Month: May 2025

Popular household gadget sold on Amazon urgently recalled in UK over ‘serious risk of electric shock’

A POPULAR Amazon gadget has been urgently recalled over fears it could give users a deadly electric shock.

A universal power supply, sold under the Wefomey brand, has been banned from entering the UK.

Amazon logo on a fulfillment center building.

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A power supply sold on Amazon under the Wefomey brand has urgently been recalledCredit: Getty
Adjustable 100V-240V AC/DC converter with LED voltage display.

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The Wefomey Universal Power Supply fails to meet UK legal safety standardsCredit: Amazon

The dodgy device, model LGY-363000, was flagged by border officials and stopped from reaching British customers.

The plug-in gadget is advertised on Amazon as a “universal power adapter” that “fits almost all DC input sockets”.

The product is made in China and was being shipped to UK buyers.

However, it was found to be “inadequately earthed”, according to an advisory issued by the UK government.

The advisory reads: “The product presents a serious risk of electric shock due to a lack of protection from access to its live parts.”

It adds: “The insulation may break down during normal use, meaning the metal parts accessible to the consumer may be live.

“If a consumer were to touch the product during use, they may receive an electric shock.”

Officials confirmed that the product breaches the UK’s Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016.

As a corrective measure, the import was rejected at the border to prevent it from entering the UK.

Owners have been urged to stop using the product immediately.

Supermarkets urgently recall iconic Scottish snack over health risk

It comes as Amazon has issued an urgent product recall over fears an item of clothing could catch fire.

Customers have been urged to return the iHEAT Heated Jacket for Women.

According to an advisory issued by the UK government, the product presents a serious risk of fire as the lithium-ion battery pack is poorly constructed and does not provide sufficient protection to prevent thermal runaway.

The advisory reads: “Additionally, the power supply is fitted with a non-compliant plug, with the plug pins too close to the edge of the plug face, exposing the user to live parts.

“The product does not meet the requirements of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 or the Plugs & Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994.”

Owners have been urged to stop using the product immediately and contact the distributor you purchased from to request redress.

Meanwhile, a bedroom lamp sold on Amazon has been urgently recalled over fears it could spark a house fire.

The Murcher Bedside Table Lamp, sold under models WDF-YW-02 and WDF-FX01, poses a high fire risk due to a critical design fault, according to a new safety alert.

The issue lies in the lack of proper cord anchorage inside the lamp.

Over time, the power cord can shift and place dangerous strain on the lamp’s internal connections.

This can cause wires to detach, short-circuit and overheat – which could trigger a fire.

Your product recall rights

Chief consumer reporter James Flanders reveals all you need to know.

Product recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods.

As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action.

But it’s often left up to supermarkets to notify customers when products could put them at risk.

If you are concerned about the safety of a product you own, always check the manufacturer’s website to see if a safety notice has been issued.

When it comes to appliances, rather than just food items, the onus is usually on you – the customer – to register the appliance with the manufacturer as if you don’t there is no way of contacting you to tell you about a fault.

If you become aware that an item you own has been recalled or has any safety noticed issued against it, make sure you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer.

They should usually provide you with more information and a contact number on its safety notice.

In some cases, the manufacturer might ask you to return the item for a full refund or arrange for the faulty product to be collected.

You should not be charged for any recall work – such as a repair, replacement or collection of the recalled item

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Is Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pontiff, a registered Republican? | Religion News

Leo XIV, the first American pope, voted in past Republican primaries but is not formally registered with any party.

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Hours after Robert Prevost became the first United States-born pontiff on May 8, social media discussions in the US speculated whether Pope Leo XIV, as he is known after the election, was a “registered Republican”.

“SCOOP: Our Turning Point Action team pulled the voting history for Pope Leo XIV,” conservative influencer Charlie Kirk wrote on social media platform X on May 8. “He’s a registered Republican who has voted in Republican primaries when not living abroad. Our data shows he’s a strong Republican, and he’s pro-life.”

Many other X posts called Prevost a “registered Republican”.

Prevost, 69, is a registered voter in Will County, Illinois, and has cast ballots there over the past 13 years. In Illinois, voters do not register by party affiliation. But they declare a party when voting in a primary, according to an April video by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

“However, you are not tied down or formally registered to this party and are free to vote for another party at a subsequent election,” the video says.

The Illinois voter registration application does not ask people to provide a party affiliation.

The Will County clerk’s office sent PolitiFact Prevost’s voter information, which lists his party affiliation as “undeclared”. It shows that he voted in the 2012, 2014 and 2016 Republican primaries. He voted absentee in the 2024 general election, with an undeclared party affiliation.

The viral screenshots Kirk and others shared on X are from L2, a paywalled database that aggregates consumer and voter data. L2’s profile of Prevost lists “Republican” in its “party” field.

It is unclear how L2 determines a party affiliation for people who live in states such as Illinois, where this information is not included in voter registration. L2 did not respond to PolitiFact’s request for comment.

Born in 1955, Prevost grew up in Dolton, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He was ordained as a priest in 1982, then moved to Peru, where he lived from 1988 through 1998. In 1999, he returned to Chicago to serve as the prior provincial of the Augustinian province of “Mother of Good Counsel”, which covers the Midwest and Canada.

Prevost’s voter file lists his address to a house owned by his brother, John Prevost. We were unable to determine Robert Prevost’s address or where he was registered to vote before 2012. In 2014, he returned to Peru and served as the bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. He then moved to Rome, where he has lived since.

US citizens who live overseas and meet certain criteria can vote absentee while abroad.

We contacted the clerk’s office in Cook County, Illinois, where Chicago is located, to ask whether Prevost has a voter file in the county. The clerk’s office directed us to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for that information; we did so, but did not receive an immediate response.

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, chair of religious studies and political science professor at Northwestern University in the Chicago suburbs, said Prevost’s voting history does not tell the public “much about his views or positions other than that in that particular primary he was inclined toward one or more of the Republican candidates”.

Our ruling

X posts said Prevost is a “registered Republican”.

Prevost is registered to vote in Illinois, where voters do not register with a party affiliation. However, they declare a party affiliation when voting in a primary. County records show Prevost voted in three Republican primaries from 2012 through 2016, the most recent records we obtained.

Still, the Illinois State Board of Elections says when voters participate in primaries, they are not formally registered to a party.

No one is registered by party affiliation in Illinois, and evidence is scant about Prevost’s voting history over his lifetime.

The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts. We rate it Mostly False.

PolitiFact researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this fact-check.



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Rival weight loss drugs go head-to-head with clear winner

Getty Images Bare feet on a set of scales with a twirl of green tape measure in the foregroundGetty Images

The first head-to-head trial of two blockbuster weight-loss drugs has shown Mounjaro is more effective than rival Wegovy.

Both drugs led to substantial weight loss, but Mounjaro’s 20% weight reduction, after 72 weeks of treatment, exceeded the 14% from Wegovy, according to the trial’s findings.

Researchers who led the trial said both drugs had a role, but Mounjaro may help those with the most weight to lose.

Both drugs trick the brain into making you feel full so you eat less and instead burn fat stored in the body – but subtle differences in how they work to explain the difference in effectiveness.

Wegovy, also known as semaglutide, mimics a hormone released by the body after a meal to flip one appetite switch in the brain. Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, flips two.

The trial, which was paid for by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro, involved 750 obese people, with an average weight of 113kg (nearly 18 stone).

They were asked to take the highest dose they could tolerate of one of the two drugs.

The findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga and in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed:

  • 32% of people lost a quarter of their body weight on Mounjaro compared to 16% on Wegovy
  • Those on Mounjaro lost an average of 18cm from their waistlines compared with 13cm on Wegovy.
  • Those on Mounjaro had better blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
  • Both had similar levels of side-effects.
  • Women tended to lose more weight than men.

Dr Louis Aronne, who conducted the trial at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, said: “The majority of people with obesity will do just fine with semaglatide (Wegovy), those at the higher end may ultimately do better with tirzepatide (Mounjaro).”

Private tirzepatide sales ‘well ahead of semaglutide’

In the UK, the two medicines are available from specialist weight-management services, but can also be bought privately.

Prof Naveed Sattar, from the University of Glasgow, said the drugs were “good options” for patients, but while “many will be satisfied with 15% weight loss… many want as much weight loss as possible”.

“In the UK, tirzepatide sales privately are now well ahead of semaglutide – that’s just a reality – and this paper will accelerate that I imagine,” he added.

However, Wegovy is also licensed for other conditions – such as preventing heart attacks – while the equivalent trials with Mounjaro have not been completed.

A huge amount of research into weight-loss drugs is still taking place. Higher doses of current drugs are being tested, as are new ways of taking them such as oral pills and new medicines that act on the body in different ways are being investigated.

It means the final winner in this field has yet to be determined.

Prof Sattar says the amount of research taking place means we may be approaching the point where “obesity prevention may also be possible soon”, but argues “it would be far better” to make our society healthier to prevent people becoming obese.

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