Farage Backs Benefit Hikes in Challenge From Starmer's Left
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage vowed to scrap a limit on child benefits, vying for traditional Labour voters and putting pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to reverse his own stance on the controversial policy.
Farage — the Donald Trump-supporting Euro-skeptic whose party is leading British opinion polls — came out in favor of removing the two-child cap on public benefits during a news conference on Tuesday. The move appeared to be an effort to by Farage to position himself to the left of Labour on one area of tax policy, which Starmer has so far maintained despite a push from some in his party to change course.
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CNN
37 minutes ago
- CNN
UK to ban sale of disposable vapes in response to soaring waste and safety risks
The sale of disposable vapes will be banned in the United Kingdom from Sunday, as the country becomes the latest to tackle the 'environmental nightmare' of the single-use devices. However, some campaigners warn that the new restrictions are just 'a drop in the ocean' in the war against plastic waste. The ban positions the UK among the first countries in Europe to legislate against disposable vapes, following similar moves in France and Belgium. An estimated 8.2 million disposable vapes – the equivalent of 13 every second – are discarded in the UK every week, according to an analysis released by environmental group Material Focus in December. In official guidance, the UK government described the disposable vapes as 'eyesores,' and said their widespread disposal has 'a hugely damaging impact on our environment and wildlife.' The plastics used in disposable vape products are 'nearly impossible for nature to completely break down,' it added. Improperly discarded batteries can ignite rubbish trucks and waste facilities, it added, with Material Focus linking such incidents to around 1,200 fires between May 2023 and May 2024. 'The ban will also help curb the rise in youth vaping,' the government said. 'Over half of children who use vapes report that 'disposable' models are their product of choice.' The legislation will not criminalize possession of disposable vapes. Instead, it targets retailers and distributors, who could face initial penalty fines of £200 ($270) for violations after Sunday. For continued breaches of the new law, an offender could be hit with further fines or a prison sentence. For those already tackling the environmental fallout, the ban is long overdue. 'Without quick and extensive action, the threat of a 'vapocalypse' remains,' Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, told CNN. 'New 'big puff' and 'pod' vape models are already contributing to an environmental nightmare. 'Vape producers are being infinitely creative with their products in order to avoid the forthcoming disposable vape ban,' he added. Anticipating the shift, major vape manufacturers began adapting their product lines ahead of the legislation coming into force. 'We have been proactively preparing for this shift,' a spokesperson for ElfBar and Lost Mary, which are both owned by Chinese firm Shenzhen iMiracle Technology, told CNN. 'From launching our first reusable product in the UK in mid-2022 to the development of reusable products in the wake of the legislation as early as a year ago.' But, on the ground, one London retailer warned that consumer habits may prove harder to shift. 'Customers prefer the older disposables, which provide 600 puffs, not the newer, non-disposable 6,000-puff versions. This is because they prefer changing the flavor of the vape more often,' Adi Patel, who works at Hari Off License in Shoreditch, east London, told CNN ahead of the ban coming into effect. 'The new vapes are also more expensive, which is more difficult for customers,' he added. Ahead of the ban coming into force, John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said in a statement: 'We've always maintained that bans are not the answer to the issues linked to the vaping industry, but enforcement of the laws that are already in place to protect children and the environment.' He warned that the measure could lead to a increase in vapers returning to cigarette smoking and create a black market for disposable products. Vape use has surged in recent years. An estimated 5.6 million people vape in the UK, according to a survey carried out by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health last year. Disposable vapes have proved popular among young adults trying to quit smoking, but their sleek design, bright packaging and sweet flavors have also appealed to teenagers. Almost 1 in 10 secondary school pupils in the UK vape 'frequently,' according to a National Heath Service survey published in October, and a quarter of 11- to 15-year-olds have tried vaping. One former user told CNN that he was first drawn to vapes by their wide range of 'flavors and colors,' but was uncomfortable with how easily they were discarded. 'I would just put them in the bin, it didn't feel like the right way,' said 17-year-old Brighton student Eaben Kusik. 'It felt a bit wasteful throwing (away) the battery with the vape after three days. 'At first I thought, 'I don't like the government banning things,' but I think it's a good thing,' he added. For environmental organization Greenpeace UK, the move marks progress – but not nearly enough. 'Disposable vapes are a clear environmental menace,' Laura Burley, co-head of Greenpeace UK's plastics campaign, told CNN. 'Welcome as the ban may be, it's a drop in the ocean compared to the tsunami of plastic waste still being produced.' A separate Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently making its way through parliament, would give ministers power to further restrict vape packaging, flavors, and marketing – particularly those seen as targeting children.
New York Times
43 minutes ago
- New York Times
Everton complete permanent signing of Carlos Alcaraz from Flamengo
Everton have completed the permanent signing of midfielder Carlos Alcaraz from Flamengo. The Athletic reported earlier this week that Everton were progressing in talks with Flamengo and were hopeful of completing a €15million (£12.6m; $16.9m) move by the end of the month. The 22-year-old has signed a two-year deal, which will see him stay at the club until the summer of 2027. We have triggered the option to make Charly Alcaraz a permanent signing for an undisclosed fee when his loan from Brazilian side Flamengo concludes next month. 🔵🔽 — Everton (@Everton) May 31, 2025 The Argentinian came through at Racing Club before joining Southampton in 2023. He then had a loan spell at Juventus before joining Flamengo in the summer of 2024, but returned to England in January 2025 via a temporary move to Everton. The move contained both a mandatory purchase clause should he make nine Premier League starts, and an option to buy for €15million (£12.6m; $16.9m) which expires at the end of May. The former Southampton midfielder made just seven league starts for Everton, scoring twice, but has impressed sufficiently for the club to want to make the move permanent. He netted the winner in the 1-0 win over Newcastle United on the final day of the Premier League season last Sunday.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
The Quality Conundrum—Luxury Fashion Isn't What It Used To Be
A general exterior view of the Burberry luxury fashion label store in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by) Getty Images As the price of luxury goods continues to rise—a pattern which first emerged post-pandemic but persists due to the impending recession within the United States and the country's shifting tariff policies that affect the way goods are manufactured, shipped and sold—the cost of shopping lavishly has begun to surpass the level of quality consumers expect from their high-priced purchases. Desperate for answers and amendments from the brands they used to love, consumers are taking to social media to speak out against luxury giants as they continue to charge more for less and devalue their once loyal customers. Acting as the unofficial face for such distain is TikTok user Janet Lin. Known by social media users as @janetlinxo, the New York City-based content creator has garnered a slew of attention for her series of recently published videos—the most popular of which currently sitting at 3.4 million views—that detail the dramatic decline of her Goyard Saint Louis GM tote bag. The bag—constructed from the brand's signature brightly colored Goyardine canvas and available for a minimum price just shy of two thousand dollars—was documented by Lin as having fallen apart after being worn outside for a few hours in the heat. In one video, Lin dramatically holds her cobalt blue Goyard tote up to the camera and pulls the leather-bound top handles apart to reveal they've melted together. In another clip, Lin shows off the blue staining on her otherwise clean white T-shirt as a result of the bag's bleeding blue finish melting off in the same mild weather conditions. While some users unleashed their frustrations towards Lin in the form of lengthy rebuttals within the video's comment section—citing the usage instructions found on the brand's product page that advise the wearer to 'Avoid contact with water, greasy or oily products, make-up and perfumes' as well as 'Protect the item from damp, extended exposure to artificial, natural light or intense heat' as logical reasons for the bag's current state—many individuals were quick to come to her defense, agreeing that no item of that price point should become damaged to the point destruction after one wear in the sun. Goyard could not be reached for comment. Despite the videos published by Lin being some of the most popular pieces of content that depict unexplainable damage to designer goods, similar antidotes and visual testimonials are taking up space within the fashion content published online, with each gaining more traction than the last and acting as the catalyst for a larger conversation around the quality of luxury goods—with modern critiques emphasizing the inferiority of such goods in comparison to the high price points they are offered at to the consumer and calling for the boycott of affected brands. While currently newsworthy, this pattern of luxury decline is not new. In an article published in late November of 2024, Forbes cited the Fall 2024 Bain-Altagamma Luxury Goods World Wide Market Study to illustrate the surprising drop in sales within the luxury goods sector, saying, 'For the first time since 2008, excluding the 2020 Covid-19 year, the personal luxury goods market declined, dropping 2% from an historic high of $387 billion (€369 billion) in 2023 to $381 billion (€363 billion) at current exchange rates.' In addition to referencing the study, Forbes included a number of casual effects that impacted the luxury goods market to the point of decline, the most notable of which—especially as it relates to the example illustrated above—was the misalignment of price and value. Similar to Lin's frustration over her pricey Goyard bag depreciating in value as soon as she began to use it, many consumers are frustrated with the luxury market's consistently growing prices for products that stay stagnant in quality. However, despite these challenges, the same market study offered a simple solution for luxury brands to revitalize their businesses and recapture the attention of consumers: get back to basics. 'To secure future growth, brands will need to rethink their luxury equations, re-establishing creativity and blending old and new playbooks,' the study stated. 'This includes rediscovering their essence and embracing the foundational pillars of the industry: desirability fueled by craftsmanship, creativity and distinctive brand values; meaningful, personalized and culturally-resonant customer connections and experiences.' In short, as rising prices for once accessible luxury goods continues as an inevitability, brands not only have the opportunity to secure their customer base with the obvious usage of high quality materials, but with the amplified infusion of heritage, identity and singularity. In this new era of consumerism that amplifies the cost of all goods, shoppers are looking for luxury built off of more than just high prices—leaving it up to brands to demonstrate their value.
