EU plans to water down ban on new petrol and diesel cars

The EU has confirmed it wants to water down its 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol or diesel cars, yielding to heavy pressure from the car industry and leaders from several EU member states including Germany and Italy.Wopke Hoekstra, a European climate commissioner, described the proposals as a “win-win” situation for consumers and industry, keeping Europe on the electrification course with a series of carrot and stick measures.Under current legislation, manufacturers were obliged to ensure that 100% of production of cars and vans had zero emissions from 2035.The European Commission has now proposed reducing this to 90%, enabling the continued manufacture of a portion of plug-in hybrid electric cars, or even combustion engines beyond 2035.In a carrot-and-stick approach, the remaining 10% of assembly line output that is not carbon neutral will need to be compensated by other green measures on the factory floor, including the use of green steel made in Europe or use of biofuels in non-electric vehicles

Universal Studios UK theme park given planning permission in Bedfordshire

The UK’s first Universal Studios theme park has been granted planning permission by the government to begin construction.The attraction, which is being part-funded with £500m of public investment in rail and road infrastructure, will be built on the site of a former brickworks near Bedford.Comcast, the parent company of Universal and owner of Sky, sought planning permission through a special development order (SDO), which allows the government to approve the project directly and bypass normal local planning procedures.On Tuesday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) approved the plans. While the SDO comes into force from 12 January, a parliamentary review period must still be completed

UK insists tech deal with US isn’t dead as Trump threatens penalties against European tech 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.The White House and Downing Street did not immediately respond to a request for comment

US date rape survivors file lawsuit accusing Hinge and Tinder of ‘accommodating rapists’

The Dating Apps Reporting Project produced this story in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network and The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, and copublished with The Guardian and The 19th.Six women who were drugged and raped or sexually assaulted by the same Denver cardiologist filed a lawsuit against Match Group on Tuesday, accusing the world’s largest dating app company of “accommodating rapists across its products” through “negligence” and a “defective” product.The women, backed by four law firms, said that by allowing known abusers like Stephen Matthews to remain on its apps, Tinder and Hinge, even after they are reported for rape, the company fostered a breeding ground for “sexual predators”.“Even when Match Group receives reports about rapists, they continue to welcome them, fail to warn users about the general and specific risks, and affirmatively recommend known predators to members,” the complaint said. “Rapists know each Match Group platform offers a catalog of available victims

Australia v England: Ashes third Test, day one – live

5th over: Australia 16-0 (Head 8, Weatherald 5) Weatherald'’s cool with hitting the dreadful deliveries and picking up singles when he can, taking one into the on side before Archer goes around and sends Head a bumper; his are so hard to see coming. If Carse can send down a tight one next up, England can build a bit of pressure.4th over: Australia 15-0 (Head 8, Weatherald 4) Why are some names so good to spoonerise; implore you to spoonerise them? In comes Crydon Barse from around, and after two decent deliveries, he offers one that’s wide, sits up, and smears itself with sprinkles; Head guzzles every last bit of it, thrashing through point for four. A much better delivery follows, full of length, swinging in, aimed at the stumps, then a second no ball before two dots to finish off. Can England build some pressure? So far there’ve been a few decent meteorites, but not enough consecutively

No guarantee Grand Slam Track will be allowed back, warns World Athletics

The Michael Johnson-led Grand Slam Track has been warned by World ­Athletics that it may not be ­permitted to return in 2026 even if it pays off its huge debts.Court documents released on ­Monday showed that the league, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, still owes some of the biggest names in track and field hundreds of thousands of dollars and creditors between $10m and $50m (£7.5m and £37.3m).In October the athletes received 50% of what they were owed by GST for competing in Kingston, Miami and Philadelphia before financial difficulties forced it to cancel its final event in Los Angeles