Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

The former head of the civil service Chris Wormald received a record payout, in the region of £500,000, when he was forced out of the top job in Whitehall by Keir Starmer, it has emerged.The unprecedented payment was made after Wormald served just 14 months in the role of cabinet secretary before being replaced by Antonia Romeo.There had been speculation about the scale of the payout, first reported by the FT, after Cat Little, the permanent secretary of the Cabinet Office, had to request a ministerial direction from Starmer in February to override value-for-money concerns before she could approve it.In…

West Midlands to take public control of local bus networkThe prime minister, Andy Burnham, has confirmed a new partnership between the government and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to take local control of bus services in the region.Burnham said the “absolutely massive” move would protect thousands of jobs, which were threatened after the parent company behind local operator National Express indicated it was leaving the market.The deal, which is backed by £11.5m of new government funding, will support the WMCA to keep bus services running by bringing the bus network under public control, the government said.WMCA is working on…

We’ve all looked up and seen the white lines trailing behind aircraft in the sky.Known as contrails, these icy clouds contribute to climate change, and scientists have been trying to work out how to stop them.Now, a £5m UK trial will test whether AI can help, by predicting where warming contrails are likely to form and getting planes to avoid those areas.It will focus on the Shanwick Oceanic airspace in the eastern half of the North Atlantic corridor which accounts for approximately 5% of global contrail warming.The 30-month Operation Blue Skies project brings together Google, the UK government, the Met…

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has confirmed that ransomware gangs are also exploiting a high-severity Windows Task Host vulnerability that was flagged as actively exploited in April. Task Host is a core Windows system component that allows DLL-based processes to run in the background and prevents data corruption by ensuring they close properly during shutdown. Tracked as CVE-2025-60710, this Windows privilege escalation security flaw was patched by Microsoft in November 2025 and stems from a link following weakness that affects Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 devices. Following successful exploitation, local attackers with basic user permissions can…

Bitcoin (BTC) short liquidations hit their highest in almost one month as it hit $64,500 on Monday, new data reveals.Key points:Bitcoin passed $64,000 thanks to a short squeeze on derivatives markets, CryptoQuant says.An ongoing downward funding-rate reset from 0.006% to 0.003% over 24 hours could mean further short squeezes.The absence of spot demand raises doubts whether the upside is sustainable after a week of $267.2 million in net ETF outflows.Bitcoin short liquidations near one-month high BTC/USD rallied after Sunday’s weekly close, gaining up to 3% on Monday to top out at one-week highs of $64,550 on Bitstamp. BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewExamining…

International demand for queen conch meat and shells has led to severe overharvesting, while habitat degradation, pollution and warming waters add further threats.In a bid to slow the decline of the queen conch, researchers are partnering with local conservation organizations across the Caribbean to establish a network of mobile hatcheries aimed at protecting the giant marine snail through its vulnerable early life stages.The goal is not only to nurture developing conch, but to create community spaces where local people can learn about the queen conch life cycle and participate in restoration efforts.However, some researchers have doubts about whether aquaculture…

Opening statements begin on Tuesday in a major, multistate jury trial in the United States against Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and which is facing a host of regulatory and legal actions in Europe and beyond.The US trial opening in the state of California, which could reportedly cost Meta $1.4 trillion in damages, alleges that the social media giant designed addictive social media platforms that are harming the mental health of young people and could significantly change the way these platforms operate if successful, experts say.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listUS state attorneys general who are bringing…

Merino wool is a super fiber that’s both natural and highly technical. The best merino wool clothing somehow manages to be comfortable in 95-degree heat, while merino base layers keep you warm well below freezing. Unlike synthetic fibers derived from petroleum, merino wool is renewable.Merino wool’s versatility means there’s a bewildering array of blends and options. Here are our favorite merino wool products that we’ve tested by wearing and washing (usually in cold water and hung to dry, although we do machine-dry them just to see what happens) over the course of months and, in some cases, even years. Be…

SafePal has disclosed that an authorization flaw in an order-tracking plug-in exposed the names, email addresses, shipping addresses, phone numbers, and purchase details of approximately 39,798 customers. The hardware wallet maker said all affected customers were notified individually by email on August 16 from security@safepal.com, with the subject line “[Important] Your SafePal Order Information Has Been Affected.” The exposed records did not include wallet credentials or financial information, according to SafePal, which said it has found no evidence that the incident itself compromised access to SafePal wallets or funds. “This incident did not involve your seed phrase, private keys, wallet…

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is moving fast with crypto regulation, with the government body asking for public comment on the landmark GENIUS Act.  In a Monday announcement, the Treasury said that it was welcoming input from stakeholders on a proposed rule that would provide clarity to industry regarding who needs a license to issue a stablecoin.  President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law in 2025. The legislation allows banks and other entities to issue stablecoins if they back the tokens with assets like U.S. Treasuries and provide monthly disclosures of their reserves. While the law was…