Business
Co-op expected to reveal financial hit from cyber attack
The Co-operative Group is expected to shed light on the impact of a damaging cyber attack in its first financial update since being targeted by hackers.
Shoppers were faced with empty shelves and issues with payments during the fallout from the cyber incident in April, as a raft of retailers were hit.
On Thursday, the retail and funerals specialist will reveal its results for the first half of 2025, covering the period when it was hit hard by the cyber attack.
The company shut off parts of its IT systems after the attack, in which hackers accessed and extracted members’ personal data.
In July, the company confirmed that all 6.5 million members of the Co-op had their data stolen in the incident.
Chief executive Shirine Khoury-Haq said she was “devastated” by the impact of the incident on workers and members.
She told the BBC that “names, addresses and contact information” for all of its members were accessed.
The boss said the hackers created a copy of one of the firm’s files but were unable to attack its platforms further and install planned ransomware.
However, the company has not yet revealed the full financial impact of the crime, which affected store transactions and product availability.
The cyber attack was one of several against UK retailers, with both Marks & Spencer and Harrods also significantly impacted.
Marks & Spencer, which stopped all online sales for six weeks following its hack, said it faced a £300 million financial hit.
The Co-op’s cyber incident came amid a challenging period for the retailer, which is facing higher costs and pressure on consumer confidence from the rising cost of living.
Last year, the company reported improved profits but warned in April it would face more than £200 million in costs and spending pressures in 2025.
The retail group warned cost hits would include another £80 million from the impact of shoplifting across its retail estate, following a similar bill in 2024, and £50 million from the increase in national insurance contributions.
The group saw revenues grow by 1.5% on a pro-forma 52-week basis to £11.3 billion for last year.
Recent statistics from industry experts at Worldpanel have pointed to weaker sales in recent months.
Figures from earlier this week, indicated that the Co-op saw sales slip by around 2% over the 12 weeks to September 7, compared with the same period a year earlier.
The data also indicated that the retailer has lost market share in the UK grocery sector over the past year as a result.
Nevertheless, the data focuses purely on the group’s grocery business and compares the retailer directly with much larger supermarket stores from rivals including Tesco.
Business
Planning Your Taxes For 2026? What Freelancers And Gig Workers Should Know
Income doesn’t come regularly
Freelancers earn from different clients at different times, making it hard to know the final income figure early

Multiple clients mean scattered TDS
Tax is deducted by many payers under different sections, and details don’t always update together in AIS or Form 26AS.

Income details settle very late
Many payments and TDS entries appear only near the year-end, delaying tax calculations.

First-time taxpayers lack clarity
Young gig workers often don’t know ITR deadlines, advance tax rules, or penalties for late filing.

Paperwork isn’t ready on time
Forms like 16A, invoices, bank statements, and expense bills are often unorganised or missing.

TDS deducted ≠ filing done
A common myth is that if tax is already deducted, filing the return is optional. It’s not.

Refund expected, filing delayed
Many assume that if no tax is payable or refund is due, filing late won’t matter — but penalties still apply.

E-verification gets ignored
Returns filed but not verified within 30 days are treated as invalid, almost like not filing at all.

Portal issues at the last moment
Heavy traffic, OTP failures, and technical errors near deadlines push filings beyond the due date.

No regular income tracking system
Not maintaining client-wise records of invoices, payments, and TDS creates confusion at filing time.

Deductions are gathered too late
Proofs for insurance, mutual funds, PPF, health cover, or tuition fees are often collected at the last minute.
Business
SFIO probes IndusInd’s Rs 1,960 crore derivatives hole – The Times of India
MUMBAI: Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has opened a formal probe into IndusInd Bank after a Dec 23, 2025 letter triggered an investigation under the Companies Act, 2013, over accounting lapses tied to internal derivative trades.In a filing, the bank said SFIO, under the MCA, seeks information after the lender flagged on June 2 issues spanning internal derivatives, unsubstantiated “other assets/liabilities”, and microfinance interest/fee income. It disclosed the update on Dec 18, pledged full cooperation, and posted details on its website.Derivatives irregularities have hit P&L by about Rs 1,960 crore as of March 31, 2025, eroding reported net worth by roughly 2.3% as of Dec 2024. Earlier profits were overstated as notional gains flowed into P&L while losses sat parked as assets, inflating NII and earnings quality. The derivatives irregularities saw several members of the senior management stepping down with the board bringing in Rajiv Anand from Axis Bank to head the private lender.The bank recognised the losses, absorbed pain in its FY25 earnings which tipped the bank into a Q4 FY25 net loss after one-off write-offs/provisions. Capital/net worth took a 2–2.5% post-tax hit, trimming buffers and nudging growth appetite and capital pricing.The derivatives loss resulted in the shares of the bank sliding as investors reassessed earnings credibility and governance. The scrutiny also sharpened on the board/management/audit committees, intensifying regulatory pressure and SFIO oversight.
Business
Navi Mumbai airport opens today with 30 domestic flights – The Times of India
MUMBAI: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) opens to commercial operations on Thursday after years of missed deadlines, opening a second gateway for air travel in the Mumbai region. The day will see four airlines operating about 30 domestic flights at India’s newest greenfield airport. The first scheduled arrival will be an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru, touching down at 8 am, while the first departure will also be operated by IndiGo, a morning service from Navi Mumbai to Hyderabad, scheduled to take off at 8.40 am. The terminal building will open to departure passengers around 6.40 am, said an NMIA spokesperson.“On Day One, domestic services will be operated by IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air connecting NMIA to nine destinations across India. The airport will handle 15 scheduled departures on the first day,” said an NMIA spokesperson.“During the initial phase, NMIA will operate between 8 am and 8 pm, with up to 24 scheduled daily departures to 13 destinations and the capability to manage up to 10 aircraft movements per hour. From Feb 2026, operations are planned to progressively scale up to round-the-clock services,” the spokesperson added. “Passenger services from day one will be supported by Digi Yatra-enabled contactless processing at designated touchpoints, along with trained terminal staff across kerbside, check-in, security and boarding areas,” the spokesperson said. Conventional check-in counters too will be available for passengers not opting for Digiyatra. Retail and food and beverage offerings have been curated with a focus on affordability and local preferences, the airport said.In its initial phase, NMIA opens with terminal 1 and one operational runway; the terminal building has a capacity to handle 20 million passengers annually, but it is expected to touch that number before mid-2026. The terminal building can accommodate about 2-3 million passengers beyond its declared capacity. The new airport is 45-50 km from North Mumbai, 35-40 km from South Mumbai and 35-45 km from the eastern suburbs.
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