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The US firm behind the Roomba smart vacuum cleaner, iRobot, has filed for bankruptcy protection after facing competition from Chinese rivals and being hit by tariffs. Under the so-called pre-packaged Chapter 11 process, the main manufacturer of its devices, Shenzhen-based Picea Robotics, will take ownership of the firm. The tough commercial landscape had forced iRobot to cut its prices and make major investments in new technology, according to documents filed on Sunday. US import duties of 46% on goods from Vietnam, where most of iRobot’s devices for the American market are made, increased its costs by $23m (£17.2m) this year. BBC
In America, surging electricity demand from data centres used for artificial intelligence has sparked a scramble for gas-fired power – and even the biggest manufacturers can’t keep up. It’s created a gap in the market for the next best option: repurposed jet engines. This week, Boom, a supersonic jet start-up building a modern Concorde, unveiled a modified version of its Symphony engine that is designed to be able to be deployed quickly to data centres across the US. “Supersonic technology is an accelerant – of course, for faster flight, but now for artificial intelligence as well,” said Blake Scholl, Boom’s chief executive. Telegraph
China’s latest Tesla rival will hit the roads within weeks, with the model offering next-generation battery technology that tops up cars in just minutes. The latest XPENG G6 model is fitted with a new state-of-the-art 80.8kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, topping up batteries from 10% to 80% within 12 minutes. XPENG claims the new battery will make the car the fastest-charging EV in its segment, which could draw customer attention. The latest XPENG G6 is set to launch in the UK during Q1 2026. Daily Express
British astronaut Tim Peake has urged the US and China to de-escalate talk of a space race and instead return to the moon with a “spirit of collaboration”. In an interview with Sky News to mark the 10th anniversary of his launch to the International Space Station (ISS), Mr Peake said it would be “foolish” to start a new era of hazardous lunar exploration without contingency plans for rescuing astronauts from other countries in an emergency. “Space is incredibly hard, a very hostile environment,” he said. Sky News
The Conservatives have announced proposals to end the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars and cut the legal requirement on car manufacturers to sell electric vehicles. A Conservative government would abolish the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, ending the legal requirement for manufacturers to sell a fixed rising percentage of zero-emission vehicles each year – 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035. It would also completely end the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars. The Guardian
An email scam is abusing PayPal’s “Subscriptions” billing feature to send legitimate PayPal emails that contain fake purchase notifications embedded in the Customer service URL field. Over the past couple of months, people have reported [1, 2] receiving emails from PayPal stating, “Your automatic payment is no longer active.” The email includes a customer service URL field that was somehow modified to include a message stating that you purchased an expensive item, such as a Sony device, MacBook, or iPhone. Bleeping Computer
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