Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-way handshake with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at last year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, went viral across the global media. The optics were especially powerful because they came amid the Trump administration’s relentless pressure on India over trade and its purchases of Russian oil. President Donald Trump soon declared that the United States appeared to have “lost” India and Russia to China. The images intensified an argument in Washington over who lost India and reinforced the case for political reengagement with the Modi government, slowly but…

What was claimed A video shows Bill Gates predicting water lockdowns and recommending the United States Water Reserve. Our verdict False. This video has been altered to change what Mr Gates was saying in the original footage. A video being shared thousands of times on Facebook has been altered to make it look as though Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said “water lockdowns” will cause widespread suffering that can be solved by something called “the United States Water Reserve”.The video actually uses genuine footage of Mr Gates speaking to the media earlier this year about giving testimony to the…

Ayesha goes to a secret school six days a week, mainly to keep seeing people outside her home. It’s the only way to avoid total isolation under Taliban rule, she says. It’s the only way to feel alive.“Without that connection,” she said, “I don’t know what would happen to me.”Now 18, Ayesha once dreamed of studying psychology at university. The Taliban ended that dream when they banned formal education for girls beyond sixth grade in 2022.But Ayesha has been defying the Taliban’s rules for years, sitting in a classroom hidden behind the corridors of a primary school. Thousands of such…

The UK’s leading farming organisations and animal health experts have called for an urgent ban on imports of Brazilian meat, in light of concerns over the safety of imports.The National Farmers’ Union in England and its sister organisations in the devolved administrations wrote to the government on Friday warning that public health was at risk.Brazilian cattle and poultry are feared to be frequently reared with the routine use of antibiotics, after the country failed to demonstrate compliance with EU rules on the issue despite a tightening of some regulations by the government.The overuse of antibiotics in farming is a leading…

In a major blow to the U.S. case against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the man accused of plotting the Sept. 11 attacks, a military judge ruled on Friday that the prisoner’s confessions to F.B.I. agents were not voluntary and cannot be used against him at trial.Prosecutors have described Mr. Mohammed’s interrogations in 2007 at the U.S. Navy base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as the government’s most crucial evidence in the long-running death-penalty case.The ruling, just before the 25th anniversary of the attacks, could further delay the start of a trial if prosecutors decide to appeal to reinstate it. Aging survivors and…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Walmart has settled with the US Department of Justice to resolve a lawsuit that accused the retail behemoth of unlawfully filling prescriptions for painkillers, fuelling the nation’s opioid epidemic. The justice department confirmed the settlement, though the terms of the agreement were not immediately available. Court filings showed the federal government agreed to dismiss the case. “We will continue to hold accountable companies and individuals whose unlawful prescribing, marketing, dispensing or distributing practices contributed to the opioid crisis and put American communities at risk,”…

Just as new data centers face growing backlash from neighboring communities, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is about to make it harder for people to weigh in on any pollution those centers create.The EPA plans to toss out a federal rule requiring public notice and an opportunity to comment when certain industrial sites apply for an air permit. Advocates warn that the move would allow data center developers and other industries to break ground without giving nearby residents a say, or even a warning that construction is planned.“You can see why that would be so interesting to an administration…

A 68-year-old has been sentenced in the U.K. to more than six years in prison for operating an illegal IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service that generated £980,812 ($1.3 million) over three years. An investigation by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police found that Milan Ibrahim ran a “sophisticated operation” that provided illegal IPTV services to users in the UK and abroad. According to PIPCU, Ibrahim sold illegal broadcasts from major rights holders such as the BBC, ITV, Sky, the Premier League and the Motion Picture Association. The police seized and shut down all…

Chelsea Football Club has named Circle Internet Group as its principal and official front-of-shirt partner for the 2026/27 season, putting USDC on the club’s kits as the stablecoin company seeks a larger mainstream audience.The deal announced by Chelsea covers the men’s, women’s and academy shirts. Circle and USDC branding is scheduled to appear for the first time on Aug. 30, when Chelsea’s men’s team plays its first Premier League home game of the season against Brighton. Related ReadingChelsea’s new shirt sponsor is a crypto platform USDC is far more prominent in sponsorship placement than Circle itself. The partnership announcement frames…

To submit a request, visit NASA General Information Request Form and complete the form. You will receive an automated email with the most commonly requested grant status information. Important Instructions: Ensure you enter a valid email address, as replies will only be sent via email. The confirmation email may take a few minutes to arrive in your inbox. How to Fill Out the Form: Category: Select “Procurement including Grants & Cooperative Agreements.” Procurement Area: Choose “Grants/Agreements.” Grants/Agreements Activity: Select “Grant Status.” Required Information: Provide either a Grant Number, Purchase Requisition Number, or both. Guidance Regarding OMB Memorandum M-25-14 and Recent…