THE Easter eggs on supermarket shelves look much the same as ever.

But chocoholics will be disappointed to hear that many stores have shrunk since last year, while stores have kept prices the same.

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Manufacturers blame rising costs of ingredients and transportation.

Consumer expert Martyn James says: “Of all the examples of shrinkflation, is there anything worse than the annual reduction in the size of Easter eggs?

“Don’t be afraid to send a message to the manufacturer to let them know if you’re not satisfied.”

Lynsey Hope reveals how much your favorites have shrunk in 12 months.

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Twix milk chocolate Easter egg, £3

• 2023 – 246g
• 2024 – 200g
• Decrease 19%

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Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut Ultimate egg, £10

• 2023 – 532 g
• 2024 – 400g
• Drop 25%

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Crunchie Easter egg, €3

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• 2022 – 233g
• 2024 – 190g
• Decrease 18%

Divine Dark Chocolate Egg, £5

• 2023 – 260g
• 2024 – 90g
• Drop 65%
• Worst offender!

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Smarties Orange Large Easter Egg, £3

• 2023 – 226g
• 2024 – 188g
• Decrease 17%

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Galaxy Minstrels Easter egg, £3

• 2023 – 234g
• 2024 – 192g
• Decrease 18%

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Maltesers Easter egg, £5

• 2023 – 265g
• 2024 – 246g
• Decrease 7%
• Least stingy!

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Turn an Easter egg, €3

• 2022 – 237g
• 2024 – 198g
• Decrease 16%

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Mini Easter eggs, £1.50

• 2023 – 130g
• 2024 – 97g
• Drop 25%

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Yorkie milk chocolate large Easter egg, £3.50

• 2023 – 242g
• 2024 – 196g
• Decrease 19%

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Kit Kat Coarse egg, £3

• 2023 – 230g
• 2024 – 190g
• Decrease 17%

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Galaxy Milk Chocolate Indulgence Easter egg, £6

• 2023 – 310g
• 2024 – 268g
• Decrease 13.5%

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M&S Handmade Golden Blonde Egg, £12

• 2023 – 300g
• 2024 – 292g
• Decrease 2.6%

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Dairy Milk Caramel Easter Egg, £5

• 2022 – 286g
• 2024 – 245g
• Decrease 14%

FIFA has been forced to cancel an international match due to “unforeseen circumstances”, resulting in several Premier League stars being sent back to their clubs early.

The World Cup qualifier between North Korea and Japan on Tuesday, March 26, will not take place in Pyongyang.

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The Asian Football Federation was informed by the North Korea FA of the “need to move the match to a neutral venue due to unavoidable circumstances.”

A report from Kyodo News, via Reutersclaims this was due to “concerns about infectious diseases in Japan.”

The two sides met in Tokyo yesterday for the first of their World Cup qualifiers.

Japan won 1-0 thanks to a goal in the second minute by Ao Tanaka, who plays for German side Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Japan was then scheduled to fly to North Korea’s capital for Tuesday’s match.

The two countries have no formal diplomatic relations.

But FIFA is now trying to find a new date after the plug was pulled on Pyongyang.

It means that Japan’s international breakthrough is already over.

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And captain Wataru Endo now returns to Liverpool for their title challenge.

He is not the only Premier League star in the Japanese squad.

Luton’s Daiki Hashioka came off the bench in the first match against North Korea.

Other big names playing for Japan include Sporting Lisbon’s Hidemasa Morita, Celtic’s Daizen Maeda and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo.

There was also another familiar face in the ranks: ex-Liverpool winger Takumi Minamino also played against North Korea on Thursday.

Japan currently top the World Cup qualifying group with three wins from three.

In addition to defeating North Korea, they have also triumphed against Syria and Myanmar.

However, they had a disappointing Asian Cup campaign early this year, crashing out in the quarter-finals in a 2-1 defeat to Iran.

Millions of bizarre blob-like creatures have washed up on West Coast beaches in recent years due to warming waters caused by climate change.

The gelatinous, transparent mases are found along the coasts of Northern California and Oregon, and sometimes as far away as Alaska, but typically live in warm seas – and at great depths.

Now scientists from Oregon State University have discovered that these pyrosomes or ‘sea pickles’ are appearing en masse as a result of a major marine heat wave that began in 2013 – marking the first time the animals have been seen in 25 years.

Since the proliferation of pyrosomes in the Pacific Ocean, they have also consumed most of the energy in the sea, reducing the number of salmon and seabirds.

Pyrosomes feed on phytoplankton, which form the basis of marine food webs that provide food for a wide range of marine animals, but growing numbers of sea pickles mean there are not enough available.

These creatures can grow from just a few centimeters to up to 20 meters in length and resemble a pink tube with stiff bumps covering the body.

Pyrosomes are colonies of thousands of animals called zooids that form in a hollow tube that can grow large enough for a human to fit through.

The sea creatures have a gene called luciferase that produces light and when it reacts with a luminous chemical, it sends the light up and down the tube, allowing it to see several meters in front of it.

They can also reproduce through asexual reproduction – effectively cloning themselves – or they can reproduce with a sexual partner.

The researchers looked at data from 80 groups of creatures, three feeding pools, five waste pools and two fisheries collected since 2014.

“Pyrosomes consume animals at the base of the food web and conserve that energy,” said Lisa Crozier, research scientist at NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center and co-author of the paper.

“They take energy out of the system that predators need,” she added.

According to the study, pyrosomes have long been considered “trophic dead ends” because they cannot serve as an energy source for other species, and how nutritious they are for other creatures that have consumed them in recent years remains unclear.

“That has an impact on the entire ecosystem… the pyrosome consumes energy that would normally have passed through multiple prey before ultimately ending up in a salmon,” study co-author Dylan Gomes said. The Seattle Times.

Pyrosomes are not consumed as often as other creatures, such as jellyfish, and the study suggests that this “may be because they are harder to digest, offer lower energy content, or remain new to the food web so predators have not yet responded.”

The 2013 marine heat wave, known as ‘the Blob’, increased water temperatures, allowing pyrosomes to thrive, while some fisheries closed as salmon, cod and Dungeness crab populations declined.

Scientists have speculated whether rising temperatures could be to blame for animals’ metabolisms increasing in warmer water, causing them to use more energy.

“You can think of it as more being consumed for the same amount of seafood produced,” Gomes said NewScientist.

Gomes said the study does not take into account factors that could affect declining marine life, such as declining oxygen levels caused by warming waters.

However, he added: ‘It is a first attempt to understand how marine heat waves are changing the ecosystems of the northeast Pacific Ocean.’

The team also compared other marine animals to the pyrosomes and found that they benefited most from the ecosystem, while other species such as jellyfish, cod, sardines, sea snails and other creatures missed out, causing their populations to decline.

While other creatures such as salmon pass on their energy source to feed larger animals, the research suggests this is not the case for pyrosomes, where 98 percent of their waste and residue accumulate in the seabed – so-called waste pools.

The schedule of both recruitment exams has been changed.

MPPSC exams postponed: The Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) has postponed the State Service Preliminary Examination 2024 and the State Forest Service Examination 2024 in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, a senior MPPSC official said on Wednesday.

The official said these exams will now be held on June 23 instead of April 28.

Due to the Lok Sabha elections, the schedule of both the recruitment exams has been changed and the admit cards for these exams can be downloaded from the MPPSC website from June 12.

The 2024 Indian general elections in Madhya Pradesh will be held in four phases between April 19 and May 13, 2024 to elect 29 members of the 18th Lok Sabha, while the counting will take place on June 4.

The elections will take place on April 19, April 26, May 7 and May 13.

• Thurman withdrew from the fight due to a training injury
• Tszyu will now take on the towering Sebastian Fundora
• Pair will compete for two super welterweight belts

By Darren Walton for Australian Associated Press and James Cooney for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 4:33 PM EDT, March 18, 2024 | Updated: 10:04 PM EDT, March 18, 2024

PLANS to replace boilers with heat pumps are on the rocks, according to a report.

The costs are high, most people don’t know what the pumps are or why they should worry, the National Audit Office found.

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The government aims to install 600,000 energy-efficient, low-carbon pumps annually by 2028, and up to 1.6 million annually by 2035.

But a recent boiler upgrade program saw 18,900 installed, well below the expected 50,000.

The NAO said more data was needed to help people judge whether the change was worth it.

NAO chief Gareth Davies said: “The government must involve every household in achieving its target of decarbonising home heating as part of the transition to net zero.

“The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) progress in raising awareness among households and encouraging them to switch to low-carbon alternatives is slower than expected.”

A DESNZ spokesperson said: “By helping, rather than forcing, families to install heat pumps, with a 50 per cent increase in heat pump subsidy, we have increased applications by almost 40 per cent.

“Our Welcome Home to Energy Efficiency campaign runs on TV, radio and newspapers and reaches 16.6 million households with advice and information on how heat pumps, insulation and solar panels can reduce their emissions and energy bills.”

Today the Government is announcing £75 million for free energy efficiency upgrades such as heat pumps and double glazing in social housing.

Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said the initiative will help low-income families save up to £400 a year on their energy bills and support jobs for more than 1,300 people working to make homes better and more environmentally friendly.

FENTY Beauty currently has over five BILLION views on TikTok, so it’s safe to say it’s taken over the makeup world.

With their products ranging from £8.50 to £115, beauty fans may need to save their pennies for a while before grabbing one of their products.

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The brand supplies all the makeup bag essentials, from mascara to lip gloss and foundation, but it doesn’t come cheap.

That’s why beauty fans are thrilled to discover that Aldi’s latest product is inspired by Fenty Beauty and will save shoppers more than 82 percent compared to the popular celebrity brand.

Shoppers can get their hands on a Gloss Bomb-inspired lip gloss, the Lacura Gloss Boss, for just £3.99, as well as the new Lacura Perfect Skin Tint for just £4.99.

Available in two shades ‘Pretty in Pink and ‘In the Buff’, the new additions are coming as tinted glosses are set to take this year’s makeup trends by storm.

Now that #FentyBeauty has amassed 5 billion views, Aldi is also welcoming the Lacura Perfect Skin Tint.

Rihanna fans will be delighted to hear that Aldi’s health and beauty brand Lacura is welcoming a NEW hydrating and brightening Lip Gloss Boss (£3.99, 2.7ml) to its dermatologically tested and cruelty-free range.

The must-have launch promises to deliver the perfect amount of shine and hydration.

The pouts look fuller, smoother and lightly perfumed with a delicious vanilla scent.

The new additions come as tinted glosses are set to be a big makeup trend for 2024.

And that’s not all; with Rihanna’s #FentyBeauty Trending on TikTok, Aldi is also launching the NEW Lacura Perfect Skin Tint (£4.99, 30ml) in stores this spring.

The lightweight tinted moisturizer provides buildable coverage that effortlessly evens skin tone.

Available in six shades, ranging from ‘Fair’ to ‘Dark’, the formula blurs imperfections – similar to the Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint, but 82 percent (£0.74 per ml) cheaper.

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Aldi’s latest range of make-up beauty buys will be available in stores nationwide from September 17 March, while supplies last.

What is Fenty Beauty?

Singer Rihanna created the makeup brand “so women everywhere would be included.”

Fenty Beauty, which is currently worth £2.1 billion, targets a wide range of traditionally ‘hard-to-match’ skin tones and develops formulas that work for all skin types.

The brand was launched in 2017 and is a 50-50 joint venture with LVMH, which is run by Bernard Arnault, the second richest person in the world.

The products are available in Sephora and Boots stores.

WWE was forced to go black during a live Smackdown episode when The Rock had to deal with a fan he called “drunk and horny.”

The iconic wrestler, real name Dwayne Johnson, 51, performed a segment in front of the audience, which resulted in him singing a song.

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But before he could get to the music track, the cameras and sound were cut off for about 18 seconds.

And when they came back on air, viewers were left guessing as to what happened when The Rock engaged in a conversation with a fan.

When he spoke to the person, he appeared to say, “You look like someone The Rock might love. Drunk and horny.”

He then added that he “appreciated it” before laughing off the incident.

One WWE fan commented on social media: “We’re definitely back in the attitude era .”

Another added: “This is like the second or third time they’ve had to black out. They need to find a better way to edit this.

“But regardless of how you feel about Rock, who else gets crazy reactions like that? Bro he is!”

A third replied: “Why would they censor the only interesting thing happening on WWE?”

While a fourth replied: “Haha quite hilarious fr .”

This is the second time this month that the WWE cameras have been forced to go black during a segment involving The Rock.

Two weeks ago they were forced to quit after a fan held up an offensive banner that read: “Die, Rocky, Die.”