Author: LoveWorld UK

Prices in shops in Britain fell again in June as retailers tried to lure shoppers out of their coronavirus caution but the size of the drop was smaller than in May, an industry survey showed on Wednesday. Shop prices fell by 1.6% in annual terms, following a 2.4% drop in May which was the biggest decline since at least 2006, said the British Retail Consortium trade body and market research firm Nielsen. Food inflation held steady at 1.5% but non-food prices dropped by 3.4%. “Consumers have benefited as shop prices have fallen for the 13th consecutive month. However, the situation…

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described striker Mason Greenwood as a “special talent” who needs to be nurtured, after the teenager scored and provided an assist in Tuesday’s 3-0 Premier League win at Brighton & Hove Albion. Greenwood fired United ahead from a jinking solo run capped by a crisp low shot inside the near post, before delivering an inch-perfect cross for Bruno Fernandes to volley home in the second half. It was the 18-year-old Greenwood’s sixth league goal in his breakthrough season — the most by a player aged 18 or under in a single Premier League campaign…

China’s parliament passed national security legislation for Hong Kong on Tuesday, setting the stage for the most radical changes to the former British colony’s way of life since it returned to Chinese rule 23 years ago. Details of the law – which comes in response to last year’s often-violent pro-democracy protests in the city and aims to tackle subversion, terrorism, separatism and collusion with foreign forces – were yet to be released. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam nevertheless welcomed the law’s passage and said it would come into effect later on Tuesday, giving the city’s 7.5 million people little time…

Britain’s house prices fell in annual terms for the first time since 2012 in June as the country reeled from the coronavirus shock to the economy, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Wednesday. Nationwide said its measure of house prices fell by 0.1% compared with June of last year. In monthly terms, prices fell by 1.4%, not as steep as May’s 1.7% fall, which was the biggest drop in more than 11 years. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to an annual rise of 1.0% and a monthly fall of 0.7%. The government eased restrictions on the housing market in…

Alphabet Inc’s Google upended plans by European media companies to block it from harvesting data about their readers and slash some of its dominance in online advertising, seven people involved in the talks said this month. Publishers had expected to use data privacy measures going into effect Aug. 15 to bar Google from storing insights about readers, sapping the data advantage that has enabled it to dominate a market filled with advertisers hungry for information to target potential customers. But Google said it will cut off publishers from a lucrative flow of ads if they follow through with curbing its…

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says there has been an improvement from young attacking trio Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood this season but he could bring in another forward to boost competition for places. Rashford and Martial have contributed 19 goals each in all competitions while Greenwood has scored 12 but Solskjaer said the trio still have to earn their spot. “You need competition for places at United. If you think you’ve got a divine right to be playing every game and are doing so well that we’re not going to look for players to replace you,…

Confidence among British businesses improved in June for the first time since January ahead of the latest relaxation of the country’s coronavirus lockdown, according to a survey published by Lloyds Bank on Tuesday. Business confidence rose by three percentage points to its highest level since March but remained deeply in negative territory at -30%, the survey showed. Slightly fewer companies expected to lay off staff – 41% compared with 44% in May – and the proportion planning a pay freeze edged down. “While the results suggest the economy may be starting to see some improvement, trading conditions remain difficult for…

British mortgage approvals slumped to the lowest on record in May, data from the Bank of England showed on Monday, underscoring the scale of the hit to the housing market from the coronavirus lockdown. The number of mortgage approvals fell to 9,273 – the lowest since comparable records began in October 1997 – from 15,851 in April which was already sharply lower than in previous months. Economists polled by Reuters had expected approvals to rise to 25,000 in May. Before the coronavirus pandemic and the government’s closure of the housing market – which was only lifted in mid-May in England…

Britain has imposed a stringent lockdown on the English city of Leicester following a local flare-up of the novel coronavirus just as Prime Minister Boris Johnson attempts to nudge the United Kingdom back to normality. The United Kingdom has been one of the world’s worst-hit areas, with more than 54,000 suspected deaths, though infections have been waning in recent weeks and Johnson is rolling back nationwide restrictions to revive the economy. However, in Leicester, in the eastern Midlands of England, the seven-day infection rate was 135 cases per 100,000 people, three times higher than the next highest city. Leicester accounted…

Watford were dealt a major blow in their bid to avoid relegation as they suffered a 3-1 home defeat by Southampton after a Danny Ings double and James Ward-Prowse’s stunning late free kick for the visitors in their Premier League game on Sunday. Saints started strongly and took a well-deserved lead in the 16th minute when Ings glided past the challenge of two Watford defenders before curling a low effort into the far corner. Ralph Hasenhuettl’s side were unlucky not to grab a second in the 24th minute when Ward-Prowse skied his effort from close range after latching on to…