Holiday scams in the UK are rising, with AI-generated images and social media making it easier for fraudsters to deceive consumers. Many holidaymakers, especially young people, are falling victim to scams due to the allure of cheap deals and influencer promotions.
WeatherlyCertiK audited the code behind a stablecoin used by Huione, a platform linked to human trafficking and illegal activities. The firm has apologised and promised to improve its vetting process after failing to fully investigate the project's risks.
AnaisOpenAI is launching GPT-5 to enhance usability, but CEO Sam Altman warned that users may eventually need to cover compute costs which has sparked criticism. Is Altman that hard up for money?
CatherineEstonian nationals Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turogin have agreed to surrender all claims to digital assets seized by US authorities as part of their plea agreement. To date, $350 million has already been returned to victims.
KikyoThe US released Russian national Alexander Vinnik in a prisoner swap for American teacher Marc Fogel, who was detained in Russia on drug charges. Vinnik was convicted of laundering billions through his cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e.
AnaisAdobe’s Firefly Video Model enters the AI video space, competing with OpenAI’s Sora and startup Runway. Its key advantage lies in its seamless integration with Premiere Pro, giving it a potential edge in professional video editing. But will it challenge OpenAI, or remain a limited competitor?
CatherineEthereum's Pectra upgrade, set for March 2025, will improve scalability, reduce gas fees, and enhance user experience with features like Account Abstraction and Layer 2 storage improvements. Key changes also include larger validator staking and security upgrades, positioning Ethereum for better performance in the blockchain space.
WeatherlyAfter a Twitter discussion about his Belgian Malinois, CZ hinted at creating a meme coin inspired by his pet. Initially curious about meme coins, he later suggested he might "mull it over," sparking speculation about his involvement with meme tokens on BNB Chain. This marks a shift from his past criticism of meme coins, with dog-themed coins surging in popularity following his comments.
KikyoMehmet Aydın, founder of Çiftlik Bank, was sentenced to 45,376 years in prison for running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded over 500,000 people. He fled to Uruguay but was later extradited to Turkey, where he denied the charges but was convicted of fraud and money laundering.
WeatherlyCoinbase is trying to restart its crypto operations in India after stopping them in 2023 due to regulatory issues. It is working with Indian authorities to meet compliance rules, following Binance’s successful return to the market.
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