NewzBits — AI News Aggregator | Summarized & Cited

• Corma, led by Alon Pluda, has officially come out of stealth mode after securing a $60 million funding round. • The investment will be used to develop a specialized foundation model focused on defensive cybersecurity. • The announcement coincides with industry rumors regarding a potential $6 billion acquisition of Decart by Anthropic and a $500 million fundraising effort by Wonderful.

• Databricks is seeking an additional $5 billion in funding, repeating a fundraising effort of the same amount from eight months ago. • Other significant funding rounds this week targeted sectors including AI infrastructure, defense, biotech, and AI-enabled coding tools. • Austin-based startup ClearJet secured funding for its AI logistics platform, which optimizes commercial flight cargo capacity for shippers.

• Governor Gavin Newsom launched an AI Cyber Defense Program on August 10, 2026, mandating that California state agencies utilize AI for network hardening, vulnerability detection, and incident response. • The initiative requires every state agency to appoint a dedicated AI Cybersecurity Officer to oversee these efforts within the California Cybersecurity Integration Center. • This state-level push comes amid a federal retreat, including a proposed fiscal 2027 budget that would cut the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) by approximately $707 million.

• Kaspersky reported blocking 75 million cyberattacks across the Asia-Pacific region from January to June 2026. • The blocked threats included 3.4 million backdoor attacks, 2.4 million password-stealer attacks, and 250,000 ransomware incidents. • The firm highlighted a critical rise in supply-chain attacks, noting that nearly one in three organizations globally reported such incidents over the past year.

• South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources has announced a strategic plan to develop seven "SEEDs" (Strategic Emerging Engines for Disruptive Innovation) to drive future economic growth. • The targeted industries include quantum technology, space and aviation, nuclear fusion, small modular reactors, advanced biotechnology, breakthrough renewable energy, and advanced supply chains. • This initiative comes as the OECD warns that South Korea's potential growth could drop to a record low of 1.52% next year, suggesting that the current semiconductor export boom is insufficient for long-term stability.

• Asian startups raised a total of $184.2 million during Week 33, with funding primarily driven by the AI, deeptech, and electric mobility sectors. • Yulu emerged as the leader of the week's funding activity, securing the largest investment round among the reported deals. • The trend highlights a strong regional investor appetite for sustainable transportation and advanced artificial intelligence technologies.

Authorities confirm first Australian death of species found with virus near where it attracts crowds to a ‘penguin parade’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s first case of the deadly H5 bird flu in a little penguin has been confirmed on Victoria’s Phillip Island, only days after the state government announced it would begin vaccinating the species.Confirmation of the virus in the little penguin will spark a race to vaccinate thousands of birds, with the government announcing on Saturday it would begin the roll out on Monday. Continue reading...

Users need discretionary income of nearly £100,000 a year to make savings on their grocery spend after paying £1,200 for GLP-1s, analysis findsThe high cost of weight-loss medication is a “regressive tax on being thin” because the outlay outweighs any saving on food costs for all but the highest earners.Someone needs to have discretionary income of nearly £100,000 a year to actually save money after covering the £1,200 annual cost of GLP-1 medication, according to an analysis by the consultancy Baringa. Continue reading...

Conservative authority says site is not safe for vulnerable people charity serves or general publicWestminster council is making it “impossible” for soup kitchens to operate by complaining about the “crowds of vulnerable people” who turn up to be fed, a charity has said.Steven Stuart, who founded Friends of Essex & London Homeless (FOELH) with his wife, Cheryl, a decade ago, said constant complaints from the council could force the soup kitchen to shut down. Continue reading...

Campaigners fear deeper diplomatic contacts are undermining demands for improvements in human rights The Taliban in Afghanistan have launched a diplomatic effort to end their isolation as major regional and international powers show a readiness to engage more closely with the repressive regime despite its systematic human rights abuses.Five years after the Taliban took power, an increasing number of countries are renewing ties or scaling up diplomatic contacts with the hardline Islamists, who seized power in Kabul in 2021 after 20 years of brutal insurgent warfare. Continue reading...

The New York congresswoman’s power is in the spotlight as people wonder if the stars are finally aligning for her to run for US president in 2028“They assume that my ambition is positional. They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat. And my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country.”The words were delivered slowly, deliberately and with some steeliness by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her audience, crammed into the pews of Rockefeller Memorial chapel at the University of Chicago, burst into spontaneous applause. That was in May. In the three months since, the speculation around Ocasio-Cortez’s ambitions – for herself and for America – has only grown louder. Continue reading...

• Most major European stock indices closed lower on Friday, ending the trading week on a soft note. • Germany's DAX bucked the general downward trend, finishing the session with a gain of 0.51%. • The market decline was driven by a sharp increase in global bond yields, which typically puts downward pressure on equity valuations.

• Investors are shifting their focus toward corporate earnings to sustain stock market growth while the US Federal Reserve remains silent on its next interest rate move. • Strong financial results and positive guidance, particularly driven by heavy spending on AI infrastructure, are currently bolstering market confidence. • These earnings reports are critical as they serve to offset broader economic risks and ongoing concerns regarding high interest rates.

• The Nifty 50 ended the week of August 10–14, 2026, at 24,366, marking a 0.83% weekly decline. • Initial gains driven by a cooler-than-expected US CPI of 3.4% were erased after the US threatened an indefinite blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. • Despite the overall dip, defense stocks rallied between 3% and 6%, with BEL, Bharti Airtel, and Dr Reddy’s emerging as top gainers.

• India's stock market has evolved through major crises, including the 1992 scam, the 2013 taper tantrum, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which reshaped its regulatory and technological architecture. • The June 4, 2024, Lok Sabha election results triggered one of the sharpest political market moves in recent history after actual results contradicted optimistic exit polls. • These events highlight India's deep integration with global financial markets, where distant geopolitical shifts now cause immediate domestic economic consequences.

• U.S. stock markets remained near record highs on Friday despite a surprisingly weak economic report regarding consumer spending. • The S&P 500 rose 0.1% following its record-setting performance the previous day, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 136 points. • Treasury yields held steady as investors reacted to data showing that U.S. shoppers spent less than anticipated.

• Moneycontrol is providing updated business coverage focusing on the Indian economy, global markets, and live tracking of the Sensex and Nifty. • Key market highlights for June 11 include stocks to watch such as Lenskart Solutions, Meesho, Vascon Engineers, Zee Entertainment, and PPAP Automotive. • The platform is offering financial guidance on gold leasing strategies to earn returns on idle assets and the importance of emergency "Plan B" retirement planning.