THREE cyclists will embark on a fundraising bike ride from London to Paris this August, aiming to raise £30,000 for Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinaemia UK (WMUK).
The event, titled "Wheels for Waldenstrom's," will cover over 60 miles per day for three days, and starts on August 24.
Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinaemia is a rare form of blood cancer, and the funds raised will support the WM community through the charity.
Donations can be made through their JustGiving fundraising page
Disposable vapes are currently the most commonly used devices among underage users
Vapers in the UK have been warned not to stockpile single-use e-cigarettes ahead of a nationwide ban coming into effect this Sunday, as the devices pose a significant fire hazard if not stored correctly.
The Local Government Association (LGA) issued the warning in response to concerns that many consumers are hoarding disposable vapes before the ban begins. Under the new regulations, retailers will be prohibited from selling single-use vapes from Sunday, and businesses that fail to comply face penalties.
David Fothergill, chair of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, cautioned both consumers and retailers, stating: “We want to remind businesses to ensure all remaining stocks of disposable vapes are sold, and that they only purchase products complying with the new regulations.
“If businesses have any single-use vapes in their possession after Sunday, they will not be able to sell them to shoppers and must ensure they are stored and disposed of safely. We would also urge caution to anyone stockpiling disposable vapes. Failing to store disposable vapes correctly could cost lives, given the significant fire risk they pose.”
The disposable vapes ban has been introduced to address the sharp rise in youth vaping and the growing environmental issues linked to improper disposal. Many of the products contain lithium-ion batteries, which, if crushed or exposed to heat, can ignite and cause fires.
Research by online nicotine retailer Haypp revealed that 82% of disposable vape users are considering stockpiling their preferred products before the ban takes effect.
Environmental concerns have also been cited as a key factor behind the ban. According to Material Focus, a non-profit dedicated to improving electrical recycling in the UK, an estimated five million disposable vapes were being thrown away incorrectly each week in 2024. This figure is nearly four times higher than in 2023.
Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, highlighted the risks: “Thirteen vapes every second are being incorrectly disposed of, and that’s a huge environmental pollution problem. The liquid in many vape batteries is toxic and could run into waterways, as well as harm animals. It’s also a significant fire risk because lithium batteries are known to cause fires when crushed with general waste.”
He added: “Vapes are a huge environmental pollution problem, so we hope the ban goes some way to reducing waste.”
Disposable vapes are currently the most commonly used devices among underage users. According to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), more than 20% of UK children have tried vaping. Campaigners say the sweet flavours and brightly coloured packaging of many disposable vapes appeal particularly to younger consumers.
Under the incoming regulations, only vapes that are rechargeable, refillable and fitted with replaceable coils will be permitted for sale in the UK.
Despite the government's move, experts have raised concerns that the vaping industry may already be preparing to sidestep the rules. There are fears that cheap imports, especially from China, may enter the UK market through unregulated channels, especially following new US tariffs on Chinese goods.
Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of ASH, commented: “There’s already a sizeable illegal market. Whether the disposable vapes ban makes that risk greater depends on how quickly legitimate retailers can provide products that meet users’ needs. People don’t necessarily want to go looking for illegal products if they can buy legal ones in their local shop or supermarket.”
Enforcement of the ban is expected to be a major challenge, particularly at UK borders. Kate Pike, lead officer for vaping at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said additional funding had been allocated for customs inspections, but called for stronger import controls to stop illegal vapes from entering the country.
“We have extra funding to do more at ports and borders,” she said. “From our point of view, it’s important, because obviously it makes a big difference if we can stop [illegal vapes entering the country].”
Retailers have been instructed to clear their stock of single-use e-cigarettes and dispose of unsold products safely in compliance with environmental and fire safety regulations. With the disposable vapes ban imminent, authorities are urging consumers not to hoard the soon-to-be-banned products, both for safety and to support the policy’s intended public health and environmental benefits.
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IndiGo, a USD 10 billion-revenue company, operates over 2,300 flights daily with a fleet of more than 430 aircraft. (Photo: Reuters)
INDIGO will begin direct flights to 10 international destinations, including London and Athens, in the current financial year, CEO Pieter Elbers said on Friday.
Other destinations include Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Manchester (the UK), Copenhagen (Denmark), Siem Reap (Cambodia) and four cities in Central Asia.
“There is an enormous opportunity in Indian aviation where rising demand is supported by infrastructure expansion,” Elbers said at a briefing in the national capital.
IndiGo will start direct flights from Mumbai to Manchester and Amsterdam using leased Boeing 787-9 aircraft in July. The services to Manchester will also mark the airline’s long-haul debut.
IndiGo, a USD 10 billion-revenue company, operates over 2,300 flights daily with a fleet of more than 430 aircraft. It flies to more than 90 domestic and 40 international destinations.
With the airline expanding international operations, Elbers said there is an enormous opportunity to build India as a great place for connecting flights, highlighting the country’s potential to become an international hub.
“Currently, Indian carriers account for 45 per cent of India’s international traffic while the remaining 55 per cent is served by overseas airlines,” Elbers said.
He added that IndiGo has the highest number of female pilots at around 15 per cent of the total pilot strength.
IndiGo will also host the 81st Annual General Meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in the national capital in June. The AGM is being held in India after 42 years.
(With inputs from agencies)
'It was getting very bad. It was getting very nasty. They are both nuclear powers,' Trump said. (Photo: Getty Images)
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has said that the “deal” he is most proud of is his effort to stop a “potentially a nuclear war” between India and Pakistan through trade instead of through “bullets.”
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly claimed that he told India and Pakistan that the US would stop trade with both countries if they did not stop the conflict.
India on Thursday said that trade was not discussed at all in talks between Indian and American leaders during the military clashes with Pakistan, rejecting Washington’s claims that trade stopped the confrontation.
Trump on Friday said, “I think the deal I’m most proud of is the fact that we’re dealing with India, we’re dealing with Pakistan and we were able to stop potentially a nuclear war through trade as opposed through bullets. Normally they do it through bullets. We do it through trade. So I’m very proud of that. Nobody talks about it but we had a very nasty potential war going on between Pakistan and India. And now, if you look, they’re doing fine,” Trump told reporters.
“It was getting very bad. It was getting very nasty. They are both nuclear powers,” he said.
Trump said Pakistani representatives are coming to Washington next week.
“India, as you know, we’re very close to making a deal with India,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews after departing Air Force One. “I wouldn’t have any interest in making a deal with either if they were going to be at war with each other. I would not and I’ll let them know,” Trump said.
This was the second time in a day that Trump repeated his claim that his administration stopped India and Pakistan from fighting.
“We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster,” Trump said during remarks in the Oval Office Friday afternoon in a press conference with billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who left the Trump administration after helming the Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump added that he wants to thank the “leaders of India, the leaders of Pakistan, and I want to thank my people also. We talked trade and we said ‘We can’t trade with people that are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons’.”
Trump said that leaders in India and Pakistan are “great leaders” and “they understood, and they agreed, and that all stopped.”
“We are stopping others from fighting also because ultimately, we can fight better than anybody. We have the greatest military in the world. We have the greatest leaders in the world,” Trump said.
India has been maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached after direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries.
An all-party delegation of Indian parliamentarians, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, will arrive in Washington DC around June 3 after completing their visit to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil conveying India’s resolve against terrorism and emphasising Pakistan’s links to terrorism.
The multi-party delegations from India to different countries have been underlining that the recent conflict with Pakistan was triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack and not Operation Sindoor as alleged by Islamabad.
The retaliatory Operation Sindoor launched by India targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
About two weeks after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of cross-border drone and missile strikes.
(With inputs from agencies)
Estimates say that 85% of the UK marshes have been lost since the mid 19th century
The UK’s saltmarshes are vital allies in protecting climate-warming greenhouse gases stored in the soil, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in partnership with insurance company Aviva.
These habitats provide a refuge for wildlife, capture carbon, and help manage floods naturally by slowing the movement of seawater inland.
Often overlooked, saltmarshes are the unsung heroes in the fight against climate change, yet most have been lost to agriculture.
The report urges the government to add saltmarshes to the official UK greenhouse gas inventory to better track how much carbon is absorbed and emitted annually. WWF and Aviva argue that such inclusion would contribute to national reporting, improve funding access, and strengthen policies for the protection and restoration of these habitats.
Described as nature’s ‘carbon stores’, saltmarshes are increasingly at risk due to rising sea levels, the latest research warns.
They absorb and release significant amounts of greenhouse gases, with seasonal fluctuations—absorbing more in spring and summer than in autumn and winter.
Formal recognition is essential for the effective restoration and protection of these sites.
Scientists from the UK and WWF have installed solar-powered monitoring equipment at Hesketh Out Marsh, a restored saltmarsh in North-West England managed by the RSPB. This solar-powered “carbon flux tower”, funded by Aviva, measures the exchange of greenhouse gases in the area.
The state of saltmarshes varies by region. While marshes in Chichester and the Wash in East Anglia are expanding, those in North Norfolk and along the Ribble are under threat due to rising sea levels.
Estimates suggest that 85% of the UK’s saltmarshes have been lost since the mid-19th century. Yet, the remaining marshes still play a crucial role in defending the coastline from sea level rise and storm surges. They protect assets in England and Wales worth more than £200 billion.
More than hundred shackled Indian’s returned to India on US military flight in February
More than a thousand Indians have been sent back from the United States since January, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The MEA confirmed that precisely 1,080 Indian nationals have been deported.
Approximately 62% of those deported returned on commercial flights, informed India’s spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
The deportations follow US President Donald Trump’s campaign against undocumented migrants entering the country. He had previously stated that he believes India “will do what’s right” in the matter of deporting illegal migrants.
This move by the US reflects a global trend of increasingly strict immigration controls.
Over a hundred shackled Indians were repatriated on a US military flight in February alone.
“We have close cooperation between India and the United States on migration issues,” said Jaiswal during the ministry’s weekly briefing. He added that deported Indians are only accepted back after strict verification of their nationality.
It is estimated that around 18,000 Indian nationals have entered the US illegally.
The US Embassy in India has issued a warning that overstaying in the US—even by those who entered legally—could lead to deportation or a permanent ban.
Jaiswal also raised concerns about President Trump’s proposed revisions to student visa policies, which could affect Indian students planning to study in the US. However, the Indian government has assured that the welfare of Indian students remains its “utmost priority”.
On Thursday, it was revealed that the US is pausing the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students as it considers expanding the screening of their social media activity. Student visa appointments under the F, M and J categories will be temporarily halted by American embassies.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reiterated that all foreign nationals living in the US for over 30 days must register under the Alien Registration Act, a strict requirement enforced by an executive order signed by Trump.
“While we note that the issuance of a visa is a sovereign function, we hope that the applications of Indian students will be considered on merit, and that they will be able to join their academic programmes on time,” said Randhir Jaiswal. A total of 333,000 Indian students have travelled to the US for studies in 2023–24, constituting the largest share of the country’s international student population.
The Ministry of External Affairs has assured that it will closely monitor developments and continue to engage with US authorities to ensure the fair treatment of Indian nationals.
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