EU to water down landmark ban on new petrol and diesel cars
The EU has confirmed it will water down its landmark 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.Under current legislation, manufacturers were obliged to ensure that 100% of production of cars and vans had zero emissions up to 2035.The European Commission confirmed on Tuesday that this will now be reduced to 90%, enabling the continued manufacture of a portion of plug-in hybrid electric cars, or even combustion engines beyond 2035.However, 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.“This will allow for plug-in hybrids (PHEV), range extenders, mild hybrids, and internal combustion engine vehicles to still play a role beyond 2035, in addition to full electric (EVs) and hydrogen vehicles,” the commission said.
The commission has also relaxed targets for electric vans, reducing the requirements for a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 to 40%.The move, which follows lobbying by the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, will be seen as a victory for the European car industry, which has struggled to make the transition to electric and faces growing competition from Chinese rivals.The decision, which had been widely anticipated in recent days, has already been denounced by the Green party in the European parliament, which has said it amounts to a “gutting” of flagship legislation aimed at cutting Europe’s emissions.The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, who championed the green deal and the cornerstone car emissions regulation in 2022, said: “Europe remains at the forefront of the global clean transition.”She said the proposals, which must be supported by the European parliament, were taken after “intense dialogues with automotive sector, civil society organisations and stakeholders”.
In a package of measures unveiled in Strasbourg on Tuesday, the commission also revealed new incentives for manufacturers to produce small cars, the most popular category of vehicles in Europe.Up to 2035 they will be offered “super credits” as an incentive to make small, affordable electric cars, with each vehicle counting for 1.3 cars within EU quotas, allowing manufacturers to bank emissions targets.It also cited measures to stimulate demand for electric cars from large corporate buyers which are seen as key in accelerating the take-up of EVs because commercial fleets are one of the principal suppliers of the secondhand car market.
The slow death of social housing – and its original purpose | Letters
Your editorial (The Guardian view on England’s social housing system: failing the very people it was built for, 10 December) claims that “social homes were supposed to be for those who couldn’t afford private rents”. That’s not so. Most council estates, such as Becontree and Harold Hill, were built following the first and second world wars to house ordinary working families when decent housing was in dire straits. Privately rented properties were often of poor quality and devoid of basic amenities.The governments then believed it imperative to house ordinary families in good-quality modern housing
Children need mental health care provided by humans, not chatbots | Letter
It is absolutely right that children “need a human, not a bot” for mental health support (‘I feel it’s a friend’: quarter of teenagers turn to AI chatbots for mental health support, 9 December). Overuse of AI for mental health support could well lead to the next public health emergency if the government does not take urgent action.We shouldn’t be surprised that teenagers are turning to tools such as ChatGPT in this way. NHS waiting lists are rising, and one in five young people are living with a mental health condition. It is unacceptable that young people who require support for their mental health are unable to access the services they need, before they reach crisis point
Resident doctors in England vote to go ahead with strike
Resident doctors in England will strike as planned this week after they voted to reject the government’s latest offer to end the long-running pay and jobs dispute.Resident doctors – formerly called junior doctors – will strike for five days starting on Wednesday after refusing to accept the deal in a survey by their union, the British Medical Association.The health secretary, Wes Streeting, had proposed the deal last week. It would have increased the number of training places to enable early-career doctors to start training in their chosen medical speciality but not increased their pay for the current financial year.Resident doctors overwhelmingly rejected the offer, by 83% to 17% on a 65% turnout
Tell us: have you ever had an allergic reaction caused by your clothes?
Have you suffered any personal health repercussions you suspect may have been caused by your fashion purchases?Research has shown that synthetic fabrics, particularly from fast fashion retailers, are often treated with a range of hazardous chemicals - including dyes containing heavy metals such as lead, antimicrobial agents, and anti wrinkle treatments - that can cause allergic reactions such as skin irritation or respiratory issues in some people.If you have had an allergic reaction, or more serious health effects, that you suspect have been caused by your clothes we want to hear from you. We want to know what kinds of clothes caused the effect, where you got them from, and whether you faced any longer term impacts. Did you have to seek medical help? Has it changed the way you now approach shopping for clothes?You can share your experience of allergic reactions to clothes using this form. Please include as much detail as possible
Europe’s housing costs akin to ‘new pandemic’, warns Barcelona mayor
The soaring cost of housing is akin to a “new pandemic” sweeping across Europe, the mayor of Barcelona has said, as he and 16 other city leaders urged the EU to respond to the crisis by unleashing billions in funding for the hardest-hit areas.The EU is expected to present its first-ever housing plan on Tuesday, after consultations with experts, stakeholders and the public. For months, those on the frontlines of the crisis have warned the problem is too big to ignore.“The new pandemic affecting European cities is called the cost of housing,” said Jaume Collboni, the mayor of Barcelona, who launched the Mayors for Housing alliance last year with the support of his counterparts in Paris and Rome.“And in the face of this new pandemic, European institutions – as they did with Covid – must allocate extraordinary funds to promote the construction of affordable housing for young people, working families and the urban middle classes
Call for system that frees rape suspects as alternative to bail to be scrapped in England and Wales
Hundreds of suspected rapists in England and Wales are spending years released under investigation, under a system that the government has been urged to scrap as it “doesn’t serve anyone’s interests apart from the police”.Introduced under the Policing & Crime Act 2017, released under investigation (RUI) allows police an alternative to bail, without the set timeframes or conditions attached to police bail.However, it has meant that suspects are often spending many years “under investigation”, with no statutory time limits holding the police to account on charging decisions.Campaigners have called for RUI to be scrapped, saying it leads to uncertainty and distress for both the victim and the accused, and, particularly when coupled with delays in the court system, evidence can deteriorate over time and victims can withdraw their support for prosecutions, creating an overall barrier to justice being done.It is a particular problem in cases such as rape and sexual assault, in which there is often little physical evidence, and which often rely heavily on the account of the victim
Unemployment rises in US and UK, adding to pressure to cut interest rates – as it happened
US lost 105,000 jobs in October and added 64,000 in November, according to delayed data
Water levels across the Great Lakes are falling – just as US data centers move in
Boost for artists in AI copyright battle as only 3% back UK active opt-out plan
The Breakdown | Storming ahead means increasingly little in era of rugby’s comeback kings
Joshua v Paul makes Joe Louis’ ‘Bum of the Month’ look like the Rumble in the Jungle | Sean Ingle