Author: Carter

zpagistock/Moment via Getty ImagesFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysEuro-Office, an open-source alternative to mainstream office suites, has officially launched its first stable version.It’s being promoted as a key piece of the EU’s digital independence strategy, but it’s not yet ready for widespread use.Disagreements with other open-source groups are creating additional challenges. If digital independence matters to you — and it’s a major priority for the European Union (EU) — you’ll be glad to learn that Euro‑Office, a new open-source, browser-based office suite designed to compete with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, has officially shipped its…

Orla/ iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty ImagesFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysStrike a balance between AI agent autonomy and control.Context and purpose must be integrated into agent design.Evaluate agent configurations and the data they can access.AI agents are advancing beyond basic chatbots, becoming fully capable digital workers empowered to act on applications and data. However, these expanded abilities bring significant security and governance challenges.Think of your AI agents as enthusiastic but inexperienced interns—they need the same level of supervision and direction as human interns, according to experts at a panel during the…

BlackRock has reportedly requested at least $5 billion worth of SpaceX IPO shares before the company’s landmark Nasdaq launch, according to Bloomberg. The move adds significant institutional support to a potential record-breaking IPO. The massive investment request from the world’s top asset manager further highlights the intense market attention surrounding the IPO. $SPCX – SPACEX IPO DRAWS $5B BLACKROCK ORDERElon Musk’s SpaceX is preparing a $75B share sale, with enormous demand from investors. BlackRock requested at least $5B, while other major asset managers and sovereign wealth funds submitted similar-sized bids. Total demand reportedly exceeds $70B from…— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) June…

In a troubling case of deception, bogus data breach disclosures were uploaded to Maine’s official data breach portal and appeared publicly before their truthfulness could be checked, resulting in affected companies publicly refuting the claims. The latest entry in the state Attorney General’s breach disclosure log is a filing that appears to originate from VRChat, a multiplayer social virtual reality platform. However, a spokesperson from VRChat informed BleepingComputer that the disclosure is forged and was created using a fictitious employee identity.VRChat is a social virtual reality platform built on Unity that launched for Windows and Oculus Rift in 2014, allowing…

The Department of Agriculture is presenting thousands of workers with a stark choice tied to its broad relocation initiative: move to a new duty station to retain their positions, or walk away entirely. USDA is carrying out a far-reaching restructuring effort that calls for shifting over 50 percent of its Washington, D.C.-area staff to regional hubs nationwide before the close of this summer. Workers affected by the relocation plans belong to the Food Safety and Inspection Service, Forest Service, Economic Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Food and Nutrition Service. Roughly 90 percent of USDA’s workforce is…

Perplexity has integrated Deep Research into Computer, its multi-model orchestration platform. This upgrade enhances precision, analytical depth, and the quality of citations. Deep Research now decomposes complex queries into smaller tasks and distributes them across more than 20 advanced models. The result is polished, work-ready reports, presentations, and dashboards, all generated within Computer. Deep Research in Computer Deep Research is a feature that conducts multiple searches, analyzes sources, and produces a fully cited report. The latest version is embedded within Perplexity Computer, which was introduced in late February 2026. Computer is a cloud-based platform that synchronizes up to 20 AI…

Keep in mind that if you are reading this article from outside the US, the World Cup streaming options will be different in your location. I’ll cover those details later in this article. Stay updated with ZDNET: Set us as a preferred source on Google.With a record number of teams set to compete, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is gearing up to be among the largest sporting spectacles in history. The tournament begins this Thursday, June 11, and continues through July 19, hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Every match will be broadcast live, giving fans plenty of viewing…

Visa has integrated its payment network with ChatGPT, allowing AI-driven agents to suggest retail items and carry out financial transactions on behalf of users.This advancement eliminates the need for a person to be involved in the final steps of a purchase. Autonomous agents will now take user requests, scan merchant inventories, and finalize transactions over Visa’s payment rails at any participating retailer.Earlier AI-powered shopping tools were limited to single-store environments. Retailers had to build their own chatbots that could only search their own product catalogs. Visa’s approach breaks through these walled-garden limitations.The payments giant is effectively plugging the open-web intelligence…

El Salvador — often called Bitcoin country — is continually updating its immigration policies to attract high-value foreign talent and investment, including entire families. Decreto 531, which took effect on March 31, 2026, reduced the physical presence requirement for temporary residents from nine months to just 90 calendar days per year, whether consecutive or accumulated. This change is designed to appeal to entrepreneurs, investors, and remote workers who travel frequently. On the surface, this new minimum residency requirement positions El Salvador as a strong competitor among nations offering tax-friendly immigration frameworks. But what exactly does Salvadoran tax residency offer, and…

Cyber insurance is stuck in a prolonged period of dissatisfaction and slow progress. Carriers are grappling with unpredictable market swings, squeezed pricing, and uneven growth, leaving many feeling trapped in a cycle with no clear way forward. According to a recent study by Munich Re, the worldwide cyber insurance market reached $15.3 billion in 2024, with projections pointing to $16.3 billion by the close of 2025. While those figures sound impressive in isolation, the 2024 total accounted for less than 1% of the global property and casualty insurance market that same year — a stark reminder of how small this…