The offer of thousands of dollars a month was hard to refuse for those living in poverty in a war-torn country. But while some Yemenis have died on the frontline, others are now prisoners of war

The first time I heard Hussein’s mother’s voice, it wasn’t anger that came through the phone, it was exhaustion.

“There are rumours that he burned to death,” she said to me. “How do you think that makes me feel as a mother? Where are you, Hussein? I’m looking for you. Please my daughter, help me.”

Given how easy it is to kill plants by overwatering, these devices are tempting – but can they beat simply sticking your finger in the soil?

The problem
Houseplants often die from too much water, not neglect. Might a moisture meter help?

The hack
For around £10, a probe promises to tell you exactly when to water.

The offer of thousands of dollars a month was hard to refuse for those living in poverty in a war-torn country. But while some Yemenis have died on the frontline, others are now prisoners of war

The first time I heard Hussein’s mother’s voice, it wasn’t anger that came through the phone, it was exhaustion.

“There are rumours that he burned to death,” she said to me. “How do you think that makes me feel as a mother? Where are you, Hussein? I’m looking for you. Please my daughter, help me.”

ICO says it is making inquiries with banking group over data privacy after it accessed 30,000 staff accounts

The information watchdog is questioning Lloyds Banking Group over a potential breach of privacy rules after it accessed data from 30,000 staff bank accounts during union pay talks last year.

Lloyds – which owns the Halifax and Bank of Scotland brands – used aggregated salary, spending and savings data as part of a presentation to staff union representatives, which suggested that its lowest-paid staff had been in a better financial position than the wider population in recent years.

ICO says it is making inquiries with banking group over data privacy after it accessed 30,000 staff accounts

The information watchdog is questioning Lloyds Banking Group over a potential breach of privacy rules after it accessed data from 30,000 staff bank accounts during union pay talks last year.

Lloyds – which owns the Halifax and Bank of Scotland brands – used aggregated salary, spending and savings data as part of a presentation to staff union representatives, which suggested that its lowest-paid staff had been in a better financial position than the wider population in recent years.

ICO says it is making inquiries with banking group over data privacy after it accessed 30,000 staff accounts

The information watchdog is questioning Lloyds Banking Group over a potential breach of privacy rules after it accessed data from 30,000 staff bank accounts during union pay talks last year.

Lloyds – which owns the Halifax and Bank of Scotland brands – used aggregated salary, spending and savings data as part of a presentation to staff union representatives, which suggested that its lowest-paid staff had been in a better financial position than the wider population in recent years.

Exclusive: China Labor Watch says people aged 16-18 employed without required special protections

A labour rights NGO says it has found evidence of worker exploitation in the supply chain of Labubus, the furry toys that took the world by storm last year and which are expected to continue to grow in popularity in 2026.

Labubus, toothy gremlins made by the Chinese toy company Pop Mart, have become one of China’s hottest cultural exports. In the first half of 2025 alone, “the Monsters” line of toys, which includes Labubus, generated 4.8bn yuan (£511m) in sales for the Hong Kong-listed company. In August, Pop Mart’s chief executive, Wang Ning, said the company was on track to reach 20bn yuan in revenues in 2025.

Exclusive: China Labor Watch says people aged 16-18 employed without required special protections

A labour rights NGO says it has found evidence of worker exploitation in the supply chain of Labubus, the furry toys that took the world by storm last year and which are expected to continue to grow in popularity in 2026.

Labubus, toothy gremlins made by the Chinese toy company Pop Mart, have become one of China’s hottest cultural exports. In the first half of 2025 alone, “the Monsters” line of toys, which includes Labubus, generated 4.8bn yuan (£511m) in sales for the Hong Kong-listed company. In August, Pop Mart’s chief executive, Wang Ning, said the company was on track to reach 20bn yuan in revenues in 2025.

Exclusive: China Labor Watch says people aged 16-18 employed without required special protections

A labour rights NGO says it has found evidence of worker exploitation in the supply chain of Labubus, the furry toys that took the world by storm last year and which are expected to continue to grow in popularity in 2026.

Labubus, toothy gremlins made by the Chinese toy company Pop Mart, have become one of China’s hottest cultural exports. In the first half of 2025 alone, “the Monsters” line of toys, which includes Labubus, generated 4.8bn yuan (£511m) in sales for the Hong Kong-listed company. In August, Pop Mart’s chief executive, Wang Ning, said the company was on track to reach 20bn yuan in revenues in 2025.