Author: LoveWorld UK

Hong Kong’s security and police chiefs said “terrorism” was growing in the city, as government departments rallied on Monday behind Beijing’s plans to introduce national security laws after thousands took to the streets to protest against the move. The security legislation, which could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in Hong Kong and aims to tackle secession, subversion and terrorist activities, has sent shockwaves through the business and diplomatic communities. “Terrorism is growing in the city and activities which harm national security, such as ‘Hong Kong independence’, become more rampant,” Secretary for Security John Lee said in a statement.…

British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has authorised a bailout plan to rescue companies that are seen as strategically important, with the Treasury saying it may step in to support crucial businesses on a “last resort” basis after other options run out. The Treasury told Reuters late on Sunday it may try to save those companies whose failure will “disproportionately harm the economy”. “In exceptional circumstances, where a viable company has exhausted all options and its failure would disproportionately harm the economy, we may consider support on a ‘last resort’ basis,” a spokeswoman from the Treasury said in an emailed statement.…

European shares rose in thin trading on Monday, as optimism over reopening of countries and signs of more stimulus for the battered euro zone economy helped sentiment. The euro zone stock index .STOXXE rose 0.8% in early deals, with the pan-European STOXX 600 up 0.6% and Germany’s DAX .GDAXI up 0.9%. Trading volumes were lower across the board with the U.S., UK and some countries in Asia closed for holidays. Germany’s Bayer AG (BAYGn.DE) jumped 4.3% after saying it had made progress in seeking a settlement over claims its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. Lagardere Capital & Management (LAGA.PA) jumped 7.5% after Bernard…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed his senior adviser Dominic Cummings on Sunday, despite calls from within his own Conservative Party for the aide to resign for driving 250 miles during the coronavirus lockdown. Cummings, architect of the 2016 campaign to leave the EU, came under pressure when newspapers reported he had travelled from London to northern England in March when his wife was ill with COVID-19 symptoms during a nationwide lockdown. With Johnson’s words that he had acted with integrity, Cummings was safe, at least for now. But the row in the governing Conservatives looks set to rumble on.…

The public returned to St Peter’s Square on Sunday to receive Pope Francis’s blessing from his window for the first time in nearly three months as he convoked a year of reflection on the environment. Only a few dozen people went to the square, which was reopened on Monday along with St Peter’s Basilica following coronavirus lockdowns. They kept to social distancing rules and most wore masks. Francis delivered his message via the internet from his library, as those in the square watched on large screens, and then went to the window for the silent blessing. In the past three…

Britain must defend its companies against overseas takeovers in the aftermath of the crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak, a senior British lawmaker said, adding that China’s state-owned companies have drawn on state banks to outbid rivals. “Increasingly, China’s state-owned enterprises have been able to draw on state banks to outbid rivals in Europe and America”, Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and a Conservative Party lawmaker, wrote in the Financial Times newspaper on.ft.com/2Xokfv1. “In a downturn, the difference between state-backed credit and the buying power of normal commercial investors will become starker, further strengthening the hand of…

Lawmakers from Britain’s ruling Conservatives Party on Sunday called for the resignation of Dominic Cummings, the senior adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson who travelled 400 km (250 miles) to northern England during the coronavirus lockdown. Cummings, who masterminded the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union, travelled from London to Durham in late March while his wife showed COVID-19 symptoms when measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus were in place. Johnson had ordered Britons to mostly stay at home and shut down large parts of the economy to curb the outbreak which has left the United Kingdom…

The corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu opens on Sunday in a Jerusalem court, where he will become the first serving Israeli prime minister to face criminal prosecution, in a case he calls a political witch-hunt. Netanyahu is required to appear for the session in Jerusalem District Court, a week after he was sworn in to a record fifth term as head of a unity government, ending more than a year of political deadlock in the wake of three inconclusive elections. He was indicted in November on bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges in three cases involving gifts from millionaire…

Scores of councils in England say they cannot guarantee primaries will reopen on 1 June, throwing government plans to get pupils back to school into chaos. Only 20 of 99 councils to respond to a BBC Breakfast survey said they were advising schools to open more widely on Boris Johnson’s target date. Of the 99 who responded, two thirds (68), could not guarantee schools would reopen to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. It comes as the government prepares to publish scientific advice on its plan. On Thursday the governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland announced plans for a phased return to school for…

The United Kingdom will later on Friday spell out details of its plans for a COVID-19 quarantine for travellers arriving from overseas, a measure that airlines have warned will devastate their industry. The government is expected to announce that all international arrivals, including returning Britons, will be required to self-isolate for 14 days and provide details of where they will be staying to the authorities. The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that those who breached the quarantine would be fined 1,000 pounds with health and border officials carrying out spot checks. “I can’t say just yet how long this quarantine will…