Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Against him stand those who think Britain’s hostility to cooling has curdled into a type of masochism.David Lawrence, of the Centre for British Progress think tank, puts it plainly: we don’t tell people to insulate their homes in winter and then skip the radiators. So why insist shade and shutters are enough in summer?He points out that air conditioning is standard now in offices, hotels and shops, “but we don’t expect it for schools and hospitals – which is kind of odd, because those are places where millions of people are every day”, and where heat measurably dents concentration, learning…

by Astrid Code / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch July 29, 2026 Click here to read highlights from the story Business owners and individuals have mobilized to provide food, water and supplies to those impacted by Monday’s tornado and to clear fallen trees from the area.   Wisconsin Watch spoke to several people about why they volunteered their time and resources.  Waverly Beach Bar & Grille distributed 500 box lunches daily through Thursday to help affected community members, which include its own employees.   Organizations like Operation BBQ Relief provided food to survivors and first responders to “give them just a couple minutes…

Antonio Voce and Ashley Kirk’s excellent article (How could Britain look under proportional representation?, 22 July) provides a helpful view on how Britain’s electoral landscape could look under different voting systems.Perhaps most striking is that whichever the proportional representation (PR) system used, when compared with first past the post they all make a good job of producing a parliament that reflects how the nation voted. There is not as much difference between them as enthusiasts of each PR system might expect, in terms of each party winning its fair proportion of seats, and in terms of voters therefore getting a…

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that the proposed launch of a private subsidiary to expoit the commercial benefits of the World Cup was “an opportunity but not an obligation”. In a video released amid a furious backlash to FIFA’s controversial plans to sell stakes in FIFA’s major competitions, Infantino argued that too little of football’s commercial value reached the parts of the game that need it most. World football’s governing body had said Tuesday it would retain a majority share in FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) but hoped to raise $4.2 billion later this year by “carefully selecting long-term investors…

In one of this year’s most competitive Senate races, Republicans are refusing to spend money — so far.That peculiar dynamic is playing out in Texas, where the fate of the Republican nominee, Ken Paxton, will help decide which party controls the U.S. Senate. But Mr. Paxton has struggled to raise cash, and no one has stepped in yet to help him.Mr. Paxton finds himself in a unique situation among Senate candidates, according to interviews with a dozen Republicans with ties to his campaign. Republican donors still hold grudges from a bruising primary. The state, with its 18-plus television markets, is…

Andy Burnham will place the renewal of Trident at the heart of his vision of a reindustrialised Britain on Thursday when he travels to Barrow-in-Furness to launch the next phase of the nuclear submarine replacement programme.The new prime minister intends to emphasise that defence spending on projects such as the £31bn Dreadnought-class boats built in the Cumbrian town is a case study of taxpayer investment revitalising communities around the UK.“Keeping this country safe is the first responsibility of any government – but security is not only about what we build; it is about who builds it, and who benefits from…

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his administration is considering asserting more power over artificial intelligence (AI) tools after recent cybersecurity incidents.Asked about OpenAI’s tools being responsible for improperly breaching the private technology of other companies, Trump said: “We’re looking at AI, we’re looking at controls, we’re also making sure that we lead.”It marks a change of tone for his administration, which has taken a more hands-off approach to the technology.Trump’s comments come after an escalation of not only the apparent hacking capabilities of popular AI tools, but White House threats aimed at competing Chinese tech.Trump added that…

Years of international cooperation and enforcement actions have managed only to displace Southeast Asia’s cyber-fraud industry, not shrink it, as corruption, cryptocurrency settlement networks, special economic zone (SEZ) jurisdictions, and crime-as-a-service models have allowed transnational criminal organization to quickly relocate.The failure of nations’ law enforcement to keep up with the innovations in transnational criminal operations (TCOs) has resulted in estimated costs of between $88 billion and $114 billion for the region in 2025, according to the latest report from the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime. The costs are largely due to the use of four technologies — cryptocurrency,…

Bitcoin entered today (July 29) with three demand channels losing momentum near $64,000. Four consecutive US spot Bitcoin ETF sessions saw a combined $526.5 million in net outflows, while Glassnode reported weaker perpetual futures buying and stagnant broader on-chain capital inflows.Bitcoin traded near $64,200, leaving $64,000 as an immediate market test rather than a guaranteed floor.Farside Investors data shows ETF outflows of $225.1 million on July 23, $240.1 million on July 24, $11.6 million on July 27, and $49.7 million on July 28. As of about 08:50 UTC on Wednesday, July 28 was the latest session listed.Those outflows show weakness…

Women who had an experimental therapy to treat their autoimmune disease had successful pregnancies, a small study finds. After CAR T cell therapy, seven women had healthy newborns and five more were experiencing regular pregnancies as of late May, researchers report July 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study is the largest snapshot to date of pregnancy after using CAR T cell therapy for autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system fires at the body’s own tissue. Untreated, these diseases pose risks to pregnancies, including miscarriage, preterm birth and low birth weight. Sign up for our newsletter…