Author: Loveworld UK

The Queen has made a private donation to the relief effort in Indonesia ollowing the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit the country last week. Buckingham Palace said the Queen had given money to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal for survivors, which raised £6m in a day when it was launched on Thursday.It did not say how much money the monarch had given.The number of dead has reached 1,649 and at least 265 people remain missing after the 7.5 magnitude tremor and resulting tsunami on the island of Sulawesi. 3:17 Video: Clear up begins in Indonesia According to aid…

An elderly couple have fought off a knife-wielding man who forced his way into their home. The man and woman, both in their 80s, were in the lounge of their home in Withington, south Manchester, just after 10pm on Friday when they answered a knock at the door.The man on the doorstep brandished an eight-inch kitchen knife and demanded money.He then forced his way into the couple’s home before they could push him outside.The woman’s foot was cut and her husband suffered cuts to his arms, injuries police believe were caused in the scuffle rather than by the weapon.Detective Constable…

The founder of French Connection is preparing to bring the curtain down on half a century at the helm of the retailer he founded by sounding out buyers for his controlling stake. Sky News can exclusively reveal that advisers to Stephen Marks, who has run one of the high street’s most prominent brands since 1969, have approached prospective bidders for his 42% shareholding in the last few days.Any deal to buy Mr Marks’s stake would almost trigger an offer for the whole of French Connection under City rules, while a full takeover would almost inevitably lead to his retirement from…

Group consultations at GP surgeries will be rolled out after doctor offering shared appointments said they had received “very positive feedback”. Appointments with up to 15 people with the same condition have been trialled at dozens of GP surgeries in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle and Berkshire.The two-hour sessions are said to be effective at dealing with a variety of health issues such as diabetes, arthritis and obesity.The group appointments are typically led by admin staff or healthcare assistants, with doctors expected to attend for around an hour to discuss tests and treatments. Image: The group appointments will take around…

Thousands of passengers will have their travel disrupted as workers on two of the country’s train operators strike again. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union on South Western Railway are continuing a 48-hour strike that began on Friday morning, while workers on Arriva Rail North (Northern) are holding their seventh of nine planned 24-hour walkouts.Northern will run only around 30% of services, with a severely reduced service before 9am and after 6pm.South Western Railway will operate around half of its normal timetable and its network will also be affected by engineering work.At the centre of the dispute are…

The rescue efforts in Indonesia are slowing as the likelihood of anyone being found alive after the earthquake and tsunami diminishes. Volunteers have been burying those killed in a mass grave as the death toll reaches 1,571.British humanitarian experts are on the ground in Sulawasi helping to co-ordinate the response, and a plane with supplies including shelter kits and water purifiers arrived on the island on Friday.Sky’s Jonathan Samuels is in Indonesia, where families are desperately searching for bodies to bring home. Image: The search for survivors is growing desperate one week on A week on from the Indonesian earthquake…

The world’s biggest property investor is leading a pack of bidders vying for control of the NEC Group, the Birmingham entertainment and exhibitions complex which plays host to Crufts. Sky News has learnt that Blackstone, which has amassed a vast global real estate portfolio, tabled an offer for NEC ahead of a deadline on Thursday.Other suitors for the company are said to include rival private equity firms TDR Capital, Charterhouse and Onex.Blackstone’s expertise as a property investor as well as its ownership of Clarion Events, an events and exhibitions group, have led it to be regarded as the favourite to…

The head of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, has been reported missing after travelling to China. Mr Meng was last seen leaving from Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon, southeast France. He arrived in China in late September, according to an Interpol official.He has not been seen or heard from since then, his wife said.On Friday, French police announced they are leading investigations to find him.”He did not disappear in France,” a source close to the inquiry said.European officials reported that he left the country on 29 September.Interpol has said the whereabouts of Mr Meng is a “matter for the relevant authorities in both…

It is impossible to understate the significance of Unilever’s decision to drop its controversial plans to scrap its dual-listed structure and move its headquarters to the Netherlands. City investors have been regularly criticised for appearing too supine when up against a determined company board: nodding through takeovers that often turn out to destroy shareholder value; protesting against executive pay policies with votes that are not binding and ignored by boards; and, worse still, not even voting their shares on occasion.In this instance, they have bared their teeth, and how: the third biggest company in the FTSE-100 has received the bloodiest…

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to a Congolese doctor and an Iraqi woman for their efforts to end sexual violence as a weapon of war. Dr Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad “have made a crucial contribution to focusing attention on, and combating, such war crimes,” the Nobel Committee said in announcing the prize.Dr Mukwege, 63, has devoted his life to defending victims of war-time sexual violence while Ms Murad, 25, who is Yazidi, has campaigned through telling of the sexual abuse she and others suffered at the hands of Islamic State.The gynaecologist and his staff have treated thousands…