Author: LoveWorld UK

 Construction of new office space in central London fell by 50% in the six months to the end of September as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on major cities kept developers away, according to a survey published on Monday. The amount of new space under construction plunged to 2.6 million square feet, taking volumes back to their historical averages after a pre-pandemic boom, Deloitte Real Estate’s London Office Crane Survey showed. The survey also showed a higher-than-average 40% of new construction was pre-let, signalling less speculative building. At least six speculative schemes were put entirely on hold pending more…

Premiership Rugby will be allowed to access texts, emails and bank statements of players and club officials to maintain the integrity of a salary cap system and avoid another scandal that led to former champions Saracens being relegated this year. Saracens, winners of four Premiership titles in the past six years, were sanctioned for spending above the league’s 7 million pound ($9.28 million) salary cap and were docked points before being relegated from the top flight this season. Premiership Rugby’s salary cap manager Andrew Rogers said he would scrutinise communications such as emails, text messages, WhatsApp messages of club officials…

Are you a “user-experience” gun for hire? Well, your time has come. Even as retailers lay off hundreds of thousands of workers globally in response to the pandemic, they are seeking to capitalise on a consumer rush online. They are recruiting e-commerce experts to help maximise sales, as some brands like Ralph Lauren RL.N and Pandora PNDORA.CO launch more ambitious online plans to simulate the physical shopping experience, such as 3D-effect virtual stores. U.S. digital recruiter Ecommercejobs.com has seen inquiries increase by around 30% since the start of the pandemic, president Harry Joiner said. London-based 24 Seven Inc is also fielding more searches for…

Real Madrid are set to be without captain Sergio Ramos for their Champions League trip to Inter Milan after they confirmed on Thursday that he suffered a hamstring injury on international duty with Spain. Ramos was substituted in the first half of the team’s 6-0 thrashing of Germany on Tuesday. “After undergoing tests under the supervision of Real Madrid’s medical team, Sergio Ramos has picked up a hamstring problem,” Real said in a statement. Local media reported that Ramos will miss the visit to high-flying Villarreal in La Liga this weekend and the Champions League trip to Inter Milan next…

Britain borrowed a record 215 billion pounds in the first seven months of the financial year, highlighting the challenge facing finance minister Rishi Sunak as he prepares new spending plans. Borrowing in October alone came in below all economists’ forecasts in a Reuters poll at 22.3 billion pounds, and September’s borrowing was also revised sharply lower. But debt remained only slightly lower than a 60-year high as a share of the economy. Separate official data published on Friday showed retail sales rose 1.2% in October, and were 5.8% higher than a year earlier, stronger than all poll forecasts. However, retailers…

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Kabul on Thursday to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, at a time when peace negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban representatives have stalled and violence is rising. This will be Khan’s first visit to Afghanistan since assuming office over two years ago. It is the highest profile visit by a Pakistani official to Kabul since peace talks began between the Taliban and the Afghan government in the Qatari capital of Doha. And it comes days after the Pentagon announced it would reduce the number of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan from…

Home improvement retailer Kingfisher KGF.L on Thursday reported a 17.4% jump in underlying sales over the third quarter to Oct. 31 as it continued to benefit from the popularity of do-it-yourself (DIY) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group, which owns B&Q and Screwfix in Britain and Castorama and Brico Depot in France and other markets, said underlying, or like-for-like, sales growth slowed to 12.6% in its fourth quarter so far to Nov. 14, largely reflecting the impact of more recent lockdown measures. The pandemic has meant people are spending more time at home, have fewer leisure options and are traveling less. “Our…

A frustrated Lionel Messi said he is tired of being blamed for problems at Barcelona after he was accused by Antoine Griezmann’s former agent of making life difficult for the French striker at the La Liga club. Eric Olhats had accused Messi of having too much control at the club, saying his “reign of terror” had made life difficult for Griezmann to adapt since his arrival last year. Messi returned to Barcelona from international duty with Argentina on Wednesday when he was accosted by reporters at the airport. “The truth is that I’m a little tired of always being the…

 Royal Mail RMG.L raised its full-year revenue forecast on Thursday as it gained from the surge in online shopping spurred by coronavirus lockdowns, while warning it was still struggling with the costs of social distancing and its loss-making letters business. The company said it now expects revenue to be 380 million to 580 million pounds higher year-on-year and that its main UK operation could break even if it hit the top end of that forecast. The company, Britain’s state-owned postal monopoly until its privatisation in 2013, said pre-tax profit dropped to 17 million pounds for the six months ended Sept. 27 from…

Several thousand people banging saucepans and blowing whistles gathered in central Berlin on Wednesday to protest against Angela Merkel’s plans to give her government powers to enforce restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. Germany’s lower and upper houses of parliament are due to pass laws later on Wednesday which could allow the government to impose restrictions on social contact, rules on mask-wearing, drinking alcohol in public, shutting shops and stopping sports events. Although most Germans accept the latest “lockdown light” to tackle a second wave of the coronavirus, critics say the law gives the government too much…