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Thursday newspaper round-up: Bank payments, GB News, OpenAI

(Sharecast News) - Sellafield will have to pay almost £400,000 after it pleaded guilty to criminal charges over years of cybersecurity failings at Britain's most hazardous nuclear site. The vast nuclear waste dump in Cumbria left information that could threaten national security exposed for four years, according to the industry regulator, which brought the charges. It was also found that 75% of its computer servers were vulnerable to cyber-attack. - Guardian Bank payments can be delayed by an extra three days if lenders suspect consumers are being scammed, as part of a crackdown on booming levels of digital fraud in Britain. Under changes designed to protect consumers against online scams, high street banks are to be handed new powers by the Treasury to delay and investigate payments suspected of being fraudulent. - Guardian

GB News has launched a High Court challenge against Ofcom in a dramatic escalation of its row with the media regulator over impartiality. The High Court has allocated three hours on Thursday morning to an application by GB News against the regulator. Ahead of looming sanctions from Ofcom, it is understood that the broadcaster is applying for "interim relief", a form of short-term protection during legal proceedings, in a highly unusual move for a broadcaster. - Telegraph

A lack of clarity around Rachel Reeves's proposed tax rises is scaring off shoppers, the boss of Sainsbury's has warned. Simon Roberts said customers were holding off on buying big-ticket items amid uncertainty regarding the Budget, which the Chancellor has said will involve "difficult decisions" on tax. He said households needed more information on planned moves, saying they "inevitably are wanting to be clearer about what's going to happen next". - Telegraph

OpenAI has raised $6.6 billion in a fundraising round that values the ChatGPT maker at $157 billion, underscoring the scale of investor optimism around artificial intelligence technology. The company, based in San Francisco, said the investment will allow it to redouble its efforts on AI research, increase computing capacity and continue building problem-solving tools. It is one of the largest private investments on record. - The Times

A third of homes currently up for sale are chain-free as landlords and second-home owners look to sell amid fears over possible capital gains tax changes. The number of house sales being agreed is up 25 per cent versus this time last year, with Zoopla, the property search website, saying that rising sales volumes are being supported by new listings coming to market. - The Times

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Thursday newspaper round-up: John Lewis Partnership, Ineos, Telegraph Media Group
(Sharecast News) - The owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has tripled profits to £126m but workers at the staff-owned retail group have missed out on a bonus for a third year in a row. The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) said sales rose 3% to £12.8bn in the 12 months to 25 January 2025, as underlying profit rose from £42m. However, the company said it was prioritising investment over the bonus with plans to spend £600m on transforming the business. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: ONS, Toyota, Reach
(Sharecast News) - The UK's embattled statistics agency cannot reverse a pandemic-era decision to release official data on the state of the economy before financial markets open because its creaking website could crash, it has emerged. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had sought views on whether to revert to releasing statistics - such as GDP and inflation data - at 9.30am. The releases were moved forward to 7am in March 2020 to allow investors time to digest consequential data - such as the subsequent record contraction in the economy - before the start of London stock market trading at 8am. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Jes Staley, Unilever, ONS
(Sharecast News) - Environmental campaigners will challenge the granting of a high-interest £3bn emergency loan to struggling Thames Water at an appeal on Tuesday, arguing the "eye-watering" costs for a short-term fix are not in the public interest. With protests planned outside the court of appeal, Charlie Maynard, a Liberal Democrat MP who represents the campaigners, will argue in a three-day hearing that the public and consumer interest is not served by the debt package, which comes with a bill of almost £1bn in interest payments and financial adviser fees. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Hiring, Starlink, Thames Water
(Sharecast News) - Companies are putting the brakes on hiring new staff amid a "subdued" economic outlook and rising wage bills, according to the latest business surveys. In signs of a weakening UK labour market, the consultancy KPMG and the trade body the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said a marked decline in the number of people being placed in permanent and temporary roles continued in February, although hiring declined at a slower pace than in January. - Guardian

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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