UK reportedly faces more than £20bn hit from steeper productivity downgrade, fuelling tax rise speculation – business live

Here’s more on HSBC.HSBC has reported a 14% drop in third quarter profits to $7.3bn (£5.5bn), as it took a dual hit from both a real estate downturn in Hong Kong, and a lawsuit over the Bernard Madoff ponzi scheme. It came as the London-based bank reported a 24% jump in operating costs to $10

After my car was damaged in a Tesco car wash it has washed its hands of my complaint

The tail spoiler and brake light of my car were ripped off in an automated car wash which I use regularly at my local Tesco superstore. Staff there commented on the frequency with which cars are damaged. The repair cost has been estimated at £750, but Tesco is refusing to accept liability. It cites a maintenance report, prepared by the company it contracts to provide and maintain the car washes, which apparently found no fault. It refused to let me see the report because of “company policy”

More than a million people every week show suicidal intent when chatting with ChatGPT, OpenAI estimates

More than a million ChatGPT users each week send messages that include “explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent”, according to a blogpost published by OpenAI on Monday. The finding, part of an update on how the chatbot handles sensitive conversations, is one of the most direct statements from the artificial intelligence giant on the scale of how AI can exacerbate mental health issues.In addition to its estimates on suicidal ideations and related interactions, OpenAI also said that about 0.07 of users active in a given week – about 560,000 of its touted 800m weekly users – show “possible signs of mental health emergencies related to psychosis or mania”. The post cautioned that these conversations were difficult to detect or measure, and that this was an initial analysis

Amazon plans to cut 30,000 corporate jobs in response to pandemic overhiring

Amazon is preparing to lay off tens of thousands of corporate workers, reversing its pandemic hiring spree. The cuts come months after the retail giant’s CEO warned white-collar employees their jobs could be taken by artificial intelligence.The Seattle-based technology firm is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning Tuesday, media outlets including Reuters and the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, as it tries to cut costs and undo the vast recruitment drive it embarked on at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, which unleashed an extraordinary – but fleeting – surge in demand for online shopping.While the layoffs would represent a small portions of Amazon’s sprawling global workforce of 1.55 million employees, they would hit about 10% of its roughly 350,000 corporate employees

Freeman’s walk-off homer lifts Dodgers over Blue Jays in 18-inning World Series epic

Freddie Freeman hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 18th inning to give the Dodgers a 6–5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, pushing Los Angeles to a 2–1 lead in the best-of-seven tilt.The 6hr 39min epic at Dodger Stadium tied the longest Fall Classic contest ever played by innings and ended only after both teams burned through double-digit pitchers, emptied their benches, and watched multiple would-be walk-offs fall short at the warning track. It also came on a night when Shohei Ohtani delivered one of the most remarkable postseason performances in baseball history.ScheduleBest-of-seven series. All times Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)

Socceroos fans divided over new FA+ paid membership offering fast access to World Cup tickets

Football Australia has launched a new paid membership tier giving Socceroos fans priority access to tickets for next year’s World Cup.But if there are more paid members than Australia’s ticket allocation for the tournament in North America, there is no guarantee that stumping up the $99 annual fee will secure a seat.The new offering FA+, which is being marketed primarily as the “gateway to the 2026 World Cup”, has drawn a mixed response from Socceroos fans, with some reluctant to pay a premium without the promise of a certain ticket.The deal also includes discounted tickets to Socceroos and Matildas home matches and Australia Cup and Australian Championship games, “special access” at open training sessions, a $20 merchandise voucher, invitations to events, partner discounts and insider content.After the World Cup draw on 6 December when the Socceroos will learn against who and where they will play their group stage games, members of the new scheme will be able to enter a ballot in a bid to secure tickets