Author: Loveworld UK

Lenders to House of Fraser (HoF), the embattled department store chain, have called in advisers amid growing doubts about its ability to see out the escalating crisis on Britain’s high streets. Sky News has learnt that‎ a syndicate of banks, understood to include HSBC and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, appointed EY earlier this week.The appointment will stoke fears that the retailer’s lenders are preparing for HoF to succumb to the cost pressures and structural changes to the industry which have already claimed the scalps of Maplin and Toys R Us UK this year.EY is understood to have carried…

A “large number” of EU countries are set to impose tougher sanctions on Russia after the Salisbury poisoning. Member states are said to be considering a range of measures – including expelling diplomats – to take effect on Monday.France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark and the Czech Republic have all warned of further action.It is understood nations including France, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania are preparing to expel Russian diplomats or spies posing as diplomats from their countries.”Coordinated measures” will be announced “very shortly”, French President Emmanuel Macron announced.It came after the EU withdrew its ambassador to Russia, a move described…

EU leaders have agreed their opening negotiating position for the final round of Brexit talks. The guidelines adopted at the European Council summit in Brussels, which focus on the future relationship between the UK and the EU, will provide the mandate for the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier in the coming months.Both sides remain committed to a timetable that aims to reach a political declaration outlining the basis of a future agreement by the end of this year, ahead of the UK’s exit from the EU in March 2019. Decision: EU27 has adopted guidelines for the future EU-UK relations after…

Theresa May has shared new information on the Salisbury nerve agent attack with her fellow European leaders, according to the Lithuanian President. Dalia Grybauskaite told Sky News that Mrs May shared “more detailed information” at a dinner in Brussels last night.”I think discussion was very deep – quite interesting and important,” she said.”We got more detailed information from the Prime Minister May and it was very good information. I mean, trustable.”Mrs May’s spokesman confirmed Mrs May has been sharing intelligence on the attack with her EU counterparts.Asked whether she felt she had learnt more at the meeting than she knew…

Fashion chain Next has set out a gloomy outlook for the high street as it reported a second successive set of falling annual profits and warned of a further decline next year. The FTSE 100 retailer said it had experienced its toughest period in a quarter of century as pre-tax profits for the year to 27 January slipped 8% to £726m – and said more “challenging” times were to come.Like-for-like full price sales in stores fell by 9.1% while in marked contrast, online full price sales were up 11.2%.The group expects sales declines in its stores to continue as shoppers…

Asian markets have fallen sharply overnight amid increasing fears of a damaging trade war between China and the US, the world’s largest two economies. Japan’s Nikkei closed 4.5% lower while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down by 2.4%, South Korea’s Kospi lost 3.2%, and China’s Shanghai Composite dropped 3.4% in value – following steep declines on Wall Street earlier.In London, the FTSE 100 fell 0.9% in early trading, having already lost 1.2% on Thursday to finish below the 7,000-mark for the first time since December 2016 – and move it officially into “correction” territory, more than 10% below its most…

Russia has denied involvement in the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury. However, Sky News has spoken to a man who played a key role in the development of Soviet nerve agents – and the novichok programme.Sky Correspondent John Sparks went to visit him.Amongst the water-logged fields of southern Russia, there is a modest looking town with an unusual resident – a scientist who played a key role in the development of Soviet nerve agents.His name is Vladimir Uglev and he told us he was willing to talk about his role in the…

A woman who was found stabbed to death at her home in London and her husband and children who subsequently died in East Sussex have been officially named by police. Laura Cecilia Navarrete De Figueira, 47, her husband Adelino Gabriel Figueira de Faria, 57, and their children Claudio Gabriel, 10 and Joaquin Alejandro, seven, were found dead on 5 March.Police found the bodies of a man and two boys just before 5pm on the beach at Birling Gap seafront in East Sussex.Ms Navarrete De Figueira’s body was found at around 6pm when police arrived at her home in South Road,…

The Bank of England has left interest rates on hold at 0.5% but an unexpected split vote saw two policy makers break cover to call for an immediate hike. Sterling briefly surged past $1.42 to reach a two-month high against the US dollar as the 7-2 split on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) appeared to add to the likelihood that there will be a rise in rates as soon as May.The Bank had already signalled last month that rates would need to rise sooner than previously thought.Experts are divided on whether a move up to 0.75% will come in May…

Donald Trump has threatened former vice president Joe Biden with violence, describing him as “weak, both mentally and physically”. The US President added that his Democrat rival would “go down fast and hard”.It follows comments from Mr Biden, who said he would “beat the hell” out of the President if they were in high school together and Mr Trump disrespected women.Tweeting his response, Mr Trump wrote that “crazy” Joe Biden was “trying to act like a tough guy”.He added: “Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault.”He doesn’t…