloyds, according to insiders.The situation is expected to pile…

David Mercer, news reporterMystery continues to surround the sudden deaths of a British couple at an Egyptian hotel.John and Susan Cooper were on a Thomas Cook holiday when they fell ill at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada.Here, Sky News looks at the circumstances of the couple’s deaths and the concerns that some guests have raised about the resort.Who were the couple who died?Mr Cooper, 69, and Mrs Cooper, 63, from Burney in Lancashire, were on holiday with their daughter and her three children.Mrs Cooper was an employee of Thomas Cook and worked at a branch in her home…

One of the world’s leading dealers in premium classic cars is racing to secure new funding within days after the discovery of “financial irregularities” left its lenders facing a multimillion pound write-off. Sky News has learnt that JD Classics, which is based in Essex and boasts of its links to the Goodwood Revival and Le Mans Classic, has been put up for sale in recent weeks.The emergency auction raises doubts over the future‎ of the owner of more than 110 valuable classic cars, including vehicles made by Aston Martin, Ferrari, Jaguar and Maserati.Advisers at Alvarez & Marsal (A&M)‎, who are…

The daughter of a British couple who died at a hotel in Egypt has told Sky News she believes “something suspicious” caused their deaths. In her first interview since parents John and Susan Cooper passed away at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in the popular resort town of Hurghada, Kelly Ormerod said they were “in perfect health” just hours before they fell ill.She said they had been fit and well before going back to their room at around 1.30am on Tuesday, but had become “extremely ill” by the time she next saw them less than 10 hours later. Image: Steigenberger…

The number of mortgages approved by Britain’s main high street banks fell last month, ahead of the Bank of England’s rate rise, according to industry data. New house mortgages dropped by 4.3% on the year to a seasonally adjusted 39,584, UK Finance said, despite existing households locking in low rates before the Bank of England rose the cost of borrowing.Gross mortgage lending for the total market in July rose 7.6% on the year to £24.6bn.Credit card spending was 8.1% higher than a year ago, although annual consumer credit slowed to 3.7%, its weakest since December 2014.Peter Tyler, director of UK…

The British couple who died in their hotel room in Egypt both fell ill after suffering “respiratory failure”, medical examinations have revealed. John and Susan Cooper, 69 and 63, passed away at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada – a popular resort in the Red Sea area of the country – on Tuesday morning.The local governor’s office has said the cause of Mr Cooper’s death was “a sudden stoppage of the heart muscles and respiratory failure”, with his wife dying due to “a stoppage of circulation and respiratory failure”.It said of both: “There was no reason to suspect the…

China will keep hitting back at Washington as the US piles on more trade tariffs, the Chinese finance minister has said.  In an interview with Reuters, Liu Kun said he was concerned about the potential job losses and lost livelihoods brought about by the trade spat.To counter the impact on the economy, Beijing plans to increase spending to support workers and help the unemployed back into work.It also expects local governments to spend more than 1tn yuan (£114bn) on infrastructure programmes by the end of the current quarter.China and the US have imposed tit-for-tat duties on goods worth $100bn collectively.Beijing…