Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Like a ghost from its troubled past, Drumcree has unexpectedly reappeared to remind people how far Northern Ireland has changed in 30 years but also how easily history can undermine the present, if imperfect, peace and stability.Three decades ago parts of Northern Ireland came to an almost annual standstill as Protestant Orange Order protesters blocked roads in support of members wanting to march down what they called its traditional route, the Garvaghy Road, on the Sunday before the annual 12 July parade.Because the Garvaghy Road is a main thoroughfare in a predominantly nationalist area, residents opposed the march. The standoff…

With repeated exposure, the brain adapts to nicotine’s presence. Receptors become less responsive, and so the brain compensates by increasing the number of nicotine receptors, contributing to dependence. Activation of these receptors also influences the release of other neurotransmitters, including dopamine, which plays an important role in reward and reinforcement.A common claim within wellness communities is that nicotine is a cognitive enhancer that improves focus and productivity. While there are some studies indicating that nicotine may temporarily enhance attention, vigilance, reaction time, and some types of memory, the results are mixed.If any benefit does exist, the research suggests that this…

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act was always doomed to fail.The bill faced an uphill battle from launch; numerous political, policy and social factors would have needed to fall into place for it to succeed. In the end, a variety of issues combined to continually decrease the odds of its passage over the past year. Ultimately, the bill saw bipartisan opposition when it hit the Senate floor for a key make-or-break procedural vote earlier this month, and its future is now in limbo.There had been warning signs for months.According to interviews conducted with more than a dozen industry participants and…

A large randomized trial suggests that newer blood thinners can significantly reduce serious cardiovascular events in people with atrial fibrillation who face an intermediate risk of stroke. The findings come from the SINGLE-AF trial, presented during a Hot Line session at ESC Congress 2026 and published at the same time in the New England Journal of Medicine. Compared with receiving no anticoagulant therapy, treatment with oral anticoagulants was associated with fewer adverse clinical events. A Gray Area in Atrial Fibrillation Treatment Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common heart rhythm disorder that can increase the risk of blood clots and stroke.…

British police said on Sunday they had arrested five men on suspicion of offences under ​the Explosives Act and the army was examining a number of vehicles after security was stepped up at a British air base used by US air forces in ​southwest England. Counter-terrorism detectives leading the investigation said police had received a call about three suspicious vehicles that appeared to ​be travelling towards ‌RAF Fairford in the early hours of Sunday. Armed officers arrested five men, who are being held on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. US President Donald Trump alleged to reporters that the suspects…

Labour MPs have a moral responsibility to accept significant changes to the welfare system to help get more young people into work, the work and pensions secretary has said.In a sign he is looking to overhaul the welfare state, Pat McFadden said it was time for Labour to “renew” the system first created by the Clement Attlee government and given a new deal by New Labour.The cabinet minister said there would be “decisions to make and responsibilities to take” after two reviews of the system are published this autumn – on young people by Alan Milburn, and on a key…

Welcome to the latest edition of Power Play! From now until the midterms, senior writer Molly Taft will be sharing their thoughts every Sunday on this political season’s hottest issue: data centers. We welcome reader comments, and will be answering questions from the comments section in future editions.The post-lunchtime Climate Week panel featuring tech executives working on AI and data centers was only about a minute into the discussion when a man stood up a few rows over from me in the audience and started yelling.“The idea that we can keep running on fracked gas is a lie!” he exclaimed…

Two unpatched Citrix NetScaler zero-day vulnerabilities are reportedly being exploited in attacks, with cybersecurity agencies, security researchers, and IT providers privately warning organizations about the flaws ahead of patches expected next week. The first signs of the incident appeared when Citrix administrators began reporting on Reddit that IT suppliers and security teams were privately contacting their organizations and advising them to shut down their NetScaler appliances. “We got a call from our IT supplier’s security team, they couldn’t give any details but they advised to shut our Netscalers down immediately,” one administrator wrote. Other administrators said law enforcement, CERTs, and…

Computers could then work on different tasks at the same time, giving Ethereum more capacity as well as more independent checks.However, Ethereum would still need to settle questions where the order matters, such as which of two payments spending the same funds came first. Buterin suggested that more of the work behind those payments could be completed beforehand, with proofs combined to reduce the information recorded on the blockchain.Meanwhile, his privacy plans also cover information people reveal simply by using a wallet.Checking a balance often involves asking an outside server about an address. Its operator can learn which accounts a…

Gunmen killed at least 27 people in two mass shootings in South Africa’s two main cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town, police said on Sunday, in the latest criminal violence to hit the country. Eight gunmen armed with assault rifles and pistols stormed a bar southwest of Johannesburg at around 1930 GMT on Saturday, killing 17 people and wounding 15 others. The dead included 13 males and four females. The suspects opened fire on customers drinking outside and then moved inside to continue shooting, police said. The shooting took place in Wedela, a semi-rural township of brick houses and small businesses,…