The Co-op fights attempted hack as M&S cyber attack rages on April 30, 2025 The Co-op has been forced to shut off parts of its IT systems after it was confronted with an attempted hack. The Manchester-headquartered group has confirmed some of its back office and call centre services have been impacted. However, it added that all its stores, including grocery and funeral homes are trading as usual. A [...]
Zoopla: Rightmove rival handed £500m price tag April 30, 2025 Online property portal Zoopla has been put up for sale with an asking price of around £500m, it is understood. The company, which was launched in 2008, has put on the market by Silver Lake Partners which has owned the group it forms a part of following a £1.6bn deal in 2018. That group also includes [...]
Meta launches ChatGPT rival app ahead of key earnings April 29, 2025 Meta platforms debuted its standalone AI app on Tuesday, marking its most direct move yet against OpenAI’s ChatGPT – and doing so just 24 hours ahead of its first earnings report of the year. The app, built on Meta’s llama models, features on AI assistant, image generation, and a ‘discover’ feed to showcase user prompts, [...]
Vinted launches venture capital arm with eye on UK start-ups April 29, 2025 Vinted, the Lithuanian-founded secondhand marketplace, has launched its own venture capital (VC) arm and is eyeing UK start-ups. The move adds new competition to the UK’s fast expanding, re-commerce and resale market, now worth already £7bn, as major platforms look to capitalise on shifting consumer habits driven by inflation and sustainability concerns. Vinted Ventures will [...]
Bezos takes on Musk as Amazon launches Starlink rival April 29, 2025 Amazon has launched 27 satellites for Project Kuiper, its long-planned broadband network designed to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink. The satellites lifted off aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket from Florida last night, after an earlier attempt was postponed due to bad weather conditions. The launch marks the beginning of Amazon’s deployment of over 3,200 [...]
AI use rising in legal services, but public trust remains low April 29, 2025 While AI’s potential to reduce costs and improve efficiency is making waves within the industry, both public and legal professionals remain cautious about fully embracing the technology, especially for legally complex issues. A recent survey by Robin AI found that only 10 per cent of people fully trust law firms, with only 30 pert cent [...]
M&S breach exposes retail sector’s security risks April 28, 2025 Marks and Spencer (M&S) has been grappling with a serious cyber attack that forced the retailer to suspend online orders, disrupted in-store operations, and blocked its remote staff from working on its system. The attack, which began over the Easter weekend, has left M&S unable to fulfil many customer orders – driving its stock down [...]
NHS app set to slash waiting times, but concerns remain April 28, 2025 As the government continues its push to expand the NHS app in an effort to reduce waiting times and improve efficiency, concerns are mounting over the potential drawbacks and accessibility of the app for all patients. The Department of Health and Social Care recently announced that the expanded NHS app has already helped prevent 1.5m [...]
Masterchef maker eyes ITV takeover April 28, 2025 French media group Banijay is in early stage talks over a potential takeover for British broadcaster ITV or its studio division. Banijay, the producer behind shows including Masterchef, Peaky Blinders and Big Brother, has explored several options, first reported by the Financial Times. These include a full acquisition of ITV, or a more contained bid [...]
Dolls, brands and biases: How businesses are using AI image generation April 26, 2025 In recent weeks, a viral trend has emerged, where people use AI to create their own personalised barbie-like dolls, using platforms like ChatGPT. What started as a fun, self-expression experiment soon gained popularity, giving rise to a phenomenon now dubbed “barbification”. The trend allowed users to transform themselves into digital dolls, creating hyper-realised versions of [...]