Orange Business and Toshiba Europe have launched France’s first commercial quantum-safe network service in Paris.
The Orange Quantum Defender, now living in the greater Paris region, aims to shield organisations from cyber threats posed by future quantum computing capabilities.
The service combines Toshiba’s Quantum Key Distribution and Post-Quantum Cryptography technologies to protect sensitive data with a multi-layered approach. A major French financial institution already uses the network to safeguard its critical infrastructure.
After years of testing, the partners confirmed the system works over existing fibre networks, cutting costs and easing enterprise adoption.
Leaders at both companies say the launch marks a turning point in cybersecurity preparedness for the quantum age.
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At London Tech Week, Darktrace and UK officials warned that many firms are over-relying on AI tools while failing to implement basic cybersecurity practices.
Despite the hype around AI, essential measures like user access control and system segmentation remain missing in many organisations.
Cybercriminals are already exploiting AI to automate phishing and accelerate intrusions in the UK, while outdated infrastructure and short-term thinking leave companies vulnerable.
Boards often struggle to assess AI tools properly, buying into trends rather than addressing real threats.
Experts stressed that AI is not a silver bullet and must be used alongside human expertise and solid security foundations.
Domain-specific AI models, built with transparency and interpretability, are needed to avoid the dangers of overconfidence and misapplication in high-risk areas.
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Two of Hollywood’s most powerful studios, Disney and Universal, have launched a copyright infringement lawsuit against the AI firm Midjourney, accusing it of illegally replicating iconic characters.
The studios claim the San Francisco-based company copied their creative works without permission, describing it as a ‘bottomless pit of plagiarism’.
Characters such as Darth Vader, Elsa, and the Minions were cited in the 143-page complaint, which alleges Midjourney used these images to train its AI system and generate similar content.
Disney and Universal argue that the AI firm failed to invest in the creative process, yet profited heavily from the output — reportedly earning $US300 million in paid subscriptions last year.
Despite early attempts by the studios to raise concerns and propose safeguards already adopted by other AI developers,
Midjourney allegedly ignored them and pressed ahead with further product releases. The company, which calls itself a small, self-funded team of 11, has declined to comment on the lawsuit directly but insists it has a long future ahead.
Disney’s legal chief, Horacio Gutierrez, stressed the importance of protecting creative works that result from decades of investment. While supporting AI as a tool for innovation, he maintained that ‘piracy is piracy’, regardless of whether humans or machines carry it out.
The studios are seeking damages and a court order to stop the AI firm from continuing its alleged copyright violations.
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The US Senate has taken a significant step towards regulating stablecoins, voting 68–30 to advance the GENIUS Act. The legislation requires stablecoins to be fully backed and mandates yearly audits for issuers valued at over $50 billion.
A final vote is expected on Monday unless the debate is concluded sooner.
Although the bill received bipartisan support, it has also triggered notable opposition. Leading Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer, voted against it, citing unresolved amendments and ethical concerns.
Senator Warren accused lawmakers of facilitating corruption linked to Donald Trump’s expanding involvement in the crypto sector.
Trump’s growing ties to digital assets have added fresh controversy. His firm, World Liberty Financial, recently launched a US Treasury-backed stablecoin named USD1.
The Trump family has also introduced meme coins such as $TRUMP and $MELANIA, reportedly generating profits from transaction fees despite significant price volatility.
While the Senate progresses towards a final vote, the outcome in the House remains uncertain. Issues between the two chambers, especially regarding foreign issuers and state regulation, need resolution before a unified framework can be implemented.
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Wikipedia has paused a controversial trial of AI-generated article summaries following intense backlash from its community of volunteer editors.
The Wikimedia Foundation had planned a two-week opt-in test for mobile users using summaries produced by Aya, an open-weight AI model developed by Cohere.
However, the reaction from editors was swift and overwhelmingly negative. The discussion page became flooded with objections, with contributors arguing that such summaries risked undermining the site’s reputation for neutrality and accuracy.
Some expressed concerns that inserting AI content would override Wikipedia’s long-standing collaborative approach by effectively installing a single, unverifiable voice atop articles.
Editors warned that AI-generated summaries lacked proper sourcing and could compromise the site’s credibility. Recent AI blunders by other tech giants, including Google’s glue-on-pizza mishap and Apple’s false death alert, were cited as cautionary examples of reputational risk.
For many, the possibility of similar errors appearing on Wikipedia was unacceptable.
Marshall Miller of the Wikimedia Foundation acknowledged the misstep in communication and confirmed the project’s suspension.
While the Foundation remains interested in exploring AI to improve accessibility, it has committed to ensuring any future implementation involves direct participation from the Wikipedia community.
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According to CEO Brian Moynihan, Bank of America is developing a dollar-pegged stablecoin. The bank collaborates with industry players but will only move forward once federal regulations are finalised.
Moynihan told investors that readiness is key, even though current demand for such an asset remains unclear.
The timing aligns with progress on the GENIUS Act, which aims to standardise stablecoin rules. The Senate voted to end debate on the bill, setting the stage for a final vote.
Proposed amendments would ensure stablecoins are backed one-to-one by secure assets and clarify the role of non-bank issuers.
Meanwhile, France’s Societe Generale-FORGE has launched a US dollar stablecoin called USD CoinVertible. The Ethereum and Solana-based token follows its earlier euro-backed version and meets the EU crypto rules.
The bank has partnered with BNY Mellon as the reserve custodian and will begin round-the-clock trading in early July.
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French police have arrested several suspects in connection with a series of violent kidnappings aimed at cryptocurrency executives and their families. The latest arrests, made on Tuesday, are part of a broader crackdown on what authorities describe as a highly organised extortion ring.
The group is believed to be behind the 1 May abduction of a crypto entrepreneur’s father, who was kidnapped in broad daylight in Paris by men disguised as delivery workers. The kidnappers reportedly cut off a finger to demand cryptocurrency before police rescued the victim days later.
Investigators suspect Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, a 24-year-old dual French-Moroccan national, of orchestrating the attacks. Moroccan police arrested him in Tangier last week, seizing weapons, electronics, and illicit funds.
He is also linked to the January kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland, with French authorities now seeking his extradition.
By the end of May, prosecutors had charged 25 people, mostly under 24, who were recruited online and promised financial rewards. Many were used as operatives in kidnapping attempts, including a failed effort to abduct the family of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat.
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What began as a company powering 3D games in the 1990s has evolved into the backbone of the global AI revolution. Nvidia, once best known for its Riva TNT2 chips in consumer graphics cards like the Elsa Erazor III, now sits at the centre of scientific computing, defence, and national-scale innovation.
While gaming remains part of its identity—with record revenue of $3.8 billion in Q1 FY2026—it now accounts for less than 9% of Nvidia’s $44.1 billion total revenue. The company’s trajectory reflects its founder Jensen Huang’s ambition to lead beyond the gaming space, targeting AI, supercomputing, and global infrastructure.
Recent announcements reinforce this shift. Huang joined UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to open London Tech Week, affirming Nvidia’s commitment to launch an AI lab in the UK, as the government commits £1 billion to AI compute by 2030.
Nvidia also revealed its Rubin-Vera superchip will power Germany’s ‘Blue Lion’ supercomputer, and its Grace Hopper platform is at the heart of Jupiter—Europe’s first exascale AI system, located at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre.
Nvidia’s presence now spans continents and disciplines, from powering national research to driving breakthroughs in climate modelling, quantum computing, and structural biology.
‘AI will supercharge scientific discovery and industrial innovation,’ said Huang. And with systems like Jupiter poised to run a quintillion operations per second, the company’s growth story is far from over.
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Global R&D spending now exceeds $2 trillion a year, yet many companies still rely on intuition rather than evidence to shape innovation strategies—often at great cost.
TechNext, co-founded by Anuraag Singh and MIT’s Prof. Christopher L. Magee, aims to change that with a newly patented system that delivers data-driven forecasts for technology performance.
Built on large-scale empirical datasets and proprietary algorithms, the system enables organisations to anticipate which technologies are likely to improve most rapidly.
‘R&D has become one of the fastest-growing expenses for companies, yet most decisions still rely on intuition rather than data,’ said Singh. ‘We have been flying blind’
The tool has already drawn attention from major stakeholders, including the United States Air Force, multinational firms, VCs, and think tanks.
By quantifying the future of technologies—from autonomous vehicle perception systems to clean energy infrastructure—TechNext promises to help decision-makers avoid expensive dead ends and focus on long-term winners.
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The round was led by ClearSky, with backing from Phoenix Financial, Glilot Capital Partners, SentinelOne, Hanaco Ventures, and others, bringing the company’s total funding to $84 million in just over two years.
Since emerging from stealth in early 2023, Guardz has built a global presence, partnering with hundreds of MSPs to secure thousands of small and mid-sized businesses.
With the new capital, the company aims to accelerate go-to-market efforts and enhance its platform with more automation, compliance tools, and cyber insurance capabilities.
The Guardz platform integrates threat protection across identities, email, endpoints, cloud, and data into a single engine. Combining AI-driven automation with human-led Managed Detection and Response (MDR), it provides 24/7 monitoring and rapid response to threats.
Seamless integrations with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace allow MSPs to pre-emptively detect suspicious activity and respond in real time.
‘Our goal is to empower MSPs with enterprise-grade security tools to protect the global economy’s most vulnerable targets — small and mid-sized businesses,’ said Guardz CEO and co-founder Dor Eisner. ‘This funding allows us to further that mission and help businesses thrive in a secure environment.’
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