US threatens European firms over Starlink restrictions, Anthropic to commit 5% of shares to “public good”
The US government has warned that European companies could face “devastating” punishment from Washington if the European Union goes ahead with plans to limit American companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX in parts of the European market. Andrew Puzder, the US ambassador to the EU, issued the warning after the European Commission proposed this year setting aside part of the radio spectrum used by smartphones to connect directly to satellites for European companies. This would limit the frequencies available to Chinese and US companies such as SpaceX, which runs the Starlink satellite network. FT.com
Anthropic says it will give 5% of its shares to a fund that supports the “public good”. The company that makes the Claude chatbot announced the plan as it prepares for a possible stock market listing and looks to strengthen its public image. The shares are worth about $48bn (£36bn), based on the company's most recent valuation in May, but the plan still needs shareholder approval. Anthropic also plans to add another 2% of its shares to the fund every time the company's value rises by 50% above a starting value that it has not disclosed. The fund will let Anthropic “explore large donations to traditional nonprofits or direct distributions to specific populations”, the company said. The Guardian
Just before Apple's first foldable iPhone goes on sale, the company has revealed its battery capacity for the first time. The figures show that despite its folding design, the iPhone Duo does not have an especially small battery. Apple usually does not include battery capacity in its official iPhone specifications. Instead, it gives estimates of how many hours the phone can be used and how long it can play videos. But since June 2025, new European Union rules have required smartphone makers to publish detailed information about batteries, energy use and device durability. These rules have revealed that the iPhone Duo has a 4,883mAh battery. YNetNews
Uber has won a court case to dismiss claims worth about £340m brought by thousands of London black cab drivers and two former private hire companies. The claimants said Uber gave Transport for London (TfL) misleading information when it first received a licence to operate in London in 2012. But a High Court judge ruled that the claims had been brought too late and dismissed them without deciding whether the accusations were true. Uber denied the claims and said it was pleased that the court had dismissed them at the earliest opportunity. BBC
Ookla, a company that measures network performance, has published a new study showing that London's 4G and 5G mobile networks have fallen behind those in 18 other European capital cities. Ookla collects data from people who use its Speedtest.net website and app. The results show that London now ranks last in almost all the main measurements. According to the study, London was one of the first European capitals to launch 5G services. However, its median 5G download speed fell from 200Mbps in the second quarter of 2021 to 133Mbps in the third quarter of 2026. At the same time, the share of tests using 5G nearly doubled to 80%. ISPreview
Accenture has stopped some employees from spending more than $29 (£21.75) a month on AI tools after some staff members ran up monthly bills of $1,000. The large consulting company introduced the limit to control rising AI costs. These costs have grown as employees use AI to handle more everyday tasks. AI companies usually charge businesses according to how much they use their services, much like a utility bill. The spending limit at Accenture, first reported by 404 Media, reflects a wider trend of companies trying to control rapidly rising AI costs. Telegraph