Latest News from Akhbar Libya
2 minutes ago
- Business
Sainsbury's to axe three key services in UK stores by summer
The supermarket chain has confirmed it is shutting its remaining patisserie, hot food and pizza counters. This is expected to occur within weeks, as it released its latest financial results for the year up to March 1, 2025. This decision aims to create more space inside stores so that more fresh food options can be offered to customers. Sainsbury's said its most popular food items sold at its patisseries, hot food, and pizza counters will instead be made available in aisles. It has also announced plans to create new 'On the Go' hubs, which will offer hot food to customers from autumn this year. As reported by The Express, in an update, Sainsbury's said: 'In January, we announced a number of propositional changes to food services in our stores in order to drive growth and availability at a reduced cost to serve, allowing us to create further space to offer more fresh food ranges. 'By early summer, we will have closed patisserie, hot food and pizza counters and are making the most popular items available in aisles. "We have now closed all remaining Sainsbury's Cafés and we are converting our scratch bakeries to bake-off, driving improvements in quality, value and availability throughout the day." They added: 'From the Autumn, we will create new On the Go hubs with flexiserve hot food offerings, delivering an improved customer experience.' This announcement from Sainsbury's follows its decision to install cameras above self-service tills, similar to many UK supermarkets. Recommended reading: Tesco joins Sainsbury's in making major change to self-service checkouts Sainsbury's shoppers 'wont use self-checkouts again' as major change rolled out Haul, the new bargain Amazon site, where everything is under £20 However, customers will be shown a replay of themselves scanning and bagging their shopping if not done correctly. The supermarket has said the new security measure 'offers our customers a smooth checkout experience." However, a selection of shoppers were not impressed and some said they 'won't use a self-checkout again.'
South Wales Argus
2 minutes ago
- General
- South Wales Argus
US coastguard releases video of moment submersible's implosion was heard
The Titan vanished on June 18 2023 on its way to the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean, setting off a five-day search that ended with authorities saying all five passengers had died when the vessel imploded. On board were Stockton Rush, chief executive of the company that built the Titan, along with British explorer Hamish Harding, veteran French diver Paul Henri Nargeolet, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman. The implosion sparked international debate about the future of private deep-sea travel and an ongoing coastguard investigation. After holding public hearings in September, the coastguard last week released a two-and-a-half minute video showing Mr Rush's wife, Wendy Rush, and an OceanGate employee monitoring the submersible's descent from the Polar Prince support ship. The video shows Wendy Rush and Gary Foss sitting in front of a computer. After a faint sound like a closing door, Rush asks: 'What was that bang?' The coastguard said it believes it was the sound of the Titan's implosion reaching the surface of the ocean. About two minutes later, Mr Foss said: 'We've lost tracking.' Concerns were raised after the implosion because of the Titan's unconventional design and its creator's refusal to submit to independent safety checks. OceanGate suspended operations in July 2023.
Rhyl Journal
2 minutes ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Jack Draper completes historic day for Britain at the French Open
The 23-year-old British number one recovered from a slow start to win 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-2 under the roof on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Draper joins the rest of the Brit pack; Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie, in the second round – the first time the nation has had six first-round winners at Roland Garros since 1973. First W in Paris: unlocked 🔓#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2025 It is a far cry from last year, when Draper was among the six first-round losers, as Britain suffered a depressing total wipe-out. Draper seemed to be caught cold at the start of the match, with world number 68 Bellucci audaciously wrapping up the first set with an underarm serve. But Draper, up to four in the world in the live ATP rankings, eventually found his rhythm and eased to his maiden victory at the Paris grand slam in two hours and 35 minutes. History in Paris 🔥 It's the first time in the Open Era that three British men & three British women have won first round matches at @rolandgarros! #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #RolandGarros — LTA (@the_LTA) May 27, 2025 'Bellucci came out and played really aggressively from the start, playing some amazing shots and caught me a little bit off guard,' he said. 'I'm proud of the way I managed to turn the match around. 'It's not about how you start, it's how you finish.'
South Wales Argus
2 minutes ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Irish Government to draft bill to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements
Ireland's deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris received Cabinet approval to draft the law on Tuesday. It is understood the Government bill will ban the trade of goods but not services as the basis in EU law is much weaker for services than it is for goods. Ireland's deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris received Cabinet approval to draft the legilsation (David Young/PA) The Government has opted for fresh legislation instead of progressing the Occupied Territories Bill, first tabled in 2018. The Government has said there is 'a narrow pathway', based on an advisory opinion from the UN's top court, to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said last July that countries should 'take steps to prevent trade or investment relations' that maintain Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, which it deemed illegal. Mr Harris said that the Government had 'not yet been able to identify the narrow pathway on services' but that there is a legal 'pathway' to ban the trade of goods. He said he believed Ireland would become the first country in the western world to consider such legislation and said he hoped it would encourage other countries to do likewise. Irish premier Micheal Martin told the Dail parliament that there is 'very little' trade between Ireland and the occupied territories but said the ban was an important symbolic move. He was responding to questions from Social Democrats TD Sinead Gibney who said that the Dail was 'running out of time' to pass the goods ban before the summer recess. 'Just for the record, there is no major trade between Ireland and the occupied territories, there is very little actually,' Taoiseach Micheal Martin said on Tuesday. He added: 'But that's not the point, the point is it is a symbolic move and that is important in itself.' In relation to Sinn Fein's bill that aims to give Ireland's Finance Minister the powers to impose restrictive measures on securities issued by or on behalf of Israel, the Government said the proposals were 'unworkable'. Mr Martin said the legislation proposed by Sinn Fein was 'simply unworkable' and 'has been written in a manner that in no shape or form could ever be made workable'. He said it does not focus on Israel 'at all' and said the review of the EU-Israel Association could have a 'far greater influence'. A Government spokesperson said the proposed Sinn Fein bill was asking for an activity that does not take place in Ireland – Israeli bonds are not listed on the Irish Stock Exchange nor are they available to purchase through any regulated entity in the State – to end. The spokesperson said that the bill does not prevent securities or bonds from the Israeli state being issued nor does it prevent Israel from raising money by selling bonds.
Rhyl Journal
2 minutes ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Toilet use at Holyrood will not be ‘policed', MSPs told
Concerns were raised at Holyrood over this month's decision by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) on toilet facilities. Green co-leader Patrick Harvie referenced an open letter to the parliamentary decision-making body, saying that this expressed 'serious concerns about the decision that has been made recently' to ban transgender people from the toilet facilities of their preferred gender. The letter has been signed by 17 MSPs from four political parties, and 31 members of staff, Mr Harvie said. Raising the issue in an urgent question at Holyrood, Mr Harvie demanded a commitment that 'nobody will be asked to provide birth certificates or other paperwork' when using a toilet if someone suspects them of being transgender. Christine Grahame, a member of the SPCB, told the Green co-leader: 'I can assure him this is not going to be policed by the corporate body.' She added: 'We are certainly not monitoring the use of public facilities as a corporate body.' Her comments came after the SPCB announced the change earlier this month, with the move coming in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling. Judges there made clear the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex' – with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) stating as a result that in workplaces which are open to the public, transgender people should not be permitted to use facilities which correspond with their identified gender. Speaking about the SPCB's decision, Ms Grahame insisted: 'There is nothing in here that will take away from the rights of anybody entering this Parliament.' Adding that Holyrood decision makers were awaiting 'full guidance from EHRC' she said the current poliicy was 'simply interim' – appealing to those concerned about the change with 'bear with the corporate body until we are able to do a full consultation'. Ms Grahame stressed the SPCB had made a 'collective and cross-party decision' on the matter, which sought to 'provide assurance it is committed to offering an inclusive experience for all of those who work in and visit Holyrood'. Equalities campaigners, however, had already complained the decision leaves transgender people feeling excluded at the 'heart of Scotland's democracy'. But Ms Grahame said: 'I certainly hope and expect that this will not put anybody in this Parliament into a hostile environment, that is not the culture within this building. 'This simply an interim decision, an interim practical choice we made to comply with Supreme Court ruling. 'There is now a full consultation going ahead and I fully expect at the end of that members will see that important balance of the rights of individuals, whatever their position, is dealt with appropriately and with sensitivity.'
