Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

You wouldn’t know that the Apple Watch Series 12 is a big deal just by looking at it. It has the same design, buttons, sizes, and sensor types as generations of Apple Watches before it. But under the hood, the Series 12 builds in major changes that lay the groundwork for big ideas about the future of health and wearables.These ideas — and this year’s updates — can be divided into two parts: catching up to the recent boom in AI health and leading the way in AI wearables that surface helpful information based on your entire day. When it…

Lidl has started using a cab-less autonomous electric truck for regular store deliveries in Germany, assigning it a daily replenishment route between its Edermünde distribution centre and a nearby store.The truck, supplied by Swedish freight technology company Einride, operates at SAE Level 4 under a permit from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority, or KBA.The vehicle operates without a driver or safety operator on board. Einride and Lidl said the KBA permit is the first of its kind in Germany for a cab-less Level 4 truck operating as part of daily logistics.Autonomous truck enters daily replenishmentThe truck has space for 15…

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released new guidance on deploying decoy systems for robust cyber defenses within critical infrastructure organizations. Cyber decoys, the agency says, complement Zero Trust models, which continuously verify all access, by assuming an adversary has gained some level of access to an enterprise environment. “Cyber decoys are assets that appear to be legitimate systems, accounts, or data, but are designed to distract adversaries, detect their presence, or facilitate collection of cyber threat intelligence (CTI),” CISA notes. They enable organizations to identify, observe, and block malicious activity early, gather and analyze CTI, and…

In brief The House Financial Services Committee reported the American Reserve Modernization Act favorably by 28 votes to 21. The version that advanced drops the gold and Federal Reserve mechanisms floated for buying more Bitcoin. Proof-of-reserve reporting falls from quarterly to annual. A House committee has advanced a bill that would write President Donald Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into law, reporting the American Reserve Modernization Act, H.R. 8957, favorably on Wednesday by 28 votes to 21.All 28 votes to report the bill came from Republicans and all 21 against from Democrats. An amendment from ranking member Maxine Waters (D-CA) failed…

Rice is a dietary staple for more than half of the world’s population, but scientists still have much to learn about its nutritional makeup. More than 85% of the rice people eat consists of starch. It also contains protein (around 10%), fat (roughly 2%), vitamins, and trace elements. Because lipids make up such a small share of the grain, they have received far less attention than starch, even though they can influence nutrition, flavor, and overall grain quality. Researchers at Hokkaido University set out to take a closer look at these overlooked fats by studying japonica rice, the short- to…

NY-17: First in a series on the environmental stakes of one of the nation’s most fiercely contested congressional races. The Hudson River bisects New York’s 17th Congressional District, with basalt bluffs lining its western bank 40 miles north of New York City.  The district, which includes Putnam and Rockland counties, as well as parts of Dutchess and Westchester, boasts acres of protected parkland. Its lakes and reservoirs feed the Croton Watershed, a significant source of New York City’s drinking water. This fall, the 17th district is among the most closely watched House races in what many consider the most consequential…

Belgian shipping company Exmar has penned multi-year agreements with Côte d’Ivoire Energies (CI-Energies) and Société Nationale d’Opérations Pétrolières de la Côte d’Ivoire (Petroci) to provide and operate a 152,000-cubic-meter (cbm) floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) at the Port of Abidjan, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports expected to begin in the third quarter of 2027, as Côte d’Ivoire moves to strengthen gas supply and meet rising power demand. Exmar will provide FSRU for Côte d’Ivoire; Source: Exmar Exmar’s agreements with CI-Energies and Petroci enable a ten-year lease of a 152,000 cbm and 250 million standard cubic feet per day…

On Aug. 12, Lebanon’s parliament passed a general amnesty, the first since 1991. The law technically aims to address overcrowding in prisons. But, as with every policy debate in Lebanon, its stated aims exist alongside a second layer of sectarian politics. Seen in this light, the amnesty also reflects a subtle shift in the balance of power toward Lebanon’s Sunnis. The concrete impact of the new law will be reducing prison terms for or releasing thousands of prisoners. Lebanon’s prisons are indeed overcrowded, with many inmates awaiting their trials for years. Now, death sentences will be commuted to life sentences,…

Ball, Karen. “Clinton Puts Family Leave Bill into Law.” The Free Lance-Star [Fredericksburg, Virginia], 5 Feb. 1993, p. A1, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-free-lance-star/203536399/.Burkes, Paula. “Pending Law Would Provide Families Paid Sick Leave, Expanded FMLA.” The Oklahoman [Oklahoma City, Oklahoma], with Kristin Simpsen, 17 Mar. 2020, p. B5, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-oklahoman/203546459/.Buttigieg, Pete, and Julie A. Su. “S1 Signed.” U.S. Department of Transportation, 25 Sept. 2024, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-09/Blank_DOT%20%26%20%20DOL%20Letter%20-RR%20Paid%20Sick%20Time%209.25.24.pdf.”Congress on 2-Week Recess.” Peninsula Daily News [Port Angeles-Sequim-West End, Washington], 30 Mar. 2015, p. A5, https://www.newspapers.com/article/peninsula-daily-news/203540559/.C-SPAN. https://www.c-span.org/.DeFazio, Peter A. “H.Con.Res.119 – Providing for a Correction in the Enrollment of H.J. Res. 100.” United States Congress, 117th Congress (2021-2022), 1 Dec.…

Good morning.Donald Trump has threatened the EU with “serious tariffs” after the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, invited Canada to become the EU’s first “associate member”.The US president called the idea of Canada joining the EU “laughable”, and should the EU move forward with the plan, Washington could impose “very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe”. “If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe,” he said. Why does the EU want closer ties with Canada? Von der Leyen told the European parliament that, as democracies faced…