Author: Loveworld UK

All 71 people travelling on a Russian plane which crashed near Moscow have been killed, according to Russian authorities. The AN-148 aircraft had disappeared from radars within two minutes of taking off from Domodedovo Airport in Moscow. Two bodies have been found at the site, according to an official at Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry. An emergency services source told Tass news agency there are no survivors. The Emergencies Ministry said it had sent crews to the crash site, in Stepanovskoye. Russian media reports the crews could not get to the site by vehicle and had to go by foot. Tass…

Eurostar has announced that a new direct service between London and Amsterdam will begin on 4 April. There will initially be two trains per day from London’s St Pancras station, each taking three hours and 41 minutes to reach Amsterdam Centraal. Return journeys will require a change at Brussels, a temporary measure until the UK and Dutch governments reach an agreement on passport procedures. Until then, passengers will need to go through security and get their passports checked in the Belgian capital. But Eurostar said that, with up to 10 trains a day from Brussels to London, the connection “should…

The Bank of England has signalled that interest rates are to rise earlier and more sharply than previously thought as it upgraded forecasts for UK growth. Rate-setters unanimously voted to leave rates on hold for now at 0.5% but gave new guidance on their future path which sent the pound up by a cent against the US dollar to $1.40. The Bank’s upgrade for UK growth in its quarterly inflation report comes as the global economy expands more quickly than expected. It said that monetary policy would now “need to be tightened somewhat earlier and by a somewhat greater extent”…

January was the second-worst month on record for NHS A&E departments, with 85.3% of patients seen and treated or discharged within the four-hour target. The figure is well short of the target of dealing with 95% of patients within that timeframe, but a slight improvement on the December figure of 85.1%, which was the joint-worst on record. While there was a slight improvement across all emergency departments, performance at Type 1 A&Es, defined as consultant-led 24 hours facilities, was the worst-ever at 77.1%. Type 1 departments see close to 70% of patients and include most large hospital emergency departments where…

North Korea has held a military parade in a show of strength on the eve of the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Pictures of the event, which included a display of weapons including missiles, guns and armoured vehicles, were broadcast on state television. Thousands of goose-stepping troops could be seen saluting a smiling Kim Jong Un, who was dressed in black, flanked by military personnel and also his wife Ri Sol Ju in a rare appearance. Performers holding aloft colourful props also lined up to form words and slogans during the procession in Kim II Sung Square. Mr Kim told…

Department store chain Debenhams is planning to axe around 320 roles in a store management shake-up. The retailer said it was part of a £10m cost-cutting plan announced last month – when it issued a profits warning after a weak performance over the Christmas period. It aims to redeploy staff affected by the cuts and the changes will not mean any store closures. Debenhams said last year that ten stores were under review for closure if they became unprofitable. Two stores – in Eltham and Farnborough – closed at the end of January under that review, affecting a total of…

Israel archaeologists announced the discovery of a large pool and a fountain dating back 1,500 years at the site of an ancient church near Jerusalem. The discovery of the large pool at Ein Hanniya Park is getting a lot of attention. The site may be where the Ethiopian eunuch’s conversion as recorded in the New Testament took place. “We believe that some early Christian commentators identified Ein Hanniya as the site where the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized, as described in Acts 8:26–40,” said Jerusalem District Archaeologist Dr. Yuval Baruch, in a statement. “The baptism of the eunuch by St. Philip…

Downing Street has insisted that Britain will “categorically” leave the customs union as a crucial week of Brexit negotiations begins both with the EU and inside the Cabinet. Seeking to calm the fears of some backbench critics who have accused Chancellor Philip Hammond of seeking to pursue his own policy aimed at keeping Britain as closely aligned as possible with the EU, a No 10 source said last night: “It is not our policy to be in the customs union.” The source said they would be seeking an “arrangement” with the EU to ensure trade remained as “frictionless” as possible…

Snowfall in south-east England has triggered a series of pile ups and travel disruption on the roads as forecasters expect “one of the coldest weeks of this winter so far”. Snow, sleet and ice warnings kicked in on Monday for large parts of the country as police urged motorists to drive carefully and allow extra time for journeys after “heavy snowfall” on a stretch of the M20 caught out early morning commuters and caused collisions involving several vehicles. Kent Police tweeted images of the smashes, including one of an overturned vehicle, warning drivers: “Be aware. Extra time. Allow space watch…

A senior Yemeni commander has told Sky News the government is winning the civil war. Speaking from recently captured ground on top of Mount Nmeh, General Nasser al Dhaybani said his troops are moving closer to the capital Sana’a “every day” and will retake it “as soon as the conditions are right”. He described controversial Saudi airstrikes as “excellent” and “helpful” but said he did not want to destroy the city because “there are two million civilians there and they are also Yemenis”. “Instead we are taking the mountains around it,” he said. The officer’s optimism is at odds with…