VW plans to cut up to 100,000 jobs and shut plants, report says
Posted on Friday June 26, 2026

German firm reportedly considering doubling previously announced staff reductions amid Chinese competition

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Germany’s Volkswagen is to cut up to 100,000 jobs and reduce and eventually stop production at some plants, according to reports.

The company has refused to comment on reports of a management presentation at a board meeting outlining dramatic cost cutting, but if it goes ahead it would mean Volkswagen doubling previously announced staff reductions.

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OpenAI staggers AI model release after Trump administration request
Posted on Friday June 26, 2026

Sam Altman announces limited preview of GPT 5.6 in move that echoes launch of Anthropic’s Mythos

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OpenAI is staggering the release of its latest AI model after a request from the US government, in a move echoing the launch of Anthropic’s Mythos product.

Sam Altman, the chief executive of the company behind ChatGPT, told staff this week that GPT 5.6 would be released in a limited preview to a small group of partners, according to the tech publication The Information.

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First major hydropower projects in Great Britain in 40 years given go-ahead
Posted on Friday June 26, 2026

Three pumped storage hydroelectric power station sites in Scotland on list of 16 long-duration electricity storage plans

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Great Britain’s first new major hydropower projects in more than 40 years are expected to move ahead after the energy regulator gave a provisional green light to three proposals as part of a plan to reduce the country’s reliance on energy imports.

All three of the new pumped storage hydroelectric power station projects are due to be built in northern Scotland, where the region’s lochs will act as natural reservoirs to serve the hydropower stations.

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‘Fork in the road’: CEO of Amazon-backed Rivian on why carmakers need to invest in EVs
Posted on Friday June 26, 2026

RJ Scaringe says firms focused on selling fossil fuel engines risk being ‘woefully behind’ on technology by end of decade

Carmakers that focus on selling fossil fuel engines are at risk of being “woefully behind” on technology by the end of the decade, according to the boss of Rivian, an Amazon-backed US electric carmaker.

RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and chief executive, said the car industry has reached a “fork in the road” in the choice between short-term profits and the heavy investments, particularly in software, that will be required to survive.

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Apple raises iPad and MacBook prices, blaming cost of chips amid AI boom
Posted on Thursday June 25, 2026

Company says it cannot shield customers from memory and storage chip costs – and iPhone hikes could be next

Apple raised iPad and MacBook prices on Thursday, saying it could no longer shield customers from soaring memory and storage chip costs driven by the AI industry’s data center buildout.

The move does not affect Apple’s cash cow, the iPhone. But it would take the starting price of the ⁠Neo, its lowest-priced laptop, from $599 to $699 mere months after launch.

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Whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams sues Meta over attempts to ‘silence’ her
Posted on Thursday June 25, 2026

Former employee files complaint accusing company of ‘coercive surveillance’ and first amendment violation

The Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams is suing the tech company over its efforts to “silence” her.

A 57-page complaint filed to a US district court in California on Thursday argues that an interim arbitration ruling sought by Meta preventing Wynn-Williams from publicising her memoir, Careless People, was “improper and unlawful” and a “blatant violation of the first amendment”. It also accuses the company of “coercive surveillance”.

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England v New Zealand: third men’s cricket Test, day two – live
Posted on Friday June 26, 2026

Updates from second day at Trent Bridge from 11am BST
Day one report | Read The Spin | And you can mail James

87th over: New Zealand 370-4 (Mitchell 8, O’Rourke 0) Archer’s looking sharp, starting the over with an 87mph inswinger. Though he follows that up with a loose, wide one. The England quick sends down a couple of bumpers and has his first maiden of the innings.

86th over: New Zealand 370-4 (Mitchell 8, O’Rourke 0) It’s Josh Tongue to have a go from the other end … and he immediately looks the part. Mitchell decides late to leave the ball – an inside-edge travels for four. There’s a leg slip in position, with Tongue – like Archer – tailing the ball into the right-hander.

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World Cup 2026: James set to miss Panama match; Schweinsteiger’s comments criticised; Ecuador’s national holiday – live
Posted on Friday June 26, 2026

⚽ Latest news from day 15 | Haaland v Mbappé in data
⚽ Third-place table | Player guide | Bracketology | Mail John

Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland will go head-to-head later on as France take on Norway and they have both scored the same amount of goals so far this tournament with four. They could go top of the Golden Boot standings this evening but who is currently there? Have a look:

Ecuador fans’ nerves will be eased for now but that is not the case for all the nations yet as all of the knockout spots have not been allocated. Here is how the third-place spots are shaking out:

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