Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

On the campaign trail in Makerfield, Andy Burnham told a democracy activist that he favoured a political donations cap of around £500,000 and wanted it reduced over time. His government is now resisting amendments that would move in precisely that direction. Mr Burnham was right in May. He is wrong now. It is difficult to argue that restricting a single person to giving half a million pounds a year to a political party would damage democracy. Such a cap would only affect the mega-rich. Reducing the cap would force parties to wean themselves off the present regime that allows the…

Agriculture secretary commits to ‘waiving red tape’ to allow ranchers to process and sell their own beefBrooke Rollins, the president’s agriculture secretary said there would be “big announcements” next week in order to facilitate Donald Trump’s pledge to allow ranchers and farmers the ability to process their own food and avoid the “nasty monopoly” of large processing plants.Rollins said it was a “matter of national security” that the US is able to “feed and fuel ourselves”. She outlined that her department would waive “red tape in processing” and expand ranchers ability to “sell across state lines”, as well as other…

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow the U.S. military to fully enforce its ban on transgender service members, setting up the latest test of the administration’s policy priorities in front of the court.The justices are expected to consider whether to review the legality of the administration’s ban this fall and, if they accept the case, could schedule oral arguments during the Supreme Court’s term that begins in October.A few days after returning to office, Mr. Trump issued an executive order banning all trans troops and characterizing transgender identity as a “falsehood” that “conflicts with a soldier’s…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.US manufacturing is showing signs of a revival. After six months of expansion, factory activity surged to its strongest in more than four years in July. So far this year, production has edged higher, around 30,000 new jobs have been created, and just this month industrial titans Siemens, Amazon and SK Hynix unveiled hefty investment plans.For the Maga movement this is evidence that President Donald Trump’s protectionism-powered “renaissance” of American manufacturing is taking shape. Speaking at a General Motors plant in Michigan…

On Chinese social media, people have also reported experiencing variations of the scam involving other corporate software apps, including Webex, a video conferencing platform owned by Cisco, and Cliq, a workplace communication app owned by the Indian software giant Zoho. Since February 2025, 71 percent of the over 150 reviews of Webex on Apple’s Chinese app store referenced being scammed on the platform, according to WIRED’s analysis. Cisco did not respond to a request for comment.Sam Wunderl, a spokesperson for Zoho, says the company has identified “a limited number of instances involving scammers using Zoho Cliq to defraud victims.” The…

Ravie LakshmananAug 28, 2026Vulnerability / Web Security Malicious actors are exploiting a newly patched security flaw in PaperCut NG and MF to execute arbitrary code on susceptible instances, as the company released a fresh emergency fix with additional hardening. “This vulnerability gives an unauthenticated attacker remote control over PaperCut’s trusted configuration, which could be used to execute arbitrary Java code inside the application’s process,” Huntress researchers John Hammond and Andrew Brandt said. Specifically, an attacker can leverage an unauthenticated request to make changes to the server configuration and ultimately achieve code execution. Huntress has explained the flaw as follows -…

Ripple is moving to shrink the XRP Ledger’s (XRPL) attack surface as it prepares to expand native lending.The company has recommended removing more than 10,000 lines of unused XChainBridge code while Lending Protocol V1.1 undergoes an AI-only security review through Sherlock’s Audit Engine.The parallel efforts come as crypto platforms face renewed pressure to strengthen their defenses. More than $1.31 billion was lost across 344 security incidents in the first half of 2026, with code vulnerabilities remaining the industry’s most common attack category.Axelar leaves Ripple with 10,000 lines it no longer wantsThe original case for keeping XChainBridge (XLS-38) weakened after Ripple…

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Even as rescuers worked through mud and debris Friday in areas devastated by a catastrophic flash flood along the Himalayan border between Nepal and China, authorities warned that a newly formed, overflowing lake could trigger further flooding. Nepalese authorities said all security personnel, rescue workers and members of the public deployed in rescue and relief efforts have been told to remain on high alert and immediately move to a safe location if necessary. Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told The Associated Press that the rescue operation is continuing but with authorities remaining on high alert. “It hasn’t stopped,” he said. Where…

Norwegian marine geoscience and technology company Shearwater GeoServices is set to acquire 3D seismic data over recently awarded and prospective open acreage in the Norwegian Sea by deploying a high-capacity seismic vessel for an approximately seven-week campaign this month. Amazon Conqueror; Source: Shearwater Shearwater Geoservices has won a new 3D multi-client seismic survey in the Norwegian Sea, which has industry support. The data acquisition is expected to begin in August 2026. The 2015-built, 126-meter Amazon Conqueror seismic vessel, equipped with 227 kilometers of multi-component Isometrix streamer, will be deployed for the survey, which is expected to take around seven weeks.…

With the United Kingdom poised to preside over both the G20 and the G7, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has a unique opportunity to usher in a new internationalism grounded not in military posturing, but in the pursuit of a fairer global economy. But he must abandon his predecessor’s defensive approach. LONDON—Andy Burnham faces no shortage of challenges as the United Kingdom’s latest prime minister. Fortunately, he also has a unique opportunity to lead the way in addressing major global economic issues and redesigning outdated institutions. …