Author: BBC

Sainsbury’s has reported a slowdown in sales after the soggy spring weather hit trading at its Argos business.The UK’s second largest supermarket said it had seen strong food sales, but the wet weather hit demand for garden equipment and outdoor furniture at Argos.Sales overall were up 3% in the 16 weeks to 22 June, Sainsbury’s said, but this was slower than in the previous quarter.One analyst suggested the Argos business was an “albatross” around the supermarket’s neck.Sainsbury’s saw food sales rise 4.8%, with Nectar offers and Aldi price matching helping to attract shoppers. It also said its ‘Taste the Difference’…

11 minutes agoBy Michelle Roberts, Digital health editorEddie’s familyEddie was treated for his cancer at Great Ormond Street Hospital in LondonChildren with cancer are getting better treatment thanks to a genetic test the NHS has been offering, say experts. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) checks the entire DNA code of the tumour to identify each cancer-causing mutation. That information helps doctors quickly decide what medicines will work best. It can also give clues about why the cancer occurred and whether family members might be at risk too. Eddie’s storyEddie’s familyEddie is now clear of cancerEddie, from London, was six when he became unwell…

A play which has not been performed for more than 350 years after it was considered “too controversial” will be brought back to life in Kent.The Canterbury Players are performing The Amorous Prince or The Curious Husband, by Aphra Behn, from 2-4 July at Canterbury Christ Church University.The play has not been shown since 1671, when many people felt the topics it poked fun at should not be joked about on stage.“It’s an exciting challenge because there’s nothing really to go from,” said director Natalie Cox. “We can imprint our own interpretation on this” she said.Behn, who was born in…

The death of a Chinese teenage badminton player who collapsed on court has sparked an outcry across Chinese social media. Zhang Zhijie, 17, was competing in a youth match when he suddenly fell to the floor in convulsions. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.Footage of the incident, shared widely online, showed a pause of about 40 seconds before medics rushed to attend to Zhang. Officials have come under intense criticism and questions on whether his life could have been saved by quicker medical intervention.Indonesia’s badminton association PBSI later said he had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.The Badminton Asia…

17 minutes agoBy Andrew Rogers and Tom Richardson, BBC NewsbeatBBC/Getty/PAVoters are due to select their favoured party on 4 JulyYou’ve heard politicians talking about tax, immigration and the economy, but there’s one topic they don’t tend to mention.Video games.The UK’s games industry is globally respected, employs an estimated 76,000 people and is thought to bring £6bn a year to the UK economy.It’s also a sector in the middle of a crisis.Over the last 18 months thousands of workers worldwide have lost their jobs and studios have been shut down.Much of the focus has been on big names such as Microsoft and Sony,…

A high-tech prosthetic leg enables amputees to walk naturally and at normal speeds without consciously thinking about it, a study suggests.Developed by scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the bionic leg links the user’s brain activity to nerves in important muscles controlling movement.Study author Prof Hugh Herr said the results of a small trial were “quite miraculous” and could influence the way prosthetic limbs are constructed in future.But there are years of development work still to be carried out before it can be used by more patients.There are lots of limitations to the way current artificial limbs are able to…

Getty ImagesSir Tom Jones will kick off the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Tuesday eveningWelsh superstar Sir Tom Jones will kick off a week of live performances at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Tuesday.The six-day festival, which takes place every summer, runs until Sunday and is expected to draw in 50,000 fans to the Denbighshire town.Some big names have already performed at Llangollen in the days leading up to the eisteddfod, including Bryan Adams, Paloma Faith and the Manic Street Preachers.Treforest-born Sir Tom, who turned 84 last month, will make his first appearance at the event, which has been…

25 minutes agoBy Yolande Knell, BBC Middle East correspondentEPAUltra-Orthodox Jews in full time study have been exempt from conscription since the beginning of the stateWhen Israel’s ultra-Orthodox or Haredi Jewish community gathers in force you realise just how large it is.Thousands of men and boys dressed in black and white are crammed into the streets of Mea Shearim – which is the heart of the ultra-Orthodox community – in Jerusalem for an angry protest against the military draft.It is the latest demonstration since the Supreme Court’s historic ruling that young Haredi men must be conscripted into the Israeli military and are no…

Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation is entering the UK’s highly competitive free, ad-supported video streaming market.Tubi will compete with the likes of Netflix, Disney+, ITVX, Channel 4’s streaming platform as well as the BBC iPlayer.The platform has been quickly gaining market share in the US where, according to Fox, it has almost 80 million monthly active users.In the UK, Tubi says it will offer more than 20,000 films and TV series, including content from Disney, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal and Sony Pictures Entertainment.The platform will also include a selection of British, Indian and Nigerian content.UK viewers will be able to access content on…

A flight hit by “strong turbulence” has made an emergency landing in Brazil, with 30 people reported injured.The Air Europa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was flying from Madrid to Montevideo when the mid-air incident happened, the airline said.Flight UX045 was diverted to the airport of Natal in north-eastern Brazil on its way to the Uruguayan capital, the Spanish company said on X, formerly Twitter.It added that passengers who suffered injuries were “receiving attention”.The plane, which had 325 passengers on board, ran into turbulence over the Atlantic when it had nearly reached the Brazilian coast, an Air Europa spokesperson said.The plane landed…