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German finance minister Lars Klingbeil has called on the European Union to combat China's "unfair trade practices" to protect the struggling German car industry. Following a visit to Volkswagen's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Klingbeil said: "We cannot when all is said and done be naive in our dealings with China . . . We need a clear signal at a European level." He said Germany would push for "concrete measures" from Brussels. "I am in favour of us standing up to unfair trade practices," Klingbeil said. "Germany needs to have greater self-confidence and adopt a different, more robust approach toward countries that threaten our industry."

 

France 24

Research from Deloitte indicates that one in six UK workers is paying for an AI tool out of their own pocket to help them do their job, at ​a total cost of nearly £1bn ($1.4bn) annually. The firm's GenAI Workforce Survey of some 25,000 employees found that two-thirds of workers had tried AI tools ​such as ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, and ​nearly a quarter of them were using the tools daily in their ⁠jobs. Deloitte partner Paul ​Lee observed: "For many workers [AI's] role remains relatively basic, ​focused on searching for information and drafting content ​rather than ⁠supporting more complex work." He added: "The organisations that gain the greatest advantage from AI will be those that move beyond simply providing access ⁠to ​tools and focus on helping people use ​them with the appropriate guardrails and purpose." 

 

Reuters

OpenAI has published six reports detailing unexpected or concerning model behaviour. The incidents include the models generating instructions to get around restrictions imposed on them, hiding mistakes, and fabricating information. The company has also announced a new system to track, investigate and disclose cases of models misbehaving (misalignment). Under the framework, developers will be able to flag incidents for review, and a new set of rules will decide whether the issue is disclosed publicly. "Because we believe in the value of transparency around misalignment, our new framework favours disclosure even when significance is uncertain," OpenAI said.

 

New York Times

Reuters

BBC News

Eric Xu, Huawei's rotating chairman, has told reporters that AI developers in China are likely not yet at an advanced enough stage to experience the safety risks reported by their U.S. peers. "If we look at the mainstream AI model providers in the United States, because they have ​massive computing power, maybe only they themselves know where they are in terms of the level of their ​models," Xu said, arguing that Chinese developers should continue to develop more powerful models while balancing innovation against risk. 

 

Reuters

Apple Retail Italia staff staged a national strike during the launch of the new iPhones on Friday, with unions reporting 70% average participation across more than 1,600 employees in 17 stores. Unions are demanding higher staffing levels, manageable workloads, more permanent contracts and greater recognition of employees’ contributions. Apple said its stores were operating normally and defended its pay, benefits and staff support programmes.

 

Il Sole

Reuters

Porsche could face around 4,100 additional job cuts under Volkswagen’s restructuring plans, Handelsblatt has reported. The proposed reductions, aimed at addressing a €700m overhead shortfall, would come on top of existing agreements to cut around 9,000 positions by 2035. Volkswagen can recommend but not impose the measures at Porsche.

 

Reuters

A new discussion paper from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work reviews the effects of climate change on occupational safety and health (OSH) and its unequal impacts on different workforce groups. Findings show that climate change is already affecting OSH across the EU through increased injuries, adverse health outcomes, and productivity losses.

 

EU-OSHA

Meta has launched a fresh legal challenge against UK media regulator Ofcom over the Online Safety Act, appealing its designation of WhatsApp and Instagram as Category 1 services subject to additional duties, including greater transparency, user controls, protection against fraudulent advertising and increased reporting on illegal content. Meta argues Category 1 duties are not designed for private one-to-one and small-group messaging. Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom's group director for online safety, said the media regulator is "operating in a highly litigious environment."

 

Financial Times

The Guardian

Russia is employing North Korean workers to manufacture military drones, according to a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team. The strategy provides North Korea with vital revenue for its weapons programmes in the face of international sanctions. An estimated 25,000 North Koreans are involved in Russia's drone industry, each earning around US$7,500 annually, although much of this is seized by the Kim regime. Monthly wages earned by North Koreans working in Russia may be up to five times higher than what they can earn in China. Russia had an estimated 15,000-30,000 North Korean workers as of the end of 2025. "Despite the 2019 repatriation deadline mandated by [a UN Security Council resolution], at least 17 countries are suspected of continuing to host labourers, generating between $450m and $800m in 2025 to fund the [North Korea's] unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes," the report said.

 

The Korea Times

South China Morning Post

An Argentine federal judge has ordered British and Israeli companies to cease development of the Sea Lion oilfield near the Falkland Islands. The injunction from  Judge Mariel Borruto is aimed to prevent drilling and construction until an environmental review is conducted. Despite the ruling, the respective companies, Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration, said they plan to continue their operations. Argentine President Javier Milei has recently intensified his country's sovereignty claims over the islands, and warned of sanctions against non-compliant companies. The British government maintains that the islands' status should be determined by its residents, citing a 2013 referendum.

 

AP News

Swiss sportswear brand On has signed Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé as it prepares to enter football. The deal brings an end to Mbappé's two-decade relationship with Nike. On plans to launch its first football boots in 2027, followed by kits and lifestyle products, using its LightSpray manufacturing technology. Former France striker Thierry Henry has joined as director of football. On hopes to develop a long-term partnership with Mbappé similar to its relationship with Roger Federer. Analysts warn that entering a market dominated by Nike, Adidas and Puma would require substantial investment and performance credibility could prove difficult to establish.

 

Bloomberg

Financial Times

New York Times