Author: LoveWorld UK

The Covid-19 inquiry has extended the deadline for evidence to be submitted, amid an ongoing tug-of-war over whether Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and notebooks will be handed over to it. The previous deadline had been 4pm today, but after a request to delay it for a week until 5 June, the chair of the inquiry has granted a “short extension” until 4pm on Thursday. The Cabinet Office has so far refused to hand over the documents, and has reportedly said the inquiry does not have the rights over the documents. The inquiry has said that its demand for the documents has been widened to include a…

UK banks are paying savers “measly” rates on their cash even as the Bank of England has taken its base interest rate to the highest level in more than a decade, according to a study from the consumer group Which?. Consumers face rates as low as 0.1% for some instant access savings accounts, Which? found. That appears particularly low when compared with the Bank of England’s key interest rate, which was set at 4.5% in May. This is the highest level for the central bank’s base rate since 2008, in the height of the global financial crisis. Such a high…

The UK has been accused of wrongly labelling refugees and trafficking victims as criminals in a critical report from European representatives. The report from a committee of the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly has warned ministers they could be at risk of breaching their international obligations and the rule of law with their new legislation. While the UK has historically been held up as a model for other European states with its integration of European human rights law into domestic law with the 1998 Human Rights Act, the new report raises a litany of concerns about the UK’s current direction of travel –…

Asda is finalising a deal to buy its sister business EG Group’s UK and Irish petrol forecourts in a deal worth £3bn, allowing the supermarket to step up its shift into convenience retailing. The businesses are expected to formally announce a long-awaited tie-up in the next few days, which will create a combined business worth about £10bn. The two groups are owned by the billionaire Issa brothers and the private equity firm TDR Capital, and are chaired by former Marks & Spencer boss Stuart Rose. Asda is expected to pay about £3bn for EG, supported by about £500m lent by the…

The backlash against Target continues as conservative groups launch petitions and campaigns demanding that the company remove LGBT products, particularly merchandise aimed at children. Target came under fire this week as details of the store’s “Pride Month” merchandise, which included products made for children, appeared on social media and were picked up by news outlets. Calls to give the retailer the “Bud-Light treatment” have grown louder on social media over Target’s embrace of rainbow-colored onesies for babies and “tuck-friendly” women’s swimsuits for men identifying as women. Target responded by removing some of the LGBT merchandise, citing safety concerns for employees…

President Joe Biden has come under pressure as Democrats in Congress are dissatisfied with how the debt ceiling talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have progressed and may vote against a deal that they believe compromises too much. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) issued a warning on May 25 to Biden and McCarthy that members of his caucus wouldn’t automatically accept any debt-ceiling compromise made between the two if it violates the party’s core principles. When asked if Republican leaders were wrong to assume that House Democrats would support a Republican bill backed by Biden, Jeffries responded, “Yes.”…

To February’s Carabao Cup triumph Erik ten Hag adds the gilded prize of Champions League qualification, and his first year in charge of Manchester United could still end with FA Cup glory too. The coup de grace was applied by the irrepressible Bruno Fernandes in the closing stages. The Portuguese nutmegged Wesley Fofana, who clipped his ankle. The referee, Stuart Attwell, awarded a penalty: Fernandes took the spot-kick by waiting for Kepa Arrizabalaga to commit himself, then aimed the ball straight and in. Cue some needless contretemps from each set of players for reasons unclear before Fernandes turned creator. The hapless Fofana…

China hosted a Central Asia Summit in its historic city of Xi’an on May 18 and 19, one day before this year’s Group of Seven (G-7) Summit in Japan’s Hiroshima from May 19 to 21. The Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with heads of state from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in one-on-one meetings, touting “long-lasting friendship” with these former Soviet Union republics. Xi’an, originally known as Xianyang and Chang’an, was the capital of several powerful Chinese dynasties, including the Qin, Han, and Tang. It was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road during the Han Dynasty. China…

The high court in Delhi has issued a summons to the BBC in a defamation case over a documentary on the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, that questioned his leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots, according to reports in Indian media. The defamation suit states that the documentary India: The Modi Question, which aired earlier this year, cast a slur on India’s reputation and that of its judiciary and the prime minister, the reports said. The summons came months after Indian tax officials inspected the BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai in February after an angry response by the Indian government to the documentary.

Manchester City have never enjoyed a more dominant moment – or a more tantalising one. A third Premier League title in a row and fifth in six seasons? Check. It had been sealed when Arsenal lost at Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening – what happened on the pitch here felt incidental. It was a party in sky blue, beginning inside the Etihad Stadium when the Chelsea players lined up to give the champions a pre-match guard of honour and rolling all the way through to the pitch invasion from thousands of City fans at full time. The lack of jeopardy or drama…