Number of vape shops in England rises by almost 1,200% in a decade

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Research also shows deprived areas have up to 25 times as many bookmakers and pawnbrokers as affluent high streets

The number of vape shops on high streets across England has increased by almost 1,200% over the past decade, while deprived areas have up to 25 times as many bookmakers and pawnbrokers as affluent ones, according to research.

In 2014, only 33.8% of 317 local authorities in England had a vape shop, rising to 97.2% in 2024. Similarly, in 2014 less than 1% of local authorities in England had 10 or more vape shops, rising to 28% in 2024.

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MPs call on Criminal Cases Review Commission chief executive to resign

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Committee says Karen Kneller’s position no longer tenable in damning report on miscarriage of justice watchdog

The miscarriage of justice watchdog for England, Wales and Northern Ireland has continually failed to learn from its mistakes and its chief executive should follow the organisation’s chair out the door, MPs have said.

In a damning report on the leadership of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the House of Commons justice committee said Karen Kneller had provided it with unpersuasive evidence and her position was no longer tenable.

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Gloucester ranked best motorway service station in Great Britain

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Popular stop on M5 tops Which? survey with Tebay second, while Bridgwater is judged the worst with one-star rating

There are less than 80 miles between them, but the gulf in quality is massive, according to a Which? survey that ranked Gloucester services top of the stops, and Bridgwater bottom.

For many people motorway service stations are a place to take a break, grab a snack and use the toilet, but the rankings from the consumer recommendation group, which surveyed users of nearly 100 service stations across Great Britain, highlight the best and worst.

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FTC drops case over Microsoft’s $69bn Activision Blizzard acquisition

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Microsoft president declares ‘victory’ in Call of Duty maker deal as FTC chair says case doesn’t fit with Trump’s agenda

The US Federal Trade Commission dropped a case that sought to block Microsoft’s $69bn purchase of the Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, saying on Thursday that pursuing the case against the long-closed deal was not in the public interest.

Andrew Ferguson, the FTC chair, is seeking to use the agency’s resources for cases that fit with Donald Trump’s agenda, such as an investigation related to whether advertisers colluded to spend less on X.

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Merz hails ‘new era’ for German military at brigade launch – DW

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  1. Merz hails 'new era' for German military at brigade launch  DW
  2. Germany deploys permanent troops to another country for the first time since World War II  CNN
  3. Watch: German troops to be permanently sent to Lithuania's eastern border  BBC
  4. Germany set to defend NATO neighbours with new brigade in Lithuania  Reuters
  5. German troops start long-term deployment in another country for the first time since World War II  Business Insider
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The U.K. hands Chagos Islands over to Mauritius but says it will secure a U.S. base – NPR

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  1. The U.K. hands Chagos Islands over to Mauritius but says it will secure a U.S. base  NPR
  2. UK signs Chagos deal with Mauritius to seal future of US-UK air base  Reuters
  3. British Chagossians accuse UK government of betrayal over sovereignty deal  The Guardian
  4. U.S. Support for UK and Mauritius Agreement on Chagos Archipelago  U.S. Department of State (.gov)
  5. 'Chagos surrender' and 'Shipshape Kate'  BBC
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Russian hackers target Western firms shipping aid to Ukraine, US intelligence says – AP News

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  1. Russian hackers target Western firms shipping aid to Ukraine, US intelligence says  AP News
  2. Russia accused of trying to hack border security cameras to disrupt Ukraine aid  The Guardian
  3. Western countries reveal major Russian cyber-espionage campaign  politico.eu
  4. Russian Hackers Exploit Email and VPN Vulnerabilities to Spy on Ukraine Aid Logistics  The Hacker News
  5. UK exposes Russian cyber campaign targeting support for Ukraine  BBC
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Furious Macron dressed down ministers after botched leak of Muslim Brotherhood report – politico.eu

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  1. Furious Macron dressed down ministers after botched leak of Muslim Brotherhood report  politico.eu
  2. French report warns of Islamist 'entryism' as risk to national cohesion  BBC
  3. Macron’s party moots banning headscarves in public for under-15s  The Guardian
  4. Government-commissioned report says Muslim Brotherhood posing threat to French unity  Reuters
  5. Muslim Brotherhood's influence in France: What the controversial report reveals  Le Monde.fr
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