JLR at risk of battery supply delays after Somerset factory turmoil
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

Supplier Agratas sacks its main building contractor on the government-backed project amid a budget mismatch

Jaguar Land Rover faces the risk of delays to the first deliveries of electric car batteries from a £5.2bn government-backed factory in Somerset after construction problems.

The British carmaker is planning to rely on the Agratas factory in Bridgwater, Somerset, to supply the batteries for its new electric models. Agratas and JLR are owned by the Indian industrial conglomerate Tata.

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Lloyds Banking Group to hire 300 tech experts to work on AI
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

Exclusive: While recruits will increase headcount for now, broader adoption of AI could lead to jobs cuts in future

Lloyds Banking Group has launched an AI recruitment drive for 300 tech experts, weeks before its chief executive, Charlie Nunn, unveils a strategic plan for the 261-year old lender.

The bank said it intended the recruits to work on its use and development of agentic AI by September, referring to autonomous artificial intelligence models that can plan and execute tasks with minimal human oversight.

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Bedtime blues: London ‘killing off nightlife’ as UK city with strictest licensing rules
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds are experiencing after-hours boom as a result of more lenient rules

London has the earliest council-mandated bedtime of any other city in the UK as a result of policies in nightlife districts that oppose any new bar or restaurant opening past 11pm.

These strict restrictions on pubs and bars are “killing off nightlife” in the capital, experts have said, while other cities including Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds are experiencing an after-hours boom because they have more lenient rules.

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Boats, bankers and borders: five symbols that sum up Brexit a decade on
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

What do the touchstones of the referendum debate tell us about the complex legacy of Britain leaving the EU?

Ten years ago the UK voted 52% to 48% to leave the European Union, triggering a long and tortuous political process.

It took until 1 January 2021 for the country to sever its links to the single market and customs union, but the fractures Brexit left in Britain’s body politic, international relations and economy remain.

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A viral doomsday scenario aims to shake Europe out of its AI complacency
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

Does a thought-experiment about US ascendancy in the technology say as much about AI jitters as it does about the reality?

It’s 2031 and the US and China are about to tear Europe into pieces.

The US ploughed vast sums into datacentres and the EU did not. China built robots and Europe did not. American companies “restructured” their workflows around AI and fired people, while EU workers went on long lunch breaks and handed over administrative tasks to the AI model Claude.

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Key Trump allies and Musk on leaked list for secretive Peter Thiel retreat
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

Figures including Jared Kushner and Scott Bessent named in directory of Dialog participants that was exposed online

A website leak has exposed participants in the secretive, Peter Thiel-founded Dialog retreats which includes top politicians from across the American divide, officials from foreign countries, other titans of the tech industry world and prominent media figures.

The annual Dialog retreats, which have been compared to other quasi-secret elite conferences like the Bilderberg Group and Bohemian Grove since they began in 2006, have had some participants revealed in previous media reports. Fairly little is known about the invitation-only event, which is usually held at luxury establishments around the world and features organized discussions on global affairs.

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England need 463 to beat New Zealand: second men’s Test, day four – live
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

• Updates from the fourth day’s play at the Oval

• Ben Stokes smashes 95 for Durham: county cricket live

60th over: New Zealand 267-4 (Mitchell 37, Blundell 6) Blundell, who loves joining Mitchell to torment England, tucks Tongue for two and cover-drives for three, uppish but safe.

“Good morning.” says John Starbuck. “I was wondering if James Rew, unfortunately drafted in a bit too soon, should change his name to Roux, seeing it’s been something of a mixture so far.” Ha.

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Netherlands v Sweden: World Cup 2026 – live
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

⚽️ World Cup kick-off: 1pm ET/6pm BST/3am AEST
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email John

Netherlands: Verbruggen, Dumfries, van Dijk, van Hecke, van de Ven, Gravenberch, de Jong, Reijnders, Malen, Brobbey, Gakpo. Subs: Flekken, Roefs, Ake, Geertruida, Hato, Kluivert, Koopmeiners, Lang, Depay, de Roon, Summerville, Til, Weghorst, Wieffer.

Sweden: Nordfeldt, Lagerbielke, Hien, Lindelof, Karlstrom, Bernhardsson, Nygren, Ayari, Gudmundsson, Gyokeres, Isak. Subs: Zetterstrom, Viktor Johansson, Herman Johansson, Bergvall, Svensson, Elanga, Sema, Ekdal, Starfelt, Svanberg, Smith, Zeneli, Stroud, Nilsson, Ali.

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