Lloyds Banking Group announced plans to close another 95 branches across the UK between May 2024 and March 2027, as reported by BBC Business. This latest round of closures, which includes 53 Lloyds, 31 Halifax, and 11 Bank of Scotland sites, is part of an ongoing program that will leave the banking group with 610 branches remaining once complete.
According to a spokesperson for Lloyds, the closures reflect evolving customer preferences. "Customers want the freedom to bank in the way that works for them and we offer," the spokesperson stated. The bank emphasized that it provides various options for customers to manage their finances. This announcement follows an earlier plan to shut down 49 sites by October.
In other news, Italy's government approved a new bill aimed at curbing undocumented immigration, as reported by Al Jazeera. The bill includes provisions for using the navy to block incoming migrant ships in certain circumstances, stricter border surveillance, and an expanded list of convictions leading to the expulsion of foreigners. The cabinet of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni greenlighted the migration bill on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in Argentina, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Buenos Aires to oppose labor reforms that would restrict the right to strike and reduce employment benefits, according to Al Jazeera. Demonstrations occurred as the country's Senate debated the legislation, championed by President Javier Milei. The reforms are seen as an attempt to curb the power of organized labor.
In technology news, Robert Tinney, the illustrator whose work defined the look of Byte magazine for over a decade, died at the age of 78 on February 1, according to Ars Technica. Tinney's airbrushed cover paintings translated complex topics like artificial intelligence and programming into vivid visuals for a generation of computer enthusiasts. He created more than 80 covers for Byte from 1975 to the late 1980s.
Finally, a campaign called "QuitGPT" is urging people to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions, as reported by MIT Technology Review. The campaign highlights a contribution by OpenAI president Greg Brockman to President Donald Trump's super PAC MAGA Inc., and the use of a ChatGPT-4 powered résumé screening tool by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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