In partnership with the Gates Foundation, Nigeria has launched the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Scaling Hub, backed by a funding commitment of up to $7.5 million over three years.
Announced during a signing ceremony in Abuja, the initiative will focus on responsibly scaling AI solutions across healthcare, agriculture, and education.
The AI Scaling Hub aims to unite government agencies, tech firms, academia, and development partners to support the nationwide deployment of proven AI innovations.
Rather than developing isolated pilot projects, the hub intends to build a collaborative system that encourages mature AI tools to be applied widely.
The Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy stated that the move aligns with Nigeria’s draft National AI Strategy and broader technology agenda.
Minister Bosun Tijani said the hub would help turn local AI concepts into real-world results by offering innovators mentorship, resources, and support.
The Gates Foundation echoed the sentiment, with Nigeria Country Director Uche Amaonwu stressing the importance of ensuring AI benefits reach underserved communities.
The project also involves Lagos Business School and is expected to bolster Nigeria’s leadership in ethical AI adoption across Africa.
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Thousands of current and former employees at Lee Enterprises have had their data exposed following a cyberattack earlier this year.
Hackers accessed to the company’s systems in early February, compromising sensitive information such as names and Social Security numbers before the breach was contained the same day.
Although the media firm, which operates over 70 newspapers across 26 US states, swiftly secured its networks, a three-month investigation involving external cybersecurity experts revealed that attackers accessed databases containing employee details.
The breach potentially affects around 40,000 individuals — far more than the company’s 4,500 current staff — indicating that past employees were also impacted.
The stolen data could be used for identity theft, fraud or phishing attempts. Criminals may even impersonate affected employees to infiltrate deeper into company systems and extract more valuable information.
Lee Enterprises has notified those impacted and filed relevant disclosures with authorities, including the Maine Attorney General’s Office.
Headquartered in Iowa, Lee Enterprises draws over 200 million monthly online page views and generated over $611 million in revenue in 2024. The incident underscores the ongoing vulnerability of media organisations to cyber threats, especially when personal employee data is involved.
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German data protection authorities have imposed a €45 million ($51.2 million) fine on Vodafone for what they described as serious data privacy breaches involving both third-party sales practices and weak digital security systems. The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection (BfDI) cited ‘malicious behaviour’ by partner agencies and security flaws that allowed unauthorised access to customer accounts.
Investigators found that some of Vodafone’s partner agencies engaged in fraudulent conduct, including altering or forging contracts to the detriment of customers. Vodafone was fined €15 million for failing to properly supervise these partners, as required by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Additionally, a €30 million fine was levied due to vulnerabilities in Vodafone’s customer authentication systems, which potentially allowed outsiders to access sensitive services like eSIM profiles. Vodafone has acknowledged the issues, attributing them to inadequate data protection checks at the time.
The company expressed regret for the impact on customers and emphasized that under new management, it has overhauled its data protection protocols to prevent future breaches.
Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, Germany’s federal data protection commissioner, underscored the importance of data security, stating that user trust in digital services depends on strong safeguards. She added that proper compliance can even be a competitive advantage, as EU regulators continue to crack down on companies that violate GDPR standards.
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Eminem has filed a major lawsuit against Meta, accusing the tech giant of knowingly enabling widespread copyright infringement across its platforms. The rapper’s publishing company, Eight Mile Style, is seeking £80.6 million in damages, claiming 243 of his songs were used without authorisation.
The lawsuit argues that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, allowed tools such as Original Audio and Reels to encourage unauthorised reproduction and use of Eminem’s music.
The filing claims it occurred without proper licensing or attribution, significantly diminishing the value of his copyrights.
Eminem’s legal team contends that Meta profited from the infringement instead of ensuring his works were protected. If a settlement cannot be reached, the artist is demanding the maximum statutory damages — $150,000 per song — which would amount to over $109 million.
Meta has faced similar lawsuits before, including a high-profile case in 2022 brought by Epidemic Sound, which alleged the unauthorised use of thousands of its tracks. The latest claim adds to growing pressure on social media platforms to address copyright violations more effectively.
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Cyber attacks have surged by 47% globally in the first quarter of 2025, with organisations facing an average of 1,925 attacks each week.
Check Point Software, a cybersecurity firm, warns that attackers are growing more sophisticated and persistent, targeting critical sectors like healthcare, finance, and technology with increasing intensity.
Ransomware activity alone has soared by 126% compared to last year. Attackers are no longer just encrypting files but now also threaten to leak sensitive data unless paid — a tactic known as dual extortion.
Instead of operating as large, centralised gangs, modern ransomware groups are smaller and more agile, often coordinating through dark web forums, making them harder to trace.
The report also notes that cybercriminals are using AI to automate phishing attacks and scan systems for vulnerabilities, allowing them to strike with greater accuracy. Emerging markets remain particularly vulnerable, as they often lack advanced cybersecurity infrastructure.
Check Point urges companies to act decisively by adopting proactive security measures, investing in threat detection and employee training, and implementing real-time monitoring. Waiting for an attack instead of preparing in advance could leave organisations dangerously exposed.
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Trump Media’s partner, Yorkville America Digital, has lodged an application for a spot Bitcoin ETF, joining an increasingly crowded market of crypto investment products. The proposal, submitted on 3 June, outlines an ETF that would directly track Bitcoin’s price.
Foris DAX Trust Company, part of Crypto.com, has been listed as the fund’s proposed custodian, though no ticker or management fee was disclosed.
The application now awaits a response from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which may arrive within 45 days. However, under current regulations, the agency has until 29 January 2026 to make a final decision.
Yorkville must also file further documentation detailing the fund’s structure and associated risks.
Although President Donald Trump remains a key stakeholder in Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), his holdings are placed in a trust managed by his son. The ETF documents omit Trump’s name, though political ties may still draw aligned investors.
With 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs already in the market, a Trump-affiliated offering adds another layer to the intersection between politics and the crypto sector.
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Microsoft has launched a new feature in its Bing app called Bing Video Creator, allowing users to generate videos using text prompts. That tool leverages OpenAI’s advanced Sora model, marking the first time Sora is available for free to the public, as it was previously restricted to paying OpenAI customers.
However, the feature is currently limited to the Bing mobile app and is not yet accessible on desktop. To use the service, users must be signed into a Microsoft account.
Initially, they can create up to 10 videos for free; after that, each video costs 100 Microsoft Rewards points, which can be earned by searching with Bing or shopping in the Microsoft Store. For instance, users get five points for each Bing search on a PC, up to 150 points daily.
Each video is limited to five seconds and must be generated in vertical 9:16 format, a layout ideal for social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Users can generate up to three clips at a time.
Although labelled ‘fast’ mode, the generation process may still take hours. Microsoft says support for horizontal formats is on the way.
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Microsoft is extending its Digital Markets Act compliance measures by further loosening Windows’ grip on its in-house apps across the European Economic Area.
Users can now uninstall the Microsoft Store and will no longer face Edge pop-ups unless they launch the browser themselves.
Edge version 137.0.3296.52, released on 29 May, activates the changes immediately in the region. Choosing an alternative browser such as Chrome or Firefox now pins it to the taskbar by default and automatically handles a wider range of link and file types, including ftp and svg.
Wider deployment across Windows 10 and 11 is scheduled for July. Microsoft says Store-delivered apps will keep receiving updates even if the storefront is removed, and it can be restored at any time.
Bing, Widgets and the Lock Screen will also respect the new default browser once early June updates arrive.
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Fashion brand The North Face and luxury jeweller Cartier have confirmed recent cyber attacks that exposed customer data, including names and email addresses.
Neither company reported breaches of financial or password information.
North Face identified the attack as a credential stuffing attempt, where previously stolen passwords are used to break into other accounts.
Affected customers are being advised to change their login details, while the company’s owner, VF Corporation, continues recovering from an earlier incident.
Cartier said the breach allowed brief access to limited client data but insisted that it quickly secured its systems.
Retailers such as Adidas, Victoria’s Secret, Harrods, and M&S have all been hit in recent months, prompting warnings that the industry remains an attractive target for cyber criminals.
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Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blažek has resigned after it emerged he received a €40 million bitcoin donation from a convicted drug dealer.
The funds, amounting to roughly 468 bitcoins, were sent by Tomáš Jiřikovský, previously imprisoned for operating an illicit drug marketplace and crypto theft.
Although courts did not confirm the crypto’s criminal origins, the transaction sparked widespread suspicion and investigations into potential money laundering and abuse of office.
Blažek denies any wrongdoing but stepped down to limit political fallout, a move welcomed by Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
Interior Minister Vít Rakušan described the donation as damaging to the Czech government’s credibility, and authorities have since frozen the funds.
Opposition parties have called for the government’s resignation ahead of an emergency parliamentary session on 5 June.
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