Author: Loveworld UK

Parts of the Iberian peninsula are bracing themselves for a surge in temperatures amid warnings of the first heatwave of the year. The mercury is expected to hit the mid to late 40s in Spain and Portugal, and there could even be a new record breaking top temperature of 48C.The current highest temperatures were hit on 13 July 2017 in Montoro, Spain, when the mercury reached 47.3C (117F) and in Amareleja, Portugal, on 1 August 2003 when the temperature reached 47.4C (117F).But the all-time highest record for continental Europe is 48C (118F) set in Athens, Greece, on 10 July 1977.…

The Bank of England has raised UK interest rates above their crisis lows for the first time in nearly a decade. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to increase the cost of borrowing from 0.5% to 0.75% at its August meeting. The decision will trigger increases in borrowing costs across the economy, as mortgage companies, lenders and savings providers lift their own interest rates.Lenders said the impact of the increase would vary greatly among families, but a household with a £200,000 mortgage would see its payments increase by around £20-£25 a month.The fact that the decision was unanimous…

Violence has broken out in the capital of Zimbabwe, with shopkeepers told to close their stores and residents warned to avoid central areas. Soldiers clashed with protesters in Harare as results were announced from the country’s first election since Robert Mugabe was ousted as president.The US embassy has urged citizens in Harare to stay away from the central business district due to demonstrations and reports of gunshots.Two shopkeepers also said they were ordered by soldiers to close and leave the city centre. It comes a day after three people were killed when troops were sent in to disperse crowds of…

Police searching for a midwife who has not been seen since she left work in her car almost a week ago have released CCTV as concern grows for her safety. Samantha Eastwood was last seen wearing her uniform as she finished a shift at the Royal Stoke Hospital in Staffordshire on Friday morning.The alarm was first raised when she failed to turn up for her 7pm night shift later that evening.A 32-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent arrested in connection with her disappearance has been bailed under investigation.Staffordshire Police released CCTV of Ms Eastwood leaving work with a female colleague, before driving…

Police are investigating whether the murder of a rapper known as “Incognito” in south London is gang-related. The 23-year-old, whose real name is Siddique Kamara, is the second member of drill music group Moscow17 to have been killed on Warham Street, Camberwell, in three months.A 16-year-old boy and 31-year-old man were also stabbed in the attack at around 7.20pm on Wednesday night.Two men, aged 18 and 19, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are in custody. Image: Members of the Moscow17 group with DJ Tim Westwood in 2017 Incognito was pronounced dead at the scene and the two…

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has said he will support farmers through the “unprecedented” effect of drought conditions brought on by the hot weather. Mr Gove is meeting the National Farmers’ Union in London as it holds an urgent meeting over “tinderbox” conditions that have dried out fields and reduced grass growth.It has been the driest first half of the summer for more than 50 years and farmers say the “crippling impact” of a lack of rain has affected harvests. Image: The NFU says there has been no significant rain since May There is also uncertainty over Brexit, such as changes…

A dog that looked like a “burned, shaggy rug” has been found hiding amid the aftermath of the deadly fire in Mati, Greece. The poodle-cross was singed yellow, had burned eyelashes and was having trouble breathing when it was discovered in what is believed to be an outdoor oven.Last week’s fire in Mati was one of two which broke out near Athens, killing around 90 people. Image: The dog was hiding in what is believed to be an outdoor oven Image: Loukoumakis has been cleaned up and is now looking well There are “serious indications” the blaze was started deliberately,…

The Co-op Group, Britain’s most prominent mutual, is exploring the sale of its general insurance operations for about £300m amid accelerating changes to the industry’s distribution model. Sky News has learnt that the Co-op has appointed investment bankers from Fenchurch Advisory Partners to advise on potential options for its insurance business, which made £11m in underlying profit in 2017.In recent weeks, the Co-op has begun approaching prospective acquirers of the business although it has not yet made a definitive decision to offload it, according to people close to the process.The sale is viewed sensitively within the Co-op Group because of…

Tear gas has been deployed in Zimbabwe after people protested against election results giving the ruling Zanu-PF party a big parliamentary majority. Sky News correspondent John Sparks said water cannons were on standby in Harare.President Emmerson Mnangagwa called for calm after stones were throne and tyres burned.”We must all demonstrate patience and maturity, and act in a way that puts our people and their safety first,” Mr Mnangagwa tweeted.The protests are happening halfway between a hotel where the results are being announced, and the opposition MDC party’s headquarters.MDC leader Nelson Chamisa tweeted that he won the “popular vote” in the…

Lloyds Banking Group had to pay out a further £460m in PPI compensation between April and June, its latest results have revealed.  The bank put aside a total of £550m in the six-month period to June 30, to provide compensation to Lloyds customers caught up in the payment protection insurance (PPI) mis-selling scandal.Lloyds Bank said the additional half-billion pound provision in the second quarter would cover claims currently coming in at a rate of approximately 13,000 per week, 2,000 claims per week more than the run rate previously assumed, until the compensation deadline in August 2019.This latest compensation round takes the…