VW mulls historic factory closures

Volkswagen is considering factory closures and job cuts throughout Germany for the first time ever in the face of fierce competition from Asian rivals. Brazil’s supreme court backs a ban on social media platform X and the country’s telecoms regulator considers sanctions against Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink as a row over free speech deepens. President Joe Biden has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of inadequate efforts to secure a ceasefire with Hamas while the UK suspends certain arms exports to the country. And in France, the political crisis nears its second month after President Macron fails to pick a new prime minister ahead of a key budget deadline.