Marks & Spencer’s cyber-trauma is bad, but clearly manageable

You can tell Marks & Spencer is recovering from its cyber-attack trauma because Stuart Machin, the chief executive, now has time to indulge in some chancellor-baiting.Rachel Reeves’ pre-budget speech on Tuesday was a “nothing” announcement, said Machin, that will just make consumers more worried. Even his mum had been calling him to debate what it meant.He makes a fair point. The warmup to the budget has been far too drawn-out and the chancellor’s clunky exercise this week in trying to manage expectations, even if it was primarily aimed at the bond market, only added to the sense of confusion

‘A lifeline’: how fashion designers came to love the high street collab

When the boss of Marks & Spencer reported a drop in clothing sales in its latest half-year results on Wednesday, he was keen to stress the problems were down to spring’s devastating cyber-attack and “not due to lack of demand”.Stuart Machin said the once-staid retailer had been “inundated with requests” for its fashion range, which has been revitalised in recent years and was again lifted by last year’s collaboration with designer Bella Freud.On Thursday last week, M&S launched a fresh tie-up, this time with London fashion label 16Arlington. With sequin dresses, statement evening coats and tops with feather detail, it’s set for the festive party season.It came on the same day H&M unveiled a similar venture with Glenn Martens, the Belgian designer about to take over at Maison Margiela

Amazon sues AI startup over browser’s automated shopping and buying feature

Amazon sued a prominent artificial intelligence startup on Tuesday over a shopping feature in the company’s browser, which can automate placing orders for users. Amazon accused Perplexity AI of covertly accessing customer accounts and disguising AI activity as human browsing.“Perplexity’s misconduct must end,” Amazon’s lawyers wrote. “Perplexity is not allowed to go where it has been expressly told it cannot; that Perplexity’s trespass involves code rather than a lockpick makes it no less unlawful.”Perplexity, which has grown rapidly amid the boom in AI assistants, has previously rejected the US shopping company’s claims, accusing Amazon of using its market dominance to stifle competition

Google plans to put datacentres in space to meet demand for AI

Google is hatching plans to put artificial intelligence datacentres into space, with its first trial equipment sent into orbit in early 2027.Its scientists and engineers believe tightly packed constellations of about 80 solar-powered satellites could be arranged in orbit about 400 miles above the Earth’s surface equipped with the powerful processors required to meet rising demand for AI.Prices of space launches are falling so quickly that by the middle of the 2030s the running costs of a space-based datacentre could be comparable to one on Earth, according to Google research released on Tuesday.Using satellites could also minimise the impact on the land and water resources needed to cool existing datacentres.Once in orbit, the datacentres would be powered by solar panels that can be up to eight times more productive than those on Earth

WTA Finals tennis: Anisimova sends Swiatek out; Rybakina beats Alexandrova – as it happened

Amanda Anisimova fought past Iga Swiatek 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 in a winner-takes-all match at the WTA Finals on Wednesday to join Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals and stay in the hunt for a first crown on her debut in the season-ending championship.The stage was set for the highly-anticipated clash between the pair after Swiatek routed Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to lift her maiden Wimbledon crown in July, before the American gained revenge in the US Open quarter-finals in September.Following a fierce start to their latest meeting and 12 straight holds of serve, Poland’s Swiatek raised her level to seize control of the first set in the tiebreak, clinching it when Anisimova struck a forehand long.The war of attrition continued in the second set, before Anisimova ramped up the intensity on her forehand and earned the first break of the match in the 10th game to force a decider at the King Saud University Sports Arena.With confidence flowing, Anisimova carved out another break to surge 3-1 ahead in the third set and shift the pressure onto world No 2 Swiatek, and the resilient 24-year-old stayed firm from there and completed her comeback victory

McIlroy thanks PGA chief for Ryder Cup apology and questions LIV changes

Rory McIlroy says the PGA of America chief executive, Derek Sprague, apologized personally for the abuse directed at the world No 2 and his wife during Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black, and that the gesture helped to close the book on what had been a bruising week.“I got a lovely email from Derek Sprague apologizing,” McIlroy told BBC Sport ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. “Erica worked with Derek at the PGA of America back in the day, so we know Derek and his wife pretty well. He couldn’t have been more gracious or apologetic and he wrote us a lovely letter, which we really appreciated.”A beer hurled from the stands struck Erica’s hat during the fiery three-day contest, in which McIlroy became a lightning rod for a raucous home crowd