The Know Daily - Tuesday 30 April 2024

_{Read in 5m 24s ∙ Listening to Ariana Grande ∙}

Global immunisation efforts have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years, according to a landmark study led by the World Health Organization (WHO). Researchers also found that “monumental efforts” have been made to increase access to immunisation, with the WHO Director-General describing vaccines as “among the most powerful inventions in history”. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The situation in Scotland, explained

Humza Yousaf yesterday resigned as Scotland’s First Minister and SNP leader.

How did we get here?
Yousaf’s resignation came after the power-sharing agreement between the SNP and the Scottish Greens collapsed earlier this month. This agreement - known as the Bute House agreement - had allowed Yousaf to govern with a majority in the Scottish parliament since becoming First Minister in March 2023. 

On 18 April, the Scottish government announced it was dropping a major environmental target - prompting the Greens to arrange a vote on whether to stay part of the Bute House agreement. But before this vote could take place, Yousaf announced on 25 April that he was ending the SNP-Green deal, Channel 4 News explained.

What happened then?
When he announced the end of the Bute House agreement, Yousaf said he would stay on as First Minister and lead a minority government. However, he was facing two no confidence votes, called for by opposition parties. 

In a press conference on Monday, Yousaf said while it was “absolutely possible” that he could have survived the confidence votes, he had decided not to continue as First Minister.

What happens now?
The SNP has officially begun the process of choosing a new leader. Former party leader John Swinney and former finance secretary Kate Forbes - who lost out to Yousaf during last year's leadership contest - are two names currently in the frame, although neither have declared their candidacy.

🧶 Pre-loved profits

Secondhand marketplace Vinted has turned a profit for the first time, as pre-loved clothing remains in vogue.

How well did Vinted do?
In its annual report, the Lithuania-based company reported a 61% rise in sales to almost  €600m last year. That makes it about a third of the size of Asos, said The Guardian. Vinted also reported a post-tax profit of €17.8m in 2023, compared with a loss of about €20m in 2022.

What’s behind the growth?
A few things. Vinted acquired the designer secondhand specialist Rebelle in 2022, and has been developing a service to verify the authenticity of valuable items. The marketplace also expanded into Denmark and Finland, and has been developing its shipping service Vinted Go, noted Sifted.

Why does this matter?
Secondhand marketplaces have typically struggled to reach profitability, so Vinted has certainly bucked the trend. As we reported last month, despite the booming popularity of pre-loved items, the dominance of ultra-fast fashion and the declining quality of secondhand clothing means profitability is often elusive, with platforms such as Depop and RealReal posting losses last year. 

Nevertheless, sales of pre-loved items are on track to make up a tenth of the global fashion market next year, with the secondhand market forecast to reach as much as $350bn by 2028.

📮 Post palaver: Royal Mail paused £5 fines for anyone receiving a letter with a ‘fake’ stamp, as it develops an app to allow customers to authenticate their own stamps. 

🇪🇸 Spanish politics: Pedro Sánchez announced he would stay on as PM, days after saying he was considering resigning due to a “harassment campaign” against his wife. 

🐎 Horse health: The two military horses who were injured as they bolted through central London last week are making progress. 

🔌 Down the road: Elon Musk made a surprise visit to China, as he seeks to introduce Tesla’s self-driving technology into the world’s biggest car market. 

🐾 A round of a-paws: Messi, the dog from Anatomy of a Fall, is getting his own TV show at Cannes. We can’t wait.

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Trivia answer: A) 92 minutes is the “ideal” length for a movie, according to a market research poll - but the running time of commercially successful films is increasing.

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