Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Prime Minister Andy Burnham will give all mayors of city regions in England a share of income tax revenue for the first time, as part of his drive to transfer power from Westminster to local leaders.Burnham will also allow mayors of English strategic authorities to keep some cash from business rates collected in their areas, and gain greater control over services such as housing, transport, skills.The government has not yet decided the exact portion of taxes mayors will be given, with more details to be announced when Chancellor John Healey delivers his first budget in the autumn.Critics said the plans…

England’s regional mayors will be able to break out of the “death grip of the Treasury” by borrowing to invest in big projects under “transformational” plans to shift power out of Whitehall.For the first time, mayors will keep a share of income tax generated in their area from 2028, as well as business rates totalling tens of millions of pounds by April 2027.These will replace existing grants rather than being additional money, but local leaders said no longer relying on ringfenced Treasury handouts would “transform” their funding.Oliver Coppard, the Labour mayor of South Yorkshire, said: “It’s really important because it…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Amazon will lift capital expenditure to $220bn this year with higher memory costs pushing up the cloud giant’s planned spending.Andy Jassy, Amazon’s chief executive, told investors on Thursday that the group would raise guidance for the full year from $200bn. The Amazon chief said that the spending was warranted as it did not have sufficient capacity to meet booming demand as sales at Amazon Web Services, its cloud division, rose 37 per cent year-on-year to $42.2bn, beating analysts’ expectations.Cloud growth in the…

In its report on the Minnesota water cyberattacks, Tenable pointed to an advisory from CISA that was initially released in April but was updated last week, warning that Iran-linked actors were targeting programmable logic controllers (PLCs) used for automation and coordination in critical infrastructure to cause “operational disruption and financial loss.” That advisory specifically pointed the finger at an “Iranian-affiliated” hacker group and noted that CyberAv3ngers specifically had carried out similar targeting of PLCs.The updated advisory, however, still doesn’t mention the Minnesota attacks—only the timing of its update on July 22 suggests a connection to the more recent hacking of…

Ravie LakshmananJul 30, 2026Malvertising / Cryptocurrency Threat actors with ties to North Korea have been attributed to a sophisticated macOS malvertising campaign that involves redirecting users to fake web pages displaying a full-screen non-existent update sequence to deliver malware as part of a new iteration of the long-running Contagious Interview campaign. The defining aspect of the attack is that bogus macOS software update screen stealthily copies an attack command to the clipboard and then prompts the victim to execute it via the Terminal app, a known technique referred to as ClickFix. “The experience is designed to induce panic,” AllSecure said…

On July 28, Ionic Digital, which acquired Celsius Mining assets after Celsius Network’s bankruptcy, began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker IOND. The direct listing created a public market for existing Class A shares, including shares issued in connection with the Celsius bankruptcy plan, but it did not automatically let every holder of creditor-linked stock sell. Related ReadingCelsius distributes $2.53 billion, some creditors leave funds unclaimedIonic Digital, a new Bitcoin mining company borne out of Celsius bankruptcy, said it has energized a facility in Texas. Aug 27, 2024 · Oluwapelumi Adejumo Because this was a direct listing, Ionic sold no…

In the Miocene, 10 million years ago, the Central American Seaway separated North and South America, leaving the southern continent in what scientists call “splendid isolation.” By 2.8 million years ago, the two continents were joined at the Isthmus of Panama. Mammals stampeded across the new land bridge in both directions. But the species trade wasn’t equal. Today, more than half of the 217 mammal genera present in South America have origins in North America. Only four genera in South America can be traced to the north. The key to the North American mammals’ success could be an extensive vacation.…

One incident has dominated this week’s sporting headlines, garnering even more column inches than Gianni Infantino’s apparent desire to sell the football World Cup to the highest bidder. It occurred in a second XI cricket match last weekend between Saltburn and Norton in the North Yorkshire and South Durham League. A fielder at first slip was alleged to have clicked his fingers as the ball passed the batter’s bat, in an attempt to con the umpire into thinking that there had been an edge. The ball sank into the wicketkeeper’s gloves; bowler, keeper and fielder erupted in a full-throated appeal;…

Antonio Guterres’s successor will be tasked with revitalising an organisation in crisis and facing pressure to reform.Published On 30 Jul 202630 Jul 2026The United Nations has launched a search for its next secretary-general, as the international institution faces numerous challenges.A first informal UN Security ⁠Council poll on Thursday showed former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as the early frontrunner, although several other candidates are in the race.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listWhoever takes over from Antonio Guterres, who has led the UN for the past decade, will face significant challenges amid spiralling global conflict and the rising…

“Those assurances have been made to other members, and I take them at face value,” Wicker said, though he said he had not spoken to the White House directly on the matter. “I really don’t think there’s much doubt about that. The hill to climb is the House.”The tariff battle is likely to continue in the House when lawmakers return from August recess.In a preview of likely opposition to the bill in the House in September, Rep. Richard Neal (Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, released a joint statement with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) earlier…