Gen Alpha has gone nuts for a cheap landline-inspired device that connects them with their friends.

In a time when everyone is eyeing the latest $1,000 iPhone, a $100 colorful can-shaped phone for kids is sweeping the nation.

The Tin Can is a WiFi-enabled device that allows kids to talk to their friends and reach the police in emergencies while avoiding strangers, scammers and social media.

“It doesn’t have apps, texting, or games—just real conversation with friends, neighbors, Grandma, or whoever you add to your approved contact list,” an online description of the device reads.

The Tin Can has gone viral since debuting in April 2025 as schools and nostalgic parents embrace an old-school alternative to a smartphone.

“It’s not uncommon for the phone to start ringing within minutes,” Justin Finn said of the Tin Can shared by his two elementary school-aged kids.

“There is a real excitement around it that we have not seen with many other additions within the home,” he told Bloomberg on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of Tin Cans have been sold so far, mostly due to word-of-mouth, Bloomberg reported, citing the company.

Schools, including the Finn kids’ Nativity Parish School outside of Kansas City, are handing out the devices for free to prevent children from becoming addicted to social media, according to the outlet.

YouTube and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, were recently found liable in a Los Angeles case where a young woman testified that her early use of social media caused her to become addicted and worsened her mental health.

Not only may parents be drawn to the Tin Can for its social media blackout, but also for the nostalgia it brings.

“We could have built some modern device and made it look all kid-ified,” Tin Can CEO Chet Kittleson said in Bloomberg’s article. “But I wanted this to be something immediately relatable to the buyer, the parent — something understood inherently that reminded them of their simple childhood because that’s what we’re all yearning for.”

The Independent has reached out to Tin Can for comment.

With oil prices skyrocketing following the US and Israel’s bombing of Iran, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, motorists around the world have been looking for ways to save money.

Improvements in electric vehicle (EV) technology, combined with the high price of oil, mean that the tipping point at which most consumers start ditching their petrol cars for electric ones may well have been reached.

Given the nature of that market where more EV users means better infrastructure to support them, there will be no turning back. As it becomes easier to charge a car than to find petrol stations, and as battery technology continues to improve, the relative advantages of EVs will become impossible to match.

For countries like the UK, where renewable sources are producing more electricity, mass adoption of EVs cannot come fast enough. And this is not just for the obvious reasons of improving air quality or reducing reliance on dictators and US foreign policy.

While the oil price shock may be what finally tips consumers towards EVs, adoption provides part of the answer to a different and lasting problem: the cost of electricity in the UK and other countries where investment in wind and solar has so far failed to bring prices down.

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The UK pays more for electricity than most comparable countries. Gas sets the price of electricity too often. And a relative lack of sun means the UK misses out on the full benefits of solar – the renewable technology that has become cheapest.

What’s more, demand for electricity has been falling as machinery and appliances become more efficient, and as the country moved away from industry and towards services. This means that all the fixed costs of maintaining the energy grid must be shared between fewer users.

How EVs can help

On sunshine, there is not much to be done – the UK will not become Spain. But on the other two problems, the case is strong.

Take gas first. The reason gas sets the price of electricity so often is not that the UK lacks renewable capacity. The country builds plenty of wind farms. The problem is that it cannot always use the energy produced – a lot of it is wasted because there is nowhere to store it. So the fallback is gas whenever there is a need for a lot of electricity, or when there is no wind or sun.

But electric cars can be connected to the electricity grid. When you are not driving and do not need a full battery, intelligent systems can sell electricity back to the market when demand is high or supply is low, and buy it back when it is cheap. The supplier Octopus already offers this in the UK to drivers of certain cars, promising hundreds of pounds of annual savings while giving consumers a choice of when they need to refill their battery.

The scale is striking. Energy regulator Ofgem estimates that putting half of projected EVs on this vehicle-to-grid system by 2030 could provide around 16GW of flexible capacity to the grid. Average demand in Great Britain is around 30GW.

This means that discharging all batteries to the grid at the same time would produce the same flow of electricity as if all offshore wind turbines ran at full capacity simultaneously. Or five times what the new nuclear power plant Hinkley Point C – which is projected to start producing electricity in 2030 – will produce.

But crucially, it would be available on demand and not just when the wind blows.

At the European level, researchers estimate that the same 50% vehicle-to-grid penetration could fully cover EU stationary storage needs (the capacity to store surplus electricity and release it when demand peaks) by 2040. The intermittency problem, which underpins most of what makes electricity expensive and difficult to manage as countries wean themselves off fossil fuels, largely goes away when storage is not a problem.

In terms of demand, EVs will help simply by increasing it. The problem is not that the UK cannot produce electricity. The issue is intermittency, and the failure to invest in managing it.

EVs, like heat pumps, are far more energy-efficient than the systems they replace. Heat pumps are three to five times more efficient than gas boilers. Demanding more electricity means demanding less gas – even accounting for the gas used to generate some of that electricity. It also means spreading fixed costs across more users, and making households less exposed to the next energy shock.

The UK has cut its emissions by 54% since 1990, but the politics of net zero have become somewhat toxic. High electricity prices feed the narrative that going green means getting poorer. However, transport – the sector where emissions have barely moved – is also where the next wave of decarbonisation will lower bills.

Unlike authoritarian countries like China, which can simply impose the change on citizens, democracies depend on people actually wanting to switch. This has been harder than it should be. If you bought an electric car expecting everyone to follow in the next five years, every time car lobbies negotiated to keep producing petrol vehicles, it probably felt like a betrayal.

People will not buy an EV to fix the electricity market. They will buy one because petrol has become unaffordable and because this alternative is cheap and convenient.

The oil price spike may very well be remembered as the moment when most drivers finally made the switch. But its lasting legacy may be something less obvious: that by filling driveways with connected batteries, drivers quietly helped to solve a problem that had been making electricity bills unnecessarily high for years.

A flight attendant has shared several plane safety tips that could make your next trip more comfortable – including the one item you should absolutely never wear

You could be picking up all sorts of germs by wearing the wrong clothes on a flight.

When travelling by plane, whether it’s for a work trip or holiday, you usually want to be as comfortable as possible. No matter how long your flight is, sitting in a cramped space surrounded by strangers isn’t ideal, so you normally want to make sure your outfit is something you can feel relaxed in for at least a few hours, if not longer.

But one flight attendant has said there’s one thing you should absolutely never wear on a plane, regardless of how comfortable you think it is. Charity Moore is a flight attendant who regularly posts travel tips on social media, and in a recent video, she shared several things she wishes more people did on flights.

Among her tips, Charity said there’s one thing you should absolutely never wear on a plane, as it puts your body in direct contact with the seats – which aren’t always the most hygienic things to be sitting on.

1. Wear the right clothes

Charity insisted you should never wear anything that exposes your legs on a plane, including shorts and skirts. She advocated for wearing trousers at all times, because she’s seen some “diabolical” things happen on plane seats that aren’t always cleaned as thoroughly as you might like.

She said: “I am letting you know, from a flight attendant, the amount of things I have seen on the seat. Wear pants. Shorts, skirts, dresses, absolutely not. Wear full pants. None of your skin should be touching that seat. I don’t care if you come on board and disinfect it. Nope, nope, nope. Wear full pants. Trust me, I have seen some diabolical things.”

2. Disinfect the seatbelts

The flight attendant also said that while she often sees passengers using antibacterial wipes on things like the tray table, she hardly ever sees anyone clean the seatbelt – which she believes is the most important part.

She explained: “You guys all come on board with your little Clorox wipes and your little disinfectants, and you start wiping everything down. That little tray table in front of you [and] the back of your seat. I don’t really get why you’re wiping the back of your seat, because if you’re wearing clothes, nothing really touches that.

“What you should be wiping that nobody wipes is that seatbelt. The metal part, because everybody touches it, but also you should be wiping the fabric part of the seatbelt, because everybody pulls on that. The amount of throw up, baby vomit, bodily fluids, liquids that have spilt, and random stuff that ends up on those seatbelts. Wipe them down, babe.”

3. Exercise proper toilet hygiene

Charity claimed that not enough passengers have proper toilet etiquette when using the bathroom on a plane. This includes washing your hands once you’ve done your business, making sure you flush the toilet, and even closing the door behind you once you’re finished.

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While these might seem like obvious things you would do after any toilet visit, whether it’s on a plane or not, the flight attendant insisted a large portion of passengers don’t do them.

She also said if you’ve taken your shoes off at your seat to make yourself more comfortable, you should not go to the toilet without putting your shoes back on.

The attendant noted: “It is never ever water on the floor in the lav. And your socks are like two big sponges.”

4. Bring food

Charity’s final piece of advice is to bring food with you. She said it’s a “huge misconception” that you can’t bring food through security, and encouraged people to bring snacks or even a fully prepared meal with them to help them survive their plane journey.

In the UK, food items and powders are allowed in your hand luggage, but may obstruct images on X-ray machines, so your bags might need to be checked again manually by security, which could cause you delays.

You are generally not allowed to bring liquid or gel-like foods such as soup, sauces, jams, and yoghurts in your hand luggage, and may not be able to bring certain fresh produce, like fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy, across some international borders, so always make sure you check the rules before you fly.

In most cases, you will be able to bring snack boxes with things like sweets, chocolate, and crisps onto a flight. You should usually avoid packing nuts into your snack box, as you may be asked not to open these if a passenger has an allergy.

Escarlen De los Santos, 30, used her last moments to warn her followers to stay off vapes and hookahs, because her habit led to her diagnosis of respiratory failure

A young woman used her final moments to warn her followers to ditch vapes — because they led to her diagnosis of respiratory issues.

Escarlen De los Santos told fans four words — “look at me now” — referring to her deterioration which led to her stay in hospital. The 30-year-old passed away moments later on Wednesday after her respiratory failure led to severe pulmonary complications.

Doctors in Los Hatillos in the Dominican Republic linked her deteriorating health to prolonged use of vapes and hookahs. With this knowledge, selfless Escarlen made it her mission to help others — despite her ill-health.

In one of her final videos, recorded as she lay in her hospital bed, Escarlen said: “Leave that stuff alone, look at me now. I don’t want anyone else to go through this physical torment.”

READ MORE: Cancer cases hit record high in the UK as one person diagnosed every 80 secondsREAD MORE: New smoking rules explained – where vapes are banned and tobacco rules for young people

Escarlen, who came from the Dominican Republic, filmed a series of harrowing videos in her final days that have since gone viral across Latin America. Appearing frail and struggling to breathe, she pleaded with her generation to abandon the habit that she claimed was “destroying her from the inside”.

Her videos documented the harsh reality of respiratory failure, urging young people to trade vaping for exercise and fresh air. Her death has reignited a debate about the lack of oversight on nicotine delivery systems in the Caribbean nation.

Health officials are increasingly concerned about a spike in vaping-related lung injuries. Her passing followed the recent death of 22-year-old Frank Sosa in the same municipality, suggesting a burgeoning public health cluster.

The Dominican Ministry of Public Health is now under mounting pressure from community leaders to implement stricter age controls and health warnings on vaping products to prevent further loss of life.

READ MORE: Anyone who smokes or vapes is set to be hit with double whammy of price rises

The case follows that of retail assistant Kayley Boda, who has been given 18 months to live after her own vaping habit. The 22-year-old woman was getting through one 600-puff a week when she started coughing up a brown substance with “grainy bits” in it in January 2025.

The young woman, from Manchester, was given the crushing diagnosis and is now raising money to pay for a clinical trial in Germany, to help prolong her life, and has issued a warning for others to be aware of the dangers of vaping.

Kayley said: “Before the diagnosis, I was very naive and thought that something like this would never happen to me. I had surgery to remove half of my right lung and after the surgery, I started chemo and I had a terrible reaction to it. I couldn’t lift my head up, I was throwing up blood, I was urinating blood.”

A 46-year-old man was arrested by police and later charged

Residents were evacuated from their homes after reports of a “suspicious device” at a Cambridgeshire property. Cambridgeshire Police were called to the incident at a property in Cathwaite, Paston, Peterborough just before 9.30pm on Wednesday (April 22).

Officers evacuated nearby residents as a “precaution” and it was later confirmed the device was not “viable”. A 46-year-old man was arrested by police.

A police spokesperson said: “Luke Plumridge, 46, of Cathwaite, Paston, Peterborough, has been charged with threatening to destroy/damage property.” Plumridge appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates Court on Thursday (April 23), where he indicated guilty to the charge.

He was remanded on unconditional bail until June 2. Plumridge is set to appear at Peterborough Magistrates Court on June 2 for sentencing.

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Dragons beat Zebre 19-18 thanks to a late try that secured a first victory away from home in the URC since 2022

The Dragons won away from home in the United Rugby Championship for the first time in four years after a last gasp try from wing David Richards sealed a dramatic comeback. It was their first win outside of Wales in the competition since 2021.

Dragons trailed 18-14 in the final minute before Richards dived over to snatch his side a rare win on the road and lift them up to 14th in the table above Welsh rivals Scarlets.

It also gives them a huge boost before their Challenge Cup semi-final in Montpelier next month.

Wing Jared Rosser’s try gave Dragons a 7-3 half-time lead, but they fell behind early in the second period when Zebre hooker Tommaso Di Bartolomeo touched down.

Dragons retook the lead through second row Ben Carter’s 67th-minute try before Zebre responded again to go 18-14 ahead when Samuele Locatelli went over for their second try.

But in the final play of the game Dragons threw the ball wide and Richards raced on to fly-half Tinus de Beer’s superb flicked pass to go over in the corner.

Dragons co-captain Angus O’Brien said: “We knew it was going to be tough after we came here two weeks ago in the European competition.

“Zebre put up a massive performance but I am proud of how we fought until the very last minute.

“That’s two of the last four games that we have won with the last play and that shows the character and grit of this team.”

Get your blueberries to go the extra mile with an easy wash with water and one simple kitchen staple.

For every couple of fresh blueberries you pop into your mouth and enjoy, there are always a few that end up mushy or covered in fuzzy mould in the blink of an eye. As juicy and delectable as these fresh berries are, they’re also an impossibly delicate fruit.

Blueberries may be small, but they can carry a lot of residues of pesticides, dirt, and bacteria. If you’re rinsing them under plain water and calling it a day, it might be time to level up your berry-cleaning game for them to stay fresh for longer.

With this in mind, food storage expert Amy Cross took to her Instagram page @thecrosslegacy to share her go-to method for keeping blueberries “long-lasting”.

Amy claims that blueberries are “one of the longest-lasting berries”, when they are stored correctly.

She said: “When you wash and store them correctly, they can stay fresh for six to eight weeks.”

All you have to do is fill a large bowl with water, put in the blueberries, and add in one quarter of a cup of 5% distilled white vinegar.

Then set a timer for two minutes and allow the blueberries to soak in the vinegar rinse.

After that time, you can drain the blueberries using a colander and give them a quick rinse. The rinse will remove any debris left behind from washing.

Once the blueberries are rinsed, lay them out to dry in a single layer on a cloth towel. Let them dry for several hours until they are bone dry.

After the blueberries have dried for a few hours, they are ready to be put away. Amy said that she prefers putting them in mason jars before storing the fruit in the fridge.

You can use a jar with a metal or plastic lid for blueberries, as well as any other type of berries in a jar.

A paper towel should be placed at the bottom of the jar to collect any excess moisture.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department will adopt firing squads as a permitted method of execution as the Trump administration moves to ramp up and expedite capital punishment cases, officials said Friday.

The Justice Department is also reauthorizing the use of single-drug lethal injections with pentobarbital that were used to carry out 13 executions during the first Trump administration — more than under any president in modern history. The Biden administration had removed pentobarbital from the federal protocol over concerns about the potential for unnecessary pain and suffering.

The moves were announced as part of a broader push to step up federal executions after a moratorium under the Biden administration. Only three defendants remain on federal death row after Democratic President Joe Biden converted 37 of their sentences to life in prison, though the Trump administration has so far authorized seeking death sentences against 44 defendants.

“The prior administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to pursue and carry out the ultimate punishment against the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child murderers, and cop killers,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims.”

The federal government has not previously included firing squad as a method of execution in its protocols, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Five states currently allow executions by firing squad: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.

The pentobarbital protocol was adopted by Bill Barr, attorney general during Trump’s first term, to replace a three-drug mix used in the 2000s, the last time federal executions were carried out before Trump’s first term in office.

Attorney General Merrick Garland in the final days of the Biden administration withdrew the pentobarbital lethal injection policy after a government review of scientific and medical research found there remains “significant uncertainty” about whether its use causes unnecessary pain and suffering.”

In 2020, under Barr’s leadership, the Justice Department published a rule in the Federal Register to allow the federal government to conduct executions by lethal injection or use “any other manner prescribed by the law of the state in which the sentence was imposed.”

A number of states allow other methods of execution, including electrocution, inhaling nitrogen gas or death by firing squad.

The Trump administration, in a report released Friday, said the Biden administration “got the standard and the science wrong.” The Biden administration’s findings, among other things, “failed to address the overwhelming evidence” that an injected with pentobarbital quickly “quickly loses consciousness—rendering him unable to experience pain,” the report said.

Currently on death row are are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history.

“Prison officer numbers and security unfortunately have been depleted over the years due to cutbacks, and violence is totally out of control,” he says. “Prisoners who are serving these sentences do so for a reason, and in the absence of the death penalty – which is an entirely different argument – it demonstrates how dangerous our prisons have become.”

“This is the best hair removal method I’ve tried. It’s so much easier and less painful than waxing or shaving”

Dealing with unwanted body hair can be quite the burden come summer, with many removal methods proving either painful or time-consuming. Whether you’re looking to achieve smooth skin ahead of a holiday or simply want to go hair-free for summer shorts and dresses, we’ve tracked down a deal on a gadget that fans claim made ‘a big difference after a few uses.’

Keskine’s IPL Hair Removal Handset has garnered widespread praise among beauty enthusiasts online – so much so that it carries an impressive rating of 4.9 out of five stars from nearly 4,000 reviews. The device – which provides at-home hair removal – has been engineered to permanently eradicate unwanted body hair from multiple areas of the body.

These include the armpits, legs, face and bikini area. Keskine states that users can expect to notice results in as little as 1 to 4 weeks, with the best results typically achieved in around 6 to 12 weeks.

READ MORE: Shark reduces gadget said to work ‘like an iron’ on wrinkles by mature shoppers

READ MORE: Denise Welch-approved £18 Boots serum for sagging necks has shoppers ‘ageing backwards’

What’s more, the handy device is now available as part of a double discount deal on the retailer’s website. The IPL Hair Removal Handset has been reduced from £299 to £199, but there’s a way for shoppers to save even more with a quick and easy method.

Keskine fans who enter the code SUMMER20 at checkout will see the price drop to just £159.20 – however, they’ll need to act fairly swiftly as this exceptional offer expires on May 31, 2026. While this remains a considerable investment, when salon-goers take into account that a full leg wax can set you back around £30-£40 per session alone depending on the salon and location, the Keskine device works out at roughly the equivalent of five or six salon visits.

Keskine’s IPL device features multiple intensity levels that can be adjusted to suit varying skin sensitivities and target areas. Designed with an ergonomic shape for ease of use, it also boasts a rapid flash rate for swift and effective hair removal, reports the Mirror.

The Keskine IPL Hair Removal Handset is available from Keskine

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The device targets rough, stubborn hairs with technology aimed at achieving up to 98% hair reduction, while full body treatments can take around 24 minutes.

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For those looking at alternatives to Keskine’s device, LookFantastic stocks the FOREO PEACH 2 Go Device in a spring-inspired lavender shade for £269. This is also suitable for use on both faces and bodies, and delivers up to 120 flashes per minute for speedy hair removal.

Over at Boots, the Braun Skin i·expert Smart IPL Hair Removal System with connected App and 4 attachment caps PL7387 is for shoppers with a bit more budget to use, as it comes in at £999.99. Complete with real-time guidance, users can monitor their progress with the device at home through a dedicated app.

Keskine’s device still offers the best bang for your buck, though; shoppers who purchased it believe so as well, as they simply can’t stop raving about the IPL Hair Removal Handset. One customer said: “This is the best hair removal method I’ve tried. It’s so much easier and less painful than waxing or shaving. I’ve noticed a big difference after just a few uses.”

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Someone else echoed this view, writing: “The device is effective and really simple to operate. It’s pain-free, and I noticed a reduction in hair growth after just a few uses. Definitely a game-changer for my skincare routine.”

Another shopper’s review reads: “I love that I can use this from the comfort of my home instead of booking salon appointments. The convenience alone makes it worth it. Plus, my skin has never felt this soft!”

One hairless shopper described their results as ‘amazing’; they wrote: “I’ve been using this device for a few months now, and the results have been amazing! The process is surprisingly simple and almost painless. I’ve noticed a significant reduction in hair growth, with some areas completely smooth after just a few sessions. My skin also feels softer and healthier overall.”

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They went on to say: “It’s such a time-saver compared to constant shaving or waxing, and the convenience of doing it at home makes it even better. Highly recommend!”

One customer awarded a five-star rating, but did point out a minor concern about their skin’s condition after using the Keskine’s IPL device: “Very easy to use. Used for a week and already there is a marked difference. Very happy. Does however dry the skin a little but small price to pay for fuzz free skin!”

Another customer added: “It’s been a couple of weeks, and I already see a huge improvement. My hair growth has slowed, and my skin feels so much smoother. This product is so easy to use!” Another simply stated: “I wasn’t expecting much, but it’s genuinely amazing. I’m hooked.”