Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Most galaxies are thought to harbor a supermassive black hole at their center. These enormous objects can weigh millions or even billions of times more than the sun, creating some of the strongest gravitational environments known in the universe. When a star passes dangerously close to one of these black holes, destruction is not always immediate. Some stars survive the encounter and return for additional close passes, generating a fresh burst of light each time. These events, known as repeating partial tidal disruption events (rpTDEs), allow astronomers to observe the same star interacting with the same black hole multiple times.…

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced retaliatory tariffs on the United States on Saturday, after walking away from a “bad deal” on trade in a deepening rift between the longtime allies. Negotiations between the neighboring countries broke down Friday in Washington, putting into force new 50-percent US tariffs impacting about $20 billion worth of goods, or 5.5 percent of Canadian exports to the United States. Impacted products range from hockey sticks to cement. “You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,” Carney said. US President Donald Trump hit back at Canada on Sunday, saying, “Canada wants the benefits…

The Colorado River, which provides water for 40 million people across seven states, is at a crisis point. The two largest reservoirs in the US, Lakes Mead and Powell, provide critical supply for states along the lower part of the river; both have hit multiple record low points this month.Enter El Niño. The weather phenomenon, which is shaping up to be the strongest one of its kind in recorded history, may bring increased rain and snowfall to the southwestern United States this winter and spring. But experts caution that that precipitation might not be enough to stave off the slow-building…

Coinkite, the maker of the Coldcard Bitcoin hardware wallet, released new standard firmware on Aug. 20 that forces users to add physical randomness whenever they generate a seed.Owners who generate a seed after installing the current fixed release can use the hardened process. Owners still relying on a seed produced by affected firmware must generate another seed and transfer the funds unless that wallet meets the dice-roll exception.During standard seed creation, every seed combines fresh device entropy with one required human input source: at least 65 key presses made at unpredictable intervals, 50 rolls of a physical six-sided die, or…

Ten years ago, Alastair Harper was an advocate for young people’s health sitting in a stuffy meeting room in London planning an air pollution campaign. “My phone started buzzing,” he said. “I took the call, and then told the room I needed to leave immediately.“I had to get to UCLH [one of London’s major hospitals]. My own child was headed there in a blue-lit ambulance because she was struggling to breathe London’s toxic air.”Hundreds of thousands of parents across the UK capital had similar experiences in those years. Between about 6,000 and 8,000 people were dying prematurely each year in…

On top of fears about extreme heat and possible jet fuel shortages, Britons planning summer holidays in the EU this year had another thing to worry about – long queues and waiting times caused by the bloc’s new border checks.The EU digital entry and exit system (EES), which requires non-EU citizens to register and be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival and departure from the Schengen zone, has been technically in full force since April after launching last autumn, but has been beset by teething problems.Despite reports of passengers facing three-hour delays and missed connections, Brussels rejected calls by airports and…

Indian startups spent years getting consumers accustomed to having groceries and everyday goods delivered within minutes. Now Walmart-owned Flipkart is rapidly closing the gap with those quick-commerce pioneers, as global rival Amazon mounts its own push into instant delivery. Flipkart Minutes, which debuted in August 2024 as the e-commerce giant’s foray into quick commerce, is now delivering 1.1 million to 1.2 million orders a day, up from about 390,000 to 400,000 in November, people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. That puts the two-year-old service close to Swiggy’s Instamart, which is delivering about 1.4 million orders a day, according to…

Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed rules that would bring crypto businesses into its licensing perimeter when they operate in Nigeria, serve Nigerian residents, or target the country’s investors and market through digital channels. The plan would raise the cost of serving Nigerian users by combining local-presence requirements with capital, custody, and stablecoin-reserve tests.The regulator published the proposal on Aug. 20 and opened comments for two weeks, putting the calendar deadline on Sept. 3. The SEC page does not state a cutoff time or time zone. The measures remain proposals under consultation, not rules already in force.The scope clause…

Recognisable Sydney landmarks feature on the double-sided medal, including the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, which are part of the 42.2km (26.2 mile) course.Users on social media noticed the shape of the stadium engraved on the medal appeared to be carved in the wrong likeness.Munich’s Allianz Arena is sculpted by thousands of diamond-shaped inflatable cushions, while Sydney’s similarly named Allianz Stadium has a flatter facade smoothed with long bronze fins.Sydney Marathon confirmed runners would receive the medal depicting the incorrect city’s stadium, noting: “It’s a beautiful medal, and now a little more unique.” “It’s certainly given everyone something to talk…

Doctor Who, One Piece, Pokémon, Star Wars. Empty product boxes from these popular properties have been listed on eBay for $2,500 and up. It’s not too surprising to anyone familiar with modern nerd-dom that even the empty boxes for these perennial collectibles would command high prices.But look what they’re joined by in that elite bracket: a Bottega Stardust Sparkling Rosé bottle and box (listed for $8,105), the box for a 1980s Rolex Explorer 1016 ($3,850), a “rare” Hermes Bolide box from Japan ($3,450), and a Suntory Hibiki bottle and box ($3,000).One big reason for this is that buyers are paying…