EUROPE

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The UK Parliament has passed the "landmark" Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which implements a lifelong ban on cigarette sales for anyone born after 2008. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords have approved the final draft, making it illegal for retailers to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009. The legislation is designed to ensure that children currently aged 17 or younger never legally reach the age where they can purchase tobacco.

When it gets royal assent, ministers will also have new powers to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including their flavours and packaging.

It is part of a series of measures aimed at tackling the health effects of smoking, one of the UK's leading causes of preventable death, disability and ill health.

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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced that Italy will not renew its five-year defense agreement with Israel. Meloni stated the decision was made "in view of the current situation," though she did not provide specific details. The move follows a sharp decline in relations between Rome and Tel Aviv, exacerbated last week when Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon faced warning shots from Israeli forces, prompting Italy to summon the Israeli ambassador.

On Monday, Israel in turn summoned Italy's ambassador to protest comments by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had condemned Israel's "unacceptable attacks" on civilians in Lebanon.

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British police have arrested two teenagers in connection with a weekend arson attack on a synagogue in northwest London, as Jewish leaders express concern about a wave of incidents targeting their community.

Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes of London’s Metropolitan Police Service on Monday said officers arrested two young men, aged 19 and 17, overnight in relation to the attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in the borough of Harrow. The department has made 15 arrests related to six attacks on Jewish targets and a Persian-language media organization critical of Iran’s government that occurred over the past few weeks, he said in an interview with the BBC.

One “serious line of inquiry” is that Iran is hiring local criminals to carry out these attacks amid tensions in the Middle East, including the U.S.-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic, Jukes said.

“We’ve seen a pattern with other actors of thugs for hire, people taking cash that looks like quick and easy money,” Jukes said. “This is part of the modern hybrid war fought by proxies.”

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The government of Spain has approved a significant plan to grant legal status to around 500000 undocumented migrants, marking one of the country’s most notable immigration decisions in recent years. The initiative, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, aims to formally integrate hundreds of thousands of people who are already living and working within Spanish society.

According to Sánchez, the move is both a practical necessity and a matter of fairness. In a public message addressed to citizens, he explained that the policy recognizes the reality that many undocumented migrants are already part of everyday life in Spain. He described the decision as an act of justice, emphasizing that these individuals contribute to the nation’s economy and social fabric.

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Asia Carrera has passed the Texas bar exam, marking a major career shift as she moves closer to becoming a licensed lawyer.

Carrera, born Jessica Steinhauser, announced the achievement on Facebook after sitting the notoriously challenging exam in February. Records confirm she has been listed under her birth name with State Bar of Texas among those admitted.

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A bizarre chocolate theft in Europe has captured global attention after more than 400000 KitKat bars weighing around 12 tons were stolen from a delivery truck. The incident occurred while the vehicle was transporting the chocolate along a route from a factory in central Italy to Poland. According to the company, the truck and its contents remain missing, and investigations are ongoing in collaboration with local authorities and supply chain partners.

The stolen shipment consisted of exactly 413793 KitKat bars, each traceable through unique batch numbers printed on the packaging. The company has encouraged anyone who comes across suspicious products matching those codes to report them. Despite the scale of the theft, KitKat reassured consumers that there are no safety concerns and that overall supply has not been affected.

The incident also highlights a growing issue within the logistics industry. A joint report by the International Union of Marine Insurance and the Transported Asset Protection Association in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa has pointed to a rise in cargo theft and freight fraud. These crimes are becoming more organized and sophisticated, posing serious challenges for companies that rely on complex distribution networks.

Rather than treating the situation purely as a crisis, KitKat chose to respond in a way that turned the story into something much bigger. The brand leaned into humor and creativity, using its well known messaging to engage the public. In a statement, a spokesperson joked that while the brand encourages people to have a break, it seems the thieves took that message too literally. The comment struck a tone that allowed audiences to engage with the story in a lighter way.

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The BBC has announced plans to cut between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs—nearly 10% of its workforce—to address "significant financial pressures." The broadcaster aims to achieve £500 million in savings over the next two years. Interim Director General Rhodri Talfan Davies stated that while the news is "really difficult" for staff, the corporation will work to implement these changes without compromising critical radio, television, and online services.

He said the corporation would give more details later this year about how its services would be affected.

The BBC currently has about 21,500 full time equivalent employees.

In an email to staff on Wednesday, Talfan Davies said: "As you know, the BBC is facing significant financial pressures, which we need to respond to with pace.

"Put simply, the gap between our costs and our income is growing. This is being driven by a number of factors: production inflation remains very high; our licence fee and commercial income is under pressure; and the global economy remains turbulent."

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The big election over the weekend was in a small European country nearly half a world away from Washington, but the defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has significant reverberations in the United States.

That’s because President Donald Trump and many U.S. conservatives have long embraced Orbán, who has become an icon among the global right for his anti-immigrant stance. The American president’s agenda has striking parallels with the way the Hungarian leader used the levers of government to tilt the media, judiciary and electoral system to keep his party in power for 16 years.