Andy Burnham moves to cut new EV sales targets
Posted on Friday August 14, 2026

Possible cut from 80% down to as little as 50% could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions and comes amid UK heatwaves

Andy Burnham’s government has said it will look at cutting electric vehicle sales targets, in proposals that could add millions of tonnes a year to the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions.

The government launched a consultation on Friday on cutting the target for new EVs to as little as 50% of all new cars in 2030, down from 80% under existing rules. The consultation will include several options, including leaving the headline target unchanged, or cutting it to 70%, 60% or 50%.

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Thames Water plans to restart desalination plant – after drought has ended
Posted on Friday August 14, 2026

Utility company’s plant, which has only run five times, now has an estimated total cost of £500m

Thames Water is preparing the UK’s only desalination plant to restart operations later this year – but it will not be ready until the winter, long after the current drought is likely to have passed.

The utility company said that it was hoping to start operating its plant in Beckton, east London, “by the end of the year”, in order to help build up reservoir supplies over the winter for next summer.

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Train derails near Essex town of Wickford
Posted on Friday August 14, 2026

Greater Anglia incident happens day after two passengers seriously injured in East Sussex derailment

A train has derailed in Essex, less than 24 hours after two people were seriously injured in a similar incident in East Sussex.

British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed the rear carriages of the train derailed “in an upright position” at Wickford railway station, adding that there were “no reported injuries”.

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Milk, wine, salad: how your food will be affected by the summer of heat
Posted on Friday August 14, 2026

There are parched fields, overheating sheep and potentially the worst cereal harvest since detailed records began – but it’s a good year for cider apples

As parts of the UK swelter through a fifth successive climate crisis-driven heatwave and nearly three-quarters of England remains in drought, how are six homegrown products faring?

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Unemployed young people to join AI boot camps to get job-ready
Posted on Thursday August 13, 2026

Pilot scheme will provide three weeks of training as part of UK government’s latest attempt to address Neets crisis

Young people out of work or at risk of unemployment in the UK are to join “AI boot camps” where they harness the technology to get a foothold in the workplace.

The government’s latest attempt to address the crisis in Neets – young people not in work or education – involves turning to a technology that many view as a potential threat to employment.

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Flock Safety tries to curb police abuse of its surveillance cameras after scandals
Posted on Thursday August 13, 2026

CEO announces steps after reports that system is used to target immigrants or people seeking out-of-state abortions

For nearly a decade, the company Flock Safety has gradually built out a network of cameras across the US that allows law enforcement officials to conduct about 20bn license plate scans every month.

In that time, the company had largely left the decision to turn on safety measures up to its customers. Many of those organizations did not turn them on.

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Liverpool owner FSG seals £1.65bn sale of 30% stake to consortium including Jeff Bezos
Posted on Friday August 14, 2026

• Confirmed deal values club as a whole at £5.5bn

• Amit Bhatia will become club’s new vice-chairman

Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, has confirmed it has agreed the sale of 30% of the club to a consortium including Amit Bhatia, the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and the Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. The deal is understood to be worth £1.65bn, valuing Liverpool at £5.5bn, and will see Bhatia become the club’s new vice-chair on an expanded board.

Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, initiated and led talks with FSG on behalf of the 1892 Holdings consortium, a reference to Liverpool’s founding year. The former co-owner of Queens Park Rangers has received financial backing from the Mittal Family Trust, the K5 Sports fund, of which Bezos is the lead investor, and EE Capital, the family office of Elaine and Eduardo Saverin.

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Continental clash: where world football stands on Fifa and Infantino – explained
Posted on Friday August 14, 2026

With Oceania praising Fifa on Friday, all six confederations have finally had their say on the fallout from the World Cup sell-off plan

The Oceania Football Confederation’s (OFC) decision to belatedly issue a statement following this week’s executive committee meeting praising Fifa’s “progress achieved over the last decade” means all six continental confederations have finally had their say on the fallout from the World Cup sell-off plan that has split world football, with the votes seeming tied at three apiece on the key issue of whether Gianni Infantino should remain as Fifa president.

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