Author: Loveworld UK

Liam Fox has accused Brussels of trying to “blackmail” the UK into agreeing a Brexit divorce bill. On a business delegation to Japan, the International Trade Secretary expressed frustration at the European Union’s insistence on agreeing a settlement before moving on to trade talks. He told Sky News: “I think there is frustration that we have not been able to get on that longer-term issue, that we’re stuck on this separation issue and we’re not able to get onto the issues that will matter in the longer term for the future prosperity of the UK and the people of Europe.”…

Teenagers across England will find out this morning how well they did in their GCSE exams. These will be the first results using a system of number grades instead of the familiar A* to G grades, following the biggest overhaul of the exam system in a generation. Under the new system, traditional A* to G grades have been replaced with a 9 to 1 system, with 9 the highest mark. The grade 7 is broadly equivalent to an A under the old system, while a 4 is broadly equivalent to a C. Three core subjects – maths, English language and English…

Tesco has opened its £85m compensation scheme for shareholders who lost money after being misled by the company’s overstatement of its profits three years ago. Around 10,000 retail investors are expected to qualify for an average pay-out of around £400 each under the scheme. Tesco announced the scheme, which is being administered by the accountancy and business services firm KPMG, in March this year as part of a settlement it reached with the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Conduct Authority. The grocery giant stunned investors when, in September 2014, it admitted that it had overstated its profits by £263m following an…

The pound has hit a fresh eight-year low against the euro after the single currency was boosted by strong economic data while the UK still faces Brexit uncertainty. Sterling slipped close to €1.08 as it continued a recent slide which has taken it beyond previous post-referendum lows. It has not been as low since October 2009 when it came close to parity with the euro. The pound’s weakness will add to the expense for British holidaymakers currently on the continent, making meals, hotel stays and road tolls priced in euros more costly. It came as the single currency was boosted…

Donald Trump has laid the way for an increase in US troops in Afghanistan, vowing he would “fight to win” America’s longest war. The President said his original instinct was to pull US forces out but he now feared such a move would leave a vacuum for terrorists to fill. Mr Trump did not specify how many more troops would be added and gave no timeline for ending the US presence in Afghanistan. But officials said he had signed off on Defense Secretary James Mattis’ plans to send about 4,000 more to add to the 8,400 now deployed. In a…

Lidl has overtaken Waitrose to become Britain’s seventh largest supermarket in the latest sign of belt-tightening shoppers turning to discounters. The German-owned business grew sales by 18.9% in the 12 weeks to 13 August, taking its market share to 5.2%, according to industry data from Kantar Worldpanel. That puts it ahead of upmarket Waitrose, at 5.1%, and comes as a separate report from Nielsen suggested squeezed consumers were cutting back on grocery spending to save money. Waitrose had already fallen behind Lidl’s low-cost rival Aldi – which is now the fifth biggest chain. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons still lead…

A baby has been pulled alive from the rubble of a house after an earthquake struck the Italian holiday island of Ischia. The seven-month-old boy had been trapped with his family for seven hours following the 4.0-magnitude tremor on Monday, which killed at least one person. Firefighters are continuing to try to reach his two brothers, aged five and seven, who are said to be responding to rescuers and have been given bottles of water. The quake struck at around 9pm local time, killing an elderly woman who was inside a church when the tremor caused it to collapse. Dozens…

China says it will stop importing North Korean coal, iron ore, fish and other goods in September as it implements UN sanctions. The UN Security Council, including China, backed a new resolution last weekend imposing fresh sanctions on the rogue state in retaliation for its controversial nuclear programme. The sanctions aim to block $1bn worth of North Korean exports – about a third of its total exports. The Chinese government said the imports will stop on 5 September. It came as US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford said military options were being prepared against the North if diplomatic…

British consumers shunned the high street in sale season and also reined in their spending on leisure pursuits last month. Footfall – visitors to Britain’s brick-and-mortar retail stores – declined 1.1% in July, the biggest fall since January, said the British Retail Consortium. Figures released by the BRC showed high streets were the hardest hit with a 2.1% drop, while shopping centres saw a 1.3% fall. However, retail parks bucked the trend with a 1.7% increase in footfall, down to in part “convenience for shoppers”, the BRC said. BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “The overall decline in footfall translated…

North Korea says it will have a fully developed plan for striking Guam with intermediate range missiles by mid-August. A state media report suggests the US territory could be attacked by four missiles – and Kim Jong Un will be able to decide whether to proceed within days. The rockets would land in waters about 18 to 25 miles away from Guam, an island that is home to about 163,000 people – as well as a US military base. President Trump has warned North Korea that it will be met with “fire and fury” if it issues any more threats…