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‘Look, no hands’: China chases the driverless dream at Beijing car show

about 5 hours ago
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At the world’s biggest car fair, which opened in Beijing on Friday, there were hundreds of manufacturers, more than 1,000 vehicles, hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts – and hardly anyone behind a wheel.China’s car companies have cornered the domestic electric vehicle market, and are increasingly visible on the global stage.Now they are turning their attention to what they are betting is the future of mobility: autonomous driving.At the Beijing Auto Fair, a huge industry event that covers 380,000 square metres on the outskirts of the capital, the country’s carmakers showed off a range of intelligent driving technologies.In China’s cut-throat domestic market, nearly every big carmaker is investing heavily in the software and computing power needed to make “hands-free” driving a reality as they compete to offer additional perks and find new ways to generate revenue.

And Huawei, the telecommunications group, revealed this week that it would be investing up to 80bn yuan (£8,7bn) over the next five years to develop its autonomous driving software and computing power,“The fact that almost every automaker has some version of intelligent driving makes it different to almost any market in the world,” said Tu Le, the managing director of Sino Auto Insights, a consultancy,Le said that the Chinese market was so competitive that merely selling passenger vehicles domestically was no longer a viable way for Chinese companies to make money,Additional perks, such as leasing AI-powered software, are needed to boost revenues.

The EV maker Xpeng said its latest AI model allows drivers to give the car commands – such as, “park near the entrance to the shopping centre” – rather than a specific spot on a map.An AI-powered operating system from Xiaomi, an appliance and phone maker, allows drivers to make restaurant reservations, compile notes while driving and place coffee orders.It can also detect when drivers seem stressed or agitated and adjust the lighting and music for their arrival at home.Domestic car sales in China have fallen sharply in recent months.The number of passenger vehicles sold in China dropped by 17% in the first three months of this year as the government phased out a subsidy programme.

BYD, the leader of China’s EV industry and the company seen as a bellwether for the sector, has reported seven consecutive months of declining sales,China’s exports, meanwhile, soared by more than 60% in the first quarter,China’s largest car exporter, Chery, has recently set its sights on the UK market,Since launching in the UK in August 2025, it has become one of the country’s fastest-growing car brands, with 13,500 cars sold between September 2025 and March 2026,On Friday, the company announced a goal for 10m global annual sales by 2030, up from 5m in 2025.

Farrell Hsu, the UK country director for Chery, said: “This exceptional growth underlines Chery UK’s position as a key contributor to the overall business growth by 2030.”The focus on overseas sales was evident at the fair as the carmaker Geely announced plans to deploy thousands of driverless taxis globally next year through its ride-hailing arm, Caocao.Chinese companies are looking to compete with US robotaxi firms such as Waymo, which have proven successful in San Francisco and Los Angeles.Robotaxis have already been rolled out in several Chinese cities, but their widescale adoption has been limited by regulatory barriers as much as technical ones.Last week the government concluded a public consultation on a proposed new set of safety standards for autonomous cars.

There are no nationwide guidelines, and Beijing has been cautious about allowing unfettered access for driverless cars on its roads.Last month several of Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis stalled in the middle of the road in Wuhan, leaving riders stranded for hours.Nevertheless, Chinese robotaxis are expected on the streets of London this year as Lyft and Uber have announced partnerships with Baidu to use its self-driving software.Faced with tariffs in big markets, such as theUS and the EU, Chinese carmakers are focusing on smaller markets, such as the UK and Canada, to shift units.One industry professional said the UK was appealing for Chinese companies because it was seen as being “culturally agnostic” about allowing Chinese EVs on its roads – while other countries have blocked them on national security grounds.

Chinese companies are expected to account for one in every 10 new cars sold in Britain in 2025.In February, Chery launched its fourth brand in the UK.Hsu said the company was “actively considering options for production and R&D facilities in the UK”.
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Jimmy Kimmel on Trump’s Iran negotiations: ‘His word is as good as the gold commode he sits on’

Late-night hosts reacted to Donald Trump’s indefinite extension of the Iran ceasefire as his cabinet fumbles negotiations over the unpopular war.“The White House is not a fun place to be right now,” said Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday evening. “The strait of Hormuz is like a Toys ‘R’ Us - nobody has any idea if it’s still open or not.”A Trump-imposed ceasefire between the US and Iran was scheduled to end on Wednesday night, and on Monday, Trump said it was “highly unlikely” he would extend it. “He said if a deal wasn’t reached, Iran was going to be bombed like Kash Patel at the Poodle Room in Vegas,” Kimmel quipped, referring to a bombshell report from the Atlantic on the FBI director’s alleged excessive drinking and unexplained absences

2 days ago
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Jon Stewart on Trump’s strategy in Iran: ‘Malignant narcissism and impulsivity’

Late-night hosts examined Donald Trump’s incoherent strategy on Iran and a new bombshell report on the FBI director Kash Patel’s alleged excessive drinking.Jon Stewart opened the latest Daily Show with a concession: Donald Trump “did a solid” by signing a bill that fast-tracked research on novel psychedelic drug treatment for mental health conditions, especially veterans suffering from PTSD.Stewart cut to a clip of the president in the Oval Office babbling about the psychoactive drug ibogaine, which showed that users “experienced an 80% to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month”. Trump then joked: “Can I have some, please? I’ll take it. I’ll take it, whatever it takes

3 days ago
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The Hours won awards for Nicole Kidman’s fake nose – and hearts as a queer classic

Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer prize-winning book The Hours – inspired by Virginia Woolf’s seminal 1925 novel, Mrs Dalloway – imagines one day in the lives of three women separated across time periods. The triptych follows Woolf in the throes of writing Mrs Dalloway; Laura Brown, a depressed housewife who is reading Woolf’s novel in postwar America; and Clarissa Vaughan, a New Yorker who acts as a contemporary embodiment of Woolf’s titular character.Cunningham’s 1998 text, though widely acclaimed, was initially deemed unadaptable due to its nonlinear structure and stream-of-consciousness approach that paid homage to Woolf’s pioneering style. However, since its publication, The Hours (which takes its name from Mrs Dalloway’s working title), has been reinterpreted as an opera and, most notably, a 2002 film directed by Stephen Daldry.As the title suggests, the film explores the ways in which the routine of a single day can be at once beautiful in its ordinariness or seismic in its oppressive mundanity

3 days ago
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Zoologist, author and presenter Desmond Morris dies aged 98

The zoologist Desmond Morris, perhaps best known for his book The Naked Ape and his work on the ITV programme Zoo Time, has died aged 98.Morris’s son Jason paid tribute to him after his death on Sunday, praising his many professional achievements as well as his role as a father and grandfather.“His was a lifetime of exploration, curiosity and creativity,” Jason said. “A zoologist, manwatcher, author and artist, he was still writing and painting right up until his death. He was a great man and an even better father and grandfather

4 days ago
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V&A East Storehouse and Norwich Castle among finalists for museum of the year

The V&A East Storehouse, the National Gallery and an accessible castle in Norwich are among the contenders for this year’s Art Fund museum of the year award, the most prestigious UK prize in the sector.The annual prize offers the winner £120,000, with £20,000 going to each of the other finalists, who the Art Fund’s director, Jenny Waldman, said had all “innovated in different ways”.This year’s list is dominated by some of the biggest names in the cultural sector that have undergone big refurbishments or invested in significant new outposts, such as the V&A’s East Storehouse, which will be seen by many as a frontrunner.Based in the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, the space aims to reimagine what a storeroom can be, with partitions removed so visitors can see “and breathe the same air” as the objects. Waldman said the V&A Storehouse, which opened in spring 2025 at a cost of £65m, had broken the boundaries of what a store could be

5 days ago
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Letter: Sir Neil Cossons obituary

In 1971, Neil Cossons and I were on the staff of Liverpool Museum, and he invited me to accompany him on a visit to Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire. We admired Blists Hill furnace, the bridge, the surrounding buildings and their setting, and shortly afterwards he became its director.The appeal it had as a monument to the industrial revolution lay in it being a complete entity. Many other site-based museums rely on translocating buildings, often into a replicated local landscape. History occurs in places, and Neil knew that raising one’s gaze from the built artefacts to the landscape enables understanding: preserving the place was crucial

5 days ago
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US justice department drops criminal investigation against Jerome Powell

about 3 hours ago
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UK eases airline penalties as jet fuel shortages threaten flights

about 6 hours ago
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TikTok and Visa launch debit card to speed payouts to UK creators

about 4 hours ago
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Officials hugely underestimated impact of AI datacentres on UK carbon emissions

about 5 hours ago
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Atkinson made to wait as Essex impress at Oval: county cricket, day one – as it happened

about 2 hours ago
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It’s FA Cup and WCL semi-final time, plus mighty London Marathon feats – follow with us

about 6 hours ago