UK government plays down reports of plan to bring EV sales target review forward

The government has played down reports that it is planning to bring forward the publication of a review of electric vehicle sales targets from 2027 to next year amid concerns from the car industry.The government had said in April it would weaken its zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate – which was brought in to force carmakers to sell more electric cars every year or face the prospect of steep fines – after lobbying from the car industry, and planned to review the targets.“The ZEV mandate review starts next year … and of course we’d want to complete that review as quickly as we can,” the industry minister, Chris McDonald, told the Financial Times.However, a government spokesperson later said that only “preparatory work” would begin next year, with the review itself due to be published in 2027.Carmakers had argued the rules were economically unsustainable, leading the UK to introduce “flexibilities”, which allowed them to earn “credits” by selling hybrid cars, which combine a smaller battery with a petrol engine

Ineos chemicals plant is saved – but what is the strategy for the rest of heavy industry? | Nils Pratley

“Our commitment is clear: to back British industry, to stand by hardworking families, and to ensure places like Grangemouth can thrive for years to come,” said Keir Starmer as the Ineos ethylene plant on the Firth of Forth was saved for the nation with the help of £120m of public money.Is the commitment clear, though? What, precisely, does the prime minister mean by “places like Grangemouth”? Which heavy industries and plants is the government pledging to shield from the forces of sky-high energy prices and carbon taxes? Is there a strategy here? Or does intervention happen only at the 11th hour when an important plant is threatened with imminent closure and ministers panic about knock-on consequences?The ethylene plant at Grangemouth, we now know, falls within the protected camp. The government is willing to suffer any embarrassment that comes with handing a financial support package to a company controlled by a foreign-based billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.On the other hand, the oil refinery on the site was allowed to close this year and be switched to an import terminal. Meanwhile, the ethylene plant up the road at Mossmorran – a place quite like Grangemouth, one might think – is due to be shut by its owner, ExxonMobil, in February after talks with ministers came to nothing

Amazon in talks to invest $10bn in developer of ChatGPT

Amazon is in talks to invest more than $10bn (£7.5bn) in OpenAI, in the latest funding deal being struck by the startup behind ChatGPT.If it goes ahead, the market valuation of OpenAI could rise above $500bn, according to The Information, a tech news site that revealed the negotiations.Amazon, which is best known as an online retailer, is also the world’s largest datacentre provider and its investment would help OpenAI pay for its commitments to rent capacity from cloud computing companies – including Amazon.OpenAI said last month it would spend $38bn on capacity from Amazon Web Services – the company’s datacentre arm – over seven years

UK insists US tech deal not dead as Trump threatens penalties against European firms

Downing Street insists the $40bn Tech Prosperity Deal between the US and UK that is on hold is not permanently stalled. The BBC reported on Tuesday evening that the prime minister’s office claimed that the UK remains in “active conversations with US counterparts at all levels of government” about the wide-ranging deal for the technology industries in both countries to cooperate.The agreement, previously billed as historic, was paused after the US accused the UK of failing to lower trade barriers, including a digital services tax on US tech companies and food safety rules that limit the export of some agricultural products. The New York Times first reported British confirmation that negotiations had stalled.“We look forward to resuming work on this partnership as quickly as possible,” a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement

BBC Sports Personality of the Year: why each shortlisted contender should win

From Hannah Hampton to Lando Norris, our experts give their view on why each nominee is a worthy winnerNo sporting event in 2025 gripped England quite like the Lionesses’ Euros success and that euphoria would not have happened without Hannah Hampton’s saves. Long before Hampton dived the correct way to stop two Spain penalties in the final, including one from the world’s best player Aitana Bonmatí, she had produced heroics, without which the team would have flown home disappointingly early.Hampton expertly prevented England from falling 3-0 down against Sweden in the quarter-final and went on to make two shootout saves. In the semi-final, moments before England snatched their late equaliser against Italy, Hampton had kept them in the competition – again – with a crucial double save. In the group stage she had sprayed the pass of the tournament upfield, going viral on social media, to help kickstart Sarina Wiegman’s team’s campaign during their thumping victory against the Netherlands

England lodge complaint with match referee after Snicko error costs Carey’s wicket

Brendon McCullum lodged a ­complaint with the ICC match ­referee Jeff Crowe overnight following the Snicko ­malfunction that saw Alex Carey handed a lifeline during day one century in the third Ashes Test.Carey, who made 106 in Australia’s 326 for eight by stumps, was on 72 when Josh Tongue believed the left-hander had edged behind. He was given not out on the field and the third umpire, Chris Gaffaney, felt he did not have enough evidence to overturn the decision despite a spike showing up on the review.The issue in this instance was that the spike came before any possible contact on the replay, whereas ­similar occurrences earlier in the series have seen it come afterwards and are ­factored into the umpiring protocols.With Carey later admitting he thought he had hit the ball – he said he would have reviewed in hope had it been given out on the field – BBG, the company that owns Snicko, owned up to the mistake, which came with Australia on 245 for six