Author: Loveworld UK

Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has insisted he made no deals with Russia as part of the US presidential campaign. Following a closed-door Senate committee hearing on Monday, the senior White House aide told waiting media he had answered all the questions put to him. On Tuesday, House committee members will ask their questions, again in closed session. The focus will once again be his meetings with Russian officials and why he failed to fully disclose his foreign contacts when getting his security clearance. Speaking after Monday’s appearance, Mr Kushner said: “All of my actions were proper.” He added: “I…

Israel has removed controversial metal detectors at the entrance to a holy site in an attempt to defuse violent protests. Security forces removed the devices from a compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and Jews as Temple Mount during a pre-dawn operation ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The metal detectors were installed after Arab gunmen killed two policemen from inside the shrine earlier this month. The move incensed the Muslim world and triggered some of the bloodiest clashes between Israelis and Palestinians for years, with seven people killed over the weekend. Following a second day of talks, Israel’s security…

There were 86,055 advertised full-time vacancies in the NHS in the first quarter of 2017 compared with 78,112 in the same period last year, new figures from NHS Digital show. Figures released by NHS England show that in March there were 30,613 vacant full-time equivalent positions advertised, compared to 26,424 in the same month in 2016. Of those positions vacant in March 2017, 11,485 positions were in nursing and midwifery (38% of the 30,613 total) and 6,575 (21%) were clerical or administrative. It comes after it emerged that a London hospital is recruiting doctors directly from India to avoid getting into a…

Donald Trump’s lawyer has insisted that a meeting between the President’s eldest son and Russian nationals during last year’s election was not illegal. Lawyer Jay Sekulow distanced his client from the June 2016 meeting, saying that the President did not know about it at the time. “Donald Trump Jr himself said things should have been done differently”, Mr Sekulow said in an interview with ABC. “Having said that again, none of that is violation of the law, that’s more process.” He also suggested that as the Secret Service allowed the meeting to take place it was not “nefarious”. Mr Sekulow…

Construction giant Carillion – which issued a profit warning this month as it grapples badly-performing contracts – is among companies chosen to build phase one of the HS2 rail line. The announcement injected some life back into its battered share price on Monday – a week after its chief executive quit when Carillion admitted an £845m hit to its finances. Shares rose 8% in early deals as a string of major firms were awarded contracts to design and construct bridges, tunnels, embankments and viaducts for the infrastructure project – expected to cost £55bn. The other companies included Skanska Construction UK, Costain and…

Britain is embarking on the first full round of Brexit negotiations, as the Cabinet remains in all-out war over the Government’s negotiating strategy. Brexit Secretary David Davis, arriving in Brussels this morning, told waiting media: “Now it’s time to get down to work and make this a successful negotiation.” He said negotiators had made a good start last month but that they would now be working “on the substance of the matter”. He is in Brussels for four days of talks that will focus on protecting EU citizens in the UK and Britons living in Europe. But as the talks…

The author of a government review into work practices is calling for the end of the “cash-in-hand economy”. Matthew Taylor, whose report is out on Tuesday, said cash jobs like window cleaning and decorating were worth up to £6bn a year, much of it untaxed. The also review recommends that firms which have a “controlling and supervisory” relationship with workers would have to pay a range of benefits. That includes millions of pounds in national insurance contributions. The recommendations are part of a much wider review into modern working practices, including the gig economy. Mr Taylor’s report recommends a new…

Cheap missiles from Russia and China are a major threat to expensive assets such as Britain’s new aircraft carriers, a think tank has warned. Russia and China have gained the surveillance and precision strike capabilities to put western ships, large military aircraft and even any land system at “serious risk” – even the most heavily armoured. The warning comes in a report by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), which calls for the Ministry of Defence to place a higher priority on protecting the country against these threats. The report said: “The UK’s potential adversaries have also focused on developing…

Theresa May has called on opposition parties to work with her on issues like counter-terrorism, Brexit and workers’ rights. The Prime Minister’s call came ahead of a major speech on Tuesday, during which she is expected to urge other parties to “come forward with your own views and ideas” to help the Government debate key issues and find a “better way forward”. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the Commons Mrs May’s government has “run out of steam” at a “pivotal moment for our country and the world”. When asked what topics she would like to work with other parties on, Mrs…

The billionth new £1 coin has rolled off the Royal Mint’s production line, as shoppers and retailers prepare to bid farewell to the ’round pound’. The new 12-sided pound coin entered circulation in March and boasts high-tech security features to combat counterfeiting. Around one in every 30 £1 coins in people’s change in recent years has been fake. Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Jones, who is visiting the Royal Mint’s headquarters in Wales to mark the one billion milestone, said: “This coin is the most secure of its kind in the world and was brought in to clamp down…