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

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