Wednesday newspaper round-up: News Corp, BBC, Asda

(Sharecast News) - News Corp's global chief executive has described news organisations as a valuable "input" for artificial intelligence, as the media empire signs an AI content licensing deal with Meta worth up to US$50m (A$71m) a year. In an upbeat presentation, the chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's company, Robert Thomson, said the "reliable" breaking news and information in publications like the Australian, the Times of London and Dow Jones was "hard to beat" as an "input" for AI. - Guardian Labour's stealth raid on workers will drive Britain's tax burden up to a fresh record high, rising further and faster than previously forecast. Taxes will rake in £1.4tn per year by the start of the next decade, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), up from £1.2tn today. That is equivalent to 38.5pc of GDP, up from 36.3pc in this financial year and higher than the 38.3pc predicted by the OBR at the time of Rachel Reeves's Budget in November. - Telegraph

The BBC's chief operating officer has resigned, becoming the third senior executive departure at the broadcaster in four months, as the corporation pushes ahead with a cost-cutting drive. Leigh Tavaziva, who spent five years at the BBC, told staff on Tuesday that she would be stepping down in September to "pursue new opportunities". In a resignation email, Ms Tavaziva said she would be leaving amid a restructuring of the BBC's product and technology divisions, with the company set to combine teams from its public service and its BBC Studios commercial arm. - Telegraph

Private investors facing multimillion-pound losses in the £2 billion collapse of a UK mortgage lender have met to discuss "collective action" to protect their interests. Individual investors and Wall Street and City institutions have been caught up in the failure of Market Financial Solutions, a provider of bridging loans and buy-to-let mortgages. The Mayfair-based group was placed into administration last week after a High Court judge said insolvency practitioners needed to investigate claims of fraud. - The Times

The chairman of Asda has reaffirmed his determination to appoint the supermarket's next chief executive from within its existing ranks, arguing that the business is too complex and culturally distinct to be run by an outsider. Allan Leighton, who returned to Asda as executive chairman in November 2024, said he remained committed to promoting from within the current crop of executives once he was satisfied the grocer was firmly back on track. - The Times