Author: LoveWorld UK

British retail sales surged past their pre-coronavirus level in July, the first full month that shops selling non-essential goods were open since the country went into lockdown in March. Separate government borrowing data showed public debt rose above 2 trillion pounds ($2.65 trillion) in July for the first time and reached 100.5% of gross domestic product – its highest as a share of GDP since 1961. The unexpectedly robust retail sales figures showed the strength of consumer demand even as other parts of the economy are struggling to recover from recent hefty losses. Retail sales volumes rose by 3.6% from…

After four thrilling quarter-finals, the upsets stopped at the last four stage in the Champions League, setting up Sunday’s final between Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain. Bayern, five-times winners, are back in the final for the first time since 2013 after ending a streak of four losses in the semi-final stage with Wednesday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Olympique Lyonnais. PSG are in the big game for the first time, having struggled to translate their dominance of the French league into a real challenge in Europe until wins here over Italian club Atalanta and Germany’s RB Leipzig secured their place.…

Allies of stricken Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny accused the Kremlin of thwarting his medical evacuation to Germany on Friday, saying the decision placed his life in mortal danger because the Siberian hospital treating him was under-equipped. Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin and his lieutenants, is in a serious condition after drinking tea on Thursday morning that his allies believe was laced with poison. A doctor on Friday said his condition had improved a little overnight. Navalny’s wife Yulia, and his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, spoke out against the Kremlin after the head doctor at the hospital in Siberia…

Britain’s public debt has surpassed 2 trillion pounds ($2.65 trillion) for the first time, underscoring the challenge for finance minister Rishi Sunak, who is under pressure to give even more emergency support for the pandemic-hit economy. Net debt in July, excluding public banks, rose to 2.004 trillion pounds. That’s equivalent to 100.5% of Britain’s economic output, the highest since 1961 when the country was still struggling with the costs of fighting World War Two. The debt surge reflects a huge increase in government spending, ranging from its massive coronavirus job subsidy scheme and tax cuts to discounts for restaurant diners,…

The Swiss government on Thursday rejected a proposal to appoint supreme court judges by lottery, a system it said would make the court appear less legitimate. Supreme court judges are members of political parties and rely on them to be elected and re-elected, potentially exposing them to political pressure. A referendum campaign, led by entrepreneur Adrian Gasser, seeks to reform the system. But, ahead of a binding referendum on the issue required under the Swiss system of direct democracy, some legal experts and now the government have criticised the campaign’s idea of drawing lots from a pool of suitable candidates.…

Haiti’s school children missed class this year first due to months of violent unrest, then the coronavirus pandemic. Now, as schools are finally reopening, many parents can no longer afford it, raising the prospect hard-won gains in education could be lost. “The deadline to pay is next Monday. Without paying, I won’t be able to attend the class,” said Nickerla Etienne, 16, through streams of tears, after being sent home from her private school in the capital, Port-au-Prince, for failing to pay up. While the pandemic has disrupted education worldwide, the situation is especially acute in Haiti, where just an…

Bayern Munich powered into the Champions League final, where they will face Paris St Germain, as two goals from Serge Gnabry led them to an emphatic 3-0 win over Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday. Bayern will bid for their sixth European Cup triumph when they come up against Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on Sunday and after convincingly beating Chelsea, Barcelona and now Lyon, Hansi Flick’s side will surely start as favourites. The Germans are unbeaten in 2020, winning 24 of 25 matches in all competitions and they have won every Champions League game this season. No team has ever won the…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government was facing fresh criticism on Thursday over its handling of grading for school exams after results for hundreds of thousands of students were pulled. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has been accused of overseeing a fiasco over how grades have been awarded to teenagers who were unable to take their exams because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Exam board Pearson announced late on Wednesday that it would recalculate grades for BTECs, specialist work-related qualifications, just hours before students were due to receive their results. Its decision came days after the government bowed to pressure from angry…

Paris St Germain reached their first ever Champions League final with a convincing 3-0 win over RB Leipzig on Tuesday, finally delivering the reward of the biggest game in European football for their Qatari backers. Goals from Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria put PSG 2-0 up at the interval and Juan Bernat added the third in the 56th minute for what was a comfortable victory at the Estadio da Luz. The French club, celebrating the 50th anniversary of their founding in 1970, will meet the winner of Wednesday’s other semi between Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyonnais after ending what some…

Police declared a riot at an anti-racism protest in the U.S. city of Portland late on Tuesday and ordered demonstrators to leave, saying people vandalised an office building and threw in “burning material”. Largely peaceful protests have been held across the United States in recent weeks after the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man, while in Minneapolis police custody. Protests in cities, including Portland, have at times erupted into arson and violence, and federal officers sent into the Northwestern city have repeatedly clashed with crowds targeting the federal courthouse there. “Portland Police has declared the gathering near…