Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

The Trump administration is launching a new program that will allow private firms to perform cyberattacks against foreign criminals, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. The private firms would operate “under the control and oversight” of the federal government, giving them permission to surveil and disrupt criminal networks, according to a presidential memorandum published on Wednesday.The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security will oversee the private firms, which must meet requirements in “technical proficiency, proven performance of cyber operations, facility security,” and more. Companies in the program must hold a bond or escrow of at least $1 million that…

Yesterday, Liquid AI released LFM2.5-VL-3B. It is a 3.1B-parameter vision-language model built for on-device deployment. The model reads digital screens across mobile, web, and desktop. It grounds objects to coordinates, parses documents and charts, and calls tools from text or image input. Liquid AI reports an average of 69.4 across 28 vision benchmarks. That matches InternVL-3.5-4B and sits 0.7 points behind Qwen3.5-4B, both 4.7B models. The model is non-reasoning, so it answers directly and keeps latency low. It fits in roughly 3 GB of memory and decodes 228 tokens/s on an Apple M5 Max. Is it deployable? Yes, the checkpoint…

A presidential memorandum issued on Wednesday expands federal capabilities against foreign cybercrime by establishing a program that allows vetted private US companies to conduct offensive and intelligence-gathering cyber operations under federal control. Managed by the National Coordination Center (NCC), the program authorizes participating companies to execute ‘cyber surveillance operations’ and ‘cyber effects operations’ targeting foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations (TCOs).  The initiative operates under co-executive directors designated by the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, ensuring all operational actions remain under direct federal supervision. To participate, US companies must undergo rigorous vetting and sign formal contracts with the…

Switzerland’s largest bank has upped its exposure to Bitcoin, according to regulatory filings.  UBS bought more shares in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, bringing its total position to over $83 million across 2.5 million shares, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  The bank has slowly upped its exposure to the biggest cryptocurrency by market cap since BlackRock’s top fund got approved back in 2024.  The filings are the latest examples of traditional institutions seeking exposure to Bitcoin. ETFs like BlackRock’s Bitcoin Trust — which trades as IBIT — allow investors to buy exposure to the leading…

Finn Aberdein has been focused on China, both as a journalist and as a producer, for over two decades. Even with his experience, this is a surprising story – one that covers an unlikely set of collaborators who have been keeping the door open for Sino-US political dialogue for over a hundred years… By diving between the pages of field notes of early expeditions, adventurous feats to find mythical tree species in ancient Chinese woodlands, and the modern equivalent of trips between like-minded plant scientists, this programme examines how botany has been able to function as one of the longest-lasting…

Japan’s shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has confirmed the completion of a six-vessel liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier newbuilding program for China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), following the naming of the last vessel in the series at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China. Greenergy Cloud LNG carrier; Source: MOL Greenergy Cloud, as the sixth LNG carrier in the CNOOC series, was named on June 17, 2026, bringing the construction program to a close. The vessel is one of six LNG carriers covered by a long-term charter agreement that MOL signed with CNOOC Gas & Power Singapore Trading & Marketing in…

“I’d describe it as a magical eeriness.” Lisa Redfern’s description to the Guardian conveys the combination of beauty and wrongness that accompanied Wednesday’s partial solar eclipse in Britain. Crowds across the country assembled as the sun’s power seemed to wane, twilight changed tone abruptly, the temperature fell and the familiar landscape took on an unnatural appearance. In a divided world, there is comfort in coming together in awe. Ms Redfern, speaking from Cornwall, was right that Britons “may not see another one. We have to make the most of these moments.” The country has to wait 55 years for another…

What was claimed A video shows children at an English school being taught about the Islamic Salah, praying five times a day. Our verdict That’s not what the video shows. The clip was originally posted by an Islamic pre-school in Australia. Posts being shared on Facebook wrongly suggest a video shows an English school teaching children about Muslim prayers. In fact, the clip was filmed at an Islamic pre-school in Australia.The video shows a woman leading a group of children in a song about Salah—the Muslim practice of praying five times a day. It’s been shared on Facebook with a…

Israeli troops have forced two Palestinian families to leave their besieged West Bank homes, the day after a top Israeli commander personally promised he would end a violent settler campaign to drive them out.Israeli soldiers also took over eight other homes in Qusra early on Thursday, telling the village’s mayor, Abdul Azim Wadi, that the buildings were needed for a days-long operation to remove the settlers. They later relinquished six. Settlers still roam the village.The Palestinians’ ordeal began on Sunday when Israeli settlers and soldiers set up a tent blocking the entrance to three homes on the edge of the…

Leavitt’s departure comes on the heels of a leave of absence this summer after the May birth of her second child, Viviana. She returned to the White House last month.Leavitt gave birth to her first child, Niko, during the 2024 presidential campaign, returning to work quickly when the president was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania.Leavitt, in a post on X, described the job as “the honor and adventure of a lifetime,” but said she had decided to step away to devote her time to being a mom.“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter,…