Latest news with #shopkeepers
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
Iran's public sector shuts down in 8 provinces due to heat wave
TEHRAN, Iran — A government-ordered public shutdown in some areas of Iran took place on Wednesday due to a scorching heatwave that has seen temperatures soar past 40 degrees Celsius (104 F), straining the power grid Tehran's public offices and banks closed, but for many private shopkeepers it was another day of work despite the punishing temperatures.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Clevedon traders in protest against on-street parking charges
Some independent town traders wore black funeral clothing as they staged a protest against proposed parking charges, which they warn will kill-off October, North Somerset Council voted to introduce on-street and car parking charges in Clevedon, Nailsea and Portishead, as a way to balance its shopkeeper Judith Levy, who took part in the demonstration on Hill Road, said: "We've seen it happen in other places where independent shops start closing up and it would be awful if it were to happen here."North Somerset Council said it "needs to save £44m over the next three years after reduced national government funding". Charges are set be introduced following a consultation of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs), which closes on 18 July. A council spokesperson said it has seen an increase in demand for services, particularly in adult social care and children's services, along with rising added: "We've had no choice but to review all areas of council income generation and spend, including making the difficult decision on introducing parking charges across North Somerset."But some independent shopkeepers accused the local authority of being careless with their spending. "I understand the council need to balance their budget but part of the problem is their own making with the big mess they've done on the seafront", said Ms Levy, referring to the removal of the controversial wiggly road markings which cost about £1.5m."We've already lost about 30% of trade since the seafront debacle", she said, claiming businesses have seen lower footfall after the removal of sea-facing parking in Clevedon and the introduction of a one-way system."Since then all the traders on Hill Road have found it harder. It hit the reputation of the town and it stopped a lot of people coming," she added. North Somerset Council hopes to raise a million pounds as it seeks to balance its leader Mike Bell, previously said parking hikes were "unavoidable", warning the council "was in a financial emergency".Ms Levy, who runs a retail and yoga studio on Hill Road is also worried about the impact new charges can have on nearby roads."Our street will be paid parking which means residential streets around it will be full of cars because people will try to avoid paying," she said. She suggested having a park and ride into town. Discover Clevedon, which represent traders, has written to the council saying a 30-minute free parking period was not included in the recently published Traffic Regulation Orders."The published TROs do not accurately reflect the decision previously made by North Somerset Council to include a 30-minute free parking period for on-street parking," the letter said."This omission means that the proposals do not present an accurate basis for respondents to comment on, effectively removing the opportunity for stakeholders to fulfil the statutory requirements of the TRO consultation process."North Somerset Council did not respond to the claims, but has invited residents, businesses and other organisations to comment via their website. They added: "All comments received will be reviewed and a decision will be taken shortly on the next steps regarding introducing parking charges in Clevedon."
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shop owner in posh city had to close early after taking just £4.50 in a day
A shop owner in Bath says she made just £4.50 in a day—prompting her to close for two days out of despair. Natasha Whiting, who runs 'Hidden', says independent stores are being crushed by high costs, low footfall and online shopping. Her viral Instagram post sparked an outpouring of support from struggling shopkeepers. Though tourism is returning, many say spending is down. Whiting hopes to raise awareness of the pressures facing small businesses nationwide.
ABC News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Israelis are being forced underground in major cities as Iranian missiles rain down in retaliatory strikes
The streets of Tel Aviv often feel a world away from conflict. It's a bustling cosmopolitan city whose residents lap up the Mediterranean sun on kilometres of beaches. But the mood across Israel's largest metropolitan area is currently subdued. Its usual gridlocked traffic has disappeared, and many businesses are closed. Nowhere is that more apparent than at Tel Aviv's Carmel Market — if it's not the heart, then it's certainly the stomach of the city. The usual cacophony of shopkeepers and customers squeezing through its narrow laneways has been replaced by a tense and quiet atmosphere, as Israelis deal with the ever-present threat from above. "It's not normal at all," Gal Ben Yishayahu said, pulling her shopping cart behind her. "It's supposed to be a lot of people at this time. About an hour before 7.30 arrived at the market, warning sirens had rung out across the country as an afternoon Iranian missile barrage was detected hurtling towards Israel. The few customers who had been shopping were forced to flee, seeking out public shelters nearby. Many did not return once the nation was given the all clear. "When there is war, when there are bad things happening, all the people escape the market," said greengrocer Ghanem Sari, one of the few shopkeepers still open. "They are afraid for themselves. In the market there are people, but when there is an emergency situation the people leave: the market and the market becomes empty immediately. "It has an effect. We, the owners of the shop lose, the produce gets thrown away, there is no work, no selling of goods." Around the corner, bar owner Galia Berental summed up the sentiment. The reason the streets of Tel Aviv are eerily quiet is because the official directive to the population is to stay close to shelters. Israel's missile detection systems send alerts to mobile apps, with a 10-minute warning of an incoming barrage. As the missiles rain down on the country, loud warning sirens ring out telling people the threat has arrived and they need to barricade themselves inside shelters. Many houses built from the early 1990s onwards have private safe rooms, with thick concrete walls and doors designed to shield the occupants. The ABC bureau in Jerusalem even has such a room. Other buildings, including hotels, have shared facilities on every floor or in basements. Older houses and apartment blocks often do not, meaning residents need to rely on public shelters in the streets. In Ramat Gan, close to Tel Aviv, some have decided it is safer to sleep inside the underground light rail station, which has been opened as a public shelter given the transport service is not running. Armed with inflatable mattresses and blankets, and power boards to keep their devices charged, dozens of families have moved on to the concourses hoping for a decent night's sleep. Chaim Bar Or, who operates a bar above the station, said people living in the station are not complaining about the situation or the threat from Iran. "All of us are soldiers," he said. "When we need to fight, we know how to fight — we live hard, we fight hard, we party hard. While these shelter options are available in Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, they are not in some other cities. Last weekend an Iranian missile hit Tamra in northern Israel, with four members of the same family being killed in their home. The town's population is predominantly Palestinian, and it has no public shelters, despite a population of almost around 35,000. "The Jewish community that don't have shelters or access to shelters are about, let's say, 14, 15 per cent, while the Arab community is more close to 60 or 70 per cent," architect Alon Cohen-Lifshitz said. "You can see it in East Jerusalem as well, where there are very few public shelters, I think around 25 or so, for about 400,000 people. "And when we are talking about the Bedouin communities in the Negev [desert], they don't have any shelters or very few — so it's almost 95 per cent or even more that lack shelters." Mr Cohen-Lifshitz is a member of the Bimkom organisation, which lobbies government to change planning policies to ensure equity in public services such as shelters. He said development restrictions in Palestinian communities exacerbated the situation, and the lack of public funding through the national government and local municipalities is not flowing to such projects. While 7.30 was interviewing Mr Cohen-Lifshitz, warning sirens rang out and we needed to seek shelter in a school. One angry local resident raised concerns about the lack of air conditioning and disabled access to the shelter. The impact of the Israel-Iran war has seen houses damaged and destroyed by missiles which have slipped through Israel's sophisticated air defences, including the Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow. One missile hit a block of flats in northern Tel Aviv on Sunday morning local time, but the shock waves caused significant damage to buildings for hundreds of metres around the site. The windows of Daniel Bairey's home had been blown out. 7.30 met him as he was cleaning up the mess with his sons. His family had been sheltering in their safe room when the blast hit the area. The missile was fired just hours after US President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. "I've always had problems about Trump himself, but I have to admit that if the Democrats were trying to portray him as someone who was quick on the trigger, and someone who couldn't be trusted, I think he's acting in a very reasonable way," Mr Bairey, an American citizen said. "It's actually quite reassuring to know that we're not alone. He added that the concern about attacks against Israel were not a new phenomenon. "I can only tell you what my cousin in Haifa said. She was born here. She says, 'we've always been under an existential threat, so what's new?'" Mr Bairey said. "Honestly it's strange to say, but after a while … you get used to it." Back in the Carmel Market, that phrase — "existential threat" — echoed through the streets. "There is a really, really old line that we say. Like, 'If we don't have the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] today, tomorrow we're all dead," Tel Aviv resident Guy said. Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Shops found to be flouting single-use vape ban
Nearly two weeks on from a ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes in the UK, many shops have been found still to be openly selling the illicit items. Almost half of the 21 stores which an undercover BBC reporter visited in cities in Yorkshire continued to sell the vapes as though there had been no law change. Single-use vapes, in their bright-coloured packaging and variety of fruity flavours, had been a "key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping", the previous government had said as it first set its sights on a ban. The Labour administration followed through, with the disposables officially banned from sale from 1 June this year - the aim being to protect children's health and reduce damage to the environment. Since the introduction of the ban, anybody selling the illicit items risks a £200 fine, with repeat offenders facing the prospect of jail. But our undercover investigation has revealed that while some shop owners in Sheffield, Bradford, York and Leeds have been found to be following the new rules, others are turning a blind eye. In some shops we visited in Yorkshire, the colourful packaging of single-use vapes was still very much visible on the shelves. Shopkeepers in those premises seemed happy to offer them to customers, and many were even selling them at a reduced price. One shopkeeper I spoke to told me he knew he was breaking the law by selling the single-use disposable vapes, but he added that he wanted to sell his remaining stock at a discount. "It's banned," he said, pointing at the stack of vapes in his shop window. "I'm not allowed to sell them. I'm finishing. I don't have a lot, so I'm just trying to [get rid of them]." This was despite the ban on such vapes having been announced in October last year. That gave stores more than seven months to get rid of the disposable vapes they still had in stockrooms and on the shelves before the ban came into force in June. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said before the ban that vape usage in England had grown by more than 400% between 2012 and 2023, with about 9% of people now buying and using the products. Single-use disposable vapes helped get children hooked on nicotine and blighted high streets with waste, according to the government. "It's why we've taken tough action and banned them," a Defra spokesperson said. Flouting that ban, another shopkeeper asked me if I wanted a "good deal" and offered to sell me an armful of the illicit vapes for £20, showing me a pick-and-mix of fruity flavours in the store's glass cabinet. However, as part of our investigation in cities across Yorkshire to find out where such vapes were still being sold, we also visited traders regulated by North Yorkshire Council's Trading Standards team. Both shop workers approached by our undercover reporter there refused to sell the now-illegal items. Councillor Greg White, North Yorkshire Council's executive member for environment, said it was "disappointing" to see shops in other parts of Yorkshire were still prepared to break the law. "There's been plenty of time to prepare and to try to get people to move from disposable vapes to reusable ones, and that would have been good for their business," he explained. A Defra spokesperson said: "Rogue traders will face serious penalties, up to and including criminal prosecution." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Why are disposable vapes being banned and how harmful is vaping? 'I don't know what we'll do' - Vapers panic-buy ahead of disposables ban Disposable vapes ban unlikely to reduce appeal, says campaigner Disposable vape ban begins - but will it have an impact? Disposable vapes to be banned from June
