Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner‘s very bitter divorce has met a shocking end as the two sides have settled with the prenup enforced.

The 68-year-old actor and his 49-year-old wife of nearly 20 years have been embroiled in a months-long legal war which has met a surprise end after DailyMail.com reported that Baumgartner had received more than $400,000 to pay the costs of the contentious courtroom battle.

According to TMZ, if Christine challenges the judgment ‘she would have to repay Kevin more than $1 million and pay his attorney’s fees for the prenup fight.’ 

Upon hearing this, the mother-of-three ‘agreed over the weekend to the terms of a 3-page settlement letter.’ 

DailyMail.com has reached out to Costner’s representatives for Costner. 

Kevin’s legal team – which was headed by ‘disso queen’ Laura Wasser – had won a series of legal battles leading up to the settlement.

Wasser had recently submitted paperwork to the court saying Kevin’s monthly obligation should be $63K-a-month according to TMZ.

However, Baumgartner wanted $248K-a-month and after a two-day evidentiary hearing in Santa Barbara earlier this month the Judge Thomas Anderle ultimately sided with Kevin. 

Last week DailyMail.com reported that Baumgartner had already received more than $400,000 to pay the costs of her legal battle with the actor.

The mom-of-three was locked in a court fight with her ex over a fresh award of $855,000 to cover fees for the former couple’s upcoming trial over whether the prenuptial agreement they signed 18 years ago can still be enforced.

Baumgartner, 49, has asked for $575,000 to pay her lawyers John Rydell and Susan Wiesner and another $280,000 for her forensic accountant Jill Bombino – which would take the combined total to an eye-watering total of $1.26million.

But documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal Baumgartner has so far already received $405,000 in legal, attorney, and ‘forensic accounting fees’ – disbursed in July this year. 

In an excoriating legal filing lodged in court in Santa Barbara, California, on Tuesday, Costner’s attorney Laura Wasser hit back at the ‘whopping’ request – describing the fees as ‘inflated’ and saying that it would be ‘unconscionable’ for the Yellowstone star to be made to pay.

‘Disso queen’ Wasser also accused Baumgartner of being ‘unreasonable’ and said her constant legal maneuvers – the majority of which have failed – have inflated costs for both parties. 

Last week, Baumgartner found herself on the hook for a payment of $14,000 after Judge Thomas Anderle decided to sanction her for failing to give proper answers to questions from Costner’s legal team.

The setback came shortly after Judge Anderle halved Baumgartner’s monthly child support payments – a decision she later described as a ‘joke’ according to a pal.

The friend told DailyMail.com: ‘Christine is shocked. She said even Kevin looked shocked. Everyone looked shocked.

‘To say Christine is disappointed is an understatement. She described the ruling is a complete joke.’

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Brett Ward, a partner at New York legal firm Blank Rome and an expert in family law, said a party requesting fees isn’t unusual, although the potential size of the award is.

He also said judges tend to take a dim view of what they see as excessive requests and generally want to prevent drawn out cases like the Costner divorce is becoming.

He said: ‘There is certainly a legal basis for [Baumgartner’s] request. However, a judge will examine the reasonableness of the fees requested.

‘Judges generally do not want to encourage additional litigation by providing one side with a war chest of future legal fees.

‘Courts generally balance the less wealthy party’s right to carry on the litigation in a fair manner against the concern that a party with a significant fee award will take that money and use it to make every possible argument available, no matter the merit or lack thereof for each claim.’

Ward said the enormous legal bills the pair are racking up are unusual in family court but added that much of the money can be explained by the value of the assets being wrangled over and expects the eventual tab to be much higher.

He said: ‘At this pace, and without a settlement in the near future, I would not be surprised if the combined legal fees approach or exceed $5 million.’

Much of Baumgartner’s testimony during the evidentiary hearing had hinged on her being able to provide a lavish lifestyle for her three children comparable to that they enjoy while with their father.

Despite renting a $40,000-a-month property in tony Montecito, Baumgartner said her new home is inadequate because sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, would have to share a bathroom while daughter Grace, 13, would need ‘to share hers with the house.’

She also bemoaned the pool house guest accommodation – saying visitors would need to come into the main house to shower – and hit out at the lack of beach access to which her children are accustomed.

In his testimony, Costner said the property was comparable to his own luxury home in nearby Carpinteria and said it even has features he would like in his own house.

According to the mom-of-three’s friend, her objections also include her being ‘removed’ from the community she had enjoyed while living with Costner.

The friend added: ‘Christine said they [Costner and his legal team] painted the picture of this shallow, greedy gold-digger and that if Kevin could get past his anger and revenge, he would see how this is hurting their kids.

‘She said Kevin is ripping her apart from her community by making it impossible to live in the tight-knit neighborhood. ‘Christine said this was never about beach views and Kevin knows this. He knows how much the community means to Christine, and that this is his way of punishing her.

‘Christine said the fight is far from over.’

The court also heard details of the family’s lavish spending – which totaled $240,000-a-month in 2022.

Expenses included $40,000 spent each month on flowers and gifts alone, although Costner’s forensic accountant Tracy Katz pointed out the figure is for the entire family, including Baumgartner.

Katz said the 49-year-old was responsible for a host of big-ticket items, including $18,000-a-month on medical bills, $18,855 on clothing and $3,377 on beauty treatments. 

On top of that, Baumgartner was responsible for the lion’s share of the $8,886 in cash taken out at ATM machines according to Katz.

In May 2023, Baumgartner filed for divorce from the Yellowstone star after 18 years of marriage and three children together due to ‘irreconcilable differences.’

‘It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action,’ Costner’s rep said in a statement, at the time. 

‘We ask that his, Christine’s and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time,’ the statement concluded. 

Costner was previously married to Cindy Silva from 1978 to 1994 and they share three children – Annie, 39, Lily, 36, and Joe, 35.

He also shares a son Liam Costner with Bridget Rooney, who he dated after his split with Silva.

In court documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com over the summer,  Baumgartner described how she was instantly wowed when she first met ‘the handsome, charming movie star’ when she was just 18 and he was 37.

Baumgartner recalled the magic moment they met in 1992 in support of her bid for more child support for the couple’s three teenagers.

Baumgartner wrote: ‘I met Kevin on the golf course at the Alisal Ranch (an exclusive “dude” ranch in Solvang, California) when I was eighteen years old,’ she wrote in papers filed in Santa Barbara Superior Court, California.

‘We played our first game of golf six years later and started dating shortly thereafter.

‘Kevin was handsome, charming and a movie star. We traveled the world in private planes, stayed in luxurious hotels and private homes.’

She also said she was the driving force for the Field of Dreams star to realize his own dreams, writing: ‘During our marriage, I encouraged Kevin to wear many hats and live his dreams, even if that meant spending time away from our family.

‘I encouraged him to reconnect with his former bandmates from college and to start a new band. He became a singer/songwriter and toured for weeks at a time in many countries. He became an investor in several companies, some of which were through my connections.’

She added: ‘Despite all of Kevin’s commitments, I made sure to always keep him and the children connected as much as possible. I never questioned the time or commitment it took for him to do what he loved.’

David Foster reveals how his family with Katharine McPhee are coping after shock death of son’s nanny in horror crash: ‘It’s been tough’

By Adam S. Levy For Dailymail.com

Published: 22:44 EDT, 14 September 2023 | Updated: 02:35 EDT, 15 September 2023

For a moment, it looked as if Ben Shelton’s biggest strength could be his undoing.

The young American, who reached serve speeds of up to 149mph in his last match, fired 12 aces on Tuesday night and continually unsettled Frances Tiafoe with his power.

But he just couldn’t get his serves to stick over the course of two crucial tiebreak points in the third set, as two consecutive double faults turned a 6-5 advantage into a 7-6 hole.

Not for the only time on the night, though, the 20-year-old found a way to dig himself out, scraping himself to a tiebreak win and an eventual 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 victory.

It had been 15 years since two black American men faced off at Arthur Ashe Stadium before Tiafoe and Shelton took center stage on Tuesday. 

The previous time a matchup of that description occurred, a 28-year-old James Blake outlasted a 19-year-old Donald Young in five sets, and there was a similar – if slightly less pronounced – gap in experience this time around.

Twenty year-old Shelton has been on the ATP Tour for less than a year, while 25-year-old Tiafoe turned pro back in 2015.

But on Tuesday, it was Shelton who looked like the veteran in what felt like a significant night for American tennis.

There have been distractions and misbehavior from fans at other matches this tournament, but not on this soupy night in Queens, as a crowd including Anna Wintour, Emma Watson and rapper Meek Mill seemed to fully grasp the magnitude of this meeting.

The stakes weren’t lost on the players, either, as Tiafoe nervously fired two double faults in the first game before recovering in a deuce to hold serve.

The next three games would follow that script as the players continued to hold serve, with Shelton’s cannon reaching 139mph to force an error from Tiafoe in a deuce and even the set at 2-2.

Then came the breakthrough.

Tiafoe initially escaped two break points in the next game, with the world no. 10 tallying 10 unforced errors in half as many games.

But after one of several attempted drop shots in the game landed out to force a second break point, Tiafoe could not recover from a third break attempt.

The excitable Shelton let out a yell, his box did the University of Florida’s signature ‘gator chomp’ celebration (he played there for two years), and the Atlanta native was on his way to a first-set win.

Tiafoe struggled to match his opponent’s stunning power, but the newcomer showed guile as well. 

A delicately hit backhand winner to take a 15-30 lead in the seventh game showed a player mastering his tools in real time, and helped balloon his lead to 5-2 with another break.

He served for the set in the next game.

Things almost went off the rails again for Tiafoe early in the next set, as he escaped a break at 1-1 to hold serve and regain the lead.

Shelton’s strength of service had, to this point, given his opponent precious little margin for error, and the onus was on his ‘brother’ Tiafoe, as he referred to him earlier in the week, to punch back.

He did so with the set at 3-2 him, forcing a serving Shelton into his sloppiest game of the night, and survived another break point the following game to take a comfy 5-2 set lead.

Two games later, it was Tiafoe’s turn to celebrate, as he fired an ace to clinch a 6-3 set win.

He nodded his head repeatedly as the crowd showed its appreciation for the 2022 semifinalist. 

If both of these players fed off the crowd at Ashe, though, it was Shelton who appeared more well-nourished for the rest of the match. 

There was no Shelton counterpart to the cries of ‘Let’s go ‘Foe,’ but the crowd appreciated the underdog’s clutch moments and he ultimately produced more of them than his elder.

If the first set was about Shelton’s power, the third was defined by his resilience as he and Tiafoe each broke each other three times in a truly wonky period of play.  

Tiafoe hit a beautiful cross court backhand winner to make it 15-30 in the first game of the set – perhaps his best shot of night – but it ultimately wasn’t a sign of things to come despite beginning the set up a break.

Shelton responded immediately the next game with a break – and a highlight-reel, cross-court winner – of his own to gain back control of the set and eventually take a 3-1 lead after breaking his opponent again.

After two more breaks from Tiafoe and yet another reply from Shelton, the final four games saw each player hold serve twice, with one turn of play in particular showing the young Shelton’s fearlessness.

At 4-4, Shelton found himself staring down a deuce after two straight double faults.  He missed on a fifth straight serve too on the next point, but had the gumption to fire a 119mph second serve to set up a winner and give himself a slender 5-4 lead.

What came soon after was an epic, topsy-turvy tiebreak where Shelton ultimately held his nerve despite a couple of major wobbles.

The first-time Slam semifinalist fired off two straight aces to open up a 3-2 lead, before finding himself up 6-5 with a chance to serve for the set.

But he double-faulted his next two points, putting Tiafoe into the driver’s seat before he fired a cathartic winner down the line to even things up. 

He won the set two points later and didn’t look back in the fifth.

Shelton broke Tiafoe twice more, including in the first game of the set, and will now face Novak Djokovic on Friday in the semifinals.

Sunrise star David ‘Kochie’ Koch makes a shock joke about doing cocaine during live radio interview: ‘With a nose like mine’

By Jimmy Briggs For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 21:07 EDT, 21 August 2023 | Updated: 00:38 EDT, 22 August 2023

TRANSFER GOSSIP COLUMN: Neymar could be set for shock Chelsea move after PSG exit, West Ham make fresh £30m offer for Harry Maguire and Liverpool see Romeo Lavia bid rejected

• Neymar has told PSG he wants to leave and could come to the Premier League  
• Moises Caicedo skipped Brighton training as he tries to force his Chelsea move 
• Premier League transfer window: Club-by-club list of all the summer moves 

By Adam Shergold for MailOnline

Updated: 02:10 EDT, 8 August 2023

Bronny James has gone out for dinner with his family at a celebrity hotspot in Los Angeles, just four days after having a cardiac arrest during basketball practice.

He was joined by his famous father LeBron, his mom Savannah, brother Bryce and younger sister Zuri. He was seen leaving the famous Italian restaurant – Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica – with LeBron and Bryce standing close by on Friday night

Bronny, 18, was taken ill on Monday morning during practice at USC and was treated at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, before being discharged later this week.

And the family headed out for dinner to mark the end of a draining few days that threatened to turn their world upside down.

They had earlier been pictured arriving at the restaurant but only with LeBron, Savannah and Zuri walking through the front door. It wasn’t immediately clear that Bronny or even younger brother Bryce, 16, was there. 

As he walked out, Bronny seemed to take the attention around him in his stride and continued texting away on his phone. 

Earlier on Friday, LeBron posted pictures on Instagram of him playing basketball with his other son, Bryce. The Lakers star wrote in a poignant caption: ‘It is my job to always remain strong and to show them the blueprint regardless of the outcome.’ 

He also referred to Bryce in the hashtags as ‘BryceMaximus’ and ‘MyTwin’.

Bronny, meanwhile, has not spoken since being taken ill but there appears to be reason for cautious optimism over his recovery.

Upon announcing that Bronny had been discharged, Cedars-Sinai said Thursday in statement: ‘Thanks to the swift and effective response by the USC athletics’ medical staff, Bronny James was successfully treated for a sudden cardiac arrest. 

‘He arrived at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center fully conscious, neurologically intact and stable. 

‘Mr. James was cared for promptly by highly-trained staff and has been discharged home, where he is resting. 

‘Although his workup will be ongoing, we are hopeful for his continued progress and are encouraged by his response, resilience, and his family and community support.’

In the 911 call on Monday morning, obtained by DailyMail.Com, someone can be heard saying: ‘We need an ambulance immediately. Listen, we need an ambulance here, now!’

The person speaking to the operator is asked to stand near the teenager while the operator guides them through letting them know paramedics are on the way.

No details of James’ condition at the time are revealed in the call, though it is made clear that there is no doctor, nurse or medical professional at the scene of the cardiac episode that could help perform CPR

LeBron, meanwhile, tweeted out a statement on Thursday thanking fans for the messages of support his family have been sent.

‘I want to thank the countless people sending my family love and prayers,’ he wrote on Twitter.

”We feel you and I’m so grateful. Everyone doing great. We have our family together, safe and healthy, and we feel your love. 

‘Will have more to say when we’re ready but I wanted to tell everyone how much your support has meant to all of us! #JamesGang.’

He was seen visiting Bronny in hospital on Tuesday wearing a mask and was said to be ‘scared and devastated’ by what had happened.

Both Bronny and Bryce are highly rated young basketball players in their own right and LeBron has been an active supporter of his two sons’ basketball dreams – even using his off days during the Los Angeles Lakers’ season to fly several hours to attend their games.

Bronny’s 16-year-old brother, Bryce, posted a photo of the two on his Instagram story, along with a heart. Bryce James is also a top basketball prospect who already has received Division I scholarship offers.

LeBron James has repeatedly said that he even hopes to play in the NBA with Bronny, who couldn’t join the league until the fall of 2024 at the earliest. 

LeBron would be entering his 22nd NBA season at that point – matching Vince Carter for the longest career in league history – with his 40th birthday looming in December 2024.

‘My last year will be played with my son,’ James said. ‘Wherever Bronny is at, that´s where I´ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year.’

E-cigarettes have been linked to five deaths in Britain, MailOnline can reveal today.

None of the fatalities, which have all occurred since 2010, are proven to have been caused directly by vaping. No ages were mentioned for any of the deaths.

But health chiefs tasked with policing the safety of e-cigs admit there is ‘a suspicion’ the gadgets may have been to blame.

Two were put down to heart disorders, including one cardiac arrest.

Respiratory complications were blamed for the other three deaths, with one caused by inhalation of fat — a known potential consequence of vaping.

Almost 1,000 serious adverse reactions to e-cigs have also been logged by Britain’s health watchdog including blood, nervous system and respiratory disorders, as well as cancer and injuries such as burns.

Leading experts today told MailOnline the figures we uncovered ’emphasise vaping is not safe’ and warned the data may only represent ‘the tip of the iceberg’.

But others insisted the gadgets are ‘substantially less harmful than smoking’.

It comes amid growing fears over Britain’s burgeoning child vaping crisis, with rates having doubled within years.’

Colourful displays of the gadgets, sold for as little as £5, litter high streets across the UK. 

Predatory manufacturers lure kids in with flavours such as bubblegum and cotton candy and some shops even sell the devices next to sweets.

Rishi Sunak has vowed to crackdown on the crisis. 

Other experts have also demanded a total ban on disposable vapes such as Elf bars, popular with teenagers. New Zealand has already announced such a move.

The five fatalities from vaping are logged through the Yellow Card system, set up in the 1960s in the wake of the thalidomide scandal.

Officials use the same database to track the safety of Covid vaccines.

It allows doctors, pharmacists and patients themselves to report adverse reactions believed to be caused by prescription and over-the-counter drugs, implants and alternative medicines.

This can lead to them being reviewed, having warnings added to the label or even being taken off the market.

Since 2016, the scheme, run by The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has also covered e-cigarettes and refill containers.

However, a yellow card report – named after the yellow forms initially used in the 1960s – does not prove the product in question was to blame.

Regarding e-cigs, the MHRA says: ‘It may be difficult to tell the difference between something that has occurred naturally and an adverse reaction.

‘Sometimes reactions can be part of an underlying condition rather than being caused by the e-cigarette.’

It adds: ‘Many factors have to be considered when assessing whether an e-cigarette has caused a reported adverse reaction.’ 

Experts however fear the true toll of vaping adverse reactions could be far higher if swathes of the population are unaware of the yellow card scheme.  

Authorities track the database closely to spot any ‘potential patterns of concern’.

Similar issues surrounding blood clots caused by AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine were found months into the historic immunisation drive.

According to the drug watchdog’s 25-page document of adverse reactions for e-cigs, some 942 reports of reactions have been logged since January 1, 2010. 

Almost half (405) of all reports logged cited respiratory disorders, including 47 with oropharyngeal pain and 57 with shortness of breath. 

Some 120 were for gastrointestinal disorders, while 114 general disorders, including chest pain, fatigue and malaise, were also noted. 

One report of laryngeal cancer, three of atrial fibrillation – a condition that causes an irregular heart rate – and one anaphylactic shock, were also logged by the MHRA. 

An MHRA spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We keep the safety of e-cigarettes under close review and convene working groups when required to review data and evidence surrounding suspected adverse reactions associated with e-cigarette usage.’

They added: ‘If you have purchased a product that is not published on our website, you should return it to the retailer or your local trading standards service.

‘If you experience an adverse effect from use of a nicotine-containing e-cigarette product, please report it to us via our yellow card scheme. 

‘It is important to note that a report of an adverse reaction does not necessarily mean that the e-cigarette has caused the reaction, only that the submitter suspects it may have. 

‘Many factors have to be considered when assessing whether an e-cigarette has caused a reported adverse reaction.’

In 2019, a 57-year-old British factory worker was named as the first e-cig user in the world feared to have developed a fatal disease directly linked to his vaping habit.

Terry Miller, 57, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, died in 2010 after developing lipoid pneumonia, with medics confirming oil from vaping fluid was found in his lungs.

After smoking around 20 cigarettes a day for 41 years, he decided to give up and bought an e-cigarette from his local pharmacy, believing it was an healthier option. 

He began vaping every day and would often buy nicotine liquid refills and new e-cigarettes on the internet from a company based in the South of England. 

But around eight months after he switched to vaping in 2010, Terry’s lungs began to fail and he was diagnosed with fibrosis. 

E-cigs allow people to inhale nicotine in a vapour — which is produced by heating a liquid, which typically contains propylene glycol, glycerine, flavourings, and other chemicals.

Unlike traditional cigarettes, they do not contain tobacco, nor do they produce tar or carbon — two of the most dangerous elements.

Vaping has risen rapidly over the past decade to reach record levels in the UK, with an estimated 4.3million people who are regular vapers, according to a report last year. 

The data suggested that 8.3 per cent of adults in England, Wales and Scotland vape, up from 1.7 per cent a decade ago, which equated to about 800,000 people. 

Health chiefs say e-cigarettes carry a fraction of the risk of smoking and believe they can play a key role in weaning the remaining five million smokers in Britain off tobacco and putting an end to the killer habit.

Although widely viewed as safer than smoking, the long-term effects of vaping still remain a mystery.

Doctors fear there could be a wave of lung disease, dental issues and even cancer in the coming decades in people who took up the habit at a young age.

Dr Salim Khan, head of department for public health at Birmingham City University, told MailOnline: ‘The MHRA analysis is welcomed as it provides additional evidence of the potential harm that e-cigarettes and vaping can cause.

‘In addition to more than half of the reports relating to respiratory disorders, there are several non-respiratory health events listed which is consistent with published research findings.

He added: ‘Whilst e-cigarettes and vaping are assumed to be the causal factor, it is important to recognise that there may be other contributing factors which could have resulted in the health events listed.

‘It is also important to note that the volume and pattern of adverse respiratory and other health events associated with e-cigarette use or vaping in the UK may not be fully represented by the data.

‘The data may only represent the tip of the iceberg.

‘To establish the potential impact that e-cigarettes and vaping are having on people’s health, we require continued data collection and reporting. We need rigorous evidence that clearly demonstrates the detrimental impact of e-cigarettes and vaping on health.’

Professor Jamie Brown, director of University College London’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, meanwhile told MailOnline: ‘These new data emphasise that vaping is not safe and never smokers should not vape. 

‘However, to put these numbers in context, cigarette smoking causes about 76,000 deaths a year in the UK.

‘So, in the same period, cigarette smoking caused approximately 1million deaths in the UK.’

Equally, Professor John Britton, who sits on the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Group, said the figures show reactions ‘are very rare’.

He told MailOnline: ‘These reports demonstrate adverse events from vaping, and in particular serious adverse events, are very rare. 

‘In contrast, since 2010 tobacco smoking has killed around one million people. 

‘We can thus be confident that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking.’ 

Under its position statement, the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Group acknowledges that while e-cigarettes ‘are probably more hazardous than nicotine replacement therapy, the harm is unlikely to exceed 5 per cent of that from smoking tobacco’. 

Mark Oates, founder of consumer advocacy group We Vape, also told MailOnline it is ‘important to keep the MHRA findings in perspective’ but acknowledged the research into the health impact of the devices.

He said: ‘We welcome detailed and continuous research into the health effects of vaping so the safest possible devices are available to smokers trying to quit.

‘Some 4.3million people now vape in the UK and there have been no confirmed deaths as a result. 

‘In contrast, since 2010, more than a million people have been killed by smoking. It’s therefore important to keep the MHRA findings in perspective.

‘Following the Covid vaccine rollout and booster scheme, for example, there were more than 11,500 reports of side effects from the jab using the Government’s yellow card system, yet we didn’t halt a programme that has invariably saved countless lives.’

He added: ‘Vaping is helping millions of people avoid a preventable and often agonising death, around the world, every year from smoking. 

‘This excellent news should not be overlooked when studying self-reported side effects in a significant minority of vapers.’

Earlier this month however, leading paediatricians also warned children were being hospitalised with vaping-induced breathing difficulties amid a ‘disturbing’ youth vaping epidemic.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) warned that e-cigarettes ‘are not a risk-free product and can be just as addictive, if not more so than traditional cigarettes’.

It called for urgent action to protect youngsters, saying experts agree that longer-term data is needed on the effects of vaping, particularly in regard to cardiovascular disease.

Under an anti-smoking push, last month health minister Neil O’Brien revealed a £3million taskforce would be established to enforce the current rules of selling of vapes.

But one million cigarette addicts will also get e-cigarette ‘starter kits’ as part of a ‘swap to stop’ scheme.

The free kits are set to be offered to almost one in five of all smokers in England at an estimated cost of £45million over two years. 

Health chiefs hope the world-first policy will make England smoke-free.

But Mr O’Brien also acknowledged No10’s ambition to crackdown on the sale of e-cigarettes to under-18s as well as the colourful packaging and candy flavours they use to lure kids in.

It is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s but social media carries posts from teenagers showing vapes and discussing flavours such as pink lemonade, strawberry, banana and mango. 

A damning MailOnline expose in April laid bare the true scale of the problem and the marketing tactics of vape retailers trying to target children. 

Tom Padley, now 19, from Putney, London, told MailOnline at the time that he had been using vapes since the age of just 13.

Tom, who picked up the habit in boarding school, said ‘it’s not like cigarettes, where you would have to find a place to go outside and do it — you can just do it non-stop indoors’. 

But six years into vaping, he has begun to suffer health issues.

‘I get ill a lot more. I get ulcers occasionally in my mouth. I have a lot of coughs. I guarantee it’s massively increased due to vaping,’ he told MailOnline.

Last month, the BBC also discovered ‘highlighter vapes’, confiscated from youngsters at a college in Kidderminster, contained dangerous levels of lead, nickel and chromium.

The gadgets, which can cost as little as £5, were over 9.6 times the safe level of nickel and 6.6 times the safe level of chromium.

Exposure to lead can impair brain development, while the other two metals can trigger blood clotting. 

A ‘p***ed off’ Justin Holbrook has broken his silence after being shockingly sacked by the Titans, as Mal Meninga looks set to quit the club over the way the situation was handled.

The Titans showed Holbrook the door on Thursday afternoon, with Des Hasler taking over as his replacement from next season.

Speaking for the first time about the bombshell knifing, a disappointed Holbrook expressed his complete shock at the dismissal.

‘I just can’t believe it, I feel awful. Totally gutted,’ Holbrook told News Corp.

‘I did not see this coming at all, that’s what I am pissed off about.

‘I could understand if they said, ‘Look you have three games or whatever time period to do something’, but to be moved on like this, I’m still coming to terms with it.

‘If they were a bit more open about the way things were heading, I would have been able to digest this, but it’s hit me out of the blue.’

An interim coach for the next 11 rounds is yet to be named, with Hasler in charge for 2024 and beyond.

He brings significant experience to the Glitter Strip, having coached 458 NRL games, reaching five grand finals and winning premierships in 2008 and 2011 at the Sea Eagles.

Holbrook, who was signed by the Titans in 2020, says he was completely blindsided by the club’s decision. 

‘I had no inkling at all,’ he said.

‘Steve [club CEO Steve Mitchell] just called me in this morning and said, ‘Have you got a minute’.

‘I went in for a meeting and he said, ‘We are going to terminate you as of right now’.

‘I said, ‘Shivers, on what … performance?’ I said, ‘Mate, I thought you would have given me a chance of getting the guys to the finals with our best players back’.

‘Anyway, it was a waste of time talking. It wasn’t a negotiation. They had made up their mind.’

The Titans currently sit in ninth spot on the NRL ladder, with six wins from 13 games.

‘We’re hardly off the pace. We’re right in the mix to play finals,’ Holbrook said.

‘I haven’t had my best players on deck this year and we’re still in the mix for the finals.

‘That’s what pisses me off. It’s not like we are dead and buried. If we don’t blow that game against the Dolphins (when they blew a 26-0 lead in round 8), we’re right up pushing for second spot.’

Meanwhile, Mal Meninga – who has been an advisor at the club for several years – says he was only informed about the decision after it had happened. 

‘I didn’t know until today which disappoints me a little bit,’ Meninga told SEN radio.

‘The club rang me this morning and I don’t know how to feel about it to be honest.

‘It’s a huge decision in the middle of the year and we are on the precipice of the finals.

‘They made a decision based on the measurements they employed over the off-season around their defence. (The board) felt we needed to look at the bigger picture.

‘Justin is a great person so I’m obviously feeling a little disappointed for him. I hope it doesn’t damage Justin’s reputation.’

When quizzed about the potential signing of halfback Ben Hunt, Meninga stated that he hasn’t spoken to anyone about it.

‘I have no idea, I feel ostracised a little bit,’ Meninga said.

‘I’ve got a bit of thinking to do about what I do in the future… I don’t envisage being part of the club moving forward.’

Dating back to 2020, Holbrook’s winning record was 37.8 per cent, with 31 victories and 51 losses from 82 games.

This weekend the Titans – who have bold plans to win two NRL premierships by 2030 – face the in-form Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

Holbrook is the second NRL coach relieved of his duties this season, after the Dragons parted ways with Anthony Griffin last month.

Bank of England under pressure as prices shock leaves Britain lagging US and Europe in battle against inflation

By John-Paul Ford Rojas For The Daily Mail

Updated: 20:02 EDT, 21 June 2023

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

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Americans might get a hard time for their high-sugar diets, but the US isn’t even in the top 50 worst countries for diabetes.

And despite Britons having a notoriously sweet tooth, the UK isn’t even among the worst 100 countries when it comes to diabetes rates.

Figures compiled by Our World In Data, using data from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), analyzed the percentage of diabetic people between ages 20 and 79 in 211 countries. 

Pakistan topped the list, with about 31 percent of the population having the condition, followed closely by French Polynesia (25.2 percent), Kuwait (24.9 percent), Nauru (23.4 percent), and New Caledonia (23.4 percent).

One factor could be more and more people moving to urban areas and settling into more sedentary lifestyles, which increases the risk. 

Additionally, research has shown a higher genetic predisposition to the condition in Middle Eastern countries than in western nations.  

The US, meanwhile ranked 59, with one in 10 diabetics. The United Kingdom fell even lower, at 136, or a 6-percent diabetic rate. 

These countries, despite high consumptions of sugar and salt, which can increase diabetes risk, are more developed and have greater access to insulin and other diabetes medications. 

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how the body turns food into energy.

Normally, the body breaks food down into glucose, a type of sugar, and releases it into the bloodstream. 

This increases blood sugar, which triggers the pancreas to release insulin.

However, in diabetes, the body doesn’t make enough insulin, which causes too much blood sugar to remain in the bloodstream.  

In 2021, 537 million adults worldwide had diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation. This rate was a 16 percent (74 million) increase from 2019. 

Globally, over 90 percent of people with diabetes have type 2, which develops as result of obesity, poor diet, sedentary lifestyles, and family history. 

The IDF estimates that one in ten adults around the world are currently living with diabetes. The total number is predicted to rise to 643 million (11 percent) by 2030 and to 783 million (12.2 percent) by 2045. 

According to the World Health Organization, diabetes was the largest cause of death in 2019, claiming 1.5 million lives.  

In Pakistan, diabetes rates are skyrocketing. 

In 2021, 33 million Pakistani adults were living with diabetes, a 70 percent increase since 2019, according to IDF. Now, 31 percent of adults 20 to 79 have the condition. 

IDF estimates that diabetes accounted for more than 400,000 deaths in 2021. 

More than a quarter of adults with the condition in Pakistan are undiagnosed.

A 2022 study in the journal Annals of Medicine & Surgery attributed this rise to the scarcity of health care services in the country, especially in rural areas. The researchers also said that many people in Pakistan earn less than $3 per day, which is not enough to pay for insulin and other diabetes medications. 

Additionally, research has shown that only just over a quarter of Pakistani adults are highly physically active, and rates of diabetes are higher in Pakistan’s urban areas than rural ones. 

Meanwhile, in the US, which ranks 59 out of 211 countries, one in 10 adults have diabetes, according to the IDF data.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 28.7 million people have diagnosed diabetes, while 8.5 million are undiagnosed. 

In addition, 40 percent, or 96 million people over age 18, have prediabetes, which makes them significantly more likely to develop the condition. 

Weight is one of the biggest factors in American diabetes rates.

A study published last year in the Journal of the American Heart Association, for example, found that obesity is linked to 30 to 53 percent of new diabetes cases in the US per year. 

The CDC estimates that four in 10 Americans are obese, and the rate is climbing. Between March 2020 and March 2021, for example, number rose by 3 percent.

Dietary factors could be at play. 

The American diet is high in processed foods, which have been shown to have detrimental health drawbacks. 

A 2022 study from Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute estimated that 73 percent of the United States food supply is ultra-processed. 

And a study published in Frontiers in Nutrition found that more than 60 percent of US caloric intake comes from these foods. 

A global comparative study published in Obesity Reviews showed that an increase in sales per capita of ultra-processed food and drink was associated with higher body mass index (BMI). 

Sugar and salt are other dietary staples that can increase the risk of diabetes. 

A review published last month in the journal BMJ, for example, linked high consumption of added sugars to 45 negative health outcomes. 

These include diabetes, gout, obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, cancer, asthma, tooth decay, depression, and early death. 

Additionally, the CDC estimates that more than 90 percent of Americans consume too much salt – 3,400 milligrams on average.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends adults limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day — that’s equal to about 1 teaspoon of table salt. 

One of the biggest offenders is fast food – an American staple. About 70 percent of sodium consumed comes from processed products.

Americans are also prone to sedentary lifestyles. Jobs that involve long periods of sitting have increased 83 percent from since 1950, according to the American Heart Association, and physically demanding jobs take up less than 20 percent of the workforce. 

A 2015 review in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that even after adjusting for physical activity, sitting for long periods was associated with greater risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  

The Mayo Clinic has warned that sitting for an extended period each day can cause many of the same issues and lead to the development of dangerous visceral fat in the midsection. 

The price of insulin can also mean that diabetics aren’t getting effective treatment in the US. On average, insulin prices have more than tripled over the past decade to $98.70 per vial, with Americans now paying ten times more than in other similar countries.

By Q4 2023, insulin manufacturer Eli Lilly’s cap of $35 per vial will go into effect. 

The UK ranks significantly lower than the US, at 136 out of 211.  

Diabetes UK estimates that more than 4.3 million people in the country live with diabetes, and 2.4 million are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The organization also points to 850,000 people in the UK living with the disease but not knowing it. 

Around 90 percent of these cases are type 2 diabetes. 

Similar to the US, weight is one of the primary risk factors for developing the disease. 

The Health Survey for England 2021 found that 64 percent of people ages 45 to 74 in the country are overweight or obese. The same data showed 28 percent of people were considered obese. This figure rose from 15 percent in 1993. 

Dietary factors, such as salt and sugar consumption, could also attribute to these rates. 

The British Heart Foundation estimates that adults in England consume about 8400 milligrams of salt per day, nearly two and a half times that of the US. This is 40 percent the country’s national guideline of 6000 milligrams. 

About 85 percent of that salt is already in purchased foods rather than being added during cooking, according to Public Health England. 

The UK’s rate is on par with Japan, who has just a 6.6 percent obesity rate. 

The traditional Japanese diet has been shown to reduce the likelihood of type 2 diabetes, as well as other chronic conditions such as heart disease. The diet is rich in minimally processed, low-sugar foods, such as fish, seaweed, green tea, soy, fruits, and vegetables. 

In a six-week study of 33 men following a traditional Japanese diet, 91 percent experienced significantly fewer risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including excess weight and high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. 

The country with the lowest diabetes rate is the West African nation Benin, in which just 1 percent of the population has the condition. 

This could be due to the country’s demographics.  

Benin is largely low income and rural, with nearly 10 percent of households being food insecure and almost a third of children under 5 suffering from malnutrition, according to the World Food Programme. 

More than 70 percent of the population works in agriculture, making them less sedentary than adults in the US or UK.