Latest news with #SGF
STV News
4 hours ago
- Business
- STV News
What is the new law on vapes when does it come into force?
From Sunday, it will be illegal for any business in the UK to sell or supply single-use, disposable vapes. It aims to reduce waste, protect the environment, and discourage young people from developing the habit. Those found breaking the law and selling disposable vapes after June 1 could face a fine or a prison sentence of up to two years. The Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF) advised retailers to stay on the right side of the law after the deadline. 'There is no transitional period in play here,' chief executive Pete Cheema said. 'From June 1, it will be an offence for a person or business to supply or offer to supply single-use vapes – or have them in their possession for supply, 'Any leftover stock, come that date, must be discontinued and stored separately from items for sale, clearly marked as 'not for sale'.' For Scottish consumers, it means that single-use, disposable vapes will no longer be available for purchase. From June 1, if vapers want to continue with their habit, they will need to switch to more sustainable, rechargeable, and refillable vape options. That's likely to come with a higher price tag. For retailers, it means that it will be an offence to supply, or have in their possession for supply, single-use vapes. Any leftover stock must be discontinued and stored separately from items for sale, clearly marked as 'Not for Sale'. The Scottish Parliament passed legislation to ban the sale of disposable vapes last year but enforcement was delayed so that it could coincide with similar laws in England and Wales. The law makes it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, and gives new powers to local authorities to issue fixed penalty notices to people breaching the age of sale legislation for both tobacco products and vapes. According to the Scottish Government, an estimated 26m disposable vapes were thrown away in Scotland in 2023. It was estimated that almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK. That's the equivalent of eight being thrown away per second. 'Litter is one of the reasons we're doing that – the lack of people properly disposing of them is a real issue,' Gillian Martin, acting cabinet secretary for net-zero and energy, said. Barry Fisher, chief executive of environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful, said disposable vapes were becoming 'more and more common', 'spoiling' the environment, and causing danger to wildlife. 'We are dealing with a litter emergency and the last thing we need is single-use products coming to market that can end up discarded harming our environment,' Mr Fisher said. 'This ban will help remove the fastest growing litter item from our streets, parks and beaches and is a welcome step in the right direction, but everyone must dispose of their waste in the correct way.' There's a health aspect to the ban as well, as vaping continues to become more popular among children and young people. In 2023, 20.5% of children had tried vaping, up from 15.8% in 2022 and 13.9% in 2020 'One of the issues around disposable vapes is they're attractive to children who shouldn't really be vaping at all,' Martin said. 'They're not stopping smoking necessarily, they're actually picking up another habit. So there's a health aspect to this as well.' Former health minister Andrew Gwynne previously added: 'It's deeply worrying that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds used a vape last year and we know disposables are the product of choice for the majority of kids vaping today. 'Banning disposable vapes will not only protect the environment but importantly reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Engadget
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Summer Game Fest 2025: What new game announcements to expect and how to watch
As if early June wasn't already going to be a wild enough time in the gaming world with the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2, that's also when a whole host of showcases takes place as part of Summer Game Fest. Along with the two blockbuster events — Summer Game Fest Live and the Xbox Games Showcase — there are a bunch of other ones in store, including the always-delightful Day of the Devs. There could be even more on the docket. There's always a chance that Nintendo and Sony will run a Direct or State of Play, respectively, over the next few weeks. Ubisoft hasn't yet announced a Forward event for this year either — perhaps because it has delayed a bunch of big games and isn't ready to talk about them. We haven't yet heard about a Devolver Direct either (c'monnnn, we need Baby Steps and Skate Story release dates already!). As things stand, SGF is slated to run from June 6 until June 8. With E3 officially dead (organizer Entertainment Software Association is planning an industry-focused event for next April instead), SGF is now the de facto replacement and the biggest event for announcements and updates this side of Gamescom in August. We'll update this preview as more details about the showcases emerge, including additional events in the SGF nebula. We'll embed videos for each stream as they become available as well. Engadget will be on the ground in Los Angeles for the in-person side of SGF, which is for media and creators. We'll be bringing you hands-on impressions of many of the games that are featured during SGF Live. Most folks will be keeping up with everything from home, though. To that end, here's a breakdown of how to watch Summer Game Fest 2025 and what to expect from the extravaganza (we're bound to get a Hollow Knight: Silksong release date this time, right?!?!). Summer Game Fest Live — June 6, 5PM ET Day of the Devs — June 6, 7PM ET Wholesome Direct — June 7, 12PM ET Women-led Games Showcase — June 7, 1PM ET Latin American Games Showcase — June 7, 2PM ET Green Games Showcase — June 7, 4PM ET Xbox Games Showcase — June 8, 1PM ET Putting aside our annoyance at the timing of this showcase — late on a Friday evening in the UK and right when many folks on the East Coast are clocking out for the weekend — Summer Game Fest Live is one of the bigger events in early June. It starts at 5PM ET and will run for two hours. Organizers are promising "spectacular new video game announcements, surprises and reveals." That's pretty compelling, especially since host Geoff Keighley (rightfully) downplayed expectations ahead of last year's show. We do know about a few games that will appear. SGF Live will include a fresh look at Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, a Soulslike action RPG from Leenzee, a studio based in China. That game will arrive in July. Open-world MMORPG Chrono Odyssey will make an appearance as well. Oh, and Hideo Kojima will be there, of course. SGF Live takes place just a couple of weeks before Kojima's Death Stranding 2: On the Beach arrives, so we'll likely get another peek at that game. Perhaps some of the other projects Kojima's working on will get some time in the limelight too. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Keighley has also released an initial list of partners for SGF. It includes big names such as PlayStation, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox, Steam, 2K, Epic Games and Square Enix. On the list is IO Interactive, so perhaps we'll get more information about the James Bond game that the Hitman studio has been working on for several years. Embark Studios is there as well, and given that there's a lot of hype around its upcoming extraction shooter, Arc Raiders , there'll be high hopes for a release date for that one. On top of that, it might be a little too early for another peek at The Witcher 4 after the reveal trailer at The Game Awards in December. But CD Projekt Red will be at SGF, so you never know... You can watch SGF Live on more than 20 platforms, including YouTube (that stream will be available in 4K at 60 fps), Twitch, X, TikTok, Steam and international services. The event will stream live from the YouTube Theater, and you can attend in person, if you like. In any case, we'll be bringing you all the major news from Summer Game Fest Live. We just can't promise we won't have an adult beverage with an umbrella next to us while we're covering the event. Immediately after SGF Live ends, the YouTube and Twitch streams will segue into the summer 2025 Day of the Devs stream. This indie-focused showcase invariably has a fantastic lineup of games worth keeping an eye on. Among the games making appearances are Possessor(s) from Heart Machine and "nightmarish RPG" Neverway from Coldblood and co-publisher Outersloth. We'll also see something from House House ( Untitled Goose Game ) — presumably the co-op "walker-talker" Big Walk that was revealed in 2023. In all, this edition of Day of the Devs will feature 20 games. Last year's show included 2024 game(s) of the year contender UFO 50 , the very intriguing platformer Screenbound , survival climbing game Cairn , the delightfully kooky-looking Building Relationships and sci-fi mystery Phoenix Springs . My Steam wishlist somehow expands quite significantly after each Day of the Devs showcase. Weird how that always happens. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Definitely don't overlook the smaller events that take place during SGF, as you can always find plenty of treats among them. One such event is the Wholesome Direct, which will feature around 60 cozy games. It will include world premieres, demo announcements and updates from publishers and developers including Playstack, btf Games, ustwo games and Wētā Workshop (whose Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game arrives in July). This one does what it says on the tin. It's a showcase featuring games from women-led and majority-women studios. Women-led Games will feature 39 titles, including world premieres and release dates. The Latin American Games Showcase will feature more than 50 games, all of which are from Latin American developers, oddly enough. Expect world premieres, game update news and more from this one. Watch on YouTube The Green Games Showcase is a new addition to the lineup for 2025. This will focus on the game's industry's "growing commitment to the environment." It will feature games that make direct contributions to green initiatives. Other titles in the showcase center around sustainability, and some are designed to raise awareness or drive action regarding environmental causes. Amazon Games, Skybound Games and Team17 are among those taking part. The stream will include a Q&A about how games can inspire meaningful action on climate change. There will also be a fundraising drive to help plant 50,000 trees. What's the over/under on the number of times the phrase "day one with Game Pass" will appear on this stream? That's one phrase you can definitely expect to hear, but Microsoft will have plenty to share here. It's the biggest Xbox showcase of the year. There will be reveals and updates from across Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard. Games that the company has in the pipeline include Fable (2026), Perfect Dark, Gears of War: E-Day, Everwild, State of Decay 3, Clockwork Revolution, Hideo Kojima's OD and Contraband . It feels a little early for an update on The Elder Scrolls 6 since that game is still years away. But we may find out more about those other games and some we don't yet know about, such as whatever Double Fine and Toys for Bob are working on. I have my fingers crossed for more info on the Blade game that Arkane Studios is working on. It's a reasonably safe bet that we'll see something about the next Call of Duty here as well. There's always going to be space for offerings from Microsoft's partner studios and publishers too. Plus, you never know, we might get a peek at what Halo Studios has been cooking up. One game we'll definitely hear more about on June 8 is The Outer Worlds 2 . That's getting its own time in the spotlight, with a dedicated event that will start as soon as the main Xbox Games Showcase ends. Meanwhile, several publishers and other organizations are hosting their own shows around SGF. Here's when those will take place: Access-Ability Summer Showcase (featuring games made by disabled developers and the accessibility options in each title) — June 6, 11AM ET, YouTube and Twitch IGN Live — throughout June 7 and 8 Southeast Asian Games Showcase — June 7, 3PM ET To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Future Games Show — June 7, 4PM ET (featuring more than 40 games) To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. PC Gamer 's PC Gaming Show — June 8, 3PM ET (with 50-plus games) Phew. Get ready, gamers. Details on many, many new games are coming your way very soon.
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Can NSE Clearing achieve financial independence before the NSE IPO?
NSE's listing plans hinge on resolving the financial relationship between the exchange and its clearing arm, NSE Clearing. SEBI has suggested NSE Clearing should become financially independent, potentially by directly collecting fees from brokers. This move aims to strengthen NSE Clearing's balance sheet and ensure its stability post-IPO, addressing concerns about its reliance on the parent company. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Mumbai: Smoothing the rough edges around the much-talked-about listing plans of National Stock Exchange (NSE) could depend on how the pie is shared between the country's largest bourse and its clearing the market architecture, while deals are cut on the NSE platform, NSE Clearing , a wholly-owned subsidiary of the exchange, acts as the legal counterparty to clear and settle the the clearing corporation absorbs the entire settlement risk and acts as a crucial intermediary between a broker receiving buy or sell orders from investors and stock exchanges offering the trade platform, the market regulator is in favour of NSE Clearing becoming financially a meeting with public interest directors of NSE Clearing earlier this year, senior Sebi officials had proposed that the clearing corporation could examine the possibility of directly collecting fees from brokers, sources told ET. The meeting was part of a two-day conclave where regulatory officials held separate meetings with directors of market infrastructure present, NSE Clearing financially relies on the parent NSE which receives fees from member brokers and retains a predominant portion of the money before sharing the balance with the clearing subsidiary. While NSE carries out all the marketing, develops products and gets businesses, NSE Clearing absorbs the risks on behalf of the now NSE has infused funds into NSE Clearing Corp as well as contributed for the settlement guarantee fund (SGF). But, the regulator, sources said, was of the view that there should be a mechanism for NSE Clearing to build a stronger balance-sheet on its own. (SGF, housed by the clearing corporation, is created to meet contingencies arising on account of failure of any payment by any broker member of a stock exchange.)Since the fees brokers pay should not be raised, this could either mean NSE agreeing to share a much larger amount with NSE Clearing, or accepting lower fees and letting NSE Clearing recover the balance charges directly from brokers. At a consolidated level, this, however, may not have much impact on the valuation of NSE."There are two issues: First, a pure profit driven, commercial organisation-which NSE would probably evolve into post IPO-holding majority stake in NSE Clearing. Second, after listing, would NSE, with diverse shareholders, be in a position to readily pump in money into the clearing company whenever it needs as it can today? Under the circumstances, a clear path to place NSE Clearing on a stronger financial footing, could help in sorting out a key issue before the proposed NSE IPO ," said a suggestion to unbundle charges, or allowing NSE Clearing to recover fees directly from brokers, was made shortly before the former Sebi head Madhavi Puri Buch completed her term. "Sebi had not proposed this in writing, and while the suggestion has not been repeated by the regulator since Tuhin Kanti Pandey took over as the chairman, there have been discussions on what could be the optimal charge for the clearing company," said a for Sebi and NSE Clearing did not comment on the investors, impatient for an exit, have been lobbying for listing the to another person, it's a complex issue as untangling NSE Clearing from the parent would also require segregating technology and manpower. "Other market institutions like BSE and its clearing corporation have to be sounded out on any proposal to unbundle charges. There is also a division of opinion-me think the break-up of fees has no relevance to the general public, but others feel the charges should be transparent and disclosed," he who advocate making NSE Clearing financially self-sustaining, point at the comparatively stronger financials of the Clearing Corporation of India (CCIL) which acts as the central counterparty providing guaranteed clearing and settlement functions for transactions in money, government securities, foreign exchange and derivatives like currency forwards and interest rate swaps. Unlike NSE Clearing, CCIL is covered by the Payment and Settlement Systems Act.
Glasgow Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow City Council warning ahead of disposable vape ban
The ban will start on June 1, 2025, and will see the sale of the single-use electronic cigarettes. It's a ban that'll be rolled out across the UK and is said to address the 'environmental and public health challenges' posed by disposable vapes. The council have urged shops to check over their stocks and prepare for the changes to ensure they won't be breaking the new law. Enforcement of the ban in Scotland will be carried out by local Trading Standards teams. READ MORE: Two people charged with offences under the Hunting with Dogs Act Glasgow City Council warning ahead of disposable vape ban (Image: PA) Businesses in violation may face seizure of non-compliant products, a fixed Penalty Notice of at least £200 or criminal prosecution with fines of up to £5000. The Glasgow City Council site explains 'why the ban matters': "Single-use vapes are difficult to recycle and typically end up in landfills, where their batteries can leak harmful waste like battery acid, lithium, and mercury into the environment. READ NEXT: 'Buzzin!': Biffy Clyro tease new music as rock legends play secret Glasgow gig "Batteries thrown into household waste also cause fires in bin lorries and waste-processing centres. Defra estimates almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown into general waste each week last year." The ban applies to both in-store and online sales. It covers all products classified as single-use vapes, which are identified as not being designed to be refilled or recharged. Trading Standards advise that sellers should stop buying new stock, sell all existing stock before June 1, and arrange for the environmentally responsible disposal of any unsold single-use vapes. The Glasgow Times previously reported that the Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF) were supporting shops in ensuring compliance with the new legislation. At the time, Pete Cheema, chief executive at SGF, said: "Our members - including those across Glasgow - are committed to responsible local retailing and operating within the law. "It's important that we do all we can to help ensure they are fully prepared for this significant change, so that staff and customers are all properly educated about what the new law entails. "There is no transitional period in play here. "From June 1, it will be an offence for a person or business to supply or offer to supply single-use vapes - or have them in their possession for supply. "Any leftover stock come that date must be discontinued and stored separately from items for sale, clearly marked as 'not for sale'."
Engadget
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Summer Game Fest 2025: What to expect and how to watch games revealed live
As if early June wasn't already going to be a wild enough time in the gaming world with the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2, that's also when a whole host of showcases takes place as part of Summer Game Fest. Along with the two blockbuster events — Summer Game Fest Live and the Xbox Games Showcase — there are a bunch of other ones in store, including the always-delightful Day of the Devs. There could be even more on the docket. There's always a chance that Nintendo and Sony will run a Direct or State of Play, respectively, over the next few weeks. Ubisoft hasn't yet announced a Forward event for this year either — perhaps because it has delayed a bunch of big games and isn't ready to talk about them. We haven't yet heard about a Devolver Direct either (c'monnnn, we need Baby Steps and Skate Story release dates already!). As things stand, SGF is slated to run from June 6 until June 8. With E3 officially dead (organizer Entertainment Software Association is planning an industry-focused event for next April instead), SGF is now the de facto replacement and the biggest event for announcements and updates this side of Gamescom in August. We'll update this preview as more details about the showcases emerge, including additional events in the SGF nebula. We'll embed videos for each stream as they become available as well. Engadget will be on the ground in Los Angeles for the in-person side of SGF, which is for media and creators. We'll be bringing you hands-on impressions of many of the games that are featured during SGF Live. Most folks will be keeping up with everything from home, though. To that end, here's a breakdown of how to watch Summer Game Fest 2025 and what to expect from the extravaganza (we're bound to get a Hollow Knight: Silksong release date this time, right?!?!) Summer Game Fest Live — June 6, 5PM ET Day of the Devs — June 6, 7PM ET Wholesome Direct — June 7, 12PM ET Women-led Games Showcase — June 7, 1PM ET Latin American Games Showcase — June 7, 2PM ET Xbox Games Showcase — June 8, 1PM ET Putting aside our annoyance at the timing of this showcase — late on a Friday evening in the UK and right when many folks on the East Coast are clocking out for the weekend — Summer Game Fest Live is one of the bigger events in early June. It starts at 5PM ET and will run for two hours. Organizers are promising "spectacular new video game announcements, surprises and reveals." That's pretty compelling, especially since host Geoff Keighley (rightfully) downplayed expectations ahead of last year's show. We do know about a few games that will appear. SGF Live will include a fresh look at Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, a Soulslike action RPG from Leenzee, a studio based in China. That game will arrive in July. Open-world MMORPG Chrono Odyssey will make an appearance as well. You can watch SGF Live on more than 20 platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, X, TikTok, Steam and international services. The event will stream live from the YouTube Theater, and you can attend in person, if you like. In any case, we'll be bringing you all the major news from Summer Game Fest Live. We just can't promise we won't have an adult beverage with an umbrella next to us while we're covering the event. Immediately after SGF Live ends, the YouTube and Twitch streams will segue into the summer 2025 Day of the Devs stream. This indie-focused showcase invariably has a fantastic lineup of games worth keeping an eye on. Among the games making appearances are Possessor(s) from Heart Machine and "nightmarish RPG" Neverway from Coldblood and co-publisher Outersloth. We'll also see something from House House ( Untitled Goose Game ) — presumably the co-op "walker-talker" Big Walk that was revealed in 2023. In all, this edition of Day of the Devs will feature 20 games. Last year's show included 2024 game(s) of the year contender UFO 50 , the very intriguing platformer Screenbound , survival climbing game Cairn , the delightfully kooky-looking Building Relationships and sci-fi mystery Phoenix Springs . My Steam wishlist somehow expands quite significantly after each Day of the Devs showcase. Weird how that always happens. Definitely don't overlook the smaller events that take place during SGF, as you can always find plenty of treats among them. One such event is the Wholesome Direct, which will feature around 60 cozy games. It will include world premieres, demo announcements and updates from publishers and developers including Playstack, btf Games, ustwo games and Wētā Workshop (whose Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game arrives in July). This one does what it says on the tin. It's a showcase featuring games from women-led and majority-women studios. Women-led Games will feature 39 titles, including world premieres and release dates. The Latin American Games Showcase will feature more than 50 games, all of which are from Latin American developers, oddly enough. Expect world premieres, game update news and more from this one. What's the over/under on the number of times the phrase "day one with Game Pass" will appear on this stream? That's one phrase you can definitely expect to hear, but Microsoft will have plenty to share here. It's the biggest Xbox showcase of the year. There will be reveals and updates from across Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard. Games that the company has in the pipeline include Fable (2026), Perfect Dark, Gears of War: E-Day, Everwild, State of Decay 3, Clockwork Revolution, Hideo Kojima's OD and Contraband . It feels a little early for an update on The Elder Scrolls 6 since that game is still years away. But we may find out more about those other games and some we don't yet know about. I have my fingers crossed for more info on the Blade game that Arkane Studios is working on. It's a reasonably safe bet that we'll see something about the next Call of Duty here as well. One game we'll definitely hear more about on June 8 is The Outer Worlds 2 . That's getting its own time in the spotlight, with a dedicated event that will start as soon as the main Xbox Games Showcase ends. Meanwhile, several publishers and other organizations are hosting their own shows around SGF. Here's when those will take place: IGN Live — throughout June 7 and 8 Southeast Asian Games Showcase — June 7, 3PM ET To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Future Games Show — June 7, 4PM ET (featuring more than 40 games) To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. PC Gamer 's PC Gaming Show — June 8, 3PM ET (with 50-plus games) Phew. Get ready, gamers. Details on many, many new games are coming your way very soon.
