More than 108,000 users of ManageMyHealth may have had their information exposed following a data breach affecting one of the country’s largest patient portals. The incident occurred on Wednesday and is believed to have affected between 6% and 7% of the platform’s 1.8 million registered users.
ManageMyHealth said affected users will be contacted within 48 hours with details about whether and how their data was accessed. Chief executive Vino Ramayah said the company takes the protection of health information extremely seriously and acknowledged the stress such incidents can cause.
He confirmed that the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has been notified and is working with the company to meet legal obligations.
Health Minister Simeon Brown described the breach as concerning but stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Health New Zealand systems, including My Health Account, had been compromised. He added that health services were continuing to operate as normal and that there had been no clinical impact on patient care.
Health New Zealand said it is coordinating with the National Cyber Security Centre and other agencies to understand the scope of the breach and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
Officials stressed expectations around security standards, transparency and clear communication, while ongoing engagement with primary care providers and GPs continues.
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AI is rapidly becoming the starting point for many everyday activities, from planning and learning to shopping and decision-making. A new report by PYMNTS Intelligence suggests that AI is no longer just an added digital tool, but is increasingly replacing traditional entry points such as search engines and mobile apps.
The study shows that AI use in the United States has moved firmly into the mainstream, with more than 60 per cent of consumers using dedicated AI platforms over the past year. Younger users and frequent AI users are leading the shift, increasingly turning to AI first rather than using it to support existing online habits.
Researchers found that how people use AI matters as much as how often they use it. Heavy users rely on AI across many aspects of daily life, treating it as a general-purpose system, while lighter users remain cautious and limit AI to lower-risk tasks. Trust plays a decisive role, especially when it comes to sensitive areas such as finances and banking.
The report also points to changing patterns in online discovery. Consumers who use standalone AI platforms are more likely to abandon older methods entirely, while those encountering AI through search engines tend to blend it with familiar tools. That difference suggests that the design and context of AI services strongly influence user behaviour.
Looking ahead, the findings hint at how AI could reshape digital commerce. Many consumers say they would prefer to connect digital wallets directly to AI platforms for payments, signalling a potential shift in how intent turns into transactions. As AI becomes a common entry point to the digital world, businesses and financial institutions face growing pressure to adapt their systems to this new starting line.
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Google has filed a lawsuit against a Chinese-speaking cybercriminal network it says is behind a large share of scam text messages targeting people in the United States. The company says the legal action is aimed at disrupting the group’s online infrastructure rather than seeking damages.
According to the complaint, the group, known as Darcula, develops and sells phishing software that allows scammers to send mass text messages posing as trusted organisations such as postal services, government agencies, or online platforms. The tools are designed to be easy to use, enabling people with little technical expertise to run large-scale scams.
Google says the software has been used by hundreds of scam operators to direct victims to fake websites where credit card details are stolen. The company estimates that hundreds of thousands of payment cards have been compromised globally, with tens of thousands linked to victims in the United States.
The lawsuit asks a US court to grant Google the authority to seize and shut down websites connected to the operation, a tactic technology companies increasingly use when criminal networks operate in countries beyond the reach of US law enforcement. Investigations by journalists and cybersecurity researchers suggest the group operates largely in Chinese and has links to individuals based in China and other countries.
The case highlights the growing scale of text-based fraud in the US, where cybercrime losses continue to rise sharply. Google says it will continue combining legal action with technical measures to limit the reach of large scam networks and protect users from increasingly sophisticated phishing campaigns.
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A significant shift away from global views on central bank digital currencies has been made with the decision to allow China’s digital yuan to earn interest starting in January 2026. Wallet balances will now accrue interest at demand deposit rates, marking a shift from the widely held view that retail CBDCs should function purely as digital cash.
Central banks in Europe and the United States have long argued against interest-bearing CBDCs, warning they could destabilise financial systems by drawing deposits away from commercial banks.
Institutions such as the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve and the Bank for International Settlements have stressed that digital currencies should not become savings instruments.
China’s move, however, effectively repositions the digital yuan closer to a deposit-like form of money rather than a simple cash substitute.
The policy applies to verified individual and corporate wallets, while anonymous wallets remain excluded. Digital yuan balances are also now covered by China’s deposit insurance scheme, offering the same protection as bank deposits.
Analysts say these design choices, combined with China’s two-tier distribution model that keeps commercial banks as intermediaries, aim to limit risks of bank disintermediation while encouraging wider adoption.
China’s decision could influence global debates as dozens of countries continue to explore the use of digital currencies. While Europe remains committed to a non-interest-bearing digital € and the United States has formally banned a retail CBDC, China is testing whether an interest-paying digital currency can coexist with traditional banking.
The experiment is likely to be closely watched as policymakers reconsider what role digital money should play in future financial systems.
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Face-to-face interviews and oral verification could become a routine part of third-level assessments under new recommendations aimed at addressing the improper use of AI. Institutions are being encouraged to redesign assessment methods to ensure student work is authentic.
The proposals are set out in new guidelines published by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) of Ireland, which regulates universities and other third-level institutions. The report argues that assessment systems must evolve to reflect the growing use of generative AI in education.
While encouraging institutions to embrace AI’s potential, the report stresses the need to ensure students are demonstrating genuine learning. Academics have raised concerns that AI-generated assignments are increasingly difficult to distinguish from original student work.
To address this, the report recommends redesigning assessments to prioritise student authorship and human judgement. Suggested measures include oral verification, process-based learning, and, where appropriate, a renewed reliance on written exams conducted without technology.
The authors also caution against relying on AI detection tools, arguing that integrity processes should be based on dialogue and evidence. They call for clearer policies, staff and student training, and safeguards around data use and equitable access to AI tools.
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xAI is expanding its AI infrastructure in the southern United States after acquiring another data centre site near Memphis. The move significantly increases planned computing capacity and supports ambitions for large-scale AI training.
The expansion centres on the purchase of a third facility near Memphis, disclosed by Elon Musk in a post on X. The acquisition brings xAI’s total planned power capacity close to 2 gigawatts, placing the project among the most energy-intensive AI data centre developments currently underway.
xAI has bought a third building called MACROHARDRR. Will take @xAI training compute to almost 2GW.
xAI has already completed one major US facility in the area, known as Colossus, while a second site, Colossus 2, remains under construction. The newly acquired building, called MACROHARDRR, is located in Southaven and directly adjoins the Colossus 2 site, as previously reported.
By clustering facilities across neighbouring locations, xAI is creating a contiguous computing campus. The approach enables shared power, cooling, and high-speed data infrastructure for large-scale AI workloads.
The Memphis expansion underscores the rising computational demands of frontier AI models. By owning and controlling its infrastructure, xAI aims to secure long-term access to high-end compute as competition intensifies among firms investing heavily in AI data centres.
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China is closing 2025 with renewed confidence in its economic resilience and growing influence across technology, manufacturing and global markets. Breakthroughs in AI, electric vehicles, green energy and biopharmaceuticals have reshaped perceptions of the country, moving it beyond its long-standing image as the world’s factory towards a centre of innovation.
Despite trade tensions with the United States and ongoing challenges in property and consumer spending, China is expected to meet its 5% growth target for the year. Exports remained robust as firms diversified away from reliance on the US market, while a temporary trade truce eased pressure on global supply chains. Competition with Washington is increasingly shifting from tariffs to technology leadership in areas such as AI, advanced chips and biotechnology.
AI emerged as a defining theme, with Chinese companies pushing large language models into widespread industrial and consumer use. Government-backed initiatives are accelerating integration across manufacturing, transport and healthcare, while tighter rules aim to address risks such as deepfakes and data security.
At the same time, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers expanded rapidly overseas, and domestic sales of new energy vehicles surpassed those of traditional cars for the first time.
Capital markets and global outreach also strengthened China’s position. Hong Kong reclaimed its status as the world’s largest IPO market, while Shanghai advanced its role as a financial and fintech hub. Looking to 2026, analysts expect China’s growth story to depend less on volume expansion and more on technological competitiveness, global integration and the ability to navigate a more fragmented geopolitical landscape.
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Manus has returned to the spotlight after agreeing to be acquired by Meta in a deal reportedly worth more than $2 billion. The transaction is one of the most high-profile acquisitions of an Asian AI startup by a US technology company and reflects Meta’s push to expand agentic AI capabilities across its platforms.
The startup drew attention in March after unveiling an autonomous AI agent designed to execute tasks such as résumé screening and stock analysis. Founded in China, Manus later moved its headquarters to Singapore and was developed by the AI product studio Butterfly Effect.
Since launch, Manus has expanded its features to include design work, slide creation, and browser-based task completion. The company reported surpassing $100 million in annual recurring revenue and raised $75 million earlier this year at a valuation of about $500 million.
Meta said the acquisition would allow it to integrate the Singapore-based company’s technology into its wider AI strategy while keeping the product running as a standalone service. Manus said subscriptions would continue uninterrupted and that operations would remain based in Singapore.
The deal has drawn political scrutiny in the US due to Manus’s origins and past links to China. Meta said the transaction would sever remaining ties to China, as debate intensifies over investment, data security, and competition in advanced AI systems.
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SoftBank Group has completed a $41 billion investment in OpenAI, marking one of the largest private funding rounds on record. The deal gives the Japanese conglomerate an estimated 11 percent stake in the ChatGPT developer.
The investment reflects SoftBank chief executive Masayoshi Son’s renewed focus on AI and supporting infrastructure. The company is seeking to capitalise on rising demand for the computing capacity that underpins advanced AI models.
SoftBank said the latest funding includes an additional $22.5 billion investment, following an earlier $7.5 billion injection in April. OpenAI also secured a further $11 billion through an expanded syndicated co-investment from other backers.
The funding values OpenAI at roughly $300 billion on a post-money basis, though secondary market transactions later placed the company’s valuation closer to $500 billion. The investment follows SoftBank’s recent agreement to acquire DigitalBridge Group, a digital infrastructure investor.
OpenAI remains a central beneficiary of the global surge in AI spending. The company is also involved in Stargate, a large-scale data centre project backed by SoftBank and other partners to support next-generation AI systems.
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State officials have warned the public about a phishing campaign using the fake domain codify.inc to impersonate official government websites. Cybercriminals aim to steal personal information and login credentials from unsuspecting users.
Several state agencies are affected, including the departments of Labor and Industrial Relations, Education, Health, Transportation, and many others. Fraudulent websites often mimic official URLs, such as dlir.hi.usa.codify.inc, and may use AI-based services to entice users.
Residents are urged to verify website addresses carefully. Official government portals will always end in .gov, and any other extensions like .inc or .co are not legitimate. Users should type addresses directly into their browsers rather than clicking links in unsolicited emails or texts.
Suspicious websites should be reported to the State of Hawaii at soc@hawaii.gov to help protect other residents from falling victim to the scam.
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