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The United Kingdom's prohibition on single-use vapes, implemented last June as part of efforts to address environmental concerns and curb youth vaping, is showing mixed results. 5.4 million adults in Great Britain now vape daily or occasionally, according to official figures, making these devices an inescapable part of modern British life.The ban, which carries penalties including fines up to £200 for initial violations and potential jail time for repeat offenders, was designed to tackle two significant issues: the environmental impact of millions of plastic devices with lithium-ion batteries ending up in landfills, and the rising popularity of vaping among young people.Recent data from the recycling campaign group Material Focus indicates that 6.3 million vapes and pods are still being discarded weekly, representing a nearly 25% decrease since the ban's implementation. While this suggests some impact, waste management companies report that the devices remain a major problem, with their batteries frequently causing fires in disposal facilities."It is quite a small reduction, really," said Sarah Marsh, the Guardian's consumer affairs correspondent and former vaper. "What we are hearing from Biffa and other waste companies is that they still have a massive problem with the waste, and that has not really changed. There are still fires and people still dump rechargeable vapes and the pods."Waste companies emphasize that the ban has not adequately addressed their concerns, noting that rechargeable vapes remain too inexpensive and appear disposable to many users. The lack of sufficient effort toward changing consumer behavior has limited the ban's effectiveness."If you introduce a ban like this but you don't put the support in place to achieve your goals, like making it easy for people to recycle, the ban isn't necessarily going to work," Marsh explained. "A ban in isolation is ineffective."The environmental challenges persist alongside concerns about youth vaping. The World Health Organization has warned that e-cigarettes are driving a new wave of nicotine use among children, who are nine times more likely than adults to vape. At least 15 million children vape globally according to WHO figures.While the UK government is conducting a large-scale study on vaping's impact on children, with a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds having tried vaping, there is not yet clear evidence on whether the disposable vape ban has affected youth usage patterns."In short, disposables have driven the surge in youth vaping, and banning them should bring numbers down, but it won't fix everything," Marsh noted. "Big tobacco companies are already set up to adapt fast and keep the next generation using nicotine. It won't be easy."Waste management companies are calling for more comprehensive solutions, including potential deposit reward schemes and changes to vape design and pricing that would discourage disposal. The UK government maintains that the ban was necessary to address the environmental blight and youth nicotine addiction caused by single-use vapes.

In a fascinating collection of wildlife discoveries, a flying rodent has captured attention, alongside a duty-free possum and an emerald viper. These unusual finds have been highlighted in The Guardian's weekly wildlife roundup.The flying rodent, known for its unique abilities, has sparked interest among wildlife enthusiasts. Meanwhile, the duty-free possum and the emerald viper have also made headlines due to their distinct characteristics and the circumstances of their discovery.

The traditional cold war diplomacy of brinkmanship, characterized by carefully balanced standoffs and rules-based international order, has given way to a world in freefall. This shift is exemplified by the ever-widening conflict in the Gulf where strategic objectives remain as unclear as the potential endpoint of hostilities.Approaching a month since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, the stated objectives of removing the country's nuclear threat and destroying its ballistic missile capability appear increasingly disconnected from the disproportionate impact on civilians and neighboring Gulf nations. Despite these consequences, the Iranian regime's willingness to escalate the conflict shows no signs of diminishing.The Guardian Weekly's coverage examines this critical juncture through multiple perspectives. Patrick Wintour recounts the pivotal week when global tensions reached a tipping point, while Richard Partington analyzes the long-term economic implications of a prolonged conflict, from oil price fluctuations to inflationary pressures and economic growth impacts. From South Lebanon, William Christou reports on healthcare professionals caught in the crossfire of Israeli airstrikes, highlighting the human cost of the escalating violence.Emma Graham-Harrison provides insight from Jerusalem, examining Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strategy of attempting to rehabilitate his image through what he frames as destruction of an 'axis of evil.' Meanwhile, Simon Tisdall poses a critical question: when US President Donald Trump eventually seeks to halt the conflict, will any parties be willing to heed his calls for de-escalation?Beyond the primary geopolitical focus, this week's Guardian Weekly edition explores several significant developments across different sectors. The UK political landscape features an examination of the upcoming local elections, where voter sentiment appears increasingly focused on rejecting established parties rather than actively supporting alternatives. The scientific section explores innovative approaches to addressing snoring disorders through CPAP machines, while the culture section features an in-depth interview with Dave Grohl discussing Foo Fighters, personal challenges, and grief following the loss of bandmate Taylor Hawkins.In sports, the publication celebrates the remarkable achievement of British athletes Keely Hodgkinson, Georgia Hunter Bell, and Molly Caudery, who each secured gold medals at the world indoor athletics championships in Poland, showcasing British excellence in track and field events.

Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy has achieved a lifelong dream by breaking the 50m freestyle world record with a time of 20.88 seconds at the China Open. The Queenslander shattered the longstanding record by three hundredths of a second, a mark set during the era of now-banned super-suits.The 31-year-old athlete expressed his surprise and delight at achieving this milestone ahead of schedule. "That was more of a target for the end of this season, so to have hit it at the moment in March is really special," McEvoy stated upon returning to Brisbane.McEvoy's journey to swimming's pinnacle has been unconventional. Having made his Olympic debut in London as a teenager in 2012, he won bronze medals in relays in Rio and Tokyo before securing his first individual Olympic gold in Paris in 2024 at age 30—well past the typical peak age for elite sprinters.His remarkable rise to dominance stems from a radical rethinking of his training methodology. McEvoy abandoned traditional long pool sessions in favor of strength training and short, explosive sets that mimic the specific requirements of the 50m event. This year, he took an even more extreme approach."I had an off-season which was mainly strength development, and I've barely done much swimming since the [August] World Champs last year, up until this comp," McEvoy explained. "And then this comp was meant to be the transition door into going into more of a sprint-focused regime, but because I got the world record and I've made steps, the idea is just to double down on this and not change it, see how far this can actually take me."The previous world record-holder, César Cielo, congratulated the Australian on his "incredible" swim, sharing a profound insight: "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."McEvoy's innovative approach has resonated beyond his own achievements. He receives weekly messages from both elite athletes and former swimmers who have returned to the sport inspired by his methods. "The amount of them that are saying that they're doing lifetime best times and they're deep into their 40s, compared to when they were training full-time in their teens, it's pretty incredible," he noted.Looking ahead, the Australian swimmer has set his sights on future Olympic Games. "I've still got my eyes on LA, I definitely have my eyes on the home Games here in Brisbane, and so I'll just keep at it every year and just take it one step at a time," McEvoy stated, emphasizing his commitment to continue pushing boundaries with his unique training philosophy.

Dario Fo, born 100 years ago, was a multifaceted genius who seamlessly blended politics and comedy in his works. As a dramatist, actor, director, and designer, he brought satire to the masses, achieving a global reach with plays like Accidental Death of an Anarchist and Can't Pay? Won't Pay!, which justly earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997.Fo's background was marked by his involvement in wartime resistance against the Nazis in northern Italy, where he helped smuggle Allied soldiers across the border to Switzerland. His career in entertainment began with a weekly TV variety show that attracted huge audiences, but was abruptly ended due to his refusal to accept censorship.Fo's theatre company, Nuova Scena, gave the first performance of Mistero Buffo, his one-man show that satirized the Catholic Church. The show was condemned by the Vatican as 'the most blasphemous show in the history of television.'Fo's plays injected new life into political theatre, with Accidental Death of an Anarchist being a notable example. The play derived from a real-life case of a railway worker falsely accused of planting bombs and who 'fell' out of a police HQ window. The play's 2023 revival at the Sheffield Crucible, which transferred to the West End, showcased its timeless relevance, with Daniel Rigby's performance being 'breathlessly funny.'Fo's works provided actors with memorable roles, such as Griff Rhys Jones' virtuoso performance in Trumpets and Raspberries. His approach to comedy was rooted in tragedy, using laughter as a means to make audiences confront problems like cruelty, injustice, and oppression.Throughout his career, Fo faced significant harassment, including 45 prosecutions from the Italian police, and physical intimidation from both the Catholic Church and the Communist Party. Despite this, his legacy as a master of merging politics and comedy endures.

Japan will begin releasing its largest-ever oil reserves this week, according to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The decision aims to cushion the country against possible energy shortages triggered by the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran and its impact on tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The government has approved the release of 15 days' worth of private-sector reserves and will start releasing state-owned reserves on Thursday. This move follows concerns that the conflict in the Middle East will continue to disrupt oil supplies. Japan, a resource-poor nation with a significant economy, imports over 90% of its crude oil from the Middle East, making it particularly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions in the region. The release includes about 80 million barrels of stockpiled oil, equivalent to 45 days of domestic demand. This is 1.8 times the quantity made available after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011. As of last year, Japan held reserves of approximately 470 million barrels of oil, enough for 254 days of domestic consumption. In addition to the oil reserve release, the government has introduced subsidies for fuel products to cap gasoline prices at about ¥170 ($1.10) per liter. This move comes after the average retail price of gasoline reached a record ¥190.8 per liter. The subsidies will be reviewed weekly based on oil prices. The Strait of Hormuz crisis has also triggered concerns among Japanese consumers about the availability of essential goods, including toilet paper. In response, the trade and industry ministry has advised consumers against hoarding toilet paper, urging them to make rational purchasing decisions based on accurate information.