EV prices in UK and EU not likely to dive due to Chinese rivalry, says Xpeng boss

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Brian Gu says he sees Chinese car firms competing on quality rather than launching price war as at home

Motorists in the UK and EU should not expect a sharp drop in the cost of electric vehicles despite increased competition among Chinese manufacturers, one of the country’s biggest electric carmakers has said.

Brian Gu, the vice-chair of the manufacturer Xpeng, said that Chinese carmakers could compete on quality to win customers in the EU and UK, rather than unleashing a brutal price war as they have in China.

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UK seizes Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker – what that means – Al Jazeera

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  1. UK seizes Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker – what that means  Al Jazeera
  2. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 14, 2026  Institute for the Study of War
  3. Arrest made after seizure of Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in Channel  BBC
  4. Starmer vows new sanctions on Russia and nuclear energy support for Ukraine  The Guardian
  5. UK places sanctions on Russian 'shadow' ships and Yandex Bank  Reuters
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Vance says details of US-Iran agreement still to be worked out amid scepticism from Republicans

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Senate Republicans say there are many unanswered questions about the deal and question inclusion of funds for Iran

The US vice-president, ⁠JD Vance, has said a number of issues still need to be figured out with Iran, as many Republicans expressed scepticism of the agreement reached this week by Donald Trump, and pressed the White House to release more information about it.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) announced Sunday to end the war in Iran, set for a ceremonial signing on Friday in Geneva, is centred around reopening the strait of Hormuz and lifting the United States’ naval blockade in the region, along with financial incentives for Iran if it meets certain benchmarks.

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Ukraine’s newest attack drones are delivering the kind of strikes that its HIMARS couldn’t for years – Business Insider

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  1. Ukraine's newest attack drones are delivering the kind of strikes that its HIMARS couldn't for years  Business Insider
  2. Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time  New Scientist
  3. How Ukraine Uses A.I. to Knock Deadly Russian Drones Out of the Skies  The New York Times
  4. How Ukraine’s Drone Innovation Reversed Russia’s Momentum  Council on Foreign Relations
  5. Europe Isn’t Ready for AI Drones  Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
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What to know about the demining and escort mission that US allies want for the Strait of Hormuz – AP News

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  1. What to know about the demining and escort mission that US allies want for the Strait of Hormuz  AP News
  2. Europe Stayed Out of the U.S.-Iran War. Now It’s ‘Ready to Act.’  The New York Times
  3. European allies say they’ll be ready to help in Iran. Trump has to show he has a solid deal.  Politico
  4. UK, France, Germany, Italy ready to lift Iran sanctions after US-Iran deal, say Iran can 'never' get bomb  The Times of Israel
  5. France, Britain push Hormuz mission as truce nears, but Iran’s stance key  Reuters
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Zelenskiy seeks to convince Trump at G7 that Russia now on the defensive – Reuters

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  1. Zelenskiy seeks to convince Trump at G7 that Russia now on the defensive  Reuters
  2. G7 Summit Live Updates: Trump to Discuss Ukraine and Middle East With Group's Leaders  The New York Times
  3. G7 leaders open summit talks on Ukraine and the Middle East as Zelenskyy joins in France  AP News
  4. G7 summit: Ukraine and Iran head agenda  DW
  5. G7 leaders meet for first full day of talks with Russia-Ukraine war first on the agenda – Europe live  The Guardian
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Sweden votes to back laws reinforcing its immigration crackdown

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So-called ‘good behaviour’ legislation fiercely criticised by opposition politicians and rights groups

Sweden’s parliament has voted to escalate the country’s crackdown on immigrant rights, backing laws that allow authorities to revoke residency permits based on a vague criteria of bad behaviour and obliging most public sector workers to report anyone suspected of being undocumented.

The new legislation comes ahead of parliamentary elections in September, pitting the centre-right government, which currently depends on the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats to govern, against a far right that has said its intent is to create one of Europe’s most hostile environments for non-Europeans.

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Trust in news hits a new low, research suggests – BBC

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  1. Trust in news hits a new low, research suggests  BBC
  2. News sites are the new newspapers: People are abandoning them for social media  Nieman Lab
  3. More Viewers Watch Online Video News Than Broadcast TV News, Finds Reuters Institute  VideoWeek
  4. Social media is now the world’s leading source of news, study says  Euronews.com
  5. News is changing dramatically – here’s what the move away from mainstream media means for you as a consumer  The Conversation
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Starbucks Korea to temporarily shut all stores for history lesson after bungled coffee promotion

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The closures, so employees can watch a recorded lecture, will cost the company an estimated 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in sales

Starbucks Korea will simultaneously close all its stores for a mandatory history lesson, after a disastrous promotion that evoked memories of a pro-democracy massacre sparked public and political backlash.

More than 2,000 stores will temporarily close at 3pm on 22 June, the company said, so staff can watch recorded lectures on modern Korean history and engage in “social sensitivity” training. The half-day closures will cost Starbucks an estimated 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in lost sales, according to data firm IGAWorks.

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I walked Kyiv’s historic monastery this spring. Last night, I watched it burn – Deseret News

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  1. I walked Kyiv’s historic monastery this spring. Last night, I watched it burn  Deseret News
  2. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 15, 2026  Institute for the Study of War
  3. Faith, belonging, survival – and now destruction: a photographic account of Kyiv’s Pechersk Lavra monastery before Russia’s attack  The Guardian
  4. Russia’s strike on centuries-old Ukrainian monastery complex reveals its growing desperation  The Conversation
  5. As Russia Strikes Ukraine, a Cultural Symbol Catches Fire  The New York Times
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