Household

Over the last few years, companies like Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms dominated the narrative around artificial intelligence (AI). As the conversation shifted beyond chips and into adjacent applications in data centers and software, names such as Broadcom, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Palantir Technologies also stepped into the spotlight.

It’s no secret that the AI trade remains heavily concentrated within a small circle of big tech giants. But savvy investors know that opportunity doesn’t end with the usual suspects.

So here’s the question: Have you heard of Nebius Group (NBIS 49.20%)? If not, you’re not alone.

This sprawling data center company has flown under the radar — but its unique position in the AI ecosystem could propel it into the spotlight and make it a household name very soon.

Nebius took an unconventional route to the AI revolution

Unlike many of its louder peers, Nebius did not emerge as a flashy start-up or an established tech titan already entrenched in the AI race. Instead, the company traces its roots back to Yandex — a Russian internet conglomerate.

As geopolitical tensions from the Russia-Ukraine war escalated, Yandex moved to divest its noncore assets. From that process, Nebius was spun off, and it was listed on the Nasdaq exchange last October.

Soon after, Nebius completed a capital raise that attracted a particularly notable participant: Nvidia. The undisputed leader in AI chips not only became an investor but also established itself as a strategic ally — lending Nebius a level of credibility that few companies can claim.

At its core, Nebius can be considered a neocloud — a business specializing in building AI infrastructure by constructing data centers and renting out Nvidia’s sought-after graphics processing units (GPUs) to other businesses via the cloud. This model positions Nebius to scale up in lockstep with Nvidia, benefiting as next-generation chips like Blackwell and Rubin enter the market.

Image source: Getty Images.

Nebius is more than GPUs

While infrastructure is its core business, Nebius operates several subsidiaries and also has notable strategic investments.

Toloka is in the business of data labeling, an important component of training datasets for AI models. The company also has exposure to autonomous driving systems and robotics through Avride and maintains a software platform called TripleTen that specializes in educating developers across various AI applications.

Nebius also has an equity stake in ClickHouse, an open-source database management and analytics system.

This diversified ecosystem positions Nebius beyond chips and provides the company with exposure to a number of potentially trillion-dollar ancillary markets as AI workloads become larger and more advanced.

Is Nebius stock a buy right now?

In December 2024, Nebius’s core infrastructure segment closed the year with an annualized run rate of $90 million. Just two quarters later (by June 30), the company’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) run rate surged to $430 million. Even more compelling is that management recently raised full-year guidance to a range of $900 million to $1.1 billion from its prior outlook of $750 million to $1 billion.

On Sept. 8, however, everything changed for Nebius as news broke that the company signed a massive new deal with Microsoft. According to regulatory filings, Nebius “will provide Microsoft access to dedicated GPU infrastructure capacity” at its data center in New Jersey. The contract is worth $17.4 billion and runs through 2031.

Prior to the deal with Microsoft, Nebius boasted a market capitalization of $15.4 billion — implying a forward price-to-sales ratio of about 14 at the high end of its ARR forecast. For context, that’s about half the multiple CoreWeave commanded at its peak earlier this year following its much-hyped initial public offering.

CRWV PS Ratio data by YCharts

This suggests a couple of takeaways. On one hand, Nebius’s valuation has been swept up in the broader bullish AI narrative — leaving traces of froth. On the other, the stock has remained relatively insulated from the sharp pullbacks seen in more volatile peers like CoreWeave — a dynamic that could play in its favor as it continues to fight for mindshare in an increasingly crowded and competitive market.

Looking ahead, Nebius appears positioned to benefit from secular tailwinds fueling AI infrastructure. Microsoft’s new deal emphasizes that cloud hyperscalers are showing no signs of slowing their capital expenditure, and Nebius is already steadily carving out a role as a beneficiary of that spending.

I think Nebius will be trading materially higher than it is today by next decade as its relationship with Microsoft matures. That makes it, in my view, a compelling buy-and-hold opportunity.

LIDL has released a slew of exciting new items in its famous middle aisle. 

The products include everything from household essentials to gardening gadgets and are available at stores across Britain. 

3

3

3

Two separate sales are underway at the brand’s stores, with both kicking off on August 24. 

The deals include the Clean-up Prices-Down deal and the Parkside sale. 

The Clean-Up Prices-Down has seen a huge range of products go on sale for staggering low prices.

On the more expensive end of the spectrum, Tower Aquajet Plus Carpet Washer retails for just £69.99, while a Nimble Anti-Tangle Vac is selling for just £59.99.

However, some products are selling for under £10. 

The Livarno Home Extendable Handle is just £2.99, as is the brand’s mop head. 

That means a full mop can be yours for just £5 when bought in Lidl’s middle aisle. 

Other products on sale include a £17 Philips iron, a £9.99 clothes airer and a slew of cleaning pads for under £2. 

The Parkside sale includes many of the garden tech brand’s products, some of which are included in the supermarket’s Lidl Plus promotion. 

The Brand’s Long-Reach Hedge Trimmer normally costs £59.99, but is £10 less if you use Lidl Plus. 

The shovel with a root saw retails for £19.99, but is 25 per cent off when you use the store’s promotion. 

Other products in the Parkside middle-aisle sale include a pressure washer, top handle petrol chainsaw and a variety of secateurs. 

A range of Livarno gardenware covers are also available for £4.99.

Lidl regularly goes viral for its wide variety of products.

The supermarket is selling a vacuum cleaner which is £100 cheaper than the exact same one available on Bosch. 

The Bosch Readyy’y Cordless Vacuum Cleaner costs just £99.99 on Lidl’s website. 

Meanwhile, the hoover costs £199.99 on the Bosch website.

The vacuum can be used upright or handheld, making it perfect for cleaning floors and kitchen surfaces.

The device also folds completely flat, making it easy to clean in difficult to reach areas.

A DAD has revealed how a five-minute money hack slashed more than £1,000 off his household bills and paid for his dream holiday.

Like millions of Brits, Rob Lock, 29, from Shrewsbury, had been paying his monthly bills without giving them a second thought.

1

His broadband, mobile and energy costs were ticking along on autopilot, even though some of his contracts had quietly expired.

But when he landed a new job, a perk from his employer gave him access to Nous, a bill-cutting service that uses AI to find cheaper deals.

Within minutes, the tool flagged up where he was overspending and with a few simple switches, Rob saved £1,029 a year.

The biggest saving came from his mobile phone contract.

Rob had paid off his iPhone and Apple Watch months earlier, but was still being charged the full monthly rate, which is a common trap known as “double paying”.

By switching to a SIM-only plan, he slashed £750 off his yearly bill.

His broadband was another eye-opener.

Rob had originally signed up to BT on a new customer deal costing around £50 a month.

But when that deal expired, the cost crept up, without him realising. Nous found a Virgin Media package for £22 a month with the same speeds, saving him another £336 a year.

Finally, he cut his energy bill down to £126 a month, adding to the overall total.

He explained: “I was using the BT broadband until Nous told me that they had found a cheaper rate for me with Virgin Media. 

“They had even checked the connection and download speeds to make sure I wasn’t going to lose out just for a better price. 

“The deal with Virgin was only £22 a month which is a massive saving when compared to the £50 odd I was paying to BT.”

Once he realised he had saved over £1,000, Rob knew exactly how to spend it.

“We booked a trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights – something we’ve always dreamed of. It really was the holiday of a lifetime.”

“We just thought it’s not every day that you’ll save over a grand so might as well use it for something we really want.”

Rob admitted he used to be “a bit laid-back” about bills, but says the experience has transformed how he manages his money.

He added: “I never really analysed whether I was getting a good deal or not.

“I actually wish that Nous had come into my life sooner as they’re brilliant at monitoring everything and continually checking to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

“It’s very relaxed and Nous give some really sound financial advice on what you can save by switching and when.”

Costly mistakes

Consumer reporter, Lucy Andrews, has warned that thousands of households are making the same mistakes without even realising.

She said: “Think you’re good with money? I bet you’re making some silly mistakes that could be costing you hundreds – just like I did.”

Lucy explained that she too had fallen into the “double paying” trap after forgetting that her 24-month mobile contract had ended.

“I logged into my mobile app and saw loads of upgrade offers,” she said.

“I thought it was weird, because I was still in contract, but when I checked, my deal had actually ended a month earlier.”

She had missed an email warning her that the contract was ending.

As a result, she was still paying £34.58 a month, even though the handset was already paid off.

“I was kicking myself,” she said.

I could have switched to a SIM-only deal and saved a fortune.”

After acting quickly, she moved to a £7 SIM-only plan, saving £27.58 a month or £330.96 a year.

According to Uswitch, five million mobile customers are at risk of overpaying like this, with providers pocketing an extra £1.6 billion a year as a result.

To check if you’re one of them, simply text INFO to 85075. This free service will tell you whether you’re still in contract, and if you’ll face an exit fee.

Lucy also discovered she was paying £4.99 a month for a streaming subscription she’d forgotten about, which was a reality TV channel she hadn’t used in months.

“That was £15 down the drain,” she said. “I cancelled it straight away and saved another £60 a year.”

She now recommends doing a “direct debit spring clean” twice a year, by checking your bank app for forgotten subscriptions.

Research by HSBC found that 48% of people admit to paying for services longer than they should, wasting £61 a year on average.

Lucy said: “These things are easy to miss, but if you don’t keep an eye on them, you’re just handing money away.”

Even small, simple switches can lead to big savings and even fund a holiday.

And as Lucy’s warnings show, millions of Brits are still overpaying on old phone contracts and unused subscriptions.

Whether it’s AI tools like Nous, free services like 85075, or just a quick look at your bank app, the key is to take a few minutes to check what you’re paying and act before it’s too late.

It’s not every day you save over a grand, but it could be if you catch the same mistakes.

For most people, memories of childhood coughs and colds are synonymous with a menthol-smelling ointment in a dark blue jar with a turquoise cap.

For more than a century, Vicks VapoRub has been a household name across continents. How it became one has roots in the Spanish flu pandemic in the early 20th century.

The story begins with an act of fatherly love.

In 1894 in the state of North Carolina in the eastern United States, the nine-year-old son of a pharmacist named Lunsford Richardson was sick with croup, a respiratory infection that causes a bark-like cough.

Desperate to find a treatment, Richardson began testing out mixtures of aromatic oils and chemicals at his pharmacy and produced an ointment that helped his son.

But this was not Vicks VapoRub – at least not yet.

Seeing that his ointment had worked for his son, Richardson started to sell it for 25 cents a jar. The strong-smelling product consisted of menthol, camphor, eucalyptus and several other oils blended together in a petroleum jelly base. The ointment helped open blocked noses, and when rubbed on the chest, the vapour soothed a cough.

Richardson initially named his concoction Vick’s Croup & Pneumonia Salve. An enthusiastic gardener, he thought of the name after seeing an advertisement for seeds of the Vicks plant, whose leaves smell like menthol when crushed. He also borrowed the name from his brother-in-law, Dr Joshua Vick, a trusted doctor in their town of Greensboro. He felt “Vick” was “short, easy to remember and looked good on a label”.

‘Magic’ salve to VapoRub

In 1911, 17 years after the salve was created, Richardson’s son Henry Smith, the one who once suffered from croup, was steering the family business. He renamed the product Vick’s Vaporub Salve from Vick’s Magic Croup Salve, the name under which it had been sold since 1905. That year, the packaging was also changed from transparent glass to the distinctive cobalt blue.

By then, Richardson had also created 21 remedies for various ailments, including Vick’s Little Liver Pills for “constipation and torpid liver”; Turtle Oil Liniment for “sprains, sores and rheumatism”; Tar Heel Sarsaparilla to purify “bad blood”; and Grippe Knockers for the flu. They were sold under the Vick’s Family Remedies company, which he set up in 1905. But none sold as well as the original salve.

So in 1911, Henry discontinued all the other products, renamed the business Vick Chemical Company and began focusing solely on marketing and distributing their signature product. The company began distributing large quantities of free samples while salesmen posted advertisements on streetcars and visited pharmacists, urging them to try the product.

Marketing during the Spanish flu

Seven years later in 1918, the deadliest pandemic in modern history tore across the world. The Spanish flu claimed the lives of 50 million people – more than eight times the number of COVID-19 deaths.

This was when Vick’s VapoRub sales began to soar.

“Its closest rival was Ely’s Creme Balm … something of a copycat product but doesn’t seem to have had the same cachet,” explained Catharine Arnold, author of the book Pandemic 1918.

She added that there were other remedies for respiratory ailments, including coughs, colds and the flu, such as Hale’s Honey of Horehound and Tar. Some products did not stand the test of time, such as “vaporisers”, similar to modern nebulisers, and throat lozenges such as Formamint. It contained the chemical formaldehyde, which is toxic in large amounts.

However, a marketing campaign led by Smith took the Vicks brand onto the global stage.

When the pandemic hit, the company produced a series of six ads. Rather than solely promote Vick’s VapoRub, the series focused on raising awareness about the Spanish flu and included information about symptoms, treatment and tips to avoid getting sick. It urged people not to panic and conveyed that the brand cared about people’s wellbeing at a bleak time. The flu was just another variation of an influenza that strikes every century and is caused by germs that attack the nose, throat and bronchial tubes, the ads said. Vick’s VapoRub would “throw off the grippe germs” and make it easier to breathe, they said.

Years later, the accuracy of this content came under criticism. Still, “at the time, this advertisement must have seemed reassuring, telling readers it was just the same old flu, only, of course, it wasn’t,” Arnold said.

“Spanish flu was an atypical autoimmune virus which attacked the youngest and fittest and caused unusual reactions, such as violent haemorrhaging and the notorious heliotrope cyanosis when people’s skin turned blue.”

However, the advice in the advertisements to rest and stay in bed was “sensible”, she added, because the virus was spread through human contact.

Becoming a household name

Sales skyrocketed, and in October 1918 – seven months after the outbreak of the pandemic – Vick Chemical Company informed pharmacists that huge demand had wiped out its excess stocks. Supplies expected to last four months had run out in three weeks.

Newspaper notices published at that time showed the company had received orders for 1.75 million VapoRub jars in a single week, and the daily turnover of the business was about $186,492. The jars came in three sizes costing 30 cents, 60 cents and $1.20.

“Big shipments are en route to jobbers [wholesalers] by freight and express. Until these arrive, there may be a temporary shortage. All deals postponed. Buy in small lots only,” one notice read.

The company informed the public that it was working day and night to catch up with demand. The orders received were twice the company’s daily output, and by November 1918, the firm said its factory was running 23.5 hours daily to produce 1.08 million jars weekly.

The product gained worldwide popularity during the pandemic, and according to company data, VapoRub sales grew from $900,000 to $2.9m from 1918 to 1919.

Afterwards, Vick Chemical Company continued to market its product in novel ways. It sent millions of free samples to mailboxes and in 1924 published a 15-page advertisement in the form of a children’s book called The Story of Blix and Blee. The story, written in rhyming verses, was about two elves named Blix and Blee who lived in an empty Vicks VapoRub jar beneath an old jujube tree. One night, they rushed to the rescue of a sick child, little Dickie. The elves convinced the child, who was refusing to take the medicine given by his mother, to use Vicks VapoRub to soothe his cough so he could sleep.

More than 130 years later, Vicks VapoRub is sold in about 70 countries on five continents with more than 3.78 million litres (more than 1 million gallons) of it produced annually. From 2011 to 2016 alone, there were more than a billion units sold worldwide, according to its owner Procter and Gamble.

For Arnold, Vicks VapoRub is part of an American childhood.

“Generations of us grew up with that familiar waxy menthol compound, robes and pyjamas redolent of Vicks during flu season,” she said. “That familiar blue and green label is as much of an American cultural icon as Coca-Cola or Campbell’s soup.”

This article is part of Ordinary Items, Extraordinary Stories, a series about the surprising stories behind well-known items. 

Read more from the series:

How the inventor of the bouncy castle saved lives

How a popular Peruvian soft drink went ‘toe-to-toe’ with Coca-Cola

How a drowning victim became a lifesaving icon

Richard Madeley is among names remaining in roles on ITV programmes, like Good Morning Britain, despite a huge cull this summer – a bloodbath which will see more than 200 off-screen roles cut

Backroom staff at ITV are reportedly “furious” to see “the little people get the boot” in favour of “the big names” amid the broadcaster’s bloodbath.

ITV is making huge changes to its daytime programming, and is axing more than 200 off-screen roles as a result. Good Morning Britain is merging with ITV News, but all of their top presenters – who include Susanna Reid, Richard Madeley, Julie Etchingham and Tom Bradby – will remain in post for now at least, it is said.

Madeley, 69, penned a short-term deal to remain in his position for six more months at least. It is understood Kate Garraway is safe – as is presenter Adil Ray, who looked set to be axed. Instead, insiders say his shifts will be cut. Yet, ITV was brutal to axe Noel Edmonds’ big TV comeback after just one series despite its huge launch.

And the daytime cuts primarily affect tireless production staff, who work off screen. The consultation period, which will determine who will be the victims of these brutal financial cuts, has been underway for some months and employees are said to be angry with the situation.

READ MORE: Frank Grimes dead: Coronation Street actor dies after short illnessREAD MORE: The Chase’s Shaun Wallace surprises followers with move away from ITV show

One insider told Mail Online: “All the big names are staying while the little people get the boot. It is horrendous. You’d think if you wanted to save a big lump of cash you could get rid of some of the presenters. There are loads of them. But no, instead they’ve all been told they are safe.”

For now, everyone on Good Morning Britain and ITV News will continue their separate shows. This Morning’s presenters will also stay in situ. In response to this, he insider added: “The cuts will fall to those who earn pennies in comparison. When this was all announced, we thought some of the stars would go – and rightfully so. Some of them are rubbish. Rather than there being three or four backstage workers doing a certain job, there will be one – but there will still be loads of presenters.” The source did not identify names when using the word “rubbish”.

ITV has always said it has to slash costs. Some onscreen journalists are also facing the axe in a bid to balance the books, but it is thought none of the mainstay hosts are affected.

One presenter told Mail Online: “It’s awful to see, awful. These people work so hard and they’ve still lost their jobs. And where are they going to go?… The industry is getting smaller and smaller for production staff.”

Loose Women and Lorraine have also been decimated by the cuts, with presenters on the former facing the prospect of only being aired for 30 weeks a year. Lorraine, too, is going from 52 weeks a year to 30, as well as being cut back from an hour to just half an hour in transmission time.

Even as Californians protest the crude and often brutal deportation tactics employed by President Trump’s ICE and Homeland Security agents, we’re giving too little thought to how our state, and the nation, is failing the very immigrant community we want to protect.

In the past, particularly in the last century, when the U.S. economy, and California’s, was growing at a fast rate, loosely controlled immigration filled critical needs and, over time, moved many immigrants into an increasingly diverse middle class. But now newcomers are getting stuck. According to new findings from USC and University of California researchers, immigrants account for nearly a quarter of the U.S. population living in poverty, up from 14% three decades ago.

The immigrant poverty rate fluctuates, but it has been rising in recent years, especially since the pandemic. In 2024, 22.4% of all immigrants and 28.4% of non-citizen immigrants, including the undocumented, were poor, the highest rates since 2008.

As well, welfare dependency is more pronounced among immigrants than the native born. A 2023 analysis of census data showed that 54% of households headed by naturalized citizens, legal residents and the undocumented use one or more welfare programs versus 39% of U.S.-born households.

In California, the overall situation is only slightly better. A 2023 report from the Public Policy Institute of California put the poverty rate for all foreign-born residents at 17.6%, compared to 11.5% for those born here. For unauthorized immigrants, however, the rate was even higher than the national figure: 29.6%. Undocumented households, notes a separate USC study, have consistently had the lowest median household income in L.A. — $46,500, compared to $75,000 among all Angelenos in 2024.

The grim statistics reflect a decline starting in the 1980s in blue–collar industries in California, which traditionally offered upward mobility to immigrants. Unionization in the immigrant-heavy hospitality industry has helped lift some families, but those gains may lead to fewer jobs as employers look to rein in costs, potentially by automating some services. And immigration itself, especially mass immigration, puts downward pressure on many of the jobs newcomers fill — in agriculture, for example, or construction.

The dearth of jobs that support families has pushed California toward a model that Michael Lind, a Texas-based historian and author, describes as the “low wage/high welfare model.”

The fiscal implications are severe. The president has signed executive orders denying federal funds to sanctuary cities, funds that would shore up city and state budgets for policing, education and many other services affected by immigration. Those orders have been stymied in the courts, although Trump is sure to try again. At the same time, the budget the president signed into law on July 4 boosts funds for border enforcement but cuts back such things as medical services for non-citizens, even for those who are here legally.

This will cause particular distress in deep blue states. California’s current budget shortfall has forced Trump “resistance” leader Gov. Gavin Newsom to scale back healthcare for the undocumented, which is also occurring in other progressive hotbeds such as Washington state, Illinois and Minnesota.

The simple truth is that the low wage/high welfare economy dependent on illegal immigration isn’t sustainable. Economic reality suggests we need a commonsense policy to restrict new migration and to focus on policies that can allow current immigrants — especially those deeply embedded in our communities and those with useful skills — to enjoy the success of previous generations.

What would a commonsense policy look like? It would secure the border, which the Trump administration is already doing, and shift immigration priorities away from family reunion and more toward attracting those who can contribute to an increasingly complex economy. Deportations should prioritize convicted criminals and members of criminal gangs, whose presence is hardly welcomed by most immigrants.

Law-abiding immigrants who are here without authorization should be offered a ticket home or a chance to register for legal status based on a clean record, paying taxes and steady employment. In addition we need to consider a new Bracero Program, which allowed guest workers to come to the U.S. legally without their families in the mid-20th century. Even President Trump has been forced to acknowledge that low-wage immigrant labor is difficult to replace in some sectors.

This kind of immigration reform has eluded Congress for decades, but a clear-eyed assessment shows that merely welcoming newcomers willy-nilly won’t pay off for most migrants or for California. A large pool of undocumented labor is the exact opposite of what is needed to nurture a strong and sustainable economy. If you are protesting against ICE raids and immigrant bashing, you should also be protesting for remaking U.S. immigration according to economic fundamentals. The prospect of a better life should be available to us all.

Joel Kotkin is a contributing writer to Opinion, the presidential fellow for urban futures at Chapman University and senior research fellow at the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas, Austin.

Igbo-Ora in Nigeria has been dubbed the ‘Twin Capital of the World’, with an unusually high number of twins born there – and locals believe they’ve found the reason why

A tiny Nigerian town is known for its high rate of twins, leaving scientists scratching their heads for years. In Yoruba culture, prevalent in the area where the town of Igbo-Ora is situated, twins are seen as a gift from the supreme deity Olodumare and are thought to be protected by spirits – they are even thought to have supernatural abilities.

One local resident hinted at a “secret” that could explain the remarkable twin phenomenon.

Globetrotting YouTube star Drew Binsky made his way to the so-called ‘Twin Capital of the World’ to chat with locals about their town’s extraordinary claim to fame. Despite Nigeria being officially an English-speaking nation, Drew discovered that finding people speaking his native language was challenging.

He said: “Even though Nigeria is an English speaking country, it’s actually very difficult to find English speakers. Usually the ones that go to school that are educated can speak. But here in the villages, they usually speak native language, which is Yoruba.”

Drew eventually teamed up with a local woman named Grace, who became his guide and offered one intriguing theory for the abundance of twins.

She revealed: “There’s actually a secret behind that. There is a soup in our land here that people eat that will make them to give birth to twins and multiple [births].”

Grace attributes the town’s unique demographic pattern to a local dish made with okra leaves, although researchers have yet to establish any concrete evidence linking the local diet to the twin mystery.

The town of Igbo-Ora, renowned for its high proportion of multiple births, may have found a clue in the peel of locally-grown yams, with a University of Lagos Teaching Hospital study suggesting a chemical link to the phenomenon.

Local resident Grace expressed her pride in living in Igbo-Ora, noting the scientific interest in the town’s twin phenomenon.

She continued: “Everybody’s a twin here. There is no single house in this town that does not have a twins. Every house, no matter how small or how big the house is, they will surely have a set of twins.”

While the global average for twin births stands at about 12 per 1,000, Igbo-Ora boasts an astonishing rate of at least 50 per 1,000.

Drew sampled the okra-leaf soup known as Ilasa, jokingly hinting it might increase his chances of having twins.

The soup, a local delicacy, features okra leaf, “locust beans,” and marugbo herb.

Igbo-Ora celebrates its unique status with a twins festival, where twins, triplets, and even quadruplets don matching attire and take part in photo sessions.

Despite its fame for multiple births, Igbo-Ora faces severe economic challenges, with one inhabitant describing the town as “financially handicapped” and calling for assistance from international aid organisations.

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.

2

2

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.

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.