Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

“Invincible.” That was how Vladimir Putin described Russia’s latest generation of ballistic missiles in 2018. In 2022 he would unleash this arsenal to strike across Ukraine, hitting command centres, critical infrastructure and airfields. Then, in 2023, Ukraine received Patriot air defence systems from its international partners. The US-supplied missile interceptor would prove to be an effective shield against Russian strikes.But this year, supplies of Patriot missiles have run out and Kyiv has suffered the consequences. Intercepts have gone from more than 70% to none, so that night after night Russia strikes Ukraine’s infrastructure with impunity. This tragedy was long foretold,…

The White House said in a report on Thursday that more than 40 countries had helped China sidestep US tariffs by routing exports through nations that face lower American import duties.The countries named include Canada, India, Mexico, Japan and South Korea, which the White House said had helped China evade tens of billions of dollars in tariffs, which are levied on companies importing goods.White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said it had cost “American jobs and billions in revenue”.A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said “trade wars have no winners” and that it opposes the US tariff measures…

Progressives had high hopes of dominant victories in marquee primaries in Michigan and Wisconsin, but in the end their candidates fared much worse than expected. The results would have been a lot less disappointing if the pre-election polls hadn’t been so far off.The polls helped set extraordinarily high expectations for progressives: Dr. Abdul El-Sayed was ahead by double digits in the Senate primary in Michigan, and Francesca Hong led by more than 20 points in the Wisconsin governor’s primary.Dr. El-Sayed ultimately won by one percentage point. Ms. Hong lost.Primary elections have always been hard for pollsters. They’re uncertain and volatile.…

Surveillance technology startup Flock announced a series of new policies and tools on Thursday, claiming they will help curb abuse of its automated license plate camera reader systems and help keep its law enforcement customers accountable. Flock is now recommending police departments retain data for seven days rather than the previous 30 days. Along with this change, the company introduced what it calls “Evidence Mode,” which can be turned on when customers need to retain data for longer periods in “exceptional cases” and requires a specific case number. Customers will also now be able to set limits on the data…

An increasing backlog indicates a failure in the operating model Security teams often become the default owners of any issue labeled as a security concern. For example, when a scanner identifies an outdated package, security is expected to patch the server. If a cloud security platform detects an exposed storage bucket, security is tasked with redesigning the deployment. Similarly, when an audit reveals excessive privileges in a business application, security is expected to negotiate access changes with the department responsible for the workflow. This dynamic arises because discovery is highly visible, while remediation is often inconvenient. When the security team…

In brief Anthropic’s Frontier Red Team set Claude agents to work together and recorded them sabotaging, colluding, and waging what it calls “turf wars.” In one test, agents deployed self-replicating malware and locked each other out; newer models often “win” by revoking access first. The behavior tracks real incidents Decrypt covered: Claude hacked three companies during internal testing, and price-fixed in a business simulation. Anthropic’s own AI agents turned on each other and proved they like to go rogue—again.In a test the company’s Frontier Red Team published Aug. 13, groups of Claude models were handed shared coding work, and quickly…

Fieldworkers at the Jantho orangutan release forest in Aceh, Indonesia’s westernmost region, have recorded the 10th birth by orangutans successfully released back into the wild from a charity-run rehabilitation center.Indonesia’s forestry minister named the baby Badar, which means a full moon, and highlighted the need for consistent protection of orangutan habitats in Borneo and Sumatra islands, which are home to Indonesia’s three species of orangutan.However, a new study on Sumatran orangutan populations published in the September issue of “Global Ecology and Conservation” concluded that surviving populations likely declined by nearly 20% between 2011 and 2023.See All Key Ideas …

Breakwater rehabilitation works have started in Portugal for Eco Wave Power’s megawatt-scale wave energy project following damage caused by a storm.Source: Eco Wave Power Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo (APDL) is carrying out the rehabilitation works at the Barra do Douro breakwater in Porto, as part of its responsibility for the maintenance and reinforcement of the port infrastructure. According to Eco Wave Power, the works are progressing at the project site, including works affecting the coastal infrastructure designated for the installation of the company’s wave energy technology. Furthermore, APDL is set to provide Eco Wave…

Morning opening: This is too muchJakub KrupaA child and three firefighters were taken to hospital following the wildfire in Stourbridge as England once again joined a long – and growing – list of countries battling active fires during this year’s extraordinarily extremely hot summer.With the hottest day of the year recorded in England on Thursday, the temperatures are expected to start to fall, but just slightly, on Friday, with low to mid 30s expected.An aerial view shows burnt houses as the wildfire continues to spread to the golf course in Stourbridge, England. Photograph: Ryan Jenkinson/Getty ImagesAcross the channel, France is…

But Binface, a proud proponent of the British tradition of satirical candidates contesting elections, had never won more than 308 votes in a parliamentary election before. Against Farage, he secured 9,455 votes. That means 28 percent plumped for the comedy candidate with a bin on his head. Farage on Friday snubbed the leisure center count and the mild embarrassment of accepting victory alongside Binface that three prime ministers — Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Andy Burnham — have endured before him.  He told his own “Farage Fest” jamboree organized in secret away from the results venue that he’d been advised by…