Shein accused of ‘shaming’ customers into buying more than they can afford

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Consumer watchdogs accuse Chinese fashion firm of ‘dark’ practices in formal complaint to European Commission

Consumer watchdogs from 21 countries have filed a formal complaint to EU authorities about alleged “dark” practices by the Chinese fast fashion firm Shein including the “shaming” of customers into buying more than they can afford.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has submitted a 29-page dossier to the European Commission citing multiple examples of “dark patterns”, or deceptive techniques designed to encourage purchases.

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Japan records lowest number of births in more than a century, as population fears grow

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New government data shows the number of births reached 686,061 in 2024, a decline of 5.7% from the previous year and the lowest since statistics were first kept in 1899

Japan’s struggle to encourage couples to have more children has been given greater urgency after data showed the annual number of births dropped to below 700,000 for the first time since records began more than a century ago.

According to government data released this week, the number of births reached 686,061 in 2024, a decline of 5.7% from the previous year and the lowest since statistics were first kept in 1899. The data excludes babies born to foreign residents.

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Madeleine McCann Portugal search to enter third day – BBC

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  1. Madeleine McCann Portugal search to enter third day  BBC
  2. Madeleine McCann search latest: Neighbour recalls ‘angry’ rows with suspect as third day begins in hunt for missing girl  The Independent
  3. Madeleine McCann search back on, 18 years after disappearance  NewsNation
  4. New search underway in Portugal for Madeleine McCann, the toddler missing since 2007  NBC News
  5. Investigators search abandoned building linked to Madeleine McCann's disappearance 18 years ago  9News
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Marine heatwave found to have engulfed area of ocean five times the size of Australia

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World Meteorological Organization report says record heat in 2024 was driven by climate crisis and intersected with extreme weather events

Almost 40 million sq kilometres of ocean around south-east Asia and the Pacific – an area five times the size of Australia – was engulfed in a marine heatwave in 2024, a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report has revealed.

WMO scientists said the record heat – on land and in the ocean – was mostly driven by the climate crisis and coincided with a string of extreme weather events, from deadly landslides in the Philippines to floods in Australia and rapid glacier loss in Indonesia.

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Woman on trial for poison mushroom killings says she was trying to fix “bland” meal – CBS News

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  1. Woman on trial for poison mushroom killings says she was trying to fix "bland" meal  CBS News
  2. Deadly mushroom cook weighed fatal dose on kitchen scales, says prosecutor  BBC
  3. Australian woman on trial for mushroom murder of in-laws says she was trying to fix a 'bland' lunch  AP News
  4. Death caps and cancer claims: how Erin Patterson responded to first day of mushroom trial cross-examination  The Guardian
  5. Woman Accused of Killing 3 with Meal Says 'Exotic Mushrooms' Have 'More Flavor': Reports  People.com
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US vetoes resolution for unconditional Gaza ceasefire at UN security council

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Russia, China, France and the UK all voted in favour of ‘immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire’

The United States has vetoed a United Nations security council resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza while the 14 remaining countries on the council voted in favour.

The vetoed resolution also called the situation in Gaza “catastrophic”, and demanded the “immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN and humanitarian partners”.

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Canadian wildfires prompt air-quality alerts across five US states

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Officials in New York, New Jersey, Iowa, New Hampshire and Maine issued alerts due to smoke from fires in Canada

Smoke from wildfires in Canada is spreading across multiple states in the US including the eastern seaboard, prompting multiple states to issue air-quality alerts.

The poor air quality stretching across the US came as a result of dozens of wildfires burning across Canada as the country’s annual wildfire season roars into destructive action.

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Kremlin and Trump aides raise nuclear war fears after Ukraine drone strike

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Vladimir Putin has warned Russia will respond to Kyiv’s attacks on nuclear-capable aircraft at airfields

As Vladimir Putin pledges to retaliate against Ukraine for last weekend’s unprecedented drone attack, Kremlin advisers and figures around Donald Trump have told the US president that the risk of a nuclear confrontation is growing, in an attempt to pressure him to further reduce US support for Ukraine.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and an important intermediary between the Kremlin and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, called the Ukrainian drone strike an attack on “Russian nuclear assets”, and echoed remarks from Maga-friendly figures warning of the potential for a third world war.

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