BBC threatens legal action against AI start-up Perplexity over content scraping, FT reports

June 20 (Reuters) - UK broadcaster BBC is threatening legal action against AI search engine Perplexity, as it seeks to crack down on tech companies scraping its vast content archives to train artificial intelligence models, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

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The Independent

41 minutes ago

• The Independent

Personal insolvencies 5% higher in May than same month of 2024, figures show

The number of people going financially insolvent across England and Wales in May was 5% higher than the same month in 2024, according to Insolvency Service figures. In May 2025, 10,014 people entered insolvency, including bankruptcies, debt relief orders (DROs) and individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs), a total which was broadly unchanged compared with 10,060 insolvencies in April 2025. The Insolvency Service said DRO numbers have remained similar to the record high levels seen over the past 12 months, with 3,783 cases recorded in May. The report said: 'DRO numbers have been at record high monthly numbers since the abolition of the upfront £90 fee in April 2024, with the 45,802 DROs in the past 12 months being nearly twice as high as the long-term annual average.' In June 2024, DRO eligibility was expanded. The debt threshold was increased from £30,000 to £50,000 and the allowable value of an exempt motor vehicle was increased from £2,000 to £4,000. IVA numbers this year so far have remained in line with monthly averages seen last year. The report added: 'The 5,583 IVAs registered in May 2025 was similar to April 2025 and 13% higher than in May 2024.' With 648 cases recorded, bankruptcy numbers were 4% higher than in May 2024, but remained at less than half of pre-2020 levels. In addition to the formal insolvencies, there were 7,805 'breathing space' registrations recorded under the Debt Respite Scheme in May 2025 – 2% higher than in May 2024. Of the breathing space registrations, 7,684 were standard breathing space registrations and 121 were mental health breathing space registrations. The scheme gives people with problem debt a period of protection from their creditors, enabling them to access professional debt advice, without the stress caused by spiralling debt and looming enforcement action. A standard breathing space gives people with problem debt legal protections from creditor action for up to 60 days. A mental health crisis breathing space is available to those receiving mental health crisis treatment. It lasts as long as the person's mental health crisis treatment, plus 30 days. Households faced various bill increases in April, putting an additional strain on some people's finances. The number of company insolvencies in England and Wales was 2,238 in May 2025 – a 15% jump compared with May 2024. Monthly company insolvency numbers in the first five months of 2025 were slightly higher than in 2024 and at a similar level to 2023, which saw a 30-year high annual number of insolvencies, the Insolvency Service said. The company insolvency rate remains much lower than the peak of 113.1 per 10,000 companies seen during the 2008-09 financial downturn, the report said, adding: 'This is because the number of companies on the effective register has more than doubled over this period.'

Finextra

an hour ago

• Finextra

Payabl. integrates Prestashop into e-commerce platforms, enabling seamless payments for merchants

European fintech provider payabl. has announced the launch of a new integration with PrestaShop, one of Europe's leading open-source e-commerce platforms. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. The newly available plug-in allows PrestaShop users to connect to payabl.'s end-to-end payment infrastructure, giving online merchants access to over 300 local payment methods, card acquiring, multi-currency support, fraud prevention, and real-time reporting – all through a seamless checkout experience. Through this integration, PrestaShop's 250,000 merchants will now have the option to easily connect to payabl.'s technology and offer customers a seamless, secure, and scalable checkout experience. The plug-in enables merchants to accept card payments and 300+ local payment methods, supporting multi-currency transactions, built-in fraud prevention, and real-time reporting. While e-commerce sales in Europe are expected to surpass €565 billion by 2029*, payabl.'s research has shown 43% of consumers say that they would not return to a retailer after a poor checkout experience**, making the payment experience central to maximising this growth opportunity. This integration means PrestaShop's merchants can feel confident they are offering their customers an improved checkout experience with less friction, as well as faster and safer transactions. Today's announcement reflects payabl.'s commitment to simplifying payment processes for merchants and making secure, scalable solutions accessible across Europe. By launching this integration, payabl. aims to offer PrestaShop merchants an enhanced checkout experience while expanding its presence across one of the largest e-commerce ecosystems in the region. Ugne Buraciene, Group CEO of payabl., said: 'E-commerce continues to grow at pace across Europe, and making payabl.'s technology available to PrestaShop merchants is a natural step in our mission to support businesses with robust, scalable payment solutions. 'Today's consumers expect checkout experiences that are simple, fast, and secure — and our integration is designed to help merchants deliver exactly that. With payabl., businesses using PrestaShop can focus on growth while relying on a frictionless, secure payment infrastructure that keeps up with evolving customer demands.' European e-commerce expansion Reversing the immediate post-pandemic trend of in-store buying, e-commerce sales are now predicted to grow 7.8%. According to Forrester, this will increase by 16% from €389 billion in 2024 to €565 billion in 2029, with contributing factors including a stronger economy, the increasing adoption of omnichannel strategies, better price transparency, and cross-border marketplace expansion. In response to this accelerating demand, payabl. has made its advanced payment technology available to online merchants using the PrestaShop platform. The integration supports the growing need for secure, efficient, and scalable payment solutions across Europe and beyond. payabl. is a leading financial technology provider, delivering end-to-end payment solutions across card acquiring, local payment methods, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, multi-currency business accounts, and card issuing. Its gateway enables merchants to accept card payments and over 300 local methods globally, with seamless integration, real-time reporting, and dedicated support. Combining advanced payment technology with built-in fraud prevention and a high-touch service model, payabl. empowers businesses to grow faster with secure, scalable, and innovative payments.

Reuters

an hour ago

• Reuters

Pirelli boss says issues with China's Sinochem will be fixed

MILAN, June 20 (Reuters) - Pirelli ( opens new tab chief Marco Tronchetti Provera said on Friday the tensions at the tyremaker involving China's state-controlled Sinochem ( opens new tab, its main shareholder, are on the way to being resolved. Sinochem, which owns a 37% stake, has crossed swords with the company and its second largest shareholder Camfin, which claim that a large Chinese presence in Pirelli poses a threat to its ambitions to expand its business in the United States. Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli's executive vice chairman, controller of Camfin and de facto top boss, said at a conference in Milan that the company was on the right track towards a positive outcome.