Industry
Barclays to cut 5,000 jobs as bank's bosses hail AI productivity advances
Barclays' strong performance included a 6% rise in net interest income at its UK retail banking operations, to £2bn. Barclays' strong performance included a 6% rise in net interest income at its UK retail banking operations, to £2bn. Barclays to cut 5,000 jobs as bank's bosses hail AI productivity advances Barclays is cutting 5,000 jobs as part of wider cost-cutting plans that its bosses say are being driven by advances in AI. The job cuts will mean losing about 5% of the bank's 93,000 global staff, with executives confirming they had already cut 1,000 workers since the start of the year. The bank's chief financial officer, Anna Cross, told reporters on Thursday that the job cuts were part of plans to save more than £1.1bn in 2027.
Block ads on 9 devices with lifetime access to AdGuard Family for just 14.97
The Dell Laptop Buying Guide UK: Which Dell Laptop Should You Buy? When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. New users can get an AdGuard Family Plan lifetime subscription for just $14.97 (MSRP $169.99), with ad blocking, privacy protection, and parental controls for up to 9 devices. Your browser doesn't need another pop-up competing for your attention. For just $14.97 (MSRP $169.99), the AdGuard Family Plan lifetime subscription gives new users ad blocking, privacy protection, and parental controls for 9 devices--all with one payment.
SoftBank market value halves from peak as AI fears grow
SoftBank Group's market value halved from its peak in June. SoftBank Group's market value halved from its peak in June, as higher borrowing costs fuel investor concerns over the sustainability of its massive investments in artificial intelligence. Shares of the Tokyo-based company fell 6.9% on Thursday, taking their drop from an all-time high struck on June 2 to 50%, with earnings from U.S. megacaps failing to ease the angst. After briefly overtaking Toyota as Japan's biggest company four months ago, its market capitalization is now about ¥24.7 trillion ($157 billion), smaller than that of Hitachi and Recruit. Global concerns over AI spending had accelerated after U.S.-based cloud-computing provider CoreWeave's bonds fell to levels associated with distress, exposing financing risks across the industry. "SoftBank's vulnerability stands out as investors increasingly scrutinize the financial health of AI-related companies, given the group's highly leveraged financial structure and growing borrowing costs," said Kazuyuki Muramatsu, head of investment management at Nagomi Capital.
AI firms say UK has a year to head off datacentre protests before construction is threatened
AI companies have told ministers they have 12 months to head off public opposition to datacentres in the UK or risk US-style protests that could threaten their construction. Successive dry summers and rising energy bills are increasing public scrutiny of plans for the huge computer warehouses that are used to train and run AI models, says a submission to the Labour government from a group including the AI infrastructure companies Nvidia, Microsoft and Cisco. Amid increasing anti-datacentre activism in the US and Europe, they are calling on ministers to create a "compact" that would show how communities can benefit from hosting datacentres, including allowing councils that host them to retain more tax revenues. The move by the Sovereign AI Leadership (SAIL) taskforce reflects rising concern among tech companies that arguments that have blocked datacentre developments in parts of the US are taking hold in Britain. Microsoft has promised to invest $30bn (£22bn) in UK AI infrastructure.
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for October 22, 2026
Safety Net Creator Playbook Trending Now Mashable Selects Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Getting Technical with Mashable Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Say More Versus In My Bag Mashable @Home All Series Today's will be easier for people who are fans of the New York Giants As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original, the game is all about finding the common threads between words. And just like, resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier -- so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
NYT Pips hints, answers for October 22, 2026
Safety Net Creator Playbook Trending Now Mashable Selects Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Getting Technical with Mashable Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Say More Versus In My Bag Mashable @Home All Series We have everything you need right here. Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the catalog. Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit. Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered!
UK working to identify exposure after global cyber-security warning
The UK government says it is working to actively identify and patch any potential exposure in its online services, after vulnerabilities were identified in the PHP programming language that underpins a significant number of the world's websites. Governments and some of the world's biggest companies, including Amazon, were scrambling to protect their systems on Thursday before hackers could exploit them. The flaws were first discovered by AI, after which governments and agencies urged websites to address them. Amazon was targeted in multiple attempts, which it said occurred before an embargo on the warning was lifted. It added that it was unclear how actors knew about the vulnerabilities.
What is PHP and why did it spark a global cyber-security scramble?
What is PHP and why did it spark a global cyber-security scramble? For more than a decade, serious flaws had gone undetected in technology underpinning much of the internet. It took artificial intelligence (AI) to bring them to light and caused a global cyber-security alert. The vulnerabilities lie within a programming language called PHP, which has been used internationally since the 2000s to build websites. Governments and cyber-security agencies around the world scrambled to contain the fallout of this discovery on Wednesday, and have urged website operators to install a new emergency fix or consider taking their platforms offline.
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 22, 2026
Safety Net Creator Playbook Trending Now Mashable Selects Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Getting Technical with Mashable Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Say More Versus In My Bag Mashable @Home All Series Everything you need to solve'Connections' #1229. The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're an artist. The game is all about finding the common threads between words. And just like, resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier--so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's solution.
NYT Strands hints, answers for October 22, 2026
Safety Net Creator Playbook Trending Now Mashable Selects Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Getting Technical with Mashable Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Say More Versus In My Bag Mashable @Home All Series Every hint, nudge and outright answer you need to complete today's NYT Strands puzzle. Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you have a large family. Strands, the ' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters -- up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer.