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Champions League: Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari criticises Jose Mourinho for response after Vinicius Junior alleges he was racially abused

The chair of Kick It Out, Sanjay Bhandari, says the lack of support from Benfica and the response of their manager Jose Mourinho has “set the tone” in the racism row between the Portuguese club and Real Madrid, after Vinicius Junior alleged he had been racially abused by midfielder Gianluca Prestianni.

READ MORE: Benfica claim ‘defamation campaign’ against Prestianni

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Premiership Women’s Rugby: Late Zoe Harrison kick seals Saracens win over Bristol Bears

England fly-half Zoe Harrison nailed a late long-range penalty as Saracens snatched a 36-33 win over Bristol Bears at StoneX Stadium.

The victors raced into a 26-12 lead at half-time through tries by Millie Whizz, New Zealand’s Ruahei Demant and England prop Sarah Bern, who crossed twice.

Despite two scores by hooker May Campbell and one by Olivia Apps to retake the lead, Bristol then levelled the game after Keira Bevan converted her own try.

However, Harrison confidently smashed over a 79th-minute penalty to show why she was England’s World Cup-winning starting fly-half.

The victory meant Saracens kept up the pressure on Premiership Rugby Women’s league leaders Gloucester-Hartpury, while Bristol remain second from bottom.

Exeter Chiefs defeated Loughborough Lightning 26-5 at Sandy Park in Sunday’s other PWR fixture.

Francesca Granzotto, Amy Rule and Hope Rogers all scored first-half tries for the Chiefs, with Ireland’s Dorothy Wall grabbing the vital bonus-point try in the final play.

The result moved Exeter into third place above Harlequins, who lost to Gloucester-Hartpury on Saturday.

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Brits warned of new £360 fines for vaping in winter sun destination as new rules for 2026 kick in

Strict new rules have been enforced in a favourite winter holiday hot spot that could see any tourist who vapes or brings an electronic cigarette product into the country slapped with a hefty fine or even put behind bars

Thanks to its sunny, comfortable, and dry weather from November through to April, Mexico has been a top destination for those seeking winter warmth for many years.

However, British tourists jetting off to the North American country and its popular holiday spots need to be aware of severe punishments if they break harsh new rules on vaping.

Not only is it now illegal to vape in a public space, where on-the-spot fines can be enforced, but a new ban on importing electronic cigarettes means holidaymakers who enter the country by land or sea with their device on their person could face time in jail.

READ MORE: This exact time ‘is the cheapest’ to book a holiday — and ‘never book in this hour’READ MORE: Avoid paying for expensive food at UK airports with ‘little known snack rule’

Mexico already had strict laws on smoking and vaping in public since 2023, with immediate fines of up to 3,000 Mexican pesos (about £150) enforceable for anyone caught violating the rules. It includes a ban on puffing in beaches, parks, and public transport, as well as enclosed spaces. But on January 16 President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo published a constitutional reform which banned the importation, sale and distribution of vaping products. The law came into force the following day.

The amendment stated: “The law will penalize all activities related to electronic cigarettes, vaping devices, and other analogous electronic systems or devices specified by law, as well as the production, distribution, and sale of toxic substances, chemical precursors, the illicit use of fentanyl, and other unauthorized synthetic drugs.”

Tourists may think they are exempt from the rules, but they are not, and customs officials in popular destinations like Cancún, Cabo San Lucas, and Cozumel are said to be rigorously enforcing the ban.

Reports vary on what the punishments could be, but the British government strongly advises against taking any devices into the country or using them whilst there. “It is illegal to bring e-cigarettes, vaping devices and solutions into Mexico or to buy and sell them,” it states. “Customs officials will confiscate these items, and they could fine or detain you,” it adds.

As well as affecting flights into Mexico, the ban includes travellers on cruise ships stopping off anywhere on shore. “Disposables, refillable models, pods, and even non-nicotine devices,” are also included in the vape ban,” Cruise Hive reports.

It says that if holidaymakers are caught, they could see their devices confiscated, face huge fines “of up to $12,500, and/or detainment”. The publication adds that the crime is punishable by up to eight years in prison.

One traveller who claimed to have been detained by authorities for being in possession of a vape in the country just after the law was introduced said they were given the choice of prison or a whopping fine. “I came through the airport 1/18 and had a vape. I was detained and given the option of jail or 4K USD fine,” they wrote on Reddit.

Other countries that have imposed laws and bans on vaping include India, Thailand, Singapore, Brazil, Argentina, Qatar and Vietnam.

As of last year, it was estimated up to 5.6million Brits were vapers, which equated to around 11% of the population.

For the first time, the number of people who smoke traditional tobacco products in the UK has been outnumbered by vapers.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders to kick off California billionaires tax campaign

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a political hero among liberals and populists, next week will formally kick off the campaign to place a new tax on billionaires on California’s November ballot.

The controversial proposal, which would impose a one-time 5% tax on the assets of the state’s wealthiest residents, is critical to backfilling federal funding cuts to healthcare enacted by the Trump administration, Sanders said in a statement.

“This initiative would provide the necessary funding to prevent over 3 million working-class Californians from losing the healthcare they currently have — and would help prevent the closures of California hospitals and emergency rooms,” he said. “It should be common sense that the billionaires pay just slightly more so that entire communities can preserve access to life-saving medical care. Our country needs access to hospitals and emergency rooms, not more tax breaks for billionaires.”

The independent senator from Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats in the nation’s Capitol, will appear Feb. 18 at the Wiltern in Los Angeles alongside prominent musical acts. Sanders has a deep base of support among California Democrats, winning the state’s 2020 presidential primary over Joe Biden by eight points, and narrowly losing the 2016 primary to Hillary Clinton. In both elections, he won the votes of more than 2 million Californians, who were also a major source of the small-dollar donations that fueled his insurgent campaigns.

The tax proposal, which Sanders previously endorsed on social media, is proposed by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. The supporters need to gather the signatures of nearly 875,000 registered voters and submit them to county elections officials by June 24 for the measure to qualify for the November ballot. They began gathering signatures in January.

Supporters of the tax argue it is one of the few ways the state can backfill major federal cuts to healthcare services for California’s most vulnerable residents. Opponents warn it would kill the innovation that has made the state rich and prompt an exodus of wealthy entrepreneurs.

More than 200 billionaires in Californians would be affected if the proposal qualifies for the ballot and is approved. Some prominent billionaires have already left the state, notably PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and venture capitalist David Sacks.

Both men were major supporters of President Trump.

Democrats are divided about the issue. Notably, Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who is among a dozen candidates running in November to replace the termed-out governor, oppose the proposal.

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