Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

In brief California public officials and employees will be prohibited from issuing meme coins under AB 2409. Digital asset platforms will also be barred from listing certain meme coins tied to federal, state or local officials. The law comes as lawmakers in Washington debate similar restrictions on politicians’ crypto ventures. California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill barring public officials in the state from issuing meme coins, adding new restrictions on political figures’ involvement in the crypto market.Assembly Bill 2409, authored by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim), prohibits California public officers and employees from issuing meme coins. It also bars…

Subsea Micropiles, which has offices in Ireland and Aberdeenshire, already has an operations base at the Port of Montrose. The firm’s new facility is expected to make parts for wind turbines in Scottish waters, and for international markets. Chief executive Derek Robertson said: “Scotland has become an important base for our growth. “We rely on the deep pool of talent, skills and offshore experience here to develop our technology, services and expand into a global market.He added that the company’s products “can be manufactured locally, with the potential to retain significant economic benefit in Scotland through engineering, vessel services and…

Reading Time: 8 minutes This story was produced in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Investigative Journalism class taught in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Click here to read highlights from the story In recent years scammers have extracted hundreds of thousands of dollars from Wisconsin residents through schemes involving crypto ATMs. Wisconsin lawmakers recently passed a law that regulates crypto ATMs, and law enforcement officials say they are already noticing a reduction in scam reports. The state opted not to ban the machines like in three other states in response to lobbying from the industry. Robert Semanko…

Concerns are mounting about an ocean phenomenon known as a kelvin wave that could raise sea levels along the California coastline by up to a foot, as scientists say El Niño is supercharging the threat of storm surges and flooding in the coming months.As an incredibly strong El Niño continues to develop in the Pacific, the phenomenon brings with it a strange shift in the ocean. The kelvin wave phenomenon is created when trade winds that usually blow from South America towards Asia die down or reverse in El Niño years, setting off a massive, slow-moving slosh of water.Kelvin waves…

Kallas added that Monday’s discussion will look at how EU institutions can work with member countries to determine which tools in the EU’s arsenal could be used as part of the protocol response. While diplomats say the details are still vague on what the protocol could entail in theory, it could apply to drone incursions, sabotage and cyberattacks, once it’s clear who was responsible. Kallas stressed that the protocol would apply to “everything that is under the threshold of armed aggression.” Over the summer, hybrid activity linked to Russia increased dramatically. Drone overflights, crashes and explosions have become almost daily…

A new NHS-style social care system for England could take decades to be implemented, economist Sir Andrew Dilnot has told the BBC.Sir Andrew, who led a commission proposing reform of the system 15 years ago, said Prime Minister Andy Burnham appeared to want social care to be completely free, including residential costs.He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the cost of such a scheme would be “very substantial”.And with Burnham promising to put his plans before voters at the next general election, Sir Andrew said change “is now further away”.Adult social care provides state support to help people live more…

As WIRED’s resident wearable tester, I’ve tried enough smartwatches to know there’s life beyond the Apple Watch. I just apparently don’t want it. Maybe it’s because I joined the Apple ecosystem at 10 years old and have been indoctrinated ever since. I’m fluent in iOS, macOS, and watchOS, and for better or worse, the Apple Watch is my default wearable.But what’s the best Apple Watch to buy? There are now three models, each with its own set of features, and the differences between them can appear minor even when the prices aren’t. Fortunately, I’ve tested them all; Here’s how the…

The threat actor known as JADEPUFFER has been observed orchestrating destructive actions within a Microsoft Azure environment using compromised service principals. Microsoft, which is tracking the activity under the name Storm-3168, has called it an evolution of the threat actor’s tradecraft. The attack took place in early June 2026 over a period of about 18 hours. “The destructive operations were facilitated by compromising service principals and targeted Azure Storage Accounts, SQL databases, Key Vaults, Function Apps, recovery protection locks, Virtual Machines, and App Services,” researchers Yossi Weizman and Tushar Mudi, along with the Microsoft Security Research team, said. JADEPUFFER was…

Bitcoin (BTC) fell to weekly lows on Monday as upside momentum gave way to liquidity hunting on exchange order books.Key points:Bitcoin reversed downward after over $30 million in ask liquidity was added to exchange order books at around $85,700.Crypto and US stock-market futures dropped after US president Donald Trump refused to rule out further strikes on Iran.Analysis by markets commentator Aksel Kibar warned that Bitcoin risked returning to its sub-$80,000 range.Liquidity manipulation halts BTC price upsideData from TradingView showed BTC/USD dropping below $82,700 for the first time since Sept. 21.BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewAfter posting its highest weekly close since…

The idea of humans and robots working side-by-side in space was once the stuff of science fiction, but with NASA launching increasingly complex missions deeper into space, human-robot collaboration could become reality. Advanced robotic systems are critical for human spaceflight because they can enhance a crew’s performance and productivity while reducing risk and expanding the capabilities for space exploration. The Dexterous Robotics Team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston plays a key role in developing robotic hardware and software to support NASA’s bold vision for the future, with a focus on robots that can complete tasks humans do with…