UK bans disposable vapes to stop litter, children's use
A number of countries are seeking to regulate the vape market, which has grown exponentially over the past decade or so. Australia outlawed the sale of vapes outside pharmacies last year in some of the world's toughest restrictions on electronic cigarettes, while Belgium became the first European Country to ban the use of disposable vapes at the start of this year. California has been at the forefront of bringing in new regulations in the US
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
22 minutes ago
- Euronews
Fact check: No, Russia didn't bomb a 'pedo enclave' in Ukraine
A false news report has gained traction online and fuelled conspiracy theories that recent Russian airstrikes in Ukraine were targeting a European paedophile ring. The fake report, published by a website called Real Raw News, claims that President Vladimir Putin ordered the assault on a child-trafficking cartel formed of Ukrainian, Albanian, French and German paedophiles, prompting anger among Western governments. The strikes were supposedly what prompted US President Donald Trump to take to his Truth Social platform to blast Putin as "crazy" for intensifying attacks on Ukraine. The article says that the intel about the paedophile ring came from a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent called Andrei Zakharov. He allegedly said that Russian aircraft flew over the region, dropping leaflets warning civilians to evacuate to ensure that no children were in the area when the assault began. However, the contents of the report are completely fabricated, not least because it comes from a known fake news website. Real Raw News was created in April 2020 and is known for publishing misleading articles about the COVID-19 pandemic and the deaths of public figures. Euronews has previously reported on fake news coming from the site, and its own About Us page says that it contains "humour, parody and satire." All reputable reporting on the Russian airstrikes that took place between 24 and 25 May said that Moscow had killed at least 13 people and injured dozens, including children. Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 367 drones and missiles at the country overnight, making it the largest single aerial attack since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine at the time of the assault. There's no mention in any reliable reporting of a paedophile enclave and officials said that military, residential and industrial buildings had sustained damage. There's also no credible evidence that an FSB agent called Andrei Zakharov exists. Following the airstrikes, Trump did post on Truth Social that Putin had "gone absolutely crazy" and was needlessly killing civilians and later hinted at more potential sanctions on Russia. "Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever," Trump said on Truth Social. "I've always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!" When asked by a reporter if he would potentially impose additional sanctions on Russia, Trump said he would "absolutely" consider doing so. The Kremlin responded to Trump's accusations by suggesting that the US president was showing signs of "emotional overload" after attempting to launch peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The US Senate is expected to work on a Russian sanctions bill in the coming days, according to Senator Lindsey Graham, following talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 30 May. The Berlin Administrative Court declared on Monday that the rejection of asylum seekers at German borders to be unlawful, dealing a major blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt's migration policy. The court ruled on the case of three Somali nationals who were deported at the border with Poland, stressing that Merz's government had violated asylum laws. The court says immigrants cannot be turned away without their asylum application being examined first. The Somali nationals, two men and one woman, were turned away at a train station after requesting asylum in the city of Frankfurt an der Oder in the east of the country after arriving from Poland on 9 May. The court delivered its decision, which is not open to appeal, after considering emergency appeals from the immigrants. Judges found the foreign nationals' rejection to be unlawful as they stated that at least one of the migrants had legitimate cause for asylum. They also added that the general policy of the new conservative government was lacking legal justification. Merz's government had announced in May its new hardline migration policy which seeks to severely crackdown on irregular migrants. The new initiative pledged to completely halt the asylum process, freezing applications and turning away asylum seekers at the borders. The court says the initiative is not in line with EU immigration policy – the Dublin system. Under the system, Berlin is obligated to thoroughly examine application and make a decision on a case-by-case basis. It also mandates each member country to conduct a full-scale investigation to determine which member state is responsible for assessing the asylum claim once it's been made. 'The decision of the administrative court today states that a Dublin check must be carried out. This means that the border crossing has to take place, and Germany has to check which member state is responsible for the asylum procedure,' says Dobrindt. 'In this decision, the court stated that the justification for our measures should have been more specific. This means that we are also complying with this demand and providing more detailed reasons.' Pushbacks at the borders were a campaign promise of the new Chancellor, Merz, and Interior Minister Dobrindt, although many critical voices said they were illegal. After the court decision, at least one MP called for Dobrindt to resign. But Dobrindt insists that pushbacks will continue, adding that he believes the government does have a legal framework to support their policy. 'Incidentally, we are sticking to the pushbacks. We see that the legal basis is there and will therefore continue to proceed in this way, regardless of this individual case decision,' said Dobrindt. The new conservative federal government had tried to legally justify turning asylum seekers away at the borders through a clause in the German Asylum Act, and an article in the Treaty on the Functioning of European Union. Article 72 allows member states to suspend EU law in case of threats to public order. The Berlin court rejected the premise of invoking Article 72 citing insufficient evidence of a threat to the country.
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Apple challenges 'unreasonable' EU order to open up to rivals
By Foo Yun Chee Apple has submitted a legal challenge to an EU order to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals such as Meta and Alphabet's Google, saying the demands are unreasonable and hamper innovation. The European Commission had in March detailed how Apple must comply with the Digital Markets Act, which aims to rein in the power of Big Tech. Apple said the EU's interoperability requirements create "a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation". "These requirements will also hand data-hungry companies sensitive information, which poses massive privacy and security risks to our EU users," it said in a statement. "These deeply flawed rules that only target Apple - and no other company - will severely limit our ability to deliver innovative products and features to Europe, leading to an inferior user experience for our European customers." Meta, Google, Spotify and Garmin are among companies that have requested access to Apple users' data. The legal fight will likely take years to play out in court. Until then, Apple will have to comply with the EU order. The Commission ordered Apple to give rival makers of smartphones, headphones and virtual reality headsets access to its technology and mobile operating system so they can connect with Apple's iPhones and iPad tablets. It also set out a detailed process and timeline for Apple to respond to interoperability requests from app developers.
Irish Examiner
31 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Madeleine McCann: Fresh police searches to start on Tuesday in Portugal
New searches by German police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are expected to begin in Portugal on Tuesday. Madeleine, then aged three, disappeared in 2007 while on holiday with her family in the resort of Praia da Luz after her parents went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings. According to The Sun, the new searches will involve radar equipment that can scan beneath the ground and will focus on trenches near where the McCann family was staying at the resort. A spokeswoman for the London Metropolitan Police said: 'We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. 'The Metropolitan Police Service is not present at the search, we will support our international colleagues where necessary.' Around 30 German police officers, including forensic experts, will be starting the search on Tuesday, with Portuguese police also on the ground, according to reports. On Monday, Portuguese police reportedly closed off dirt roads in the area where searches will be taking place, while tents have been set up in the nearby Atalaia area, near a cottage once lived in by Christian Brueckner, who German prosecutors say is the prime suspect in Madeleine's disappearance. Brueckner, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of an elderly woman at her home in Praia da Luz in 2005, has denied any involvement. German authorities said they are receiving support from Portuguese law enforcement while the Portuguese police said that searches will be carried out between June 2 and 6 in the municipality of Lagos, in accordance with a European investigation order. Any evidence seized by the Policia Judiciaria will be passed to the German federal police. They last carried out searches in the country in 2023 near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz. Personnel at Barragem do Arade reservoir, in the Algave, Portugal, in May 2023 (Yui Mok/PA) Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. It had previously been searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there. British police were later given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished in 2014. Last month, Madeleine's family marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, describing her as 'beautiful and unique' before her 22nd birthday, and expressing their determination to keep searching. A statement from her parents Kate and Gerry McCann, and the family said: 'The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this.' In April, ministers approved more than £100,000 (€118,000) in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine's disappearance.
