Mirror publisher puts 600 jobs at risk amid AI and reader changes

The publisher of the Mirror, Express and Star newspapers has put 600 jobs at risk in its latest restructure to adapt to changing reader habits and the impact of artificial intelligence.Reach, which also owns scores of regional titles including the Manchester Evening News, the Birmingham Mail and the Liverpool Echo, said on Monday that it intends to make 321 editorial redundancies.The overall number of jobs at risk is separate to a restructure of its commercial and production operations, as well as roles affected by the creation of a central sports hub for coverage across its national and regional brands, which was announced in July.The company, which reported profits of almost £100m last year and whose chief executive, Jim Mullen, departed in March, said the restructure was part of a shift to producing more video and audio content, as well as a live news network.“Our new structure represents the biggest reorganisation we’ve ever undertaken, even more than in the early days of the digital revolution,” said the Reach chief content officer, David Higgerson

‘Not just about drink any more’: UK pubs tap themed nights to revive fortunes

By the time Mark Dawson joined the Ship in Hampshire eight years ago, trade had thinned to a trickle. “We were busy when the sun shone,” said the general manager. “But otherwise, it was very quiet.”Over the next year, Dawson tried a range of ways to attract the local Langstone community. But footfall remained low

Volkswagen ‘nearing US trade deal’ as it says Trump tariffs have cost it billions

Volkswagen is closing in on a tariff deal with the US, the boss of the German carmaker has said, as it eyes up the market for affordable electric cars in Europe.Europe’s biggest car manufacturer, which also owns the Audi, Seat and Porsche brands, has been hit hard by Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, announced in April. The levies, combined with a turbulent market, have already cost “several billions”, the chief executive, Oliver Blume, said.While the Trump administration has agreed to reduce the current 27.5% tariffs on European cars and car parts to 15%, the lower rate would still “be a burden for Volkswagen Group”, Blume told Bloomberg TV

Shrinkflation bites as boxes of Quality Street and Celebrations lose weight

Tucking into a box of Quality Street or Celebrations is a Christmas tradition.But as this year’s supply arrives in British supermarkets, it is becoming clear that the Grinch has already struck and made the tubs of the confectionery lighter.Someone has also taken a bite out of Toblerone, with 20g shaved off its chocolatey peaks, reducing a 360g bar to 340g.The latest round of shrinkflation means anyone prising the lid off the Quality Street box may be underwhelmed by the number of sweets – as 50g has been lost from the weight, taking it from 600g to 550g.Meanwhile, at 500g, there’s less to celebrate about tubs of Mars’s Celebrations, which weighed 550g in 2024

Our charity could have lost thousands due to Thames Water delay

I work for a charity providing affordable sheltered housing for older people. In January 2024, we began refurbishing a building that was bequeathed to us.We paid Thames Water to connect a water supply in February 2024. It wasn’t until November that it informed us that it would need permission from Transport for London (TfL) to close part of the road.Since then, there has been no progress

Londoners buying lowest share of property outside capital since 2013

Londoners are buying the lowest share of houses outside the capital in more than a decade as their moving plans are curtailed by a stalling local market and the shift back to office working.They were behind just 5.3% of house purchases elsewhere in the country in the first seven months of this year, the lowest proportion since 2013, research has found.The number of transactions – 31,620 up to the end of July – is about half the 63,600 in the same period in 2021 at the height of the Covid pandemic-driven “race for space”, according to an analysis of data from Countrywide estate agents.“The return to the office has played a role in curbing the appetite for long-distance moves, but it’s the lack of price growth in the capital that’s really clipped the wings of would-be leavers,” said Aneisha Beveridge, the head of research at the real estate company Hamptons, which carried out the analysis