MySQL string replace
UPDATE your_table
SET your_field = REPLACE(your_field, 'articles/updates/', 'articles/news/')
WHERE your_field LIKE '%articles/updates/%'
Now rows that were like
http://www.example.com/articles/updates/43
will be
http://www.example.com/articles/news/43
http://www.electrictoolbox.com/mysql-find-replace-text/
Yes, MySQL has a REPLACE() function:
mysql> SELECT REPLACE('www.mysql.com', 'w', 'Ww');
-> 'WwWwWw.mysql.com'
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/string-functions.html#function_replace
Note that it's easier if you make that an alias when using SELECT
SELECT REPLACE(string_column, 'search', 'replace') as url....