Sascha G 🌐

Why struggling companies are loading up on bitcoin Biotechs, miners and hoteliers are snapping up crypto to boost their share prices, but experts warn of a crisis if markets crash

Why struggling companies are loading up on bitcoin via @FT

Buying crypto tokens appears to be a sure-fire way to grab investors’ attention and lift their share prices

on.ft.com/4lbJppr

China plans yuan-backed stablecoins to challenge dollar China is moving cautiously toward launching its first yuan-backed stablecoins, marking a strategic shift in its crypto policy as Beijing seeks to challenge...

China’s yuan stablecoin push could reshape global finance by challenging dollar hegemony in digital payments, potentially enabling circumvention of SWIFT systems while creating new geopolitical tensions over monetary control and capital flows. www.perplexity.ai/page/china-p...

Chinese officials pressure UK students to spy on classmates Chinese students at UK universities are being pressured by officials to monitor their classmates and report back on discussions critical of China, according...

Chinese officials pressure UK students to spy on classmates—The financial dependence of UK universities on Chinese students creates vulnerabilities that could compromise educational integrity and democratic values. www.perplexity.ai/page/chinese...

IT-Sicherheit der Bundeswehr: Deutschlands digitale Verteidigung? Passwort: "Wolf" Offene Server, geleakte Zugänge im Darknet, gleichbleibende Passwörter: Eine Recherche zeigt, wie sorglos die Bundeswehr in manchen Bereichen mit IT-Sicherheit umgeht.

Deutschlands digitale Verteidigung? Passwort: "Wolf"
Offene Server, geleakte Zugänge im Darknet, gleichbleibende Passwörter: Eine ZEIT-Recherche zeigt, wie sorglos die Bundeswehr in manchen Bereichen mit IT-Sicherheit umgeht.

tinyurl.com/mr3j8vas

Global Energy Competition in the Arctic: A Reassessment Western powers may soon find it hard to escape an unpalatable dilemma: either they need to invest heavily in ice-class marine capability, both military and commercial, with unclear payback prospects, ...

Global Energy Competition in the Arctic: A Reassessment
Western powers may soon find it hard to escape an unpalatable dilemma: either they need to invest heavily in ice-class marine capability,or they will have to cede leadership in the Arctic to the Sino-Russian tandem. tinyurl.com/yc6zrm4s

Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’ Scientists have discovered that certain species of microbe found in the human gut can absorb PFAS - the toxic and long-lasting ‘forever chemicals.’ They say

Scientists have discovered that certain species of microbe found in the human gut can absorb PFAS - the toxic and long-lasting ‘forever chemicals.’ They say boosting these species in our gut microbiome could help protect us from the harmful effects of PFAS.

www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...

Antibiotika: Gefährliche Abhängigkeit von China Im Handelsstreit mit den USA hat China gezielt die Ausfuhr seltener Erden gedrosselt. Jetzt kommen von Seiten der Pharmaindustrie Warnungen, dass China im ...

Medikamente als Waffe?

Im Handelsstreit mit den USA hat China gezielt die Ausfuhr seltener Erden gedrosselt. China könnte im Konfliktfall auch die Lieferungen von lebenswichtigen Medikamenten einstellen. Bis zu 80% enthalten pharmazeutische Wirkstoffe aus China (CMA). tinyurl.com/3a4yk4jd

"It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God." --U.S. founding father Thomas Jefferson

Quote: The pluralisation of the global AI landscape is driven not only by systemic rivalry among leading digital powers, but also by mounting political instability. — Clotilde Bômont & Tim Rühlig, 'Challenging US dominance: China's DeepSeek model and the pluralisation of AI development'

DeepSeek R1's efficiency & its disruption of US tech dominance paved the way for a pluralisation of AI development.

@clotildebomont.bsky.social & @ruehlig.bsky.social argue that for the EU, this will either be a security risk if ignored, or a strategic opportunity. www.iss.europa.eu/publications...

Chinese universities want students to use more AI, not less Unlike the West, where universities are still agonizing over how students use AI in their work, top universities in China are going all in.

Chinese universities want students to use more AI, not less

While many educators in the West see AI as a threat they have to manage, more Chinese classrooms are treating it as a skill to be mastered.

www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/28/1...

Graph showing the GCC countries' (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) top 5 trade partners.

💡 As geopolitics shift, the EU is rethinking its approach to engagement with the #GCC, writes @katarzyna-sidlo.bsky.social.

After years of stalled bloc-to-bloc talks, the EU is now shifting to a flexible dual-track strategy: regional and 1-on-1 partnerships. www.iss.europa.eu/publications...

❗️Save the Date für das ATHENE Zukunftsforum: #KI und #Cybersicherheit

📅 23.09.2025
⏰ ab 11 Uhr
📍Jügelhaus, Mertonstraße 17, #Frankfurt

Weitere Infos & Agenda folgen in Kürze. Unterstützt vom
@dfki.bsky.social & @hessianai.bsky.social.

Jetzt anmelden: www.athene-center.de/zukunftsforu...

Where and how should the #EU build effective #cablediplomacy partnerships? 🌍

📄This is the key question addressed by ATHENE researcher @jonasfranken.bsky.social in his policy brief @boelleu.bsky.social: "Cable diplomacy: Securing influence, data and global rules".

🔗 eu.boell.org/en/cable-dip...

New EUISS brief | Challenging US dominance: China's DeepSeek model and the pluralisation of AI development Written by Clotilde Bômont & Tim Rühlig

🆕 DeepSeek's R1 marked a disruptive shift, proving credible alternatives to US #AI & fostering a more pluralistic landscape.

For the EU, this is either a security risk if ignored, or a strategic opportunity, write @clotildebomont.bsky.social & @ruehlig.bsky.social. www.iss.europa.eu/publications...

Protecting Society from Radioactive Data | TechPolicy.Press We should think about the value of data relative to risk and the cost of mitigating that risk, writes Trey Herr.

Contrary to the phrase often repeated in industry and policy circles alike, data isn’t oil. A better way to think about data is as a radioactive material, a resource both powerful and dangerous enough that continuous action is required to avoid harm from it.

www.techpolicy.press/protecting-s...

Merz, Klingbeil & Co.: Die Gefahr des Niedergangs Alte und reiche Länder neigen zur wirtschaftlichen Selbstlähmung. Damit muss auch die Bundesrepublik umgehen – und besonders die kommende Koalition.

www.faz.net/1.10374763?p...

#UEF acknowledges a higher proposed EU multiannual budget but it needs real own resources to guarantee stability, self-sufficiency and political accountability

China’s battle with deflation isn’t just a demand problem Beijing’s policies have encouraged overproduction and excessive competition

China’s battle with deflation isn’t just a demand problem https://on.ft.com/470fptc | opinion

Insightful take from the EU Institute for Security Studies on tackling disinformation in #Georgia & #Armenia. Suggests AI-enhanced social listening, proactive local communication, and strengthening civil society to counter adversarial narratives. www.iss.europa.eu/publications... #SouthCaucasus

Europe is ramping up defence spending but this isn’t just about security. It’s a chance to spark a dual-use tech boom that could power Europe’s competitiveness. A thread🧵⤵️

The Debate - Deterrance made in Europe? France, UK offer nuclear shield to Ukraine allies Caught between the threat of Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the wavering of Donald Trump’s United States, can Europe really rely on its only two nuclear powers to guarantee deterrence from atomic attacks...

💬 "If the US is not willing to send troops to fight an aggressor in Europe, why would they use nuclear weapons? The UK-FR nuclear statement is very useful in that context of a potential reduced deterrence again Russia."

@gspataf95.bsky.social on @france24.com.

Watch ➡️ f24.my/BJ2x.x

EU-China-Gipfel: Lauter Zeichen der Entfremdung China lässt die EU spüren, dass andere Partner derzeit für sie wichtiger sind. 50 Jahre, nachdem die bilateralen Beziehungen aufgenommen wurde, sind sie aus vielen Gründen angespannt. Schlechte Vorzei...

Beijing sees Brussels as a serious partner partly due to its reliance on 🇪🇺 in areas like aviation and nuclear energy. But Europe's dependence on China is greater and growing.

💬 "Our starting position is steadily worsening," warns @ruehlig.bsky.social in Tagesschau. www.tagesschau.de/ausland/euro...

Quote: Xi Jinping's decision not to travel to Europe [for the EU-China Summit], alongside other recent signals, made it clear from the outset that Beijing’s focus lies not on Europe but on the 'Global South'. — Tim Rühlig, 'Same summit, different stakes?'

🇨🇳 #China may be realising that, despite transatlantic tensions, the core differences between European and Chinese interests remain unchanged, writes @ruehlig.bsky.social.

Today's tense kick-off to the #EUChinaSummit is a clear reflection of this reality. www.iss.europa.eu/publications...

One possible path to explore communication away from eurocentrism & self-congratulation about what has been & will be achieved "The EU's plan to become a global leader in quantum by 2030" towards more humility, acknowledging China's superiority, a call for urgent action on all levels, now.

European militaries depend on secure energy supplies but current fuel & electricity dependencies create serious vulnerabilities. The energy transition can bring concrete solutions, explains Caspar Hobhouse.
➡️ Read how: ow.ly/egH550Wg31E

“In foreign policy a useful principle is: that which cannot be changed must be welcomed, says Steven Everts, the director of the EU Institute for Security Studies. Even so, he concedes, Europe’s response “speaks to our weakness”.

Smart column by @davidrennie.bsky.social:

How war became contagious With peaceful norms fading, a new weapon has made conflict cheaper and easier

“The norm that you can’t use violence to solve political conflicts faded. And it’s contagious”, warns @sbeverts.bsky.social in the @financialtimes.com. www.ft.com/content/9bf9...

European militaries face a growing fuel dilemma: supplies come from outside the EU & infrastructure is far from potential frontlines. As demand rises with Europe's rearmament, so does vulnerability. Bio & synthetic fuels could be the fix, says @casparhobhouse.bsky.social ➡️ ow.ly/egH550Wg31E

Enlargement isn’t just about candidate countries. As scepticism persists in EU Member States, the challenge is also at home. Brussels needs to build internal support & frame enlargement as a collective security priority, argues Bojana Zoric ➡️ ow.ly/t4Qk50Wcjsf

5 visuals capturing Russia's military capital: strengths & vulnerabilities 🧵

1⃣ Military presence

Russia military bases are concentrated in Europe, Central Asia & the Middle East. To offset limited global reach, Moscow's relies on paramilitary & irregular forces like the Wagner Group.