Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Jonathan Liew’s piece (Raheem Sterling’s bleak tale a reminder of absurd path young footballers face, 17 September) is informative and timely, particularly when set against Jacob Steinberg’s report (‘They are very similar’: Arsenal’s Dowman reminds Merino of Lamine Yamal, 16 September) .The tiny proportion of young footballers originally “signed” by top flight clubs at a ludicrously young age, who then achieve their dreams of a Premier League career, rather than being summarily dismissed at the age of 16 or 17 with the vast majority of their contemporaries, should be a reality check for parents/guardians of all aspiring young athletes.For those…

Claim: Joe Biden’s administration cut 442 reporters from the White House press pool in 2023. Rating: What’s True In 2023, the Biden administration tightened the requirements for obtaining an all-access White House press credential called a “hard pass.” After the stricter requirements went into effect, the number of hard passes issued dropped from 1,417 to 975, in part because many journalists chose not to renew them. What’s False The Biden administration’s changes did not cut or replace reporters in the “press pool,” a small group of journalists historically selected by the White House Correspondents’ Association to receive privileged access and…

Albanese signs declaration with world leaders urging human control over AIAnthony Albanese has joined the leaders of more than 20 countries in signing a statement calling to bring the rapid growth of artificial intelligence under control.“AI must remain under human direction, oversight and control. It must be developed and used in line with international law,” the statement said. double quotation markLeading scientists and executives are warning that the pace of development could outpace our ability to manage emerging risks. The Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Spain’s PM, Pedro Sánchez, and European Commission president, Ursula von…

While Silicon Valley is spending billions to make AI agents shop for us, the man who pioneered Apple’s retail stores thinks the industry is overestimating how much of shopping people will hand over to machines — and believes physical stores will continue to thrive. Ron Johnson, 66, has heard predictions about the demise of physical retail before. He joined Apple in 2000 to build its retail business as online shopping was beginning to take off, and went on to help create a store network that became central to how Apple sells its products and connects with customers. “AI is a…

Accenture’s majority investment in Dragos has now closed, and Dragos followed it on Monday by announcing that it has completed its acquisitions of NetRise and runZero. The moves are part of Accenture’s $4.1 billion OT cybersecurity push announced in June. Dragos will continue to operate independently with Robert M. Lee serving as its CEO. Lee has also been named chairman of the board. There will be new board members from Accenture, and Dmitri Alperovitch is returning to Dragos’ board.  Key executives — including runZero CEO HD Moore, NetRise CEO Thomas Pace, and NetRise CTO Michael Scott — are joining Dragos…

Bitcoin treasuries kicked off Monday with a bang, with Strategy and Strive announcing they scooping up a combined 2,305 BTC for $182.7 million.  Strategy said in a filing that it last week bought 950 bitcoins for $75.7 million — its first buy since August — and Strive snapped up 1,355 BTC for $107.7 million.  The announcement comes as the price of the biggest cryptocurrency surges. Bitcoin’s price recently stood at $86,008, a 6% 24-hour rise, after hitting as high as $86,282 earlier on Monday.  Strategy, the biggest corporate holder of bitcoin, also repurchased $174 million of its STRC perpetual preferred…

Chronic stress linked to everyday life may leave a lasting physical mark on the heart, potentially damaging cardiovascular health and shortening lifespan. That conclusion comes from a study of nearly half a million adults in the UK, led by researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London. The researchers believe it is the largest study of its kind. Their findings suggest that chronic inflammation, which is associated with lifestyle and socioeconomic circumstances, may contribute to harmful changes in the heart’s structure. It was also linked to a greater risk of heart attack and stroke. Importantly,…

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a deal involving the United States, Denmark, and Greenland; Ukraine’s “largest-ever” attack on Moscow; and an armed rebel alliance against Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. Greenland Deal U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he had reached a deal with Denmark and Greenland giving the United States “permanent control over security” in Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. Trump said the United States would immediately begin “developing a large Military presence” on the island, which has strategic importance for Arctic security. Trump said the agreement satisfies Washington’s key demands,…

Victory of United Russia party strengthens Putin’s hand even as the war with Ukraine grows more unpopular.President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has won a record supermajority in tightly orchestrated parliamentary polls that excluded virtually any genuine opposition, near complete official results show.With over 58 percent of votes secured, United Russia, which has dominated Russian politics for 25 years, is on track to win more than three quarters of the seats in the lower house, the State Duma, according to the results announced on Monday after three days of voting that ended on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of…

Some of the most affluent areas of England have had the sharpest rises in the proportion of young people claiming disability benefits for ADHD and autism since the pandemic, according to new research.Claims for the personal independence payment (Pip) benefit for these health conditions were typically proportionally far higher in deprived areas with higher rates of poverty, low educational outcomes and insecure employment.However, the fastest growth in ADHD and autism-related Pip claims has been in some of the country’s most prosperous areas such as Wokingham, Warwick, and parts of Hampshire and Surrey.This trend probably reflects swifter access to ADHD and…