Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Not everyone needs a keynote slot to make noise at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Sometimes the best way to meet investors, customers, and partners is by exhibiting directly on the Expo Hall floor at San Francisco’s Moscone West from October 13-15. That’s exactly what our Exhibit Program offers, and it’s still open to showcase your startup.  Here’s what $12,500 buys you:  A 6’ x 30″ table in the Expo Hall, which is the highest-trafficked part of Disrupt, where more than 10,000 founders, VCs, and tech leaders come looking for partnerships, investments, and networking.  We provide the table, linen, chairs, and signage so you can focus on showcasing your startup — not logistics. 10 Disrupt passes, including five all-access Exhibitor-Partner passes and five Expo+…

Connor Riley Moucka has pleaded guilty over his role in a cybercrime campaign that involved hacking into the Snowflake accounts of 165 organizations. The 26-year-old has pleaded guilty to computer fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and a related conspiracy, and faces more than 30 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 27.  The man was arrested in late 2024 in Canada and was extradited to the United States in July 2025. According to authorities, Moucka (reported in initial news coverage under the name Alexander ‘Connor’ Moucka) was part of a cybercrime group that used stolen login credentials to…

Two groups affiliated with the cryptocurrency company-backed political action committee (PAC) Fairshake disclosed spending more than $1.5 million on media to support House of Representatives and Senate candidates in Florida, Alaska and Wyoming after suffering a primary loss in Michigan on Tuesday. According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings as of Thursday, Fairshake PAC affiliates Defend American Jobs and Protect Progress spent a combined $1.5 million on ads for Republican and Democratic candidates, many of whom voted in favor of the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act while serving in Congress. In Alaska’s at-large congressional district, scheduled to hold a primary on…

Nearly half of dementia cases may be connected to risk factors that people can potentially change, including smoking and high blood pressure. New research from Lund University has identified how specific risk factors are associated with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, the two most common causes of dementia. A person’s dementia risk is shaped partly by factors that cannot be altered, including age, gender and genetics. Other influences may be modifiable, such as smoking, cardiovascular disease, high blood lipids, physical activity, alcohol consumption, hearing loss and high blood pressure. Dementia is not a single disease. It is a collection of…

It could be hundreds of years before habitats destroyed by wildfires in Wales recover, an environment watchdog has said.Nick Thomas, from Natural Resources Wales (NRW), said if soil had been incinerated in upland areas rich in peat, which grows at about a millimetre a year, it could take centuries for the vegetation to come back.He called 2026 the worst year Wales had ever experienced.As well as damage to natural habitats and animal life, Thomas warned loss of soil could increase flood risks, because it no longer acts as a “sponge” holding water on high ground.Wales has witnessed huge wildfires this…

Thailand-headquartered subsea and offshore drilling services company Mermaid Maritime Public Company Limited is continuing its geographical expansion journey with the establishment of a formal corporate presence in the U.S.Illustration only. Mermaid Asiana. Source: Mermaid Maritime The wholly owned corporate presence in Delaware, with an immediate commercial focus on the Gulf of America (U.S. Gulf of Mexico), will serve as the company’s primary operational and contracting platform in the region, focused on submitting commercial bids, executing client and vendor agreements, engaging personnel, and supporting potential future marine asset deployments across the target U.S. offshore energy portfolios. The move is said to reflect the…

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a potential plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Myanmar’s junta’s pursuit of political legitimacy, and domestic mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. No Deal Yet An agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remained in the works on Thursday, as mediators separately urged U.S. and Iranian officials to come to a consensus on control of the strategic waterway. With Tehran claiming that it is in the “final stage” of drafting a deal with Oman, all eyes are now on Washington to determine what happens next. Welcome back to…

Announcing a pause on more than $1 billion in Medicaid funding to Minnesota and California last month, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz accused state officials of being too lax about fraud, citing among other things the results of a provider verification process in Minnesota and the rapid growth of a California home care program. But he left out important context in both cases. Oz speaks ahead of Vice President JD Vance on July 8 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images. Oz said at the July 21 press conference that Minnesota disenrolled 3,000 healthcare…

The Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture of South Africa, Gayton McKenzie, posted on X saying that Infantino had been “very good to African football”.”Africa should be cautious in joining the public lynching of Infantino. He has been very good to African football. “We can debate his ideas but let’s not forget who has been a friend to us. Many of those calling for his head want the old status quo back too.”Speaking to the BBC after Infantino’s proposal emerged, football officials from Malawi and Uganda said Fifa investment had transformed the game both on and off the pitch, arguing…

Ukraine said it has hit two oil refineries in multiple strikes deep inside Russia with patrol boats and other vessels in the Black Sea also hit.President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Bashneft-Novoil and Slavneft-Yanos refineries were struck in the attacks aimed at limiting oil revenues Moscow “uses to finance” its war.Yaroslavl regional governor Mikhail Evraev said Slavneft-Yanos was on fire after what he called the “largest enemy drone attack”. He said four people were injured.Meanwhile, Ukraine said at least 11 people were killed in Russian attacks, and the southern city of Kherson reported a total blackout. Russia said it targeted fuel,…