Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) is valued because it can withstand intense wear, pressure, and repeated use. That exceptional hardness makes it ideal for industrial tools, but it also creates a major manufacturing challenge. The material is difficult to shape, expensive to produce, and often requires more raw material than ultimately ends up in the finished component. Researchers have now tested a different way to manufacture WC-Co cemented carbide using additive manufacturing (AM, also commonly known as 3D printing). Their approach could reduce waste and lower production costs while preserving the strength and hardness that make the material so useful. The study…

The United States is betting the house on winning the artificial intelligence race with China. Consider the U.S. economy, which is increasingly becoming a highly leveraged bet on the promise of this new technology. AI is the primary driver of investments, stock market gains, and growth in the United States. As The Wall Street Journal recently noted, AI-related investment is driving most of the growth in U.S. GDP. Spending on AI data centers accounts for half of all business investment in the country. AI companies made up more than 40 percent of the value of U.S. equity markets before SpaceX…

Oil prices fall as US officials tout progress in talks to reopen critical waterway.Published On 5 Aug 20265 Aug 2026The US stock market has hit an all-time high amid growing hopes for a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and a flurry of bumper corporate earnings results.The S&P 500, the most popular gauge of US stocks, surged 1.8 percent on Tuesday to top 7,700 for the first time, blasting past its previous record of 7,620.90 set on June 2.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listWall Street’s benchmark index has risen 12.80 percent so far this year, comfortably beating its historical…

Palantir pays no U.S. federal income tax because previous losses, tax credits, and R&D deductions offset its taxable income; and virtually no state income tax, with the exception of Maryland, which levies a digital services tax. The profit gap between the U.S. and Europe is stark. In 2025, Palantir’s American business pocketed 47.7 cents in profit from every dollar of revenue — more than double the previous year’s 22.5 cents. Outside the U.S., the profit margin was just 6.3 percent. In some European subsidiaries, it fell to around 3 percent, according to the new report. CICTAR argues that Palantir “intentionally…

Andy Burnham has inherited a Labour membership that is sceptical about increased welfare spending, supportive of higher defence spending, and ranks the climate crisis as one of the country’s biggest challenges, according to new polling.The survey of 788 members between the end of June and the end of July shows them ranking health (43%), the economy (42%), cost of living (39%) and climate change (29%) as Britain’s most important issues, ahead of welfare benefits (7%) and immigration (6%).Despite the internal rows within the parliamentary Labour party (PLP) on welfare spending and general public pushback, 47% of members surveyed by ThinkLabour…

Rarely is the top issue in a high-profile election how, exactly, the contest has been funded.But that has been the case in the Democratic primary race for Senate in Michigan, which has inflamed so many of the party’s explosive political debates.Representative Haley Stevens, the moderate establishment-backed candidate, benefited from about $62 million in advertising spending from half a dozen outside groups. Over half of that sum came from the super PAC arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the country’s most influential pro-Israel group.That spending gave her and her allies about a 9-to-1 spending advantage over her progressive rival,…

Jack Wallen/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysMango Launcher is as fun as Android gets.This highly customizable launcher offers tons of features.There’s a free version and a Pro version ($6.99/yearly or $24.99 lifetime).I’ve used a lot of Android home screen launchers over the years (such as Octopi Launcher and AIO Launcher), so many that I’ve lost count. I’ve used highly minimal ones, those that try to do too much, and everything in between. But one thing that most home screen launchers lack is a touch of whimsy. I want my phone to at least be slightly enjoyable to use; otherwise, it’s just another…

In brief Bitcoin bridge Boltz has suspended its Bitcoin swap service indefinitely. The company says AI-assisted attacks are outpacing its ability to patch vulnerabilities. Boltz says no user funds were at risk because the platform is non-custodial. Boltz has suspended its Bitcoin swap service indefinitely, saying a surge in AI-assisted attacks has left it unable to continue operating safely.In a series of posts on X on Monday, the company said swaps are disabled “until further notice” and that it cannot provide an estimate for when the service will return.“We can’t give an ETA as of this time, but will provide…

New DNA analysis has revealed a remarkably complex biological record preserved on the Shroud of Turin, adding fresh detail to the history of one of the world’s most closely examined and controversial historical artifacts. Published in Scientific Reports, the study is the first to use advanced genomic sequencing methods (rigorous PCR-free next-generation metagenomic sequencing) on official samples taken from the Shroud in 1978. By examining genomic DNA embedded in the linen fibers, researchers produced the most detailed account yet of the biological material that accumulated on the cloth through centuries of handling and environmental exposure. A Complex Archive of Human…

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Four Melanesian countries are planning a network of marine reserves across one of the world’s richest stretches of ocean. Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Fiji announced the Melanesian Ocean Corridor of Reserves in May. Solomon Islands joined in June. The corridor would connect protected areas across national waters and could eventually extend into the high seas, reports contributor Ashley Yeong for Mongabay. Melanesia lies within the Coral Triangle in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, which contains an estimated three-quarters of known coral…