City watchdog ‘nakedly’ siding with lenders on car finance redress, MPs say

The City regulator has “nakedly taken the side of lenders” in its planned compensation scheme for car loan victims and has been “patently influenced” by concerns over profits, a group of cross-party MPs have claimed.The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fair Banking joined a growing chorus of critics concerned about the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) proposed redress scheme, which is meant to compensate borrowers who were overcharged as a result of commission arrangements between lenders and car dealers.The APPG’s latest report has accused the regulator of buying into “doom-mongering” by lenders who claim that a large compensation bill would risk spooking investors and causing lasting damage to the UK economy.That was at the expense of car loan victims who they said were due up to £15.6bn, rather than the £8

Outrage in Paris as Shein prepares to open its first permanent store

The online fast-fashion retailer Shein will open its first permanent bricks-and-mortar store in the world in Paris this week amid political outrage, fury from workers and warnings from city hall that it will damage the French capital’s progressive image.The Singapore-based clothing company, which was founded in China, has built a massive online business despite criticism over its factory working conditions and the environmental impact of low-cost, throwaway fashion.Shein, which has previously trialled temporary pop-up stores, will on Wednesday open a permanent shop on the sixth floor of Paris’s prestigious BHV department store, a historic building that has stood opposite Paris’s city hall since 1856. There are about 23 million Shein customers in France, one of its biggest European markets.But with vast banners for Shein draped across the building, the brand’s arrival has sparked outrage over the promotion of fast fashion

OpenAI signs $38bn cloud computing deal with Amazon

OpenAI has signed a $38bn (£29bn) deal to use Amazon infrastructure to operate its artificial intelligence products, as part of a more than $1tn spending spree on computing power.The agreement with Amazon Web Services means OpenAI will be able to use AWS datacentres, and the Nvidia chips inside them, immediately.Last week, OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, said his company had committed to spending $1.4tn on AI infrastructure, amid concerns over the sustainability of the boom in using and building datacentres. These are the central nervous systems of AI tools such as ChatGPT

Oakley Meta Vanguard review: fantastic AI running glasses linked to Garmin

The Oakley Meta Vanguard are new displayless AI glasses designed for running, cycling and action sports with deep Garmin and Strava integration, which may make them the first smart glasses for sport that actually work.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.They are a replacement for running glasses, open-ear headphones and a head-mounted action cam all in one, and are the latest product of Meta’s partnership with the sunglasses conglomerate EssilorLuxottica, the owner of Ray-Ban, Oakley and many other top brands

England beware: Marnus Labuschagne sounds Ashes warning with another century

Rather than just breaking back into the Australian test team, Marnus Labuschagne is set to enter the Ashes as the form batter of either side after scoring his fifth century of the Australian season on Monday.His return is set to be confirmed in coming days when Australian selectors name their Ashes squad, after the 31-year-old was dropped for the tour of the West Indies in July.Labuschagne hit 101 off 111 deliveries for Queensland in their 50-over victory over NSW on Monday at Sydney’s Cricket Central. It is his third century in four innings in that competition, adding to another two in four innings in the Sheffield Shield.Combined, he has scored nearly 700 runs in his eight visits to the crease this season, and appears to have put several years of struggle behind him

Commanders coach accepts blame for leaving Jayden Daniels in game before serious injury

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has accepted he shares some of the blame for a serious injury to the team’s quarterback, Jayden Daniels.Daniels, who had one of the greatest rookie campaigns of all time last season, suffered a dislocated left elbow in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Although Daniels throws with his right arm, the injury has left his season in doubt. The injury was serious enough that the television broadcast did not show replays and several players turned away as Daniels was treated my medical staff.Quinn came under criticism as many believed Daniels should not have been on the field in the first place