VW to cut 50,000 jobs amid Trump tariffs and falling Chinese sales
Europe’s largest automaker, Volkswagen, is to shed 50,000 jobs by the end of the decade, as it faces falling sales in China and North America and punitive US tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.The 10-brand group, whose luxury subsidiaries Porsche and Audi are also under pressure, said the jobs would go in Germany, affecting the entire group, as part of a restructuring drive in light of the darkening global business climate.The group had already struck a deal with German trade unions at the end of 2024 to slash 35,000 jobs by 2030, in part by natural attrition through retirement and other staff departures.Volkswagen revealed the updated plans as it announced a 54% drop in pre-tax profits.The group has been scaling back its targets for electric vehicle (EV) production in recent months, including at its Italian supercar manufacturer, Lamborghini.
As the US-Israeli military action against Iran stokes market uncertainty and drives up energy prices, Volkswagen warned that global turbulence would negatively affect its outlook.“Challenges are expected in particular from the macroeconomic environment, uncertainties regarding restrictions in international trade and geopolitical tensions,” the company said.This would increase “competitive intensity” and volatility on “commodity, energy and foreign exchange markets”, it said in a statement.The Volkswagen Group chief executive, Oliver Blume, said later the Iran war was not hitting Volkswagen’s supply chain but could affect demand for its premium marques Audi and Porsche.“We are simply seeing how volatile and fragile our world is, with new issues arising every month,” Blume said, pointing to a potential drag on sales from the conflict in the region, where volumes are modest but margins high.
The fall in profits, to €8,9bn (£6,6bn), was largely “attributable to US tariffs”, the company reported, as well as a costly strategy shift at Porsche, which has postponed its transition to EVs owing to slack demand,Porsche’s operating profit nearly vanished in 2025, falling by 98% to €90m,Even before Trump slapped tariffs on foreign carmakers last year, Volkswagen was struggling with flat demand in Europe and the costs of investing in EVs despite disappointing demand and insufficient infrastructure.
Domestic competition ate away at the group’s share in China, the world’s biggest car market.Blume announced “the largest product campaign in our history” there to try to claw back customers.“After three intensive years of realignment within the Volkswagen Group, we are seeing tangible progress,” Blume said.“At the same time, we are operating in a fundamentally different environment.”Reuters contributed to this report
NBA’s bizarre ‘tanking’ problem has spewed theories but no solutions | Sean Ingle
Imagine you are the director of football at a crisis-stricken Premier League club in a world where relegation doesn’t exist and the planet’s best teenagers become available for free in a draft every June.In this alternate universe, you are also aware of something else: the 2026 Premier League draft is one for the ages. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí are in it. So are Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl and Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono. Sign one of them and the glory days will suddenly beckon again
NBA cancels Atlanta Hawks’ theme night with strip club Magic City after backlash
The NBA has called off the Atlanta Hawks’ plans for a night celebrating the city’s famed Magic City strip club, saying it did so because of “concerns” from many across the league. The Hawks announced the plan last month, saying the team would pay tribute to an “iconic cultural institution” with food – including the club’s famous lemon pepper wings – along with a live music performance by Atlanta native TI and exclusive merchandise.After the Hawks announced plans for the promotion, San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet spoke out about the idea and urged the parties involved to reconsider. And the league evidently heard the same messaging from others.“When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement
‘We believe in the plan’: England vow to double down on kick-heavy style against France
England have vowed to double down on their kick-heavy gameplan against France on Saturday despite their drastic decline in recent weeks. It is a move that risks further provoking the anger of their supporters.Steve Borthwick and his side have come under intense scrutiny after last week’s first defeat by Italy and the manner in which they stuck rigidly to their kicking strategy left fans irate. England have kicked the most times and for the most metres of all the Six Nations teams and while it was a tactic that paid dividends last autumn when they were on a 12-match winning run, it is no longer having the desired effect.The 2003 World Cup winner Matt Dawson has warned that relying too heavily on their kicking game in Paris would be a “red flag against England’s coaching ticket”
Dolphins take $99m hit on Tagovailoa and sign Willis; Tampa’s star WR Evans heads to 49ers
The Miami Dolphins are moving on from Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback they drafted with the fifth overall pick in 2020 in hopes of turning the franchise’s fortunes around.“As we move forward, we will be focused on infusing competition across the roster and establishing a strong foundation for this team as we work towards building a sustained winner,” Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said in a statement on Monday.The move will cost the Dolphins an NFL record $99m in dead money against the salary cap. ESPN reported that the move will be designated after 1 June, meaning the Dolphins will spread the hit to their salary cap across two years ($67.4m in 2026, $31
Sean Bowen: ‘I’m still a bit allergic to horses. It’s a funny thing to have as a jockey’
UK’s outstanding jumps rider is winless at the Cheltenham festival but says this could be his year, and explains the challenge of riding so many winnersSean Bowen can claim to be the best jockey in jumps racing by some distance. Next month he will be confirmed as champion jockey for the second successive year as, on 210 victories so far, he is 107 ahead of Harry Skelton, his closest rival. Bowen is already looking ahead to next season, where he harbours serious ambitions of becoming the first jump jockey to ride 300 winners in a single campaign. These are staggering numbers that stand in stark contrast to his miserable record at the Cheltenham festival.The Welshman smiles more than any other jockey I’ve met – for he operates in a gruelling trade full of hard and often taciturn men who are all fated to lose far more often than they win
‘Revolutionary’: Ukrainian para-biathlete wins silver using ChatGPT as his coach
Team Ukraine have hit the ground running at the Winter Paralympics, standing second in the medal table after three days of competition. Their resolve and determination has been inspirational to many, but one athlete has revealed a secret weapon in their search for a competitive edge.Maksym Murashkovskyi, who won silver in the men’s visually impaired biathlon on Sunday and did not miss a shot, has been working with OpenAI’s large language model. “For the past six months, I have been training with ChatGPT,” he said. “It was not only tactics
Gambling crackdown in Romania as councils can ban ‘toxic’ betting shops
NHS England pauses new referrals for masculinising or feminising hormone treatment in under-18s
Labour to set up new extremism whistleblowing service for university staff
Cancer death rate in Britain down by almost a third since 1980s
Recreational drugs can more than double risk of stroke, study suggests
Martha’s rule may have saved 400 lives so far in England, figures show