Deutsche Bank expands digital asset plans 

The German banking giant has applied for a digital asset custody licence from BaFin, marking a significant step in its expansion into cryptocurrency services. The move positions Deutsche Bank to offer safekeeping solutions for clients seeking exposure to digital assets.

Plans form part of a broader strategy to build a dedicated digital assets division, according to David Lynne, a commercial banking executive. DWS Group’s initiatives highlight rising institutional interest in crypto partnerships in Germany.

Previous experimentation includes a tokenised investment platform developed in Singapore with Memento Blockchain, enabling access to digital asset funds through fiat on-ramps.

Activity mirrors wider domestic momentum, as Deutsche WertpapierService Bank has already launched crypto infrastructure linking traditional and digital accounts.

Regulatory clarity and growing client demand appear to be key drivers, with Deutsche Bank signalling a cautious yet deliberate approach to integrating cryptocurrencies into its mainstream banking services.

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Secure quantum-safe optical transport strengthens Japan’s AI data center infrastructure

Nokia and KDDI Corporation demonstrated quantum-safe optical transport at Sakai Data Center, supporting advanced AI workloads. The network aims to deliver secure, uninterrupted data transfer while protecting sensitive AI operations.

The demonstration showcases KDDI’s scalable AI-ready infrastructure for real-time training, inference, and analytics. Quantum-safe encryption and resilient transport protect customer data and critical infrastructure across Japan’s distributed data centres.

Using Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) and 1830 Security Management Server (SMS), the partners validated high-capacity, secure optical connectivity. The solution delivers privacy, reliability, and fast quantum-safe encryption for modern AI workloads.

Executives from both companies emphasised the importance of secure, scalable networks in enabling AI-driven services. Nokia and KDDI will continue advancing quantum-safe data centre connectivity, supporting Japan’s digital infrastructure and key enterprise applications.

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China sets new record in rare disease AI diagnosis

A Chinese research team has developed an AI-powered system, DeepRare, to diagnose rare diseases with unprecedented accuracy.

The project, led by Shenhua Hospital and the university’s School of Artificial Intelligence, has already attracted over 1,000 specialised users from more than 600 medical and research institutions worldwide.

Tests show DeepRare achieves 57.18 percent accuracy using only clinical data, marking a 24-point improvement over previous models. Including genetic data raises accuracy above 70 percent, showing potential to improve diagnosis in areas without advanced testing.

The system draws on an extensive knowledge base of medical literature and real-world cases. Its cycle of hypothesis, validation, and self-review boosts reliability and fills reasoning gaps, surpassing the limits of traditional AI models.

By enhancing transparency and precision, DeepRare offers a practical tool for clinicians facing the persistent challenge of identifying rare diseases, potentially setting a new global standard for AI-assisted diagnostics.

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Strict ban on crypto references introduced by OpenClaw

OpenClaw has introduced a firm community rule prohibiting any reference to Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies on its Discord server, according to its creator, Peter Steinberger.

Enforcement drew attention after a user was removed for mentioning Bitcoin block height as a timing method in a benchmark, with the developer later offering to restore access.

The policy follows a rebrand scare when scammers hijacked old accounts to promote a fake Solana token. Market value spiked then plunged after Steinberger denied involvement, warning that no official token would be issued.

Rapid growth of the open-source project, which has attracted a large developer base within weeks of launch, contrasts with wider industry momentum linking AI agents and digital assets.

Leaders such as Jeremy Allaire of Circle argue stablecoins could become default payment rails for autonomous software, while Coinbase is already rolling out infrastructure enabling agents to transact on-chain.

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Altman urges urgent AI regulation

OpenAI chief Sam Altman has called for urgent global regulation of AI, speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Addressing leaders and executives in New Delhi, he said the rapid pace of development demands coordinated international oversight.

In New Delhi, Altman suggested creating a body similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency to oversee advanced AI systems. He warned that highly capable open source biomodels could pose serious biosecurity risks if misused.

Altman argued in New Delhi that democratising AI is essential to prevent power from being concentrated in a single company or country. He added that safeguards are urgently required, even as technology continues to disrupt labour markets.

During the summit in New Delhi, Altman said ChatGPT has 100 million weekly users in India, with more than a third being students. OpenAI also announced plans with Tata Consultancy Services to build data centre infrastructure in India.

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Digital addiction in Italy sparks debate over social media bans

Italy has warned that digital addiction among teenagers is rising sharply, as health authorities link excessive social media and gaming use to family and educational challenges. Officials say bans alone will not resolve the issue.

According to Italy’s National Institute of Health, about 100,000 young people aged 15 to 18 are at risk of social media addiction. A further 500,000 are estimated to suffer from gaming disorder, recognised by the World Health Organisation as a medical condition.

A survey by digital ethics group Social Warning found that 77 percent of Italian teenagers consider themselves addicted to their devices. However, many say they lack the tools or support to change their behaviour.

Research by ‘Con i Bambini’, which funds projects tackling educational poverty in Italy, links digital dependency to isolation and strained parental relationships. The organisation says legislative measures can protect minors but cannot replace structured education and family support.

The debate extends across the EU. The European Parliament has called for a minimum age of 16 for social media platforms, while France, Italy, and Spain are considering national restrictions. Experts argue that prevention and digital literacy must complement regulation.

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Fake Google Forms phishing campaign targets job seekers

A phishing campaign is targeting job seekers with fake Google Forms pages designed to harvest account credentials. Attackers are using a spoofed domain, forms.google.ss-o[.]com, to mimic the legitimate Google Forms service and trick victims into signing in.

The fraudulent pages advertise a Customer Support Executive role and prompt applicants to enter personal details before clicking a ‘Sign in’ button. Victims are then redirected to id-v4[.]com/generation.php, a domain previously linked to credential harvesting campaigns.

Researchers identified the operation as part of a broader wave of job-themed phishing attacks. The attackers used a script called generation_form.php to create personalised tracking links and implemented redirects to evade security analysis by sending suspicious visitors to local Google search pages.

Security experts warn that the campaign relies on domain impersonation techniques, including the use of ‘ss-o’ to resemble ‘single sign-on’. The fake site reproduces Google branding elements and standard disclaimers to increase credibility.

Users are advised to avoid clicking unsolicited job links, verify opportunities through official channels, and enable multi-factor authentication. Password managers and real-time anti-malware tools can also reduce exposure to credential theft.

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Lithuania selects Swiss firm Procivis for national eIDAS 2.0 wallet sandbox

Swiss firm Procivis has secured a contract to deliver Lithuania’s end-to-end Digital Identity Wallet sandbox, supporting the country’s preparations under eIDAS 2.0. The project will establish a national testbed for digital ID use cases and interoperability across the European Union.

Selected by Lithuania’s digitalisation agency, Procivis will build a platform for public authorities and relying parties to test secure digital wallet use cases. The sandbox will validate readiness ahead of the EU’s 2027 digital identity wallet deadline.

The updated eIDAS 2.0 technical framework sets out how wallets will store and share trusted digital credentials and electronic identification. Governments and private organisations will be able to integrate services into the wallets, streamlining authentication, onboarding, and cross-border access.

Across Lithuania and the EU, testbeds and large-scale pilots have been central to turning regulatory requirements into interoperable infrastructure. Lithuania’s sandbox will also support activities under the EU’s LSP Aptitude consortium, which is testing cross-sector digital identity solutions.

Procivis said the collaboration aims to accelerate practical validation while ensuring compliance with European standards on security, interoperability, and data protection. The company stated that supporting a timely, budget-aligned implementation of eIDAS 2.0 remains central to its mission.

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Chinese AI video tool unsettles Hollywood

A new AI video model developed by ByteDance has unsettled Hollywood after generating cinema-quality clips from brief text prompts. Seedance 2.0, launched in 2025, went viral for producing realistic action scenes featuring western cinematic characters such as Spider Man and Deadpool.

In response, major studios, including Disney and Paramount, issued cease and desist letters over alleged copyright infringement. Japan has also begun investigating ByteDance after AI-generated anime videos spread widely online.

Industry experts say Seedance 2.0 stands out for combining text, visuals and audio within a single system. Analysts in Singapore and Melbourne argue that Chinese AI models are now matching US competitors at the technological frontier.

As Seedance 2.0 gains traction, Beijing continues to prioritise AI and robotics in its economic strategy. The rise of tools from China has intensified debate in the US and beyond over copyright, regulation and the future of creative work.

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MIT study finds AI chatbots underperform for vulnerable users

Research from the MIT Centre for Constructive Communication (CCC) finds that leading AI chatbots often provide lower-quality responses to users with lower English proficiency, less education, or who are outside the US.

Models tested include GPT-4, Claude 3 Opus, and Llama 3, which sometimes refuse to answer or respond condescendingly. Using TruthfulQA and SciQ datasets, researchers added user biographies to simulate differences in education, language, and country.

Accuracy fell sharply among non-native English speakers and less-educated users, with the most significant drop among those affected by both; users from countries like Iran also received lower-quality responses.

Refusal behaviour was notable. Claude 3 Opus declined 11% of questions for less-educated, non-native English speakers versus 3.6% for control users. Manual review showed 43.7% of refusals contained condescending language.

Some users were denied access to specific topics even though they answered correctly for others.

The study echoes human sociocognitive biases, in which non-native speakers are often perceived as less competent. Researchers warn AI personalisation could worsen inequities, providing marginalised users with subpar or misleading information when they need it most.

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