The EU’s new entry/exit system (EES) launched last month, with non-EU nationals travelling in Europe now required to provide personal data, and have their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken.

The EES has received significant backlash since its introduction, with it causing long waits for passengers at airports.

Major airlines, including Jet2 and Ryanair, have called for the rollout of the new system to be suspended until after the summer to allow for a “smoother airport experience” during peak travel season.

CEO of Ryanair’s Malta subsidiary, Malta Air, David O’Brien, has also threatened to pull all flights to Malta due to the extended wait times caused by the EES at airports.

Travellers warned of 6-hour wait at holiday hotspot

Brits are now being warned of six-hour waits at airports in Portugal caused by the new EES.

It has led to severe delays at Portuguese airports, particularly in Lisbon and Faro.

A Portugal travel advisor, known as @travel_luckk on Instagram, said: “Last week a family I advised landed in Lisbon and stood in line for 6 hours and 40 minutes.

“Their toddler slept on a suitcase. They missed their transfer to the Algarve.

“This wasn’t bad luck. This is Portugal in 2026—and almost no one is talking about it yet.”

She warned that the travel through Lisbon can be especially difficult, particularly on Monday mornings between 6am and 11am.

While Faro International Airport is one to “avoid” from May to September.

The travel expert explained: “Faro was built for 4M passengers. It now processes 9M+ in summer.

“Add EES on top, and arrivals from the UK and Germany regularly stall for 5+ hours.”

Porto is currently a quieter and more efficient alternative, according to @travel_luckk, for entry into northern and central Portugal.

The Portugal travel advisor said: “OPO is 40% faster through EES than Lisbon right now.

“Smaller terminal, calmer staff, fewer transatlantic dumps.”

She also advised families with children under 12 to request access to the assisted lane, which could reduce wait times to around 30 minutes.

In addition to border delays, rolling luggage handling strikes are compounding the travel disruption.

Ryanair urges Portuguese Government to suspend EES

Ryanair has called on the Portuguese Government to pause the rollout of the EES until September.

Portugal has been aware of the EES implementation date for more than three years but has failed to ensure sufficient staffing, system reliability, and the installation of necessary kiosks, according to Ryanair.

Chief operations officer at Ryanair, Neal McMahon, said: “Govts across Europe are attempting to roll out a half-baked IT system in the middle of the busiest travel season of the year, and passengers are paying the price, being forced to endure hours long passport control queues and in some cases, missing flights.

“The solution is simple and already provided for under EU law (EU Reg. 2025/1534) – Govts should suspend EES until September when the peak summer travel season has subsided, just as Greece has done.

“This would allow passengers – many of whom are travelling with young families – a smoother airport experience for their summer holidays.”

Travellers heading to Portugal this summer are advised to plan ahead, allow for extra time, and consider alternative routes or airports where possible.

Elsewhere, Greece has backtracked on the EES suspension it announced back in April.

British travellers will now likely need to complete biometric checks upon entering Greece this summer, despite previously being told they would be exempt from this.

Earlier in May, the country’s tourism minister, Olga Kefalogianni, said the Greek government did not want visitors to be “burdened” by bureaucratic procedures when entering or leaving the country.

However, European and Greek authorities have now clarified that suspension of the system is permitted only during periods of high passenger traffic at specific entry points and does not apply to any country or nationality.

Have you used the new EU’s new entry/exit system yet? Let us know about your experience in the poll above or in the comments below.

F-16 fighter jets took to the air to make an interception over Washington DC at around 11.15am today after a civilian aircraft violated restricted airspace

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Military aircraft were deployed over Washington DC today, generating a loud “sonic boom” that was heard by local residents. The F-16 fighter jets launched an interception mission at around 11:15 am after a civilian plane breached the secure airspace.

The sonic boom occurred as the jets rushed to guide the aircraft away from the protected zone over the US capital. The airspace above Washington DC is monitored under the Special Flight Rules Area, making it one of the most rigorously controlled zones in the world.

To prevent unauthorised entries within this 30-nautical-mile radius, pilots are required to adhere to rigorous protocols and remain in continuous contact with air traffic control. The US Air Force has confirmed that the fighter jets were deployed to intercept the “general aviation aircraft”, which was subsequently escorted away from the restricted location, reports The Mirror.

It also reminded pilots to be aware and keep up-to-date on areas with restrictions including around Washington DC and Mar-a-Lago in Florida where Donald Trump has his home.

North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) wrote on X: “Earlier today, NORAD F-16 fighter aircraft from the Continental U.S. NORAD Region safely intercepted a general aviation aircraft that violated #FAA restricted airspace over the United States National Capital Region, and escorted it clear of the area without further incident.

“Pilots are reminded to check all #FAA Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs) and FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), including in the National Capital Region and Mar-a-Lago regions.”

A statement from NORAD also read: “Should NORAD aircraft intercept a general aviation aircraft, the pilot should immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies.

“NORAD employs a layered defence network of radars, satellites, and fighter aircraft to identify and respond to potential threats. The identification and monitoring of the civilian aircraft demonstrate how NORAD executes its aerospace warning and control missions for the United States and Canada.”

The reminder to pilots comes due to frequency of planes drifting into restricted areas. There have been multiple similar cases in recent months of planes entering into prohibited airspace where Donald Trump has been staying.

Last September there were reportedly six unauthorised planes which entered restricted airspace over Bedminster, New Jersey, over just one weekend while Donald Trump was staying at his golf course.

And it led to NORAD being activated with jets investigating the trespass and intercepting the plane. In the incidents over Bedminster they were all small private aircraft which were directed away from the Trump National Golf Club, according to the US Air Force, which intercepted one of the planes with F-16 fighter jets.

Donald Trump sent out the Vice President and Attorney General who valiantly tied themselves in knots on TV trying to justify his billion dollar ‘slush fund’ for violent insurrectionists. Here’s everything that happened in Trumpworld today that you need to know about

Donald Trump sent out his attorney general, then his Vice President to defend the indefensible today.

As the details of the “slush fund” the US government is setting up to funnel cash to his allies and the violent rioters who tried to mount a coup to keep him in power sank in, Todd Blanche – his former personal lawyer – was up before a Senate Committee. And later JD Vance subbed in as press secretary for a day, reminding everyone that he is willing to say just about anything to own the libs. So what was Trump doing while everyone around him was tying themselves in knots to justify using taxpayers cash to pay insurrectionists?

Well, exactly what you’d imagine. He was talking about his ballroom.

Here’s everything you need to know.

1. Trump says ballroom is a “shield” for his subterranean bunker

Donald Trump took reporters on a tour of the construction of his giant vanity ballroom earlier, during which he possibly let slip a bit more than he should have about the massive bunker and military facility that’s going to be hidden beneath it.

He said it would go down “six storeys”, would be able to launch “unlimited drones”… and he said the ballroom itself would act as a “shield” for what is underneath.

Definitely not late-stage dictator vibes.

2. Worse than Watergate

So it’s official – Trump has dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, plus a couple of other frivolous, nonsensical lawsuits relating to the perfectly legitimate investigation and prosecution of crimes he committed during his first term.

And the settlement, cooked up between Donald Trump, the IRS (which Donald Trump controls) and the Justice Department (which Donald Trump controls) is startling.

A £1.776 billion fund will be set up to pay out compensation to people who Trump thinks were wronged by the justice department during and after his first term. That includes people who were convicted of crimes related to the January 6th insurrection – including people who violently assaulted police officers – and were pardoned by Trump on his first day back in office. And if you think that’s bad – you might want to sit down while I explain how the fund is going to be operated.

So, Payouts will be decided by a board of six people, five of whom will be appointed by the Attorney General – that’s currently a guy called Todd Blanche. He used to be Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. So the board will effectively be selected by Donald Trump. A sixth member will be chosen “in consultation” with congressional leadership. But the President can remove any member for any reason at any time, so good luck with that one. There’s no requirement for the board to be subject to any oversight relating to the payouts, or to publish who got paid and how much.

The House Judiciary Committee have already called it “pure fraud and highway robbery”, arguing “No one can be both plaintiff and defendant in the same case.”

Donald Sherman, the president of government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said it was “one of the single most corrupt acts in American history.” And MS Now’s Ari Melber said it was “worse than Watergate.”

3. Blanche won’t rule out violent rioters getting payouts

Blanche was helpfully scheduled to testify before the Senate appropriations subcommittee today – which gave Senators a lengthy stretch of time to drill into the President’s new slush fund. He repeatedly refused to rule out violent rioters being considered for payouts.

Here’s a clip of him doing a dance with Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, during which he refused to entertain the idea of even “encouraging” the commissioners to included “didn’t beat the crap out of a police officer” in their guidelines for who gets cash.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen brought up a case of a J6 rioter who went on to get caught molesting children, and used the expectation that he would be paid $10 million as a “victim of weaponisation” to buy the silence of one of his victims.

Blanche accused Van Hollen of lying, to which Van Hollen was unimpressed. So much so that he went away and got the transcripts of the subject’s arrest interviews.

Then there was this testy exchange, where Blanche had clearly become irritated by people pointing out that prior to his current role, he was Donald Trump’s personal attorney.

4. Blanche was Trump’s ‘consigliere’ with Ghislaine Maxwell

Blanche got increasingly shirty when Senators asked him about the curious case of his going to visit Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, and her getting moved to a cushier facility a few days later.

He seemed performatively aghast when Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island suggested Trump had sent him to talk to Maxwell.

“Do you think President Trump called and asked me to go interview Ghislaine Maxwell?” Blanche said.

Senator Reed deadpanned: “Yes I do, frankly. Because the deal was in. He needed someone he could rely on…”

He went on: “This whole hearing I think is exposing something that to me is very frightening. You’re a very gifted lawyer. But in my view you have very little faith to the constitution or the people of America. And you’re the president’s consigliere.”

5. JD Rants

Later, it was the turn of JD Vance to take to the press room and deliver a briefing in Karoline Leavitt’s absence. And boy did he tie himself in knots to justify the “slush fund”.

In response to a plant question about the “political persecution of J6’ers” who were “literally tortured in cages”, asked by an activist representing Lindell TV, a propaganda streaming service run by pillow magnate-turned defamer and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, Vance came up with a string of increasingly lurid hypotheticals to try and justify people who tried to mount a coup and attacked law enforcement officers being given payouts by the federal government.

“We don’t in the United States say that everybody who is accused of a crime is automatically guilty in the court of public opinion,” he said. Which is weird because the January 6th rioters weren’t convicted in a court of public opinion, they were convicted and found guilty in courts of law. Which is why Trump had to pardon them.

He went on to astonishingly undermine the entire US criminal justice system as “kangaroo courts”.

“You’ve actually got to look at this stuff and figure out ‘what were they accused of’. Maybe they did something bad, even, but what they were accused of was way worse than what they actually did. Maybe they had their entire lives ruined in a totally disproportionate way.”

He added: “Let’s say a person is accused, let’s just say hypothetically, a person who is accused of doing something that they never actually did that they got a kangaroo court that they had a judge who mistreated them. I think that we should look at those things case-by-case. We’re not making commitments to give anybody money. We’re just making commitments to look at things case-by-case.”

Vance went on to argue that there are loads of organisations set up to challenge disproportionate sentencing (which there are, but not one of them is funded to the tune of $1.7 billion, nor do they have pardon powers). Vance went on: “You know who never ever gets an ounce of sympathy when it comes to that disproportionate sentencing? Is people who voted for Donald Trump and participated in the January 6th protest.”

6. JD Bants

In answer to a question from the Daily Caller, a right-wing website founded by Tucker Carlson, Vance indicated the Justice Department would investigate Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, which appeared to be based on a ludicrous, patently racist conspiracy theory about her.

We’ve covered this baseless, logically incoherent accusation in the past, so I don’t intend to type it out again. But I think it’s worth noting that the Vice President of the United States is happy to play along with a racist conspiracy theory in order to attack his political opponents.

He was also briefly asked about the far-right march that took place in London over the weekend. His message to people in Britain who spout the racist “great replacement” theory? “I’d encourage them to just keep on going. It’s okay to want to defend your culture.”

7. JD Pants (on fire)

Vance was asked by the Independent how he could justify claiming to be cleaning up corruption in American politics when Donald Trump keeps talking up stocks that he owns, then selling them and enriching himself.

“The president doesn’t sit at the oval office on his computer, on his robinhood account, buying and selling stocks,” Vance retorted. “That’s absurd. He’s not making the stock trades himself.”

Quite apart from anything else, obviously Donald Trump wouldn’t know how to buy or sell stocks on his own computer, whether it was corrupt or not. But look carefully at what he’s denying – or crucially not denying. He’s denying Trump pressed the button himself, but not that Trump told someone else to do so.

8. Trump finally picks a side in Texas

Trump finally picked a side in the Republican Senate Primary in Texas – backing “true MAGA warrior” Ken Paxton over sitting Senator John Cornyn. Paxton and Cornyn advanced to a May 26 runoff after finishing as the top vote-getters in a March 3 primary in which no candidate won a majority. Early voting started Monday and continues through Friday. He also picked and endorsed a challenger to Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie in Tuesday’s primary. Massie’s push to release the Epstein files and his vocal opposition to the Iran war have grated on Trump, whose support for Ed Gallrein is making this reelection campaign Massie’s most challenging yet. Although the four-term Cornyn has backed Trump’s agenda in Washington, Paxton pitched himself as a political warrior for the Make America Great Again movement. Trump’s endorsement puts him at odds with his party’s establishment, which is convinced that Cornyn is the better candidate for November’s general election. The Republican nominee will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.

Former DWP employee Sandra Wrench said many people who stop working before State Pension age could miss out on qualifying years, NI credits and other financial support.

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Individuals considering leaving employment before reaching State Pension age are being advised to examine their National Insurance (NI) record meticulously to prevent gaps that could impact their retirement payments.

Former Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employee Sandra Wrench, who spent 42 years working in State Pensions and benefits, explained many individuals mistakenly believe they will automatically qualify for the full New State Pension after finishing work early or cutting their hours. Most individuals require approximately 35 years’ worth of NI contributions to obtain full State Pension payments and 10 to qualify for any at all.

Sandra highlighted there are multiple ways individuals can keep building qualifying years towards their State Pension, including through part-time employment, NI credits and certain benefits.

The first point to note is that the State Pension age has begun rising from 66 to 67, scheduled to be completed for all men and women throughout the UK by March 2028.

Those born between April 6, 1960 and March 5, 1961 will experience their retirement age rising to 67, with the precise age determined by their date of birth. The simplest method to verify when you will retire is to use the online State Pension age tool on GOV.UK, reports the Daily Record.

The full New State Pension is currently worth up to £241.30 per week during the 2026/27 financial year, though the sum someone obtains depends on their National Insurance record. Sandra told the Daily Record: “A qualifying year can consist of earnings, NI credits and voluntary contributions, or a mixture of these.”

She explained that individuals in part-time employment may still be able to accumulate qualifying years even if they are not directly paying National Insurance contributions.

For the 2026/27 tax year, employees earning at least £129 weekly from a single job are considered to be paying NI contributions towards their State Pension, even if their income falls below the threshold at which contributions are deducted from wages. Sandra said this can help individuals who transition into part-time work before State Pension age avoid making unnecessary voluntary contributions.

She also emphasised the significance of NI credits associated with benefits including Universal Credit, New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Sandra said she knew of one woman who left work at 60 and later developed multiple sclerosis (MS) at age 64, but was unable to claim ESA because she had not paid or been credited with enough NI contributions in the relevant tax years. Sandra said: “NI contributions are not just for the State Pension.”

The former DWP employee also drew attention to support available to grandparents through Specified Adult Childcare Credits. These credits enable parents who have returned to employment to transfer unused Child Benefit NI credits to a grandparent or relative under State Pension age who assists in caring for a child under 12.

Sandra explained how she assisted a retired police officer in claiming the credits while caring for a grandchild, which meant the officer avoided having to pay voluntary NI contributions to enhance her State Pension entitlement. Carers may also be eligible for NI credits via Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Credit.

Sandra drew attention to one instance where a woman left employment to care for her mother but mistakenly thought claiming Carer’s Allowance would diminish her mother’s Attendance Allowance payments. Consequently, she lost out on both financial assistance and NI credits which could have been counted towards her State Pension.

Sandra is also encouraging people to routinely review their NI record and State Pension forecast via GOV.UK before determining whether to pay voluntary contributions. She explained that some individuals are being informed they can pay for missing years even when they are already set to receive the full New State Pension by the time they reach the official retirement age.

Sandra noted that people contemplating early retirement may wish to consider leaving employment partway through a tax year rather than at its conclusion, as this could lower the sum required to fill any partial NI gaps.

The former DWP employee also cautioned that many workplace pensions are now tied to State Pension age, meaning some individuals could face reductions if they take occupational pensions early.

People can review their NI record and State Pension forecast via the GOV.UK website or by contacting the Future Pension Centre.

The Bridgend hospital was forced to temporarily stop accepting emergency patients on Tuesday evening due to a water supply issue

A Welsh health board has issued an update after its A&E department was left unable to accept any patients due to a significant water outage. People were advised to attend other hospitals and all on-site visiting was cancelled at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend on May 19.

In an update issued at around 9pm on Tuesday evening, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said the water supply issue was resolving and said the emergency department was able to accept patients as normal.

The health board said further updates would be provided on Wednesday.

In their latest statement the health board wrote: “The temporary disruption to the water supply at Princess of Wales Hospital is now resolving.

“Our Emergency Department is now able to accept patients as normal.

“We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding this evening as Welsh Water Dwr Cymru work to resolve this issue.

“We will provide further updates tomorrow.” For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Earlier on Tuesday, the health board said the emergency department was struggling with a “significant” water supply problem and confirmed they were working closely with Welsh Water to restore services.

The water provider said the supply issues were not linked to them, but maintained that engineers were on site supporting the hospital with their outage.

A spokesperson from Welsh Water said: “We can confirm that following investigation, the water supply issues currently being experienced at the Princess of Wales hospital are not linked to Welsh Water.

“Our engineers are on site to support the hospital and we are sending tankers to supplement the supply of water to the site.”

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Popular drama show Doc Martin, starring Martin Clunes, was a massive hit for ITV, airing for ten series from 2004 until 2022.

Following the story of Dr Martin Ellingham, who leaves London for the village of Portwenn, the show became a fan favourite over its 18 years on air.

Since it ended in 2022, fans of Doc Martin have called for its return, and now the star, Clunes, has hinted at a possible revival.

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Martin Clunes at ITV Doc Martin return

Clunes recently appeared at the Goodwoof dog show at Goodwood in West Sussex, where he was asked about the potential return of Doc Martin.

Replying to the fan’s question, the actor said, “Never say never. We’ll see. Of course, GPs have to retire at my age, but er, yes, more on that story later!”

Clune’s answer received cheers from the crowd at the chance of the ITV shows ‘ possible return.

The actor also shared with the audience how Doc Martin had changed his life, sharing, “8 years of Doc Martin was great. It was good to us. My wife Philippa produced all of it.

“That meant we could work together, take the dogs to work, it was our company. So that was life-changing. Paid for the farm!”

Over its 10 series and Christmas specials, Doc Martin attracted more than eight million viewers, with later series and specials drawing over 10 million, according to ITV.

The show became one of ITV’s biggest and most watched drama-comedy’s, and has even seen an American spin-off.

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A US version of Doc Martin, called Best Medicine, follows a similar story to the ITV show and was recently renewed for a second series.

Clunes even made a guest appearance on the American show, appearing as Dr Robert Best for a special surprise for fans of the original show.

Would you like to see more Doc Martin? Let us know in the comments.

Manchester City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth as Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions with a game to spare.

Manchester City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth as Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions with a game to spare. Pep Guardiola’s side knew that nothing but a win would do on the south coast but they fell behind to a goal from Junior Kroupi towards the end of the first half.

Nico O’Reilly nearly levelled soon after the restart and Guardiola piled on the attackers to try to get City back into the game. At the other end, Gianluigi Donnarumma did well to keep the Blues in the game as Bournemouth countered and posed a threat.

City scored a 94th-minute equaliser through Erling Haaland but were unable to get a late winner in what could be Guardiola’s final away game in English football. They will finish in second place in the league and conclude their season at home to Aston Villa.

Click here to find out the latest Manchester City news in our daily newsletter

Here are the player ratings from the Manchester Evening News.

Donnarumma: Made a number of good saves in the second half to keep City in the game, although a mixed performance from set-pieces. 7

Nunes: Couldn’t stop the cross for the Bournemouth goal 6

Khusanov: Didn’t get out to Kroupi for the goal and has taken on Walker’s old role of shooting from sight without going close, but otherwise fine. 6

Guehi: Had plenty of physical battles with Evanilson and did well to come out on top in most of them. 6

O’Reilly: Full of energy all night but struggled to find the usual relationship with Doku as he was used more centrally often. 6

Silva: Dropped well into the backline to help City get out against an energetic Bournemouth, sacrificed in the comeback effort. 7

Rodri: Still not at his best but doesn’t need to be to be one of the better City players on the pitch. 7

Kovacic: Provided some much-needed calm early on, lost his way after that, and then recovered to push City onto the front foot. 6

Semenyo: His touch and decision-making in the final third was poor in the first half, although he did better just after the break. 5

Doku: Found himself with at least two markers most of the time but still found a way to be dangerous. 6

Haaland: Unlucky to be flagged offside when it looked very tight and nearly slipped O’Reilly in but couldn’t find a chance himself. 6

Substitutes

Cherki (for Silva, 56) Some nice runs as he came closer than most to engineering a goal back. 6

Foden (for Kovacic, 56) Took his time to settle and didn’t keep the ball well enough. 5

Savinho (for Semenyo, 56) Outmuscled when he pushed forward and lost the ball attempting flicks. Not the man for the circumstances. 4

Marmoush (for Doku, 76) Tried his best to get into the game but Bournemouth blocked everything in the box. 6

Not used: Trafford, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol, Reijnders

The supermarket has introduced more than 400 new food and drink items and cut prices across hundreds of everyday essentials in one of its biggest updates in recent years.

The changes cover frozen food, bakery, fresh produce, meat, and food-to-go categories.

The move is aimed at improving value, expanding customer choice, and enhancing the in-store experience.

Rachel Eyre, chief customer officer at Asda, told Grocery Gazette: “We know many customers are making careful choices when they shop and our job is to do even more to support them.

“These changes offer greater value and choice in areas they shop the most and improve the in-store shopping experience.

“They’re about rewarding customers for their loyalty, as well as encouraging those who haven’t been to Asda for a while to take a fresh look.”

The fresh produce and frozen food sections have been upgraded, with greengrocer staff returning to fruit and veg aisles to support shoppers and maintain quality.

Asda has also refreshed its fruit and veg displays to include clearer information about product quality and origin.

What products will Asda be introducing and making cheaper?

More than 230 new frozen items are now available, including options from popular brands such as Crosta Mollica.

The supermarket has lowered prices on multiple household staples including beef mince, pork sausages, eggs, baby potatoes, and baked beans.

Asda garden peas are now 41p, down from 55p, baked beans are 39p instead of 42p, and pork sausages have been reduced from £1.79 to £1.58.

To improve price transparency, £1 and £2 labels have been introduced in-store and online to highlight budget-friendly options.

The Asda Rewards programme has also been updated with new offers and missions across fresh, frozen, and general merchandise categories.

Asda is also offering a free piece of fruit to children in its 426 superstores.

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Ms Eyre said she believes shoppers will notice improvements: “We’re confident they’ll see the difference straight away.”

The supermarket said these changes build on its existing value proposition, with thousands of products already priced below equivalents at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons.

Asda currently serves around 16 million customers each week across more than 1,200 UK locations and online, including superstores, supermarkets, Asda Living outlets, and Express sites.

Which is your favourite supermarket? Let us know in the comments

Two food spots were also crowned All-Ireland champions this year

Our thriving hospitality industry was celebrated at the Irish Restaurant Awards this week as a number of local spots were recognised as ‘Best in Ulster’.

In its 17th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the existing, and up and coming talent in the sector across both sides of the border.

Earlier this year, businesses from across Northern Ireland were selected to represent their county across a range of categories at the All-Ireland final, which took place in Dublin on Monday night.

A total of 13 restaurants, cafes, pubs and people from across the country came away with a ‘Best in Ulster’ win – with two going on to be crowned ‘Best in Ireland’ for 2026.

Popular Belfast coffee shop General Merchant was recognised as not only the best in the province but top across the entire island of Ireland. Frae, a neighbourhood wine bar in Holywood, also took an All-Ireland win for Best Customer Service.

Here are the NI spots named Ulster winners of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2026:

• Best Restaurant in Ulster – Noble
• Best Chef in Ulster – Stevie Toman, Ox Restaurant
• Best Restaurant Manager in Ulster – Paul Vaughan, James St
• Best Use of Social Media in Ulster – Charlie’s Bar Enniskillen
• Best Gastro Pub in Ulster – The Dirty Duck Alehouse
• Best Cafe in Ulster – General Merchants (All Ireland winner)
• Best Newcomer in Ulster – Capparelli at The Mill
• Pub of the Year in Ulster – Linnet Inn
• Best Wine Experience in Ulster – El Tapas Grá
• Best Customer Service in Ulster – Frae (All Ireland winner)
• Best Sustainable Practices in Ulster – Killeavy Castle Estate
• Innovator of the Year Ulster – Waterman House
• Local Food Hero Ulster – Jordan Weir, The Dairy – Bistro, Butchers & Farm Shop

Speaking at the All-Ireland Awards, President of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, Seán Collender, said: “Tonight is a celebration of the people who make Ireland’s hospitality industry one of the most vibrant and exciting sectors in the country. From local cafés and family run restaurants to world class dining destinations, these Awards recognise the passion, dedication and innovation that can be found in every corner of Ireland.”

“Gordon Ramsay recently described Ireland as the sleeping giant of European cuisine. Well, that giant is awakening and tonight is proof of that. Across every county we are seeing incredible creativity, quality and ambition in our restaurants and hospitality businesses.”

“The standard showcased tonight demonstrates that Ireland should now be firmly recognised as a leading culinary destination. I want to congratulate every nominee and winner for the extraordinary work they do every day to showcase the very best of Irish hospitality.”

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