Author: Loveworld UK

Retail sales grew more rapidly than expected in July, thanks to the record hot summer and the World Cup. Sales increased by 0.7% in July – a slight recovery from June’s 0.5% decrease – and were 3.5% higher than the same time last year, figures from the Office for National Statistics show.Figures for the three months to July showed retail sales grew by 2.1% on the previous three months, the biggest increase since February 2015.The ONS said many consumers stayed away from high streets – but food sales remained “robust” and online sales were very strong, boosted by discounts. Image:…

England rugby star Danny Cipriani has been fined after pleading guilty to charges of assault in a bar on Jersey. The 30-year-old fly-half pleaded guilty at Jersey Magistrates’ Court to resisting arrest and common assault.Mike Preston, defending, said Cipriani had suffered “extreme embarrassment and knows he has let himself, his family and his club down”.Cipriani, who has only just returned to the England squad, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday after arguing with a doorman at the Royal Yacht Hotel in St Helier and grappling with police.Prosecutor Samantha Morris Morris said the incident began when the doorman stopped…

Up to 20 people could be buried under the rubble of the bridge that collapsed this week in the Italian city of Genoa, officials have said. At least 39 people died in the disaster, which has prompted a year-long state of emergency to be declared in the region.As rescuers search through the debris, Genoa chief prosecutor Francesco Cozzi told reporters that “there could be 10 to 20 persons still missing”.Fifteen people are injured and at least seven victims have been pulled out of the rubble alive.Italy’s populist government has attacked one of the country’s biggest business families and the European…

At least 22 people, the majority of whom are children, are dead after a boat sank in the River Nile in Sudan. The boat was carrying more than 40 pupils, on their way to school in the north of the country, before suffering a technical failure, according to Sudan’s state news agency.At least 21 students and a woman were killed in the country’s northern River Nile state, with civil defence forces searching waters for the missing but yet to recover any bodies.A female hospital employee was among those drowned near the small village of Kabna, 470 miles north of Sudan’s…

A family of three who were driving to Sardinia for a holiday were reportedly among those killed in a bridge collapse in Genoa, Italy. Roberto Robbiano, his wife Ersilia Piccinino and their seven-year-old son Samuele are believed to have died when their car plummeted to the ground after a section of the Morandi viaduct collapsed during torrential rain on Tuesday.Mr Robbiano, a 41-year-old computer technician, posted a photo of Sardinia on his Facebook page just hours before the family were killed. Image: Samuele’s toys were reportedly found in the wreckage of the car. Pic: Facebook Italian media reported that Samuele’s…

A shop manager from Birmingham is the main suspect after a car was driven at cyclists and pedestrians in Parliament Square during Tuesday morning’s rush hour. Salih Khater was arrested at the scene on Tuesday and has been in police custody.He was arrested on suspicion of terror offences and subsequently, on suspicion of attempted murder.Police are treating the act as deliberate.This is what we know about Khater so far.:: How old is Khater?We first heard he was in his 20s, and now know he is 29 years old. 2:00 Video: How Westminster terror attack unfolded :: Where is he from?Khater…

Rail passengers will see the price of regulated fares go up by a maximum of 3.2% next year. July’s Retail Price Index (RPI) – the rate of inflation which is used to set ticket prices – was down on June’s 3.4% figure, the Office for National Statistics said. Economists were expecting it to stay the same.This affects about 40% of fares, including season tickets on most commuter routes, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys and anytime tickets around major cities.Many long-distance commuters will see the annual cost of getting to work increase by more than £150 as a result.A…

The suspect held over the Westminster terror crash was in the capital to get a Sudanese visa, Sky News understands. Salih Khater – a British citizen of Sudanese origin – had his papers with him and was trying to apply for a visa via the Sudanese embassy, trustee of Birmingham central mosque Nassar Mahmood said.The 29-year-old suspect was not known as “fervent worshipper” in Birmingham, Mr Mahmood added.He remains in police custody after his arrest on suspicion of preparing an act of terror. Police confirmed they had also arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder. Image: The damage to the…

The pound fell below $1.27 against the US dollar for the first time since June last year. Sterling – already weakened amid political turmoil over the government’s Brexit blueprint – slid to £1.2689 in early morning trade – before recovering slightly to $1.2713.The fall was its weakest since 23 June 2017 when it hit $1.2679.The move was attributed to the strength of the dollar, with the value of sterling little changed versus the euro.The drop against the dollar also comes on the back of weaker-than-forecast wage growth figures which were released on Tuesday.Average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, rose by 2.7%…

Homebase has revealed the locations of the 42 stores it is planning to close, placing 1,500 jobs at risk. Sky News reported last week that the company was exploring store closures to save costs.The retailer is closing the stores via a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA), a controversial insolvency procedure used by struggling firms to shut under-performing shops.Hilco Capital, which struck a deal to buy the DIY chain for £1 in May, has been working on the CVA since buying Homebase from Wesfarmers, the Australian group.Westfarmers admitted earlier this year to a series of “self-induced” blunders as it revealed a £584m…