Nissan maps out deal to build cars for Chery at its Sunderland plant
Posted on Wednesday June 03, 2026

Non-binding agreement to start building vehicles in 2027 would safeguard jobs at UK’s largest car factory

Nissan has agreed to look at building cars in northern England for Chinese manufacturer Chery, in a move that would secure jobs at the UK’s largest car factory.

The Japanese carmaker on Wednesday said it had signed a non-binding agreement and that discussions were ongoing over contract manufacturing by Nissan for Chery, which is part-owned by the Chinese state.

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OECD predicts spate of recessions globally if Iran conflict drags into 2027
Posted on Wednesday June 03, 2026

Policy forum lays out ‘prolonged disruption’ scenario in which world’s GDP falls to 2.1% this year from 3.4% in 2025

• Rural UK ‘particularly at risk’ of diesel shortages

If the Middle East conflict drags on into next year it would hit global growth hard, driving some economies into recession and causing energy shortages, according to forecasts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

In its latest Economic Outlook, the Paris-based club of industrialised countries lays out a “prolonged disruption” scenario, in which there is no agreement between the US and Iran until 2027.

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Lloyds customers unable to make payments due to IT glitch
Posted on Wednesday June 03, 2026

Bank apologises after IT update caused problems with Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland apps

Lloyds Banking Group has apologised after thousands of its customers were unable to make payments or send money due to another IT glitch.

According to Downdetector, a website that lets people track real-time service issues and outages, customers started noticing problems shortly after 11am on Wednesday, with issues affecting many of the group’s brands: Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows and MBNA.

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As the tech mega-IPO race heats up, has OpenAI missed its moment?
Posted on Wednesday June 03, 2026

With rivals racing to market to raise ‘eye-popping sums’, the spotlight is now on the AI sector’s one-time ‘poster child’

A year is a long time in AI. Just 12 months ago, Sam Altman was predicting his company OpenAI would build a super intelligence and fundamentally remake society. Now the boss of the ChatGPT developer is walking back those ideas after failing to make money from ads and erotic chatbots.

Meanwhile, rivals are storming ahead with plans to expand and go public on the stock market, in what is widely expected to be a season of record-setting initial public offerings (IPOs).

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Can autonomous AI-powered killer drones take morality onboard?
Posted on Wednesday June 03, 2026

While the technology is set to play a growing role in modern warfare, there remains an unresolved ethical challenge

Should the AI-powered drones of the future have a licence to kill? The question is becoming ever more pressing as governments and the defence industry acknowledge that drone systems will play an increasingly crucial role in future warfare.

With drones being deployed in huge numbers in the Ukraine war and AI being used to assist bombing missions in the Iran conflict, there is an expectation among some observers that weapons will have to operate with increased operational autonomy, which means they will need something approximating a moral framework.

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Martin Scorsese accused of ‘throwing artists under bus’ with AI storyboards
Posted on Wednesday June 03, 2026

The director defends investment in and use of AI-generated storyboards, saying the immediacy of communicating his vision to cast and crew is ‘creatively freeing’

Martin Scorsese’s announcement that he has invested in an AI company and uses the technology to create storyboards has triggered a backlash from fellow members of the film industry.

The New York Times reported that Scorsese had been appointed in 2025 as a partner and adviser to Black Forest Labs, a German-based venture that specialises in text-to-image generative AI.

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French Open 2026: Auger-Aliassime v Cobolli as quarter-finals continue – live
Posted on Wednesday June 03, 2026

Updates from Wednesday’s quarter-final matches
Email Katy | Shnaider stuns Sabalenka | Kostyuk through

Make that four, although the Pole is make to work for the hold, saving a break point at 30-40. Chwalinska is giving Kalinskaya so little rhythm and the Russian is totally befuddled in the next game as Chwalinska zips 15-40 ahead. Now Kalinskaya is trying to get in on the drop-shot act … but it’s not her natural game, it doesn’t work and Chwalinska charges forward before dispatching a winner into the open court! It’s now 5-1. Phew.

The 5ft 5in left-hander Chwalinska, who makes up for her lack of height and power with intelligence, is drop-shotting and slicing Kalinskaya into submission here, and it gives her a break point at 30-40. Kalinskaya saves it with a big backhand – but soon enough it’s break point again and after a nine-shot rally Kalinskaya’s forehand drifts wide! Chwalinska breaks for 3-1 and that’s three games on the spin.

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Shnaider stuns Sabalenka and Chwalinska into French Open semi-finals on day of shocks
Posted on Wednesday June 03, 2026

• No 1 seed has final-set meltdown to lose 6-3, 5-7, 0-6

• Tension and windy conditions add to player’s woes

Ninety minutes into her 14th consecutive grand slam quarter-final, it seemed like nothing could stop Aryna Sabalenka from another straightforward day on-court. Even in gusty conditions and after a few nervous games while closing out the opening set, the world’s best women’s player seemed to be cruising as she established a 6-3, 4-1 lead.

Instead, that moment marked the beginning of one of the most shocking collapses of Sabalenka’s career. Arrested by tension and unable to play with any semblance of freedom, the top seed fell apart. She was overcome by a supreme fighting performance from the 25th seed Diana Shnaider, who recovered to produce the greatest win of her career by defeating Sabalenka 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.

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