Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Virtu Financial, M1X Global and Tradeweb completed an onchain repo transaction using a sovereign digital bond as collateral, with the full transaction settling on the Canton Network.The transaction used USDM1, a US dollar-denominated sovereign bond issued onchain by the Republic of the Marshall Islands and backed 1:1 by short-term US Treasurys. The bond pays a coupon while being used as collateral and is structured under New York law as a fully collateralized sovereign obligation.Both companies said it was the first repo to combine natively issued sovereign collateral with fully onchain atomic settlement. Executed between regulated counterparties on Tradeweb, the full repo…

A faint background of extremely low frequency gravitational waves detected through networks of pulsars could contain clues to events that unfolded more than 13 billion years ago, including the emergence of some of the Universe’s earliest supermassive black holes. In a study published as a Letter in Physical Review D, Colgate University researchers Sohan Ghodla and Cosmin Ilie examined whether supermassive black holes that originated in the early Universe could eventually produce a significant share of the gravitational wave background now being measured by Pulsar Timing Arrays, or PTAs. The findings connect two areas of astronomy that may at first…

Autism and ADHD care is at risk of descending into chaos, NHS bosses are warning, as costs spiral out of control and unregulated private providers capitalise on the huge demand for help.The NHS Alliance, which represents health managers, says the current system represents a “bad deal” for patients and taxpayers alike.It points to big variations in what the NHS is being charged for assessments and care – in one case, a local health board was paying £300 to £3,000 for similar services.The group says there has been a rapid expansion in new providers – both private firms and charities are…

As climate and economic shocks put pressure on tropical forests, a new study suggests support for rural communities could help protect forests while strengthening their ability to withstand crises.Forest loss in protected areas of West Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of Borneo fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a larger decline in villages receiving health and livelihood support, the study finds.The findings point to health care, alternative livelihoods and other social support as potential tools for easing pressure on forests and helping forest-dependent communities adapt to future economic and environmental shocks — although the study does not establish a…

The Rhine River recently reached a depth of only 21 centimeters in the German town of Kaub—the lowest reading since Germany started keeping records at that gauge in 1880. The significance of those low water levels is vast. Culturally, the Rhine has long been central to German national identity—the border that has been fought over for centuries and memorialized in famous poetry and operas. Economically, the Rhine is connected to the planet’s largest chemical complexes. These days, the barges that go down the Rhine are moving at just a fifth of their full capacity. Why is the Rhine administered by…

More than 100 organisations around the world, including ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and rival Anthropic, have signed an open letter calling for a global effort to “strengthen cyber defences” against AI-powered cybersecurity threats. “We have a limited window to strengthen cyber defences,” the letter says. “In the coming months, AI-enabled cyber attacks will become far more widespread and sophisticated as models around the world become increasingly capable.” Concerns have increased in recent months about the capabilities of increasingly advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models, including those made by OpenAI and Anthropic, two of the world’s leading AI developers. In mid-July, two OpenAI models…

Harrop, who has said he joined the SNP in 2014, has written on the Wings Over Scotland website, external about his efforts to obtain information, claiming the Scottish government has a “pathological aversion to transparency and accountability”. The particular information request that could potentially trigger a Supreme Court ruling asks for material relating to the internal discussions among ministers, advisers and civil servants about whether they could claim an FOI exemption for material gathered by James Hamilton. While some information was divulged, the government claimed legal privilege over some of the correspondence, with the Court of Session eventually ruling those…

The Food and Drug Administration approved updated Covid vaccines on Thursday, clearing the way for manufacturers to ship doses to pharmacies and doctors’ offices.Moderna and Pfizer, which make the most commonly used Covid vaccines, are expected to begin shipping soon; Pfizer said it would do so “immediately,” and Moderna has done so within days of approval in past years. Sanofi, which distributes a non-mRNA option called Nuvaxovid (commonly known as Novavax), said doses would be available in the coming days, with the timing varying by location.However, criteria set by the F.D.A. and a legal dispute stemming from past Trump administration…

I think I know why Rockstar Games debuted its “extended look” of Grand Theft Auto VI on Netflix instead of immediately dropping it for free on YouTube. Unlike most video game trailers, the almost 27-minute preview of GTA VI felt more like a slice of a prestige crime drama than any video game trailer that I’ve ever seen. To make a new game that lasts another decade or more and potentially rivals the success of its predecessor, Rockstar is clearly trying to further blur the lines between Hollywood and video games.The line between games and movies has been getting consistently…

US medical technology giant Boston Scientific has been targeted in a cyberattack that has caused significant disruption to its global operations. Boston Scientific develops and manufactures devices and therapies used primarily in cardiology, neurology, oncology, and other interventional medical procedures. The company said it detected a cybersecurity incident affecting some IT systems on August 25. The attack caused a network outage and disrupted operations.  “The incident has impacted access to certain operating systems and business applications, including the ability to process and ship customer orders,” Boston Scientific noted in a statement shared on its website.  The company said it could…