Chernobyl’s Protective Shield Can No Longer Confine Radiation, UN Nuclear Watchdog Says
“A structure designed to prevent radioactive leakage at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine is no longer operational,” reports Politico, “after Russian drones targeted it earlier this year, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog has found.”
[T]he large steel structure “lost its primary safety fun … ⌘ Read more
Thousands call for dog ban to be overturned at popular Sydney beach
Kutti Beach in Sydney’s east had previously allowed dogs on leash but Woollahra Council then decided to ban dogs altogether for “safety and hygiene” concerns following a committee report. ⌘ Read more
Plane Crashed After 3D-Printed Part Collapsed
A light aircraft crashed in Gloucestershire after a 3D-printed plastic air-induction elbow softened from engine heat and collapsed, cutting power during final approach and causing the plane to undershoot the runway. Investigators say the part was made from “inappropriate material” and safety actions will be taken in the future regarding 3D printed parts. The BBC reports: Followin … ⌘ Read more
Zlib-rs 0.5.3 Expands AVX-512 Usage For Faster Performance
The Trifecta Tech Foundation today released zlib-rs 0.5.3 as the newest version of this Zlib implementation written in the Rust programming language for better memory safety. Zlib-rs is advertised as “a safer Zlib” for use by both C and Rust projects while delivering competitive performance to the C-based zlib-ng… ⌘ Read more
Porn company fined £1m over inadequate age checks
The penalty imposed on AVS Group Ltd is the biggest handed out so far under the Online Safety Act. ⌘ Read more
Five people and a puppy saved from ocean after boat sinks
A rescue helicopter has winched five people and a blue heeler puppy to safety after their boat filled with water off the north Queensland coast. ⌘ Read more
Childcare centre closed indefinitely due to rodents and mould
Parents have been left scrambling for childcare weeks out from Christmas due to health and safety breaches at a facility on the Central Coast. ⌘ Read more
Safety bureau finds WA pilots were unaware of each other’s flight paths
ATSB investigators say the two helicopter pilots that died in a mustering crash in WA’s north were unaware of each other’s flight paths. ⌘ Read more
Waymo Hits a Dog In San Francisco, Reigniting Safety Debate
A Waymo robotaxi struck a small unleashed dog in San Francisco – just weeks after another Waymo killed a beloved neighborhood cat. The dog’s condition is unknown. The Los Angeles Times reports: The incident occurred near the intersection of Scott and Eddy streets and drew a small crowd, according to social media posts. A person claiming to be one of the pa … ⌘ Read more
Apple To Resist India Order To Preload State-Run App As Political Outcry Builds
Apple does not plan to comply with India’s mandate to preload its smartphones with a state-owned cyber safety app that cannot be disabled. According to Reuters, the order “sparked surveillance concerns and a political uproar” after it was revealed on Monday. From the report: In the wake of the criticism, India’s tel … ⌘ Read more
Mother frightened for children’s safety after encountering needle in backyard
A single mother-of-two no longer feels safe in her government-provided housing after her child found a used needle in their backyard. ⌘ Read more
‘Cascading’ errors lead to safety risk on Qantas flight
A data-entry mistake by a Qantas employee set off a series of errors that caused a Boeing 737 to take off slower than it should have. ⌘ Read more
Victorian music festival cancelled at last minute due to fire safety, permit problems
A festival that has been running for 30 years has been cancelled just days before it was due to begin. ⌘ Read more
Uber driver says rideshare app tells workers to flout road rules
The NSW government introduces legislation that would require employers to ensure their algorithms and automation practises do not risk a worker’s health and safety. ⌘ Read more
India Orders Mobile Phones Preloaded With Government App To Ensure Cyber Safety
An anonymous reader shares a report: India’s telecoms ministry has privately asked all smartphone makers to preload all new devices with a state-owned cyber security app, a government order showed, a move set to spark a tussle with Apple, which typically dislikes such directives.
[…] The November 28 order, seen … ⌘ Read more
Inquest into fatal Sea World helicopter crash hears pilot prioritised safety
The executive assistant of chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson has appeared before a coronial inquest into the 2023 tragedy. ⌘ Read more
Hillcrest jumping castle operator seeking possible ‘millions’ in costs
The operator of the jumping castle at the centre of the tragedy in which six schoolchildren died in 2021 is seeking to recoup potentially “millions” in court costs following her being found not guilty of a health and safety charge in relation to the incident. ⌘ Read more
New warning for Ozempic-style drugs over risk of suicidal thoughts
Australia’s medicines regulator issues a safety warning over the potential risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours when taking Ozempic-style drugs. ⌘ Read more
How OpenAI Reacted When Some ChatGPT Users Lost Touch with Reality
Some AI experts were reportedly shocked ChatGPT wasn’t fully tested for sycophancy by last spring. “OpenAI did not see the scale at which disturbing conversations were happening,” writes the New York Times — sharing what they learned after interviewing more than 40 current and former OpenAI employees, including safety engineers, executives, and re … ⌘ Read more
Minister will not commit to childcare inquiry despite safety concerns
The early childhood education minister is refusing to say whether the federal government will establish an independent review of childcare standards. ⌘ Read more
Failed fire alarms and months of warnings — Hong Kong questions why ‘so many died’
Many of the people who managed to escape the Wang Fuk Court fires in Hong Kong believe the disaster could have been prevented, saying they had flagged safety concerns more than a year ago. ⌘ Read more
Hong Kong fires prompt anger, questions about construction safety
Just months ago, Hong Kong leaders were dismissing calls for a total ban on bamboo scaffolding on construction sites. Now they are facing one of the region’s worst building-fire catastrophes, and anger is growing. ⌘ Read more
ABC’s Adele Ferguson, Chris Gillett win Gold Walkley for childcare investigation
The pair’s investigation had an immediate impact on Australia’s childcare industry, resulting in the suspension of one centre and a raft of government policy changes and safety reforms. ⌘ Read more
Hot air balloon rides nearly 10 times riskier as helicopter or plane
Hot air balloon rides are nearly 10 times riskier than a joy flight in a light plane or a helicopter, a new report by the national transport safety investigator has found. ⌘ Read more
Social media ban implementation will ‘vary’ across platforms, regulator warns
Not all Australians aged under 16 will “magically disappear overnight” from social media, the nation’s online safety regulator says, amid a legal challenge to pause the start of the federal government’s ban. ⌘ Read more
Tasmanian man jailed after two ‘inexcusable’ police chases
During sentencing, a Supreme Court Justice told Patrick Lee Brown he “completely disregarded the safety of anyone else” during two different police pursuits, including one in a stolen rental truck with blown-out tyres. ⌘ Read more
How the ABC uncovered the dangers lurking in Australia’s childcare centres
This story is about something deeper than policy or profit. It’s about the trust parents place in childcare every morning when they hand over their children, believing they will be safe — only to find they’re not. ⌘ Read more
Child safety inquiry flags subpoena as department accused of ignoring law
The head of Queensland’s child safety inquiry says he “might need to subpoena” files from the department after hearing it was often “not” following its own legislation around preferred permanency options for children in care. ⌘ Read more
Government backtracks on default speed limit
The truck industry has welcomed a federal government decision to walk away from lowering speeds on unsigned roads, but road safety experts question the move. ⌘ Read more
Rust in Android: More Memory Safety, Fewer Revisions, Fewer Rollbacks, Shorter Reviews
Android’s security team published a blog post this week about their experience using Rust. Its title? “Move fast and fix things.”
Last year, we wrote about why a memory safety strategy that focuses on vulnerability prevention in new code quickly yields durable and compounding gains. This year we look … ⌘ Read more
Amyl and the Sniffers gig cancelled last minute due to ‘crowd safety concerns’
The Australian rock band’s free Federation Square gig was cancelled at short notice, causing major upset in the crowd. ⌘ Read more
Amyl and the Sniffers gig cancelled last minute due to ‘crowd safety concerns’
The Australian rock band’s free Federation Square gig was cancelled at short notice, causing major upset in the crowd. ⌘ Read more
Amyl and the Sniffers gig cancelled last minute due to ‘crowd safety concerns’
The Australian rock band’s free Federation Square gig was cancelled at short notice, causing major upset in the crowd. ⌘ Read more
Amyl and the Sniffers gig cancelled last minute due to ‘crowd safety concerns’
The Australian rock band’s free Federation Square gig was cancelled at short notice, causing major upset in the crowd. ⌘ Read more
Australia news LIVE: Ley avoids leadership challenge, formally dumps net zero target; $37m for new child safety reforms
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and around the world. ⌘ Read more
Australia news LIVE: Ley avoids leadership challenge, formally dumps net zero target; $37m for new child safety reforms
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and around the world. ⌘ Read more
Australia news LIVE: Ley avoids leadership challenge, formally dumps net zero target; $37m for new child safety reforms
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and around the world. ⌘ Read more
Four-year-old’s message after surviving taxi crash
A four-year-old boy who survived being run over by a taxi while riding a bike has become the face of a new police safety campaign. ⌘ Read more
Doctors and road safety experts want lower speed limits in NSW
Doctors and road safety experts are hoping to lower speed limits in NSW residential areas from 50 kilometres an hour to 30. ⌘ Read more
UK Unveils Plan To Cut Animal Testing Through Greater Use of AI
Animal testing in science would be phased out faster under a new plan to increase the use of artificial intelligence and 3D bioprinted human tissues, a UK minister has said. The Guardian: The roadmap unveiled by the science minister, Patrick Vallance, backs replacing certain animal tests that are still used where necessary to determine the safety o … ⌘ Read more
Wiggles company admits ‘likely’ law breach over Emma headband
The company behind The Wiggles has admitted it likely breached consumer law by selling Emma Bow headbands without the mandatory safety warnings required for products containing button batteries. ⌘ Read more
Details of two near misses at Melbourne Airport
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released the details of a report of two incidences at Melbourne Airport in 2023. ⌘ Read more
The Ofcom Files, Part 2: IP Blocking the UK is Not Enough to Comply with the Online Safety Act
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Uncertainty for small-scale Tasmanian farmers over new food safety rules
The new regulations would bring Tasmania into line with national standards, but smaller growers are worried they will have to pay the same fees and meet the same auditing requirements as large-scale growers. ⌘ Read more
Texas Sues Roblox For Allegedly Failing To Protect Children On Its Platform
Texas is suing Roblox, alleging the company misled parents about safety, ignored online-protection laws, and allowed an environment where predators could target children. Texas AG Ken Paxton said the online game platform is “putting pixel pedophiles and profits over the safety of Texas children,” alleging that it is “flagrantl … ⌘ Read more
Magika 1.0 Goes Stable As Google Rebuilds Its File Detection Tool In Rust
BrianFagioli writes: Google has released Magika 1.0, a stable version of its AI-based file type detection tool, and rebuilt the entire engine in Rust for speed and memory safety. The system now recognizes more than 200 file types, up from about 100, and is better at distinguishing look-alike formats such as JSON vs JSONL, TS … ⌘ Read more
Seven ways to teach little kids about body safety before they can talk
Families with young children are yet again reeling after this week’s Four Corners investigation into abuse in the early childhood sector. ⌘ Read more