Wednesday newspaper round-up: Royal Mail, Meta, Quiz, Darktrace

(Sharecast News) - Royal Mail has been criticised for offering an "unacceptable" performance over the crucial Christmas period after it failed to deliver letters and cards on time to about 16 million people, Citizens Advice found. The consumer watchdog, which carried out research into Christmas deliveries, said that figure was 50% higher than in 2024, and the highest level over the festive period in five years, excluding when Royal Mail was hit by strike action in the run-up to Christmas four years ago. - Guardian Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's chief executive, approved allowing minors to access artificial intelligence chatbot companions that safety staffers warned were capable of sexual interactions, according to internal Meta documents filed in a New Mexico state court case and made public on Monday. The lawsuit - brought by the state's attorney general, Raul Torrez, and scheduled for trial next month - alleges Meta "failed to stem the tide of damaging sexual material and sexual propositions delivered to children" on Facebook and Instagram. - Guardian

The first and only female president of Opec accepted cash bribes and luxury perks, a London court has heard. Diezani Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting £40,000 for gardening and Christmas decorations as a bribe when she served as Nigeria's oil minister. The allegation also claims the gifts were from oil tycoons - including a £2m Harrods shopping spree, which included the purchase of two high-end cross trainers worth nearly £11,000 each. - Telegraph

The owners of fast fashion chain Quiz are racing to secure a rescue financing package following "disappointing" Christmas sales. It forms part of radical plans being studied to put the retailer on a firmer footing as it battles an onslaught of cost increases and struggles to compete with the might of Chinese e-commerce giants Shein and Temu. Quiz has more than 40 stores and employs an estimated 1,000 staff. The company's founders are understood to be considering drafting in advisers to draw up a range of options, including new financing and possible store closures, in an effort to secure its future. - Telegraph

The chief executive of Darktrace has been forced out by the board after just 16 months in a surprise move that marks the latest chapter in the British cybersecurity group's turbulent history. Jill Popelka will be replaced with immediate effect by Charles Goodman, Darktrace's chairman, on an interim basis while the former London-listed company searches for a new boss. - The Times