Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Mass kidnappings highlight Nigeria’s security crisis in the north as elections approach.Published On 24 Aug 202624 Aug 2026Kidnappers have released a video of what appears to be a large group of people being held captive by armed men in a forested area in Nigeria.The video emerged on Sunday, two days after gunmen abducted as many as 600 worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Dekera village in Nigeria’s north-central Niger state.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe incident comes as Nigeria prepares for presidential elections in January, with security likely to be high on the agenda due to…

King Harald V of Norway’s health has worsened, the palace has said, as he remains in hospital receiving antibiotics for a bacterial infection in his bloodstream.The monarch has responded to treatment despite the deterioration in his condition, according to the palace, but he will remain at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, and on leave from royal duties until further notice.The 89-year-old, who has been on the throne since 1991, was admitted to hospital and put on sick leave a week ago.His son, Crown Prince Haakon, 53, has been serving as regent while his father is on leave.King Harald has been treated…

The Trump administration is set to announce on Monday what it is describing as its most comprehensive assault to date on Iran’s economy, unveiling a package of measures that are intended to isolate Iran from the rest of the world.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to announce the plan at a news conference on Monday afternoon. The escalation of sanctions pressure comes as negotiations to end the military conflict between the United States and Iran continue to sputter.While the Trump administration has billed the effort as the coming of an economic apocalypse for Iran, it is not clear in practical…

President Trump has stuck his neck out for Senator Darline Graham.In the weeks leading up to South Carolina’s primary election runoff for Senate on Tuesday, Mr. Trump traveled to Myrtle Beach to rally supporters and personally called high-level state officials to compel them to endorse Ms. Graham. A super PAC run by his advisers, MAGA Inc., notoriously wary to spend on races this cycle, paid for text messages encouraging potential supporters to vote for her.On the line: The president’s credibility in a state that twice in the last six months has rejected his preferences. In June, voters discarded his first…

Amazon/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.The Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+ is bundled with a Blink Outdoor 2K+ camera and a Sync Module Core for only $100, a 41% discount that is available for a limited time. The Battery Doorbell 2K+ alone is typically priced at $70, while a single Blink Outdoor 2K+ costs $100, so you save $70 with this deal, effectively getting a battery-powered video doorbell for free.Also: I found the best early Labor Day Walmart deals: Save on Apple, Samsung, and moreAs a home security camera, the Blink Outdoor 2K+ is a wireless device that can…

XPENG’s physical AI unit has secured over $900 million at a $6.3 billion valuation to scale its IRON humanoid robot platform.The Chinese electric vehicle maker announced the funding round for its robotics business through a set of share purchase agreements with multiple investors. XPENG says the deal represents the largest single-round private capital raise in China’s physical AI industry to date, based on both the amount raised and the resulting valuation.He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO of XPENG, said: “Over the past 12 years, XPENG has remained committed to full-stack in-house R&D, building a solid technological foundation for the physical AI…

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged two new malware families called WordlistLoader and SynkLoader that’s used to deliver next-stage payloads and likely sell access to ransomware groups. According to findings from Gen Digital, WordlistLoader is being used to deliver Amatera Stealer (aka ACR Stealer or AcridRain Stealer) via ClearFake campaigns, which employ the ClickFix (aka FakeCaptcha) technique to dupe victims into running malicious commands under the pretext of completing CAPTCHA verification checks. “Once the visitor clicks on the ‘I’m not a robot’ checkbox, they’re walked through the well-known ClickFix flow, where a malicious command is copied into their clipboard and the victim…

Strive purchased 1,110 Bitcoin for about $81.5 million last week, bringing its total holdings to 21,356 BTC. According to a Monday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the company paid an average of $73,409 per Bitcoin (BTC), including fees and expenses, for purchases made between Aug. 17 and Aug. 21.Strive’s cash and cash equivalents rose by $17.1 million to $171.9 million over the period, while its Class A shares outstanding increased by 3.65 million to 79.89 million. Bitcoin was trading near $79,000 on Monday, about 8% above the average price Strive paid for its latest purchase.The purchase lifted…

Backyard bird feeding is one of our country’s most popular pastimes. Research reveals about half of Australian households feed wild birds, with many people doing so daily. However, this practice could act as a superspreader event – where a disease infects an unusually high number of people or animals – of the H5N1 virus. This deadly strain of bird flu has already decimated wild bird and mammal populations worldwide. It is now spreading across Australia, most recently killing more than 1,000 crested terns and a long-nosed fur seal, the first detection in a mainland mammal. Although many Australians feed wild…

Scientists have rediscovered spinach pipefish, a freshwater species endemic to Papua New Guinea’s Sepik River, not seen in nearly 40 years.The discovery came during a two-week survey led by local scientists and community members. Local fisherwoman Helen Asu netted two spinach pipefish, which scientists sent to experts for confirmation of the taxonomy.Scientists say the rediscovery offers hope that populations of the little-known, elusive fish still survive and provides an opportunity to understand more about its life cycle, habitat and ecology.The discovery highlights the importance of combining local knowledge with scientific research.See All Key Ideas By mid-June, Jerrica Agebido…