News Daily: Plastics deposit scheme and Kim Jong-un visit confirmed

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Plastics deposit scheme gets green light

Ever since Blue Planet II brought the scourge of plastic waste into mainstream public consciousness there's been a clamour for action. Now the government says it plans to introduce a deposit scheme for single-use plastic bottles in England. It will increase prices, but shoppers will get the money back if they return the container. It will also apply to glass bottles and steel and aluminium cans. Similar schemes operate in dozens of other countries and many use "reverse vending machines" to automate the return.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said plastic was "wreaking havoc" on the marine environment, and reward and return schemes could change attitudes and behaviour.

Full details are yet to be worked out - including the size of the deposit - but the move has been welcomed by green campaigners. The BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin, though, said industry may be worried about the price tag, and councils will also be anxious to ensure kerbside collecting is not undercut.

Looking to learn more? Here are five ways to break up with plastic and all your plastic recycling questions answered.

Kim Jong-un visit confirmed

After days of speculation, we now know that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has indeed visited China, and we're told, held "successful talks" with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The visit is seen as a significant step in North Korea's preparation for crucial summits with South Korea and the US. The White House said it showed its "campaign of maximum pressure" was encouraging "dialogue". The BBC's Stephen McDonell, in Beijing, says Kim's decision to publicly recommit to denuclearisation in front of Xi during the visit may show the North Koreans are paving the way for a face-saving disarmament.

£1 seat ads banned

Megabus has been banned from running adverts which promise fares from just £1 after the firm admitted as few as one seat per coach was available at that price. Following complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority investigated several routes carrying the promotion - on one, only 4% of fares were available at £1, and on another it was just 3%. Megabus, which is operated by Stagecoach, said future marketing would not focus on prices.

Can the ad industry persuade us to eat more veg?

By Lucy Hooker, BBC Business reporter

Advertisers are the experts at persuading us to eat burgers, crisps and fizzy drinks. But what if they tried to sell us something healthier? Popeye's green-veg-fuelled antics were credited with boosting US spinach sales by a third during the Great Recession of the 1930s. Cities in spinach-growing regions erected statues of the sailor man-hero out of gratitude. And a generation consumed more vitamins than they would otherwise have done. These days, though, without a frontman like Popeye, vegetables don't get much of a look-in on the marketing front.

Read the full article

What the papers say

The Guardian leads with calls for an overhaul of "inflexible" rules on responding to terror attacks following the Kerslake report into the Manchester Arena bombing. The Daily Express says it made for "horrifying reading" after it revealed fire crews were not allowed to the scene until two hours after the explosion. An editorial in the Times says all big cities must act on the recommendations. In other news, the Daily Mail says Labour sources have told it there is a backlog of 74 allegations of anti-Semitism for the party to investigate. The Sun says Labour backbenchers want Jeremy Corbyn to employ more staff to deal with the cases. Finally, several papers carry warnings about the potential horrors lurking in your bath tub.

Daily digest

Spy's niece Viktoria Skripal speaks exclusively to the BBC

Meningitis B Teens urged to take part in vaccination trial

Birthday bonus Girl wins lottery on her 18th

England analysed Who impressed at Wembley?

If you see one thing today

Oasis of peace: A community crossing the divide

If you listen to one thing today

Taking out the space trash

If you read one thing today

Five songs you didn't know were about Jesus

Lookahead

10:00 Zelda Perkins, a British woman who once worked for disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein, gives evidence to MPs about sexual harassment in the workplace.

10:30 Judgement to be delivered in a High Court challenge against the Parole Board's decision to release black cab rapist John Worboys.

On this day

1979 The largest nuclear accident in US history occurs at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania.

From elsewhere

Women are the bulk of ride-app customers in Saudi Arabia - soon they will be ride-app drivers (LA Times)

Why fake villages are built (CNN)

Dordogne town's unexpected Brexit boom (Guardian)

Revealed: Secret cost of the "little things" at Harry and Meghan's wedding (Evening Standard)

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