Shortages of the “right kind” of talent are holding back Japanese growth in sectors from tourism to the

If Quordle is a little too challenging today, you've come to the right place for

If the NPC streamer trend taught us anything, it's that TikTok Live is a breeding

High fidelity graphics vs. performance: What do you value most in a video game? If

From renowned actors to supermodels and musicians, Marva's services have been in high demand

The voice on the phone seemed frighteningly real -- an American mother heard her daughter sobbing before a man took over and demanded a ransom. But the girl was an...

High street fashion retailer H&M has joined other companies in charging shoppers who return items purchased online. Customers must now pay £1.99 to return parcels either in store or online, with the cost of the return being deducted from their refund. Rival high street stores including Zara, Boohoo, Uniqlo and Next already charge for online returns, with retail experts predicting that even more are likely to follow suit. During the pandemic, when online shopping inevitably soared in popularity, customers became increasingly more reliant on returning items when they did not fit. However, this also led to a rise in people buying items in bulk and returning almost all those items, some of them worn. While most online and high street retailers do not formally announce the move to charge for returns, many have introduced the change under the radar, with H&M implementing the return fee this summer. Business analysts have told the BBC that other retailers are likely to do the same. "It’s interesting that companies seem to be doing it by stealth, but it’s a sensible thing to be doing," retail expert Jonathan De Mello told the outlet. "It makes economic sense, as it discourages shoppers from bulk buying online products and then returning the majority of them. That’s been a real problem for companies." While H&M shoppers might be disappointed in the extra returns fee, added De Mello, most might understand why a company would need to make this decision, especially when it comes to the environment. Many shoppers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of deliveries and returns, from courier vans to wasted packaging. Retail expert and analyst Natalie Berg wrote on Twitter/X that retailers have “created a monster” with free returns. “​​H&M charging for returns. Retailers have created a monster with free returns. It makes financial and environmental sense to put an end to this ‘buy to try’ mentality.” But Berg pointed out that customers who have signed up to H&M membership would be exempt from the extra fee for returning items. “This is actually a really delicate way to tier your customers,” Berg said of the membership scheme. “Slowly climb down from costly promises by limiting those benefits to loyalty members. Retailers have become too generous over the past decade. Save that generosity for your most valuable customers.” Read More Inside London’s first Vogue World: Thong leotards and Anna Wintour’s VIP assembly line Voguewashing London Fashion Week won’t pay the wages of Britain’s young fashion designers Bridesmaid who “didn’t love” her dress spends 35 years wearing it around the world Meghan Markle praised for mixing high-fashion with affordable pieces Vogue World wowed but won’t pay the wages of young fashion designers Ukrainian designers prove beauty can come from darkness at London Fashion Week

A robotic spacecraft just had a close encounter with Mercury and beamed back rare intimate

Want to know how ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard stack up against each other? Welcome to

Hear ye, hear ye! Get excited — Amazon just announced that its next installment of Prime Day will be from July 11-12. Oh, and you can start shopping early deals right now.

You don't need to fear black holes. Over 100 million black holes likely wander our

Lewis Hamilton apologised to George Russell and took full responsibility for their first lap crash at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday night. The Mercedes pair collided at the first turn of the first lap of the race, with Hamilton’s rear-right tyre clipping the front of Russell’s car. Hamilton, 38, spun off into the gravel and was forced to retire from the grand prix, while the incident also ruined Russell’s race as he dropped back to dead last. But while both immediately blamed each other on the team radio, Hamilton later admitted he was at fault and post-race spoke to Russell. In a video posted on Mercedes’ Instagram page, Hamilton is seen approaching Russell in the paddock and saying: “Sorry about today, it wasn’t your fault.” The pair quickly embrace, with Hamilton adding: “Great job.” Hamilton also posted on X/Twitter: “I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George.” Russell, despite intense humid conditions in Lusail, recovered over the next 57 laps to finish a respectable fourth. Hamilton added in his TV pen interview: “I just feel really sorry for the team, we had a chance today to get some good points. “Heat of the moment, I didn’t understand what happened but I don’t think George had anywhere to go. I’m happy to take responsibility for it. “It’s massively gutting to have a result like this. It’s very rare that this happens, I hope George is able to get back into the points.” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was absent from this race – his second in a row – as he recovers from knee surgery. But the Austrian came on the intercom in a move to calm Russell, 25, down shortly after the incident. “George, let’s race now, and get the best out of it,” he said. Max Verstappen won the race, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris securing another double podium for McLaren. Read More Lewis Hamilton reacts after first-corner collision with George Russell ‘I was passing out in the car’: Lance Stroll explains how Qatar heat took its toll ‘I was passing out in the car’: Lance Stroll explains how Qatar heat took its toll Lewis Hamilton and George Russell collide as Max Verstappen wins in Qatar Carlos Sainz misses Qatar Grand Prix in huge Ferrari blow