China forecast to have sold one in every 10 new cars in UK in 2025

Chinese brands are on course to account for one in every 10 new cars sold in Britain during 2025, a marked increase on last year as sales increase across Europe.Manufacturers led by MG, BYD, and Chery are on track to break the 200,000 mark in UK new car sales in 2025, meaning they are very likely to account for 10% of the market, according to Matthias Schmidt, an analyst tracking electric cars across Europe.Spain and Norway also get a tenth of their new cars from Chinese brands, with the average across western Europe at 6%, Schmidt said.China has taken a commanding lead in the global industry for electric vehicles (EVs) thanks to years of heavy government subsidies, dominance of the supply chain for lithium ion batteries, and cheaper labour. The increase in Chinese sales has alarmed EU countries, particularly Germany and France, who fear losing millions of automotive jobs if the industry shrivels

Eurostar restarts services in Channel tunnel amid continued risk of disruption

Eurostar passengers have been warned that continued delays and cancellations are possible on Wednesday despite the resumption of services after a power supply issue halted Channel tunnel train trips connecting London to the European mainland.Thousands of passengers in the busy run-up to the new year faced hours of delays after the train operator cancelled services between London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels on Tuesday because of an overhead power supply problem and a failed LeShuttle train.Some services had resumed on the single available line on Tuesday evening, with Eurostar saying there were “further issues with rail infrastructure overnight”.A statement on the Eurostar website on Wednesday said: “We plan to run all of our services today, however due to knock-on impacts there may still be some delays and possible last-minute cancellations.”The first train on Wednesday from St Pancras in London to Gare du Nord station in Paris, scheduled for 6

Snap decisions: why crowding into a photo booth with friends is still a magical experience | Nova Weetman

Last New Year’s Eve, I was out with a friend. We had no plans, so we met at a local cinema and then wandered the long street between our houses, pausing for a drink or two in various bars and chatting to strangers doing the same. We stopped when we became hungry and shared a plate of curries and drank beer in the window of an Indian restaurant, watching the parade of partygoers outside. Then we walked to the top of the hill to watch the fireworks lighting up the sky.It was after midnight as we strolled back but we weren’t quite ready to call it a night, and we found ourselves in a games arcade where a bunch of women were cramming into a photo booth to take a strip of black-and-white photos together

We still don’t really know what Elon Musk’s Doge actually did

When Elon Musk vowed late last year to lead a “department of government efficiency” (Doge), he claimed it would operate with “maximum transparency” as it set about saving $2tn worth of waste and exposing massive fraud.Today, with Musk out of the White House, Doge having cut only a tiny fraction of the waste it promised, and dozens of lawsuits alleging violations of privacy and transparency laws, much of what the agency has done remains a mystery.The effects of Doge’s initial blitz through the federal government – which included dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), embedding staffers in almost every agency and illegally firing people en masse – are still playing out. Contrary to Musk’s promises, Doge’s success is vague and tough to quantify. Measuring the full impact and determining whether the agency even exists as a centralized entity anymore is difficult, complicated by an ongoing effort from the government to block disclosure of documents, which is itself a symptom of the chaos that the department created

Spin bowling on the back foot with pace dominating quickfire Ashes

Disappointment can be found in all corners of this Ashes series. England’s victory came too late. Australia may have secured the urn again but Glenn McGrath’s usual prediction didn’t hold. It’s been a serious letdown for the neutral, never mind that a 3-2 scoreline is still in the offing. This was meant to be the one where England had a shot, where the Sydney finale would actually have something on the line beyond World Test Championship points

Bullish Bristol believe Rees-Zammit’s NFL spell has improved his rugby

The Bristol director of rugby, Pat Lam, has said Louis Rees-Zammit’s recent NFL tilt made him a stronger and more dangerous player.The Wales back joined the NFL’s international pathway programme in January 2024, and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs before a spell at the Jacksonville Jaguars. He returned to rugby after 18 months without playing an NFL match, signing for Bristol in July. Lam said that since signing for the Bears, the 24-year-old has been working to reach match fitness, but that his increased power has made it harder for opponents to stop him.“It’s made him a more rounded player,” Lam said