Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Your analysis of slowing buses in global cities sets out the mechanism exactly, and the remedy follows from it (London buses in decline? Why public transport in global cities is slowing to a crawl – visualised, 23 September).Transport for London’s own calculation that a 10% fall in speed costs 6% of demand and Imperial College London’s finding of the same decline across 15 cities show what happens to buses as the traffic thickens around them. Retiming the lights will not reverse it, and London is already trying. The phrase to notice in the article is one used by TfL: signals…

On Sept. 30, 2026, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered what he called a “State of the Force” address. During it, he announced the launch of “Project Meridian,” which he described as “an effort led by America’s best minds to study the future of warfare.” Hegseth named Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Palmer Luckey, founder of defense technology company Anduril Industries, as heads of Project Meridian. In a memorandum published the same day, Hegseth wrote, “Project Meridian’s primary function will be to map the trajectory of future warfare, identify…

Landlords in Washington DC will no longer be able to refuse a tenant’s dog based on its breed, size or weight, nor can they impose special charges related to these factors.At least, that’s what a new law that took effect on Thursday aims to achieve. Animal welfare organizations and animal shelters applauded the legislation, emphasizing the benefits of reducing barriers to pet ownership in the US capital.Dog breeds considered “scary” used to face restrictions, especially pit bulls, rottweilers and dobermans. Property owners could ban certain breeds, regardless of their behavior. With these restrictions, landlords tried to avoid incidents with aggressive…

Putin also accused the West of instigating other conflicts.”If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation, in this case we are talking about Kaliningrad but possibly some other territories, of course the issue of use by the Russian Federation of all arms at the disposal of our country will inevitably and immediately be on the agenda,” he said.He accused Nato of holding naval manoeuvres in the Baltic Sea that he argued represented serious threats to Kaliningrad. If the territory came under Western blockade, he said Russia would be prepared to use all means and forces, including nuclear.”We…

Firstly, his fear – being “really concerned” – that the vast money from Abu Dhabi, that has transformed not just the club but parts of the city, could go.Secondly, that “I can’t intervene more” in the process that is ongoing. What does “more” mean?To be fair, as you can see in the full quote above and he said repeatedly elsewhere in the interview, he was trying to be circumspect about it all.”I am not getting directly involved in the process,” he told me, later adding “I have to keep my distance from it.”But, the cumulative impression many were left with…

I’m pretty sure I won’t be buying the $1,299 Meta VR Glasses. That’s too rich for my blood in today’s economy, and my feelings about Meta are… conflicted. But I want you to understand that Meta just changed the game. We’ve had glasses, but we’ve never had glasses like this.The Meta VR Glasses are not an opaque VR headset. They are not a pair of transparent AR glasses. They might be the best of both. After playing with the Meta VR Glasses, Valve’s Steam Frame, the Apple Vision Pro, and the Google / Xreal Aura back to back, I think…

On the global stage, too few organizations are implementing new technology to defend against new technology employed by attackers. PwC’s 2027 Global Digital Trust Insights report surveys just short of 4,000 businesses and tech leaders in more than 70 countries. It seeks to understand how industry is responding to a rapidly evolving digital environment. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the nexus. AI takes center stage in this report. An increase in the volume and speed of AI-assisted attacks goes without saying; but the report highlights that leaders identify attacks targeting their own AI systems as the top cyber threat they are…

In brief Zcash trades at $1,333.50, down 7.29% on the day and about 21% below its $1,698.00 peak, after climbing roughly 253% from a $480.72 base. Grayscale’s Zcash ETF recorded a $30.25 million net outflow on Sept. 30, against $268 million in cumulative net inflows since launch. It’s a rough stretch, but the charts suggest ZEC still has room to run. Zcash is having a rough Thursday. ZEC is trading at $1,333.50, down 7.29% on the day, with about three hours left before the daily candle closes.That puts the privacy coin roughly 21% below the $1,698.00 peak it hit in…

A small preliminary study from UC San Francisco adds to mounting evidence that eating fewer ultra-processed foods may help reduce symptoms of depression. Published Sept. 23 in JAMA Psychiatry, the study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers believe it is the first study to compare depression symptoms in the same participants before and after they moved from their usual ultra-processed diet to healthier foods. The pilot study included only 20 people, but senior author Andrew Krystal, MD, Ray and Dagmar Dolby Distinguished Professor in UCSF’s departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Neurology, said it “successfully established…

Isolated and contacted Indigenous tribes in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands face threats from illegal fishing, mega-development projects and misinformed government welfare policies that undermine their self-sufficiency, says Manish Chandi, a former research scholar who has spent decades working with tribal communities in the region. Chandi worked with the communities while he was with the Andaman Nicobar Environment Team and the Nature Conservation Foundation. He is also a former advisory board member of the Tribal Research Institute under the Andaman and Nicobar Administration. In an interview with Mongabay’s Latoya Abulu, Chandi says that protecting Indigenous autonomy is vital…