EU Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné called for EU businesses to diversify their suppliers on Friday as trade tensions with China ramp up.
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The comments come as Beijing has made repeated threats towards the EU in recent weeks, while Brussels seeks to strengthen its legislation against its Asian rival.
Last year, China restricted exports of rare earths and chips, strategic for the EU’s green technologies, defence and automotive industries.
“Do not make 100% of your supplies in one country,” Séjourné told EU businesses after a meeting with the EU’s 27 trade ministers in Brussels. He added: “The global geopolitical situation shows that your ability to provide yourself abroad must also depend on other types of countries and also on European production.”
The European Commission has so far issued guidance to EU companies and Séjourné signalled that if they did not move, the EU executive would “perhaps have to move to the next step.”
Measures force car producers to diversify
Internally, the Commission is already working on a proposal to force car producers to source chips from multiple suppliers, Euronews has revealed.
Last year, a spat between the Dutch government and the Chinese chip company Nexperia, based in the Netherlands, caused shortages of chips for EU industries after Beijing blocked exports in retaliation.
EU Trade Chief Maroš Šefčovič told Euronews at the time that China was “weaponising” critical supplies for EU industry.
Brussels and Beijing have been at loggerheads since the EU presented several proposals restricting China’s access to the EU single market.
The so-called “Industrial Accelerator Act” aims to favour EU companies in public procurement and impose strict conditions on Chinese investments in the bloc. Meanwhile, a Cybersecurity Act could exclude Chinese telecoms companies from the EU market.
Beijing has directly threatened the EU with retaliation if it moves forward with those proposals. China repeated the threats after media reports about potential EU measures against cheap Chinese imports flooding the EU market.
An orientation debate is set to take place in Brussels between EU commissioners on 29 May to decide on the EU’s strategy as its trade deficit with China becomes more critical month after month.
Route 66 has its tendrils throughout SoCal, and especially in the L.A. area, winding through Pasadena, West Hollywood and culminating in Santa Monica. But the most loving ode to Route 66 may in fact be at the Disneyland Resort, specifically at Disney California Adventure.
Stories, photos and travel recommendations from America’s Mother Road
Cars Land opened in 2012 as part of a reworking of the theme park and at long last gave it a striking land that could rival — and in many cases surpass — those of its next-door neighbor, Disneyland. Flanked by sun-scarred, reddish rocks that look lifted from Arizona, Cars Land is a marvel of a theme park land, with its backdrop mountain range ever so slightly nodding to the fins of classic Cadillacs from 1957 to 1962. That design element is a salute to the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, where 10 vintage Cadillacs are buried nose-first in the ground that to many resembles a 20th century Stonehenge.
Yet before the area was attached to the 2006 film, it was envisioned as a theme park destination dedicated to roadside attractions and trips along the so-called Mother Road. Cars Land is a make-believe area based on a fictional town from an animated film, but its roots are decidedly real.
Cadillac Ranch, an artwork made from 10 old cars by the Ant Farm artists’ collective in the 1970s, has become one of Amarillo’s top attractions. Visitors are invited to add their own spray-painted touches.
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
The backdrop mountain range of Radiator Springs Racers is a nod to Cadillac Ranch. The peaks are designed to look like the tail fins of classic cars.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
“We very much acknowledge that up front, that you’re walking down Route 66,” says Kathy Mangum, the retired Walt Disney Imagineer who served as the executive producer of Cars Land.
“But you’re also not walking down a part of Route 66 that exists anywhere,” Mangum continues. “There’s no part of Route 66 where you’re looking up at a Cadillac range surrounded by red rocks. It’s the spirit of Route 66. I wouldn’t even call it a ‘best-of.’ It’s just a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and combined it feels real.”
Tour guide Michael Wallis, left, and Walt Disney Imagineer Kevin Rafferty during a research trip at Cadillac Ranch in 2008.
(Kevin Rafferty)
Before those at Walt Disney Imagineering, the secretive arm of the company devoted to theme park experiences, were even aware that Pixar Animation Studios was working on the “Cars” film, an automotive-focused land was in the planning stages for Disney California Adventure. The park had opened in 2001 and had struggled in its early years to pull in crowds, with audiences zeroing in on a lack of Disneyland-style attractions and an absence of grandly designed vistas.
In an effort to rejuvenate the park, then-Imagineer Kevin Rafferty envisioned an area to be called Car Land — without the “s” — pulling heavily from his family’s road trips and Route 66-like roadside attractions and oddities. Among its standout attractions was to be one initially named Scoot 66, later changed to Road Trip, USA, a slow-moving ride that took guests on a cross-country journey through nature and roadside quirkiness, although its showcase scene would have been a trip trough a miniaturized Carlsbad Caverns, a bit of a detour from Route 66.
“It was kind of tongue-in-cheek,” says Rafferty, now retired, of the never-built ride. “You were going to be seeing all these roadside attractions that would draw you in, like giant bunnies.”
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree brings the rusty, old tow truck character from the “Cars” movie to life in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
An artwork in Seligman, Ariz., pays homage to the Disney-Pixar “Cars” movie, which was heavily inspired by the town. (Mark Lipczynski / For The Times)
Rafferty believed a place such as Car Land would be ripe for exploration in a Disney park, as it was to be set from the late 1950s to the early 1960s and tap into a collective nostalgia for a time when a vehicle meant the freedom to explore the open road. Cars Land today still has some of that ageless energy, boasting a vintage rock ’n’ roll soundtrack and a strip of a street filled with colorful neon, its lights, especially at night, beckoning guests to come closer.
“The reason why I thought it would fit into a Disney park, especially Disney California Adventure, is because cars are so much a part of the California story,” Rafferty says. “Cars are designed in California, even though they’re built elsewhere. There’s more custom shops in California. There’s more design studios in California. There’s more car clubs. And all the cars songs. ‘She’s so fine, my 409.’ It was all the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean.”
The neon signs of Radiator Springs. Flo’s V8 Cafe isn’t a direct match for any Route 66 diner, but it was inspired in spirit by the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas.
(Paul Hiffmeyer / Disneyland Resort)
Development on Rafferty’s Car Land idea would change course when Imagineering and Pixar eventually aligned. But it was also a shift that would more formally ground the area in the culture of Route 66, which heavily influenced the film. Both the filmmakers and, later, those with Imagineering, embarked on 10-day research trips along the road led by historian Michael Wallis, author of “Route 66: The Mother Road.” Those at Pixar, in fact, were so charmed by Wallis’ tours that the author was asked to voice the role of the film’s sheriff.
Wallis says he took the teams out in rented Cadillacs. “I like to stop every 300 yards,” Wallis says. “If I’m doing a road trip, I get into it. So we stopped to move box turtles off the road. I waded them into winter wheat to dance, to pick wild grapes. I introduced them to people that I guaran-damn-tee that they never would have met, the great characters of the road, and I showed them the man-made and natural sites of the road.”
Though the fictional “Cars” and Cars Land community of Radiator Springs has no single inspiration, it echoes the scenery and history of several small towns between Tulsa, Okla., and Kingman, Ariz., including Tucumcari, N.M., Seligman, Ariz., and Oatman, Ariz. And the single, graceful bridge that is centered upon the land’s backdrop mountain range closely resembles Pasadena’s own Colorado Street Bridge, although there’s no roaring waterfall next to the original.
Scenes from Route 66 in Seligman, Ariz. The town was one of the inspirations for the fictional “Cars” and Cars Land town of Radiator Springs.
(Mark Lipczynski / For The Times)
The centerpiece bridge of the Cars Land mountain range was modeled after a local landmark. (Paul Hiffmeyer / Disneyland Resort)
The Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, an inspiration for the Cars Land structure. (Adam Markovitz)
Elsewhere, Ramone’s House of Body Art connects with the U-Drop Inn, a 1936 Art Deco gas station in Shamrock, Texas, that now serves as a visitor center and cafe. The Cozy Cone Motel nods to the Wigwam motel chain, which once included seven locations from Kentucky to California. Two remain in business along Route 66: the Wigwam in San Bernardino and another in Holbrook, Ariz.
While Imagineers had visual references from the animated film, Mangum says the research trip was invaluable in lending authenticity to the park.
“We could walk into a building in Shamrock, Texas, that looks so much like what Ramone’s House of Body Art looks like and see that those tiles are made of raised terra-cotta,” Mangum says. “So we could get the actual texture. It’s a movie world, but it’s also a real world.”
Flo’s V8 Cafe isn’t a direct match with any Route 66 eatery, the Imagineers say, but was certainly influenced in spirit by the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas.
The Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, celebrates the halfway point on Route 66 between Chicago and Los Angeles.
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
“We sampled all their pies and food and made copious notes on this stuff,” Rafferty says. “The two women who owned the Midpoint Cafe had what they said was their mother’s recipe for ‘ugly crust pies.’ We fell in love with ugly crust pies. I met with the head chef of Disneyland, who was a Frenchman at the time, and I said we wanted to serve ugly crust pies at Flo’s V8 Cafe. And he said, ‘No, no, no, nothing at Disneyland will be ugly.’”
No, but it may be influenced by abandoned buildings. Mangum says a key locale for the land was the deserted structures of Two Guns, Ariz. Gas station remains led to sketches that would inspire parts of the “Stanley’s Oasis” area of the Radiator Springs Racers queue, which Rafferty and company filled out with an oil service station and then a building composed of empty oil bottles. The story goes that Stanley’s Oasis is a roadside attraction settlement that led to the development of the town of Radiator Springs.
At the Cozy Cone Motel, a string of cone-shaped food stalls sell quick bites such as swirled soft-serve cones. (Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The Cozy Cone is based on the real-life Wigwam Motels. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
“That kind of Route 66-inspired story was all made up,” Rafferty says. “It wasn’t in the film.” That backstory, however, would inform the 2012 short “Time Travel Mater.”
The enduring strength of the land, however, isn’t just due to the popularity of the animated properties that led to it. While Route 66 wasn’t magic for everyone — the history of the road is dotted with tales of extreme poverty and horrific racism — it’s become romanticized as a slice of Americana and stands as a jumping-off point to further delve into our past.
The land is, in a word, timeless. It’s also representative of the ideal of a working small town, the sort of place we forever long for. “It may not be the America of today,” Mangum says, “but in a way it is.”
Times staff writer Christopher Reynolds contributed to this report.
Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed various areas of the West Bank, set cars on fire and attacked Palestinians.
Published On 9 May 20269 May 2026
Israeli settlers have launched another wave of raids in the occupied West Bank, with houses and cars set on fire and a Palestinian child attacked.
The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that a man and his child were attacked with “sharp instruments” in the village of Khirbet Shuweika, south of Hebron, on Friday.
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The father and child were taken to hospital due to head injuries.
Israeli settlers torched a home in the village of al-Lubban Asharqiya, south of Nablus, after which members of the Palestinian Civil Defence arrived to extinguish the blaze.
In Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, Wafa cited security sources that the settlers “stormed the outskirts of the village, burned a citizen’s vehicle, and wrote racist slogans on the walls of houses”.
In the village of al-Asa’asa in Jenin, Israeli forces forced residents to exhume a newly buried body and take it elsewhere. They claimed the first site was too close to an illegal Israeli settlement.
Israeli settlers also attacked a Palestinian man in the town of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, and stole his mobile phone.
A group of Palestinians were picnicking in the Burak Sulayman (Solomon’s Pools) area, south of Bethlehem, but were forced to leave after Israeli forces fired stun grenades at them.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society treated two people for tear gas inhalation and evacuated five others from the scene after the attack.
‘Tear gas and sound bombs’
In the town of Tuqu, southeast of Bethlehem, the mayor, Taysir Abu Mufreh, told Wafa that Israeli forces fired “tear gas and sound bombs” at a group of worshippers who were leaving a local mosque and locked a number of them inside.
On Friday, Israeli forces arrested four Palestinian men in the town of Battir, west of Bethlehem, while they were hiking near a railway line. The following day, three more Palestinians were arrested during a raid on the city of Nablus.
Settlers attacked the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, leading to clashes when residents confronted them.
Human rights groups say Israeli authorities have allowed the settlers to operate with total impunity in their attacks against Palestinians.
In February, Israel approved a plan to claim large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property”.
More than 700,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Volkswagen Group announced plans to equip new cars for China with AI “agents” starting in the second half of this year. This strategy aims to help Volkswagen compete with fast-growing Chinese automakers in areas like electrification and digital features.
At an event in Beijing, the company revealed that its vehicles will utilize a China-specific electronic architecture to offer “onboard AI agents,” allowing for intuitive, human-like interaction while ensuring personal data protection. These AI agents can perform complex tasks, such as finding top-rated restaurants, making reservations, driving to the location, and organizing parking.
Volkswagen is shifting its image in China, aiming to be seen as a leader in electric and intelligent vehicles rather than just a traditional manufacturer. The company plans to introduce over 20 new electrified vehicles, totaling 50 new models by 2030, as part of its “largest ever electric mobility offensive. “
CEO Oliver Blume emphasized that their initiatives signal Volkswagen’s return to the market. The collaboration with Horizon Robotics aims to make this AI technology accessible across the mass market.
The RAC has named the best cars on the market for a road trip in the UK, with an unexpected vehicle coming out on top thanks to its fuel efficiency and fun driving experience
The RAC has announced the best road trip car (stock)(Image: Andrew Merry via Getty Images)
Despite soaring fuel costs, motorists across the UK will still be eager to hit the open road this summer and enjoy a good old-fashioned road trip.
Whether it’s a group of mates touring Cornwall, tackling Scotland‘s legendary North Coast 500, or conquering the Welsh hills, there’s no shortage of thrilling routes to choose from.
With this in mind, the RAC has compiled a list of the finest road trip cars currently on sale in the UK. However, the top pick may well raise a few eyebrows – and so might the runner-up.
Taking the top spot is the £17,095 Kia Picanto city car which, while not an obvious choice, the RAC’s Lawrence Allan explained how its compact performance made it more exhilarating to drive than many far pricier and more powerful alternatives on the market.
He explained: “Road trips are rarely dull when you’re pushing a car to its limits, and you can do that in the little Kia and still be under the speed limit. You’ll sip fuel, too – a bonus with unpredictable fuel prices.
“What’s more, the Picanto is good fun to drive on the kind of tight, twisty roads that are found in most of our top 10 best road trips in the UK. Then, when you head into a nearby town for dinner, parking is a doddle.”
Pipped to second place behind the Kia Picanto was the electric variant of the Mercedes-Benz CLA, which Lawrence described as the ultimate electric vehicle for hitting the road.
Lawrence cited the primary reason for this as the distance the £45,615 car could cover on a single charge, boasting a range of up to 484 miles — sufficient to travel from London all the way to Dundee in Scotland.
He further noted that the vehicle impressed with its efficiency and rapid charging capability, making pit stops noticeably less lengthy than those required by other electric cars over the past decade.
Taking third place was the £34,875 Nissan Qashqai e-Power. Lawrence attributed its bronze position partly to its efficiency, which allows drivers to achieve over 770 miles from a tank of fuel, as well as its outstanding practicality.
While the Kia and Mercedes offer 255 and 407 litres of boot space respectively, the Nissan boasts a generous 504 litres. The Nissan also edges ahead of the Kia on fuel economy, with the Kia capable of 51.4mpg compared to the Nissan’s 64.2mpg — a crucial factor during a period of rising fuel costs.
On the subject of fuel, some experts have cautioned against filling up between 10am and 2pm, amongst them Interfuels’ Gordon Walllis.
He explained to the Express: “By late morning, many retailers have already adjusted their prices to reflect overnight changes in wholesale costs. That means drivers filling up around midday are often paying a premium.
“Late morning and early afternoon tend to be busy periods, with people stopping during errands, commutes or lunch breaks. When demand is steady, there is less pressure on retailers to keep prices low.”
This is a very similar situation to the one that surrounded Red Bull’s former head of strategy, Will Courtenay, who is now McLaren’s sporting director.
It emerged at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix that Courtenay had signed to join McLaren when his contract ended, and Red Bull emphasised that he would not be allowed to leave before 2026.
They did not specify exactly when in 2026, and BBC Sport has been told that negotiations were held that led to him starting work at McLaren on 1 January this year.
Despite that, for the entirety of last year, Courtenay stayed in his previous role, even though Red Bull were fighting McLaren for the drivers’ championship.
For now, the same thing will happen with Lambiase – he will continue in his role as Red Bull’s head of racing and race engineer to Verstappen for the foreseeable future.
However, just because Red Bull’s statement announcing his departure said he would not be joining McLaren until 2028 does not necessarily mean that will be the case.
McLaren’s statement said Lambiase would join “no later than 2028”. That means they will be hoping to come to an agreement with Red Bull that shortens that timeframe.
It’s worth pointing out, meanwhile, that McLaren have emphasised that Lambiase is joining to provide support for team principal Andrea Stella, not ultimately replace him.
Stella has until now been fulfilling the role to which Lambiase has been appointed, that of chief racing officer, in addition to that of team principal.
Stella said last week: “Zak (Brown, the chief executive officer of McLaren Racing) and I have built a flat team structure, in which it is essential to ensure all leaders are properly empowered, but at the same time, we must guarantee there is always the necessary level of long-term support.
“It goes without saying that, with this approach, the dual role I currently hold could not be sustainable in the long run.”
McLaren have indirectly – but very clearly – rejected what are said to be inaccurate reports that Stella is on his way to Ferrari.
Stella said in a statement issued by McLaren on Friday: “Some of the recent rumours, including those regarding astronomical salaries and mythical pre-contracts, have made me smile.
“It almost seems as though the ‘silly season’, which usually begins before summer, has arrived early!
“I’m quite used to this sort of thing by now and I take with a smile. It almost looks as if some envious pastry chef has tried to spoil the preparation of a good dessert at the McLaren patisserie. However, we do know very well how to distinguish the good ingredients from the poisoned biscuits.”
BRITS love an all-inclusive from the packed buffets to drinks offerings and having everything at your fingertips.
The tough part is actually exactly which all-inclusive you want to try and if it’s worth the money, well if that’s what you’re after, then this one on the Costa del Sol is top notch.
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Inside the Ikos Andalusia are 9 restaurants and 8 barsCredit: Ouzo is the hotel’s Greek restaurant with shell decor on the ceilingCredit:
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Called Ikos Andalusia, the hotel has claimed number one spot on Time Out’s 2026 list of Europe’s top all-inclusive stays.
The resort has a whopping 451 rooms with nine swimming pools.
Expect great grub at the hotel’s nine restaurants, some of which even have Michelin-starred menus.
Each serves up dishes from around the world, like traditional Spanish to Greek, French, Italian and Japanese food.
There’s also a classic all-inclusive buffet style restaurant, so you can’t go wrong.
They’re beautifully decorated too. Ouzo, which is its Greek restaurant, has little white pots on the ceiling and prints on the walls with views across the pool to the sea.
Chiringuito is another restaurant right on the beach and serves up traditional tapas and lots of seafood.
As for bars, there are eight including a cocktail bar and one at the side of the pool – it has an extensive wine list with over 100 local labels.
The hotel is even sat on a 420-metre beach with an adults-only section.
Other facilities include a splash pad area for younger children, football, basketball, volleyball, cycling, tennis courts and watersports.
There’s plenty for children to do at the kids’ club which is catered for children between 4-17.
The complimentary Heroes Crèche for children 6 months to three years old holds activities like games, face painting, art and dance.
There’s also Heroes Kids Club (4-11 years) and Just4Teens (12-17 years) which has lots of activities on offer from arts and crafts to sports.
There’s even a complimentary 30-minute beach childcare service for kids from four years old.
Activities for adults include wellness sessions and various fitness activities from yoga to Pilates and Zumba.
For more holidays, here are some of our favourites in Spain…
*If you click on a link in this box, we will earn affiliate revenue.
Hotel Best Punta Dorada, Salou
The Spanish resort is a popular destination near PortAventura World, a theme park with over 40 attractions and huge rollercoasters. It’s also close to sandy beaches like Platja de Llevant, and the scenic Camí de Ronda coastal walk.The hotel itself has an outdoor swimming pool to enjoy, as well as two bars along with evening entertainment and shows.
With its palm tree-lined pool and Mediterranean backdrop, it’s a miracle this Majorca resort is so affordable. Expect a classic family holiday feel – where days revolve around soaking up the Spanish sunshine, chilling by the spacious pool and sipping on frozen cocktails. Set away from the busier resorts, it’s a good option if you’re after a more out-of-the-way escape.
The Magic Aqua Rock Gardens Hotel is African-themed and less than a mile from the beach. It has two outdoor pools, including a children’s freshwater pool with a waterfall and a tipping water bucket for the little ones. There’s also an aquapark with slides, and a kids club for both younger children and teens.
For a calmer side of Ibiza, this hillside resort has two pools, a kids’ splash zone, and an all-inclusive buffet with a poolside bar. It’s a 10-minute walk from Cala Llonga’s shallow turquoise bay, offering a scenic, family-friendly base away from the island’s main party zone.
