Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Norwegian energy data and intelligence company TGS is staying longer on a seismic acquisition campaign off the coast of Indonesia, which extends work aboard its 2008-built vessel and reinforces the company’s revenue visibility. Ramford Sovereign; Source: TGS TGS has won a one-month extension to what it deems to be the largest seismic streamer acquisition contract offshore Indonesia. This extension is scheduled to begin in August 2028. The work is being carried out by the 102-meter Ramform Sovereign, which is one of the firm’s high-capacity seismic vessels, capable of towing up to 22 streamers to collect broadband subsurface data. Kristian Johansen,…

A sanctioned vessel that was previously reported to have transported weapons destined for Russian mercenaries has been traversing ports on the west coast of Africa since March, exhibiting what experts told Bellingcat  was an unusual set of movements and behaviours. Patria (IMO: 9159921) has been sanctioned by the US, Ukraine and Canada. Radio France International (RFI) reported last year that it was one of two ships to deliver weapons to Conakry in Guinea that were intended for the Kremlin-controlled Africa Corps and their operations in Mali. Satellite imagery and Automated Identification System (AIS) data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows Patria…

Bird flu is sweeping across Australia, devastating its unique birds and mammals, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.Already, mass mortality events have killed more than 1,000 birds, and the disease has crossed into seals. Experts fear more deaths are likely.What is happening to bird populations in Australia?Australia confirmed its first case of H5N1 in June in a migratory brown skua, a sub-Antarctic species on the country’s southern coast. Since then, the disease has rapidly spread.To date, there have been 309 confirmed bird flu events, official data shows (the country is not counting individual bird cases, instead…

Andy Burnham has refused to rule out tax rises in the upcoming autumn Budget, saying he “won’t be unrealistic” about the “challenging” state of public finances.The prime minister said he would take a “careful approach” to the economy, and defended his previously announced cost of living pledges as funded spending commitments.Burnham became prime minister in July promising to give people breathing space and help with the cost of living, but questions remain over how major policies such as social care reforms will be funded.Experts have previously warned that he and Chancellor John Healey will have little financial room to manoeuvre…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the worldThe US Supreme Court will allow Donald Trump to place restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterms when critical races could shake up the balance of power in Congress.The court on Monday agreed to pause a federal judge’s order blocking the president’s directive to the US Postal Service that it must limit mail-in ballots to people on a newly created federal list of eligible voters, saying the order “makes no demand” of the states that challenged the plan and…

You don’t need a keynote session to make noise at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Sometimes the best way to meet investors, customers, and partners is by exhibiting directly on the Expo Hall floor at San Francisco’s Moscone West from October 13-15. That’s exactly what our Exhibit Program offers. Showcase your startup and get the added bonus of additional tickets for Disrupt to bring even more members of your team and make the most of this exciting opportunity. All the perks of Disrupt’s Exhibit Tables Our exhibit tables start at $12,500, and when you break down all the included benefits, the returns…

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a $400 million settlement with TikTok, ByteDance, and affiliated companies over allegations that they violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The TikTok social media platform, owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, allows users to create, watch, and share short-form videos. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, alleging violations of COPPA dating back to 2019. In 2019, Musical.ly, TikTok’s predecessor, agreed to a $5.7 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations of illegally collecting personal data from users under…

The US Treasury has expanded its Iran sanctions framework to cover the country’s digital asset sector, citing more than $100 million in crypto payments allegedly used to facilitate Iranian oil sales. On Monday, the Treasury said the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued sectoral sanctions determinations covering digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping. The agency also sanctioned nearly 60 entities, individuals and vessels across nuclear, missile, cyber and oil networks.The digital asset determination allows OFAC to sanction foreign individuals and companies that operate in or provide services supporting Iran’s digital asset sector. The Treasury said Iran increasingly uses crypto as…

“There’s a huge castle and a third of it is has collapsed – even though these are stones that have stood for 1,000 years,” Pierre told Ici Occitanie. The third stage of the Vuelta a España cycle race, which was taking place in the Aude area of south-western France, had to be cancelled when a hail storm forced the riders to take shelter about 15km from the finish line.The extreme weather has left about 2,800 homes across 10 villages without electricity, according to officials. Local sub-prefect Emmanuelle Plantier-Lemarchand told French radio that she was not aware of anyone missing. She…

Scott Bessent’s attempt to calm the bond markets and push down America’s cost of borrowing have attracted a rebuke from the US Treasury secretary’s former mentor.The billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller, who worked with Bessent at George Soros’s fund management firm in the 1990s, has warned that his former pupil is courting danger by trying to suppress US bond yields.Druckenmiller, writing in the Wall Street Journal, argued that the US should “let the bond market speak”, rather than expand its bond purchases in an effort to push up prices, and lower borrowing costs.“Governments defending prices against fundamentals always lose. The only…