Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

As one of the most popular works of literature of all time, as well as the subject of the current most popular movie in the world, the Odyssey has long been analyzed from a political perspective. But the classic adventure tale also offers important insights into the economics of ancient Greece—and of today. What does the Greek etymology of the word “economy” reveal about its meaning? How does Greek theology inform ideas of economic risk? Why has Odysseus’s relationship to the sirens been used as metaphor to explain the work of central banks? Those are just a few of the…

A claim on social media that a video authentically showed thousands of immigrants without legal status entering the Spanish territory of Cueta is under investigation. The video circulated online as reputable news sources shared similar footage and photos of masses of people wading and swimming around a border fence between Morocco and Cueta, a Spanish territory on the African side of the Strait of Gibraltar. Online searches did not locate the origin of the video in question, meaning Snopes could not independently verify whether it was authentic. Therefore, we could not give it a rating.  On July 30, 2026, a…

Hamas said Friday it had agreed to a deal that includes handing over its weapons to a Palestinian governing committee and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. The deal is aimed at implementing the long-stalled second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan brokered by US President Donald Trump, who on Thursday hailed the agreement for Hamas’s “complete disarmament”, calling it a “major milestone”. Israel has yet to officially comment on the announcement, but a political source told AFP “that there will be no withdrawal whatsoever” from Israeli forces’ current lines “unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament”.…

President Trump brushed off questions on Friday about the viability of a new plan to disarm Hamas, insisting that Israel was “very happy” with the deal despite signs of concern from Israel’s government.“We do have an understanding with Israel,” Mr. Trump told reporters after a cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat. “Israel is very happy about it. Israel helped us.”But a day after proclaiming the plan a “historic breakthrough,” Mr. Trump tempered expectations. Calling the situation “very complex,” he warned that the process would probably undergo “ups and downs.”The plan was officially brokered by the Board of Peace,…

Federal prosecutors on Friday said that contractors hired by the Trump administration had botched the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, leaving behind “widespread damage” in the pool’s new blue lining, and that the Interior Department had then falsely blamed that damage on vandals.In an extraordinary motion filed Friday evening, the U.S. attorney in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, said she was seeking to dismiss a felony charge against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist who was accused of pulling up a piece of the pool’s lining two feet square.In doing so, Ms. Pirro — a longtime ally of President Trump’s…

If you own a strong enough telescope, you might be able to witness history on Wednesday: A dead rocket is going to crash into the moon.On August 5, at around 6:34 am UTC, a spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is expected to hit the moon’s sunlit western limb near Einstein crater at more than 5,400 mph. If it unfolds as predicted, the crash could throw up a plume of debris bright enough to briefly see from Earth with the right equipment.That would be a first. No impact flash has ever been recorded on the sunlit face of the moon,…

The Arch Linux project has temporarily disabled adoption of Arch User Repository (AUR) packages after a surge in malicious takeovers of existing packages. The decision was announced on the distribution’s mailing list by contributor Robin Candau, who said that the situation is temporary until a solution is found. “Due to the current influx of malicious package adoptions and follow-up commits made via the AUR, package adoption is currently disabled while we are handling the situation,” announced Candau. “We will send a follow-up once we’re able to. In the meantime, feel free to report suspicious adoption events or commits that haven’t…

Much of the adoption, however, benefits established financial institutions rather than token holders, Seiler said. As traditional finance integrates blockchain tech into existing workflows, less value accrues directly to crypto assets than investors expected several years ago.Founded in 2021, STS Digital is a Bermuda-regulated crypto options market maker that provides 24/7 liquidity and pricing for institutional clients trading digital asset derivatives. The firm specializes in over-the-counter (OTC) trading.AI, regulation add to crypto headwindsAnother barrier to growth is artificial intelligence. Investor enthusiasm for AI has diverted both attention and capital away from crypto, Seiler said.High-profile developments around companies such as OpenAI,…

A solar eclipse, the Perseids, bright Venus after sunset, and a deep partial lunar eclipse highlight August’s skywatching. Aug. 5: Last Quarter Moon Aug. 12: Total solar eclipse across northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain, and part of Portugal; partial eclipse in parts of the U.S.; New Moon Aug. 12-13: Perseid meteor shower peak under dark skies Aug. 14-16: Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation and shines low in the west after sunset Aug. 27-28: Partial lunar eclipse visible from much of North and South America and parts of Europe and Africa A solar eclipse, one of the year’s best meteor…

With the U.S. midterm elections less than 100 days away, the focus of much of the country’s politics will turn to questions such as how quickly Donald Trump, like most two-term U.S. presidents before him, will be transformed into a lame duck, and what the results could mean for gaming out who will succeed him in two years. As compelling as questions like these are, there are other matters, equally or even more weighty, that will shape the country’s future and its place in the world. Whatever one thinks of Trump, future historians will probably conclude that he was one…