Shein opens investigation after shirt listing displayed image resembling Luigi Mangione

The clothing company Shein said it has opened an internal investigation after its website briefly displayed a shirt listing featuring an image resembling Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in New York last year.The image appeared to show Mangione in a short-sleeved white shirt, and the top was reportedly priced at just under $10.In a statement shared with various media outlets, the company said: “The image in question was provided by a third-party vendor and was removed immediately upon discovery.”Exactly when and for how long the shirt was on sale is unclear, with Shein uploading thousands of products every day, but searches for “Luigi Mangione Shein” on Google spiked on Tuesday and the listing began circulating across social media.An archived posting of the product description for the “Men’s New Spring/Summer Short Sleeve Blue Ditsy Floral White Shirt” shows the item was nearly sold out, with only one size left in stock

John Lewis targets gen Z with Topshop revival tie-up

John Lewis is to host Topshop in 32 of its 36 stores from February as the clothing brand’s only national stockist on UK high streets, in a drive to attract younger shoppers and their mothers.Peter Ruis, the managing director of the staff-owned department store chain, said Topshop – and Topman, which is to go into six outlets – would “really exemplify the new John Lewis”, as it tries to broaden its appeal with more fashion, home and beauty brands, ranging from Fenty to the Conran Shop.He said Topshop was “a brand that is going to resonate with our gen Zs [those in their late teens and early 20s] and our gen Xers and everyone in between”.Topshop, which launched in Sheffield in 1964, closed all its UK high street stores in 2021 after its parent company, Philip Green’s Arcadia, went into administration.The brand was bought out by the online fashion seller Asos, which last week relaunched Topshop’s website and opened an outlet in the London department store Liberty

Thames Water to do fewer improvement projects under lenders’ new rescue plan

Thames Water customers are set to get less bang for their buck if a consortium of creditors wins approval for its rescue plan.The development was revealed in the outline of a business plan – without some key spending details – published on Wednesday by the investors who hold much of the company’s debts. The consortium is called London & Valley Water.It wants to use about £20.5bn of consumers’ cash to prioritise key activities but deliver fewer projects than under a deal set out by water regulator Ofwat

Australian households are spending more – and it’s helping the economy regain some momentum

Australia’s economy has wrapped up its weakest financial year since the early 1990s, outside the pandemic, marking two years of weak growth in the wake of the post-Covid lockdown boom.But it’s not all bad news.The latest quarterly national accounts show the economy regained some momentum in the three months to June, underpinned almost entirely by a welcome recovery in household spending.Real GDP lifted by 0.6% in the quarter – and compared to the same period last year was 1

Shell scraps construction of biofuels plant in Rotterdam

Shell has axed the construction of its biofuels plant in the Netherlands, ending what would have been one of the biggest converters of waste into green jet fuel in Europe.The oil company, which paused construction at the site in July last year to tackle technical problems, said it had decided not to restart building after it found the plant would be “insufficiently competitive” to meet demand for “affordable, low-carbon products”.The move to scrap the project in Rotterdam marks another setback for its biofuel designs, after the company cancelled a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project on Singapore’s Bukom Island in March 2023.It comes amid a wider shift away from renewable energy projects in the oil and gas sector as fossil fuel companies pursue higher profits.In March last year Shell watered down a key emissions target, setting out a plan to reduce the carbon emissions intensity of the energy it sells by 15-20% by the end of the decade compared with its previous goal of 20%

‘No place in children’s hands’: under-16s in England to be banned from buying energy drinks

Under-16s in England will be banned from buying energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster because they fuel obesity, cause sleep problems and leave them unable to concentrate.Health experts, teaching unions and dentists welcomed the ban and said it would boost children and young people’s health. It fulfils a pledge Labour included in its manifesto for last year’s general election.“How can we expect children to do well at school if they have the equivalent of a double espresso in their system on a daily basis?”, said Wes Streeting, the health secretary.“Energy drinks might seem harmless but the sleep, concentration and wellbeing of today’s kids are all being impacted, while high sugar versions damage their teeth and contribute to obesity