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JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, PNC, and other major banks have reportedly explored acquiring Fiserv's debit-card networks, STAR and Accel, in a move that could help them bypass federal caps on debit-card transaction fees. A law limits the fees big banks can charge merchants, but only if the transactions are routed through an outside network. There are no caps on these interchange fees over a bank-owned network, however. The Wall Street Journal reports: When Capital One Financial bought Discover Financial in a $50.6 billion deal, it got a network that cut out the need for a middleman in card transactions and allowed it to deal more directly with merchants. Now, big banks are looking on with envy because owning a network can mean exemption from a federal law that caps debit-card fees. Those fees collectively amount to billions of dollars each year across the industry, but banks have long complained the government-defined cap limits their ability to offer customers debit-card rewards and other services. Some have been exploring a small deal that could upend the rules, though they are worried about political backlash if they try. Big banks including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and PNC Financial Services Group have in recent months held preliminary and tentative discussions about a deal to acquire a network owned by the financial-technology company Fiserv, according to people familiar with the matter. There is no certainty a deal will happen. Several of the banks that looked at the Fiserv network have already decided it would be unlikely for them to move forward, some of the people said. Some have privately expressed concern that such a deal could prompt backlash from lawmakers, regulators and merchants, the people added.

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RNGD accelerators land in Equinix's Lisbon DCs

A new landmark study has uncovered evidence that challenges the long-held beliefs about human evolution.

The Canadian astronaut was one of four members of the Artemis II team, who made history earlier this year by flying around the moon.

Nigel Farage's decision to quit as Clacton's MP has prompted an unprecedented response from both Labour and the Conservatives.

Nigel Farage's decision to quit as Clacton's MP has prompted an unprecedented response from both Labour and the Conservatives.

MIKE KEEGAN: A ban on Russian athletes was imposed in 2023 following the invasion of Ukraine . As a result, only a tiny number of Russians were able to compete in Paris and Milan.

A stretch of the A12 is closed this evening following a multi-vehicle collision, with long delays reported in the area.

A stretch of the A12 is closed this evening following a multi-vehicle collision, with long delays reported in the area.

Dior creative director Anderson has opened up about what it was like to work with Swift on her wedding dress - and he described the process as 'emotional.'

Dog-eat-dog world for credential-stealing attackers

The former president of Iran, who was reported dead at the start of the war, has been spotted at the funeral of his country's Supreme Leader. 

Senator Celeste Amarilla had originally launched a furious tirade against the footballer in the aftermath of France's 1-0 victory over Paraguay on Saturday.

Bushra Shaikh, a British-Pakistani media personality turned mouthpiece for the Iranian government, shared videos of herself at the multi-day event in Tehran's Enghelab Square.

Fire crews have brought the M11 embankment fire under control, fire crews have confirmed.

Fire crews have brought the M11 embankment fire under control, fire crews have confirmed.

A criminal complaint against alleged Scattered Spider member Peter Stokes revealed that Microsoft can associate Windows activity with a persistent "Global Device ID," which investigators used to link his PC to online activity connected to a hack. While unique device IDs are common, the case has raised privacy concerns because the identifier can apparently persist across updates, has no simple opt-out, and may allow Microsoft to connect a Windows installation to activity on third-party services. PCMag reports: Last week, the U.S. announced it had extradited 19-year-old Peter Stokes from Europe for allegedly being a member of the notorious hacking group Scattered Spider. But the case stands out because Microsoft played a key role in linking Stokes to the suspected hacking crimes, according to an unsealed criminal complaint. Stokes allegedly hacked an unnamed luxury jewelry retailer in May 2025 while using a VPN. The 39-page criminal complaint shows the FBI used Microsoft records to discover that his IP address was associated with a Microsoft device identifier known as Global Device ID (GDID). "According to a Microsoft representative, a Global Device Identifier in the Windows ecosystem is a persistent, device-level identifier designed to uniquely identify an installation of a Windows operating system on a device, either a physical device (e.g., a mobile phone or laptop) or virtual machine, across certain Microsoft services and scenarios," the complaint explains. The global device ID isn't exactly surprising, given that it's standard practice to assign a unique ID to each account or device so a tech provider can recognize and distinguish between them. But the complaint reveals Microsoft can associate the GDID with third-party services and the timing as well, giving Redmond a way to theoretically track a user's online activity. In other words, Redmond might be able to track the online activity of your Windows PC without third-party browser cookies. Stokes was discovered exploiting a web development tool called ngrok to bypass the jewelry retailer's network defenses. The complaint says Microsoft had records showing that on May 12, 2025, at 19:21 UTC, the GDID associated with Stokes' computer "accessed, among other ngrok pages, 'https://dashboard[.]ngrok.com/signup,' the ngrok page to set up an ngrok account." The document adds that Microsoft records also showed the GDID accessing "multiple sites" from servers at Tzulo, a web hosting provider, to help pull off the hack. Hence, the fact that federal investigators used the Microsoft identifier to nab a suspected hacker is raising concerns that it could be abused for other surveillance purposes. "Microsoft Windows is surveillance software," cybersecurity expert Matthew Hickey alleged in a tweet.

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The west tunnel is undergoing maintenance this week

The administration 'is "The Crucible" meets "Wolf Hall,"' M16 said, referring to a play about the Salem Witch Trials and a book about a courtier of the infamous British monarch.

Advanced Space's privately owned probe will keep flying, but the agency's role is over