Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

The chief constable of Thames Valley police has said he will consider joining legal action against the government if it fails to block the early release of two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers.The Police Federation is contemplating going to court in its attempts to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison.In August 2019, Harper, 28, died when he was dragged down a country road in Berkshire by a car as Cole, Bowers and their accomplice Henry Long fled the scene of a quad bike theft.All three were convicted of manslaughter in 2020. Cole and Bowers were sentenced to 13…

The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slammed into the moon on Wednesday. But while astronomers hoped to catch a glimpse of the impact, no one seems to have captured images or video.The timing of the crash landing was well documented, giving astronomers plenty of time to train their telescopes and instruments on the moon in hopes of catching a lunar first: an impact flash on the lit side of the moon.When the time came, though, no observatory managed to obtain a direct image of the collision of the rocket, which was traveling at about 5,400 mph at…

Ravie LakshmananAug 05, 2026Cybercrime / Artificial Intelligence OpenAI said it disrupted a Cambodia-based scam operation that used its generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT to facilitate a wide range of investment, romance, gambling, and law enforcement impersonation schemes. To that end, it banned a coordinated network of ChatGPT accounts likely originating from Southeast Asia and operating from the city of Poipet, a region with extensive ties to scam compounds and human trafficking in the past. The cluster of accounts is said to have used OpenAI’s models to create and support the operation of fake online personas, generate and translate messages…

Scientists have discovered an enormous body of magma deep beneath Tuscany, even though the region shows few of the surface clues typically associated with such systems. Using a seismic imaging method called ambient noise tomography, researchers detected approximately 6,000 km3 of volcanic fluids buried 8 to 15 km below the surface. (6,000 km3 equals the volume of 2.4 billion standard Olympic swimming pools.) The international team included scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (CNR-IGG), and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Their findings, published in Communications Earth & Environment, could…

A 23-hectare (57-acre) forest in the Singaporean neighborhood of Clementi that provides stress relief and community enjoyment for residents plus habitat for urban biodiversity has been proposed for development, sparking a public debate.Although Singapore has earned recognition for integrating nature into this, one of the world’s most densely populated urban environments, the proposal would convert most of it into public housing.A new op-ed argues that urban forests are essential public health infrastructure and that this debate reflects a challenge that cities increasingly face: how should we value mature ecosystems in an era of climate change, urbanization and rising health…

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the fallout of Ukraine’s missile defense shortage, a possible deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and how SpaceX debris crashed into the moon. Kyiv’s Diminishing Arsenal Russian forces launched an onslaught of missiles and drones at Kyiv and its surrounding area on Wednesday, killing at least 17 people, injuring around 44 others, and damaging key infrastructure for major retailers. Although Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept nearly 90 percent of the 115 incoming drones, they failed to down a single one of the 24 ballistic missiles and four cruise missiles.…

New Jersey’s governor announced that “a software error” in the state’s motor vehicle registration system resulted in 6,600 noncitizens being improperly added to the state’s voter registration list. The state’s preliminary investigation found that up to 400 votes were cast by noncitizens, far fewer than the “thousands of votes” claimed by President Donald Trump. Trump has seized on the incident as validation of his longtime but unsupported claims about massive numbers of noncitizens voting. “Well, you saw what happened, they caught thousands of votes in New Jersey where illegal aliens were allowed to vote,” Trump said on July 22, a…

News Corp’s Australian division weighs on robust resultsJonathan BarrettNews Corp has delivered a strong rise in revenue across its global business, despite weakness in its news division, marked by a slide in digital subscribers at its Australian mastheads.The Rupert Murdoch family backed business reported a 7% lift in full year revenue to $US9bn, according to financials released this morning, driven by strong results in its business news-focused Dow Jones unit, book publishing and digital real estate assets.Its well known news media division, however, weighed on results, with advertising revenue falling 2% during the financial year to 30 June. The company’s…

A drone carrying an explosive device has been found at a German airport, police say.A robot was deployed at Leipzig/Halle Airport after the device was spotted by an employee near Ukrainian cargo planes overnight, according to Saxony police. A second unidentified object also collided with a cargo aircraft near the same airport. It landed in Hanover with minor damage.Germany’s interior minister said the incidents showed a “new level of threat”. German airports are on high alert following several unauthorised drone flights in recent months over military bases, airports, energy terminals, seaports and logistics companies. Police have warned of a potential…

The driver of the vehicle, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and is not eligible for early release. Speaking on the Today programme, Thames Valley Police chief Jason Hogg urged the government to reconsider its position.Only prisoners convicted of murder, rape, grooming, and serious child sex offences will be excluded from the scheme in England and Wales – while those convicted of manslaughter remain eligible.”I fully understand the challenges around the crisis in the prison system,” he said. “But the decision made and where that line has been drawn, I do not believe that people responsible for taking the life…