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Prosecutors in Paris have launched at least one criminal investigation into suspected sexual harassment following complaints that people used smart glasses to film women on the street without their consent. The Paris prosecutor’s office tasked its cybercrime unit with testing smart glasses two weeks ago to better understand how the technology could be used to facilitate crime. France's data protection authority, CNIL, said ​it had received under 10 complaints concerning smart glasses being used in the workplace. CNIL's head of economic affairs Nacera Bekhat said smart glasses pose "real challenges" in terms of informing people that they are being filmed and getting consent when needed. AI-enabled wearable devices are regulated by the European Union's AI Act and the General Data Protection Regulation.

 

Reuters

The former head of a Deutsche Bank private banking team in Frankfurt has received a suspended prison term of two years for embezzling more than €626,000 ($718,400) from rich clients. The Frankfurt Regional Court convicted the banker - who worked at Deutsche’s flagship branch at its Frankfurt headquarters and who under German law can only be identified as Sven R. - of aggravated breach of trust. Starting in late 2023, he exploited weaknesses in the lender’s internal controls until he was finally apprehended early in 2025. “Deutsche Bank’s security measures at the time were easy to circumvent,” Presiding Judge Eva Livesey-Wardle said. “There were no checks built into the system, there were only the other employees. That was easy to get around if you’d built up trust for years.”

 

Bloomberg

Financial Times

A court in Germany has said Meta is liable for fake advertisements posted by third parties ​on its Instagram and Facebook platforms. The lawsuit had been filed by ​a German financial portal whose trademarked logo and image were ⁠used without consent in posts recommending investments allegedly ​with fraudulent intent. Germany’s Frankfurt regional court ordered Meta to remove the fake content and pay damages. "We respectfully disagree with this decision ​and are considering ​next steps," ⁠a spokesperson for the U.S. tech giant said, adding that Meta had taken ​significant action, including proactive detection measures and ​removal of ⁠reported content.

 

Silicon UK

Reuters

The US and UK central banks have asked global lenders about ​their exposures to large trading firms after hedge fund turmoil precipitated big losses at proprietary trading firm Jane Street.

 

Financial Times

German automotive workers staged nationwide protests on Monday, urging government and management to safeguard jobs and factories amid a crisis in the industry. The German car sector faces challenges from rising Chinese competition, weak domestic demand, and US tariffs. Volkswagen plans to cut 100,000 jobs by 2030, and Mercedes-Benz and BMW are also downsizing. Speaking at VW's Wolfsburg factory, IG Metall leader and VW supervisory board member Christiane Benner said: "Things have really hit the fan . . . Companies like VW, BMW, Audi, Bosch, Mercedes and Porsche were synonymous with fantastic cars and high quality . . . Now, management is driving the industry at full throttle into a brick wall."

 

France 24

Payroll records analysed by human resources data firm ‌Brightmine indicate the UK's female workers continue to receive substantially lower bonus payments than ​their male peers. Payroll data for almost 1.5 million employees at 1,190 organisations as of July showed male workers ​received average annual bonuses of £5,442 ($7,300) compared ​with £3,062 for women. Sheila Attwood, Brightmine's HR insights and data lead, said the analysis suggests differences in progression, seniority and ​access to ​higher-value incentive ⁠schemes

 

Reuters

Icelandair has rejected a proposal from the Icelandic Aircraft Mechanics Association (FVFÍ) to postpone a planned strike by seven days. The strike was set to commence at midnight on Tuesday. FVFÍ said: "It is disappointing to find ourselves wanting to keep the dialogue going . . . only to receive no response." The association said it remains prepared to work on a proposal from the State Mediator.

 

Iceland Monitor

A new analysis from Denmark's National Bank reveals that companies adopting AI tend to hire fewer new employees, especially younger staff and those with higher education. Signe Krogstrup, director of the National Bank, noted that these individuals are however still finding work elsewhere due to Denmark's flexible labour market and widespread digitalisation. The analysis indicates that AI usage has not yet impacted salaries or overall employment levels. Krogstrup said: “We can't say for sure that employment will not fall in the long-term, but AI could also support the founding of new companies and new job roles.” Sara Vergo, the chair of Djøf, a Danish trade union and professional association, observed: “Employers must be careful not to saw off the branch they are sitting on. In the short term, it may look attractive to cut junior positions when AI can perform more tasks . . . But tomorrow's experienced specialists and managers can only emerge if companies hire, train and give responsibility to recent graduates today.”

 

Copenhagen Post

The Local

The European Union wants China to commit to restricting sales of domestically-made hybrid vehicles to about 15% of the EU market compared with more than a third currently, the FT reports.

 

Financial Times

Pepco has opened a new distribution centre near Gdansk, Poland, and secured long-term container freight agreements extending beyond next summer as it looks to mitigate higher shipping costs and disruption to global supply chains. The discount retailer, which operates more than 4,000 stores across 19 European countries, has said the hub will support further store expansion and allow it to make decisions on where goods are distributed after shipments arrive in Poland rather than while stock is still in Asia. Chief executive Stephan Borchert has said Pepco is not building additional inventory buffers and will instead rely on improved tracking and longer-term freight contracts, while seeking to avoid passing higher costs on to customers except potentially on a selective basis if industry-wide conditions require it.

 

Reuters

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced plans to introduce a measure that would limit the number of foreign students in classrooms and prohibit the wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools. Speaking at the Gioventù Nazionale national festival, Meloni said: "For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules." The proposed measure will require parliamentary approval within 60 days after government approval. Meloni's administration recently became Italy's longest-serving uninterrupted government since World War II.

 

Euronews.com

Los Angeles Times