Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that cannabis, cocaine, and amphetamines are associated with a significantly greater risk of stroke, including among younger people. The findings come from an analysis that drew on data involving more than 100 million people. Stroke remains one of the world’s biggest health problems and ranks as the third leading cause of death and disability combined. Many of its major risk factors, however, can be changed through lifestyle choices, including diet, physical activity, and other behaviors. Recreational drug use is also widespread. In 2024, 8.8% of adults between ages 16 and 59 in…

Instant noodles. Hot chapatis. Sliced bread.Wheat is at the heart of the modern diet, and this year, it is facing an accumulation of modern dangers. The breadbaskets of the world are getting pummeled by drone strikes and devilish weather, nudging prices higher amid already soaring food costs in the wake of the Iran war.Heat and drought have diminished harvests in some of the biggest wheat-producing countries, including the United States, which is expected to have its worst wheat harvest in a half-century, spiking prices. Poor countries that agreed to buy American wheat under the threat of Trump tariffs could be…

The eVisa database keeps a record of a person’s full name, date of birth, nationality, and a facial photograph. But these traits are by definition often a very close match for identical twins, including Webb, whose name is similar to that of her sister. Many such cases Monique Hawkins, acting CEO of the3million, which campaigns for the rights of EU citizens living in the U.K., said problems with the eVisa system sometimes left people unable to prove their identity when they needed it most. “We have seen many cases where someone else’s immigration status is entangled with another person’s eVisa…

You probably know by now that the AI models powering ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other chatbots are trained on seemingly infinite databases of published works, containing hundreds of millions of books, online articles, academic papers, and basically anything you can find on the internet. Most published authors have, without their knowledge or consent, contributed to the development of the same AI tools that threaten to undermine their livelihoods. That seems illegal, right? The reality isn’t that simple.  “I think one of the issues with this entire area of law and this entire area of technology is there’s a lot going…

Bitcoin Core contributors are weighing whether a thinly used network transport offers valuable insurance or has become a liability too costly to retain.In the open CJDNS support discussion, Bitcoin Core member Andrew Chow said one seeder database held 25 CJDNS addresses, had reached 22 and classified only seven as good. The issue author, Martin Zumsande, reported seeing only three to four peers even though Bitcoin Core ships with 11 fixed CJDNS seeds.Those figures have prompted support for deprecation and a suggestion that Bitcoin Core warn users in a 32.x release before planning removal in 33.x. But that version sequence was…

Researchers have developed a new surface coating that can increase condensation heat transfer performance by as much as 5.5 times compared with conventional copper surfaces. The technology works by helping water droplets form more easily and detach more quickly, a combination that could improve energy efficiency in power plants and desalination facilities while also enhancing the cooling of electronic devices. KAIST (President Choongsik Bae) announced on August 23 that a joint team led by Professor Youngsuk Nam from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Sung Gap Im from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering created the technology by…

I agree with much of Alberto Alemanno’s analysis (How the far right is tightening its grip over the EU – from the inside, 18 August), but I wonder whether framing this primarily as the far right tightening its grip on the EU risks missing an even more troubling development.What we are witnessing is not simply the success of the far right. It is a broader cultural shift within the European political mainstream. Migration is perhaps the clearest example. The convergence between governments as politically different as those of Denmark and Italy suggests that positions once associated with the radical right…

A claim that Section 219 (formerly Section 224) of the U.S. annual defense budget and policy bill would “integrate,” “link” or otherwise merge the Israeli and U.S. militaries recirculated online in summer 2026. The section doesn’t explicitly propose merging the two militaries. Rather, it would install an executive agent responsible for overseeing U.S.-Israeli cooperative efforts in defense technology, including AI, cybersecurity, biotechnology and more — programs that were already in place, according to Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the bill’s coauthor. Israel and the U.S. have a longstanding history of joint military training, shared military equipment and mutual military tech development.…

An Australian woman bitten by a shark at a popular Sydney beach earlier this year says she has been given a “second chance at life” and will be making the most of it.Leah Stewart, 35, was mauled by a shark during a morning swim at Coogee Beach in June, suffering multiple bites to her arms and legs, amid a spate of attacks in Australia.The mother-of-one was placed in an induced coma and had several surgeries, including having one of her arms amputated.In an online post on Monday, she thanked her supporters who have raised more than AU$550,000 (US$394,000; £289,000) for…

I’ve never used Apple’s built-in Shortcuts app before, despite owning an iPhone for years. While automating tedious tasks sounded nice, the necessary scripting to trigger actions and thread them together felt overwhelming when I first opened the app. But my experience with the iOS 27 beta has completely changed my perspective on Shortcuts. What was previously clunky and forgotten now feels streamlined and essential.When iOS 27 lands this fall, Siri AI might be the most tangible change for many users, with its improved capabilities and stand-alone app. Even so, Apple Intelligence integration into the Shortcuts app has me humming “Zero…