Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Pia Sinha’s significant expertise inside and out of the prison system makes her a voice to trust on why our jails are struggling badly (The truth about UK prisons and organised crime: ‘They’re your good lads. Respectful. Keep their noses clean’, 22 September). I lead a charity, Spark Inside, that uses life coaching to support rehabilitation and culture change across our prisons.We work with staff who go into the service because they want to make a difference. But the challenges of the environment can stifle that spirit. This is why since 2020 we have coached more than 150 prison staff,…

The claim that U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed conservative pundit Tucker Carlson’s concerns about starting the Iran war during a February 2026 conversation by saying “we all die anyway” is unrated.  The rumor stems from an NPR interview with Carlson released in late September. In it, Carlson said that days before the joint U.S.-Israel attack that began the war, Trump told Carlson that his concerns were justified but ultimately didn’t matter. We have not rated this claim because there is no evidence beyond Carlson’s reported recollections that would allow us to confirm or disprove the president’s words.  The White House…

Trump retaliated against Canada’s counter-tariffs on $20bn worth of US imports by banning $1bn of Canadian goods.Published On 29 Sep 202629 Sep 2026The United States is implementing a ban on nearly $1bn in imports from Canada, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles.The ban took effect early Tuesday and is likely to further strain already-tense relations between the two neighbours.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listOttawa and Washington DC have long been allies and trade partners, with approximately $880bn worth of annual two-way trade. That relationship has been upended during US President Donald Trump’s second term as he unleashed…

It was a significant announcement from Prime Minister Andy Burnham on his plans for the triple lock after the general election. It will reverberate well beyond the hall.For months, I have heard suggestions that Andy Burnham was warm to the idea that the triple lock as we know it had to go.I had expected him to try to forge a political consensus on this thorny issue at this stage, but he has gone further than that. He has tried to take the sting out of the politics of his decision by tying it to funding a new national social care…

What stood out in this speech was its breadth. His pitch could, very broadly, be divided into the short term – what he hopes to achieve before a general election; and the long term – the prospectus he is beginning to assemble to put to the country when polling day comes around inside the next three years.The biggest ideas have the longest timeframe and, perhaps, the greatest need for a lengthy debate in their gestation.Take the headline grabber: revamping social care in England. Previous attempts to do so, by both Labour and the Conservatives, haven’t survived the intensity of a…

Then there’s the Infinite Height Trolley handle, which offers five times more stopping points than before—a more personalized experience for travelers of varying heights. Hooks in the trolley handle might seem like a simple design touch, but they’re handy for holding a jacket, purse, or bag of airport fast food (each hook can hold up to 11 pounds, but Away has stress-tested it up to 40 pounds).Other improvements include redesigned interior covers that open outward to give better access, more pockets for small items, a pouch for a Bluetooth tracker, and accessories to help keep the luggage looking clean. The…

OpenAI just introduced dots at their DevDay today. Dots are persistent AI agents powered by GPT-6 Astra. Each dot gets its own cloud computer and browser. It works across 4,000+ apps through ChatGPT plugins and keeps going after you log off. Is it deployable today? Yes, as a managed product. Dots are rolling out in ChatGPT for Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets. Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare workspaces get a beta once an admin turns it on. There is no self-hosted or open-weights option. What is a dot A dot turns ChatGPT from a request and response loop…

The FBI is warning members of the ShinyHunters extortion group to turn themselves in after Dutch police arrested a man the bureau described as one of the group’s alleged leaders. “Today, our partners at the Dutch National Police announced the arrest of one of the alleged leaders of ShinyHunters, a group linked to cyberattacks in the United States, the Netherlands, and around the world,” FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman said in a video released Tuesday. Dutch police said the suspect is a 24-year-old man from Amsterdam who was arrested on September 15 and is suspected of playing a…

“The reason for this behaviour is SHIELD. It automatically detects deviations in flows, collects numerous inputs from KYT and intelligence providers, independent researches, companies and largest centralised players in the industry. Based on these signals the protocol can decide how to handle a transaction,” Shevchenko added.In other words, permissionless and open doesn’t automatically mean a free ride for malicious actors and their money.A small amount of funds ended up flowing through Near Intents. (Alex Shevchenko)Bitget disclosed the breach on Sept. 24 after attackers bypassed security controls protecting its exchange wallets. The company has since said it fixed the vulnerability, published…

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a previously elusive population of stem cells that appears to produce the body’s tendons and ligaments, the connective tissues that link muscles and bones. The scientists also found evidence that these cells can become overactive in the lower spine, where they may contribute to lumbar spinal stenosis. The condition affects an estimated 103 million people worldwide and develops when thickened ligaments reduce space inside the spinal canal. This narrowing can put pressure on nerves and lead to pain, numbness and difficulty walking. The study, published Sept. 7 in…