Latest news with #CBRN
Time of India
22-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Fire at Jindal Poly Films godown yet to be doused
1 2 3 4 5 6 N ashik: A fire that broke out at Jindal Poly Films' storage facility in Igatpuri's Mundhegaon village at 1.30am on Wednesday, was not completely put off even by Thursday evening. As a safety measure, the Nashik district authorities have ordered evacuation within a 1km radius of the incident spot. When nine fire engines failed to contain the massive factory blaze, authorities summoned 16 additional fire engines from various jurisdictions, including Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune and Thane districts on Wednesday night. The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), which initially deployed three fire engines, sent four more to assist in controlling the situation. NMC fire brigade personnel at the location reported that the fire continued to burn even after 45 hours, with containment efforts still in progress. The CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) unit of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) arrived at the facility on Thursday afternoon to support the firefighting operation. The facility houses polypropylene chips as raw materials, which are highly combustible, complicating the firefighting efforts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Scalable retail: Video analytics firm enables more traffic thanks to robust computing power - Google Cloud: Future of Infrastructure CIO | Google Cloud, AMD Undo The company has incurred losses due to the incident. The district authorities confirmed the CBRN team's presence at the location. Fire services from multiple districts are collaborating to suppress the flames. Cooling operations are underway for a propane tank located 30m from the fire site. The Directorate of Industrial Safety mandated the evacuation of surrounding areas within a 1km radius as a precautionary step. The company released a statement acknowledging the partial disruption of production due to the incident. They indicated that the fire's cause would be investigated, and damage assessment was ongoing.
Morocco World
21-05-2025
- General
- Morocco World
African Lion 2025 Teams Conduct WMD Defense, Space Warfare Exercises
Doha – A joint Moroccan-American WMD defense exercise unfolded Tuesday at Agadir's military port. The training was part of African Lion 2025, executed under the instructions of King Mohammed VI, who also serves as the Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces. The counter-WMD exercise focused on reconnaissance operations, neutralization of improvised weapons of mass destruction, radiological dispersal devices, and CBRN decontamination. Preparing for timely decision-making during sensitive operations It aimed to enhance the operational capabilities of the Royal Armed Forces' Rescue and Salvage Unit to handle crises involving radiological, chemical, and explosive threats. 'Using TacSRT, we demonstrated how to fuse fully shareable operational planning products, change detection and AI-analyzed social media feeds to support timely decision-making,' said Col. Galen Ojala, SPACEFOREUR-AF Director of Operations. The exercise scenario began with securing Agadir port upon arrival of a suspicious vessel transporting WMD materials. Moroccan and Ghanaian special forces performed a maritime assault to secure the ship. Their inspection revealed clandestine laboratories and chemical agent containers in various compartments. CBRN and EOD teams deployed drones and specialized equipment to assess and neutralize threats. Simultaneously, Royal Navy divers inspected the hull for potential explosive devices. Defense Threat Reduction Agency experts supervised technical reconnaissance and recommended specific measures for chemical agent management. The USS CBRN team orchestrated decontamination operations, triage, medical care, and evacuated victims by air and land for necessary treatment. The exercise transpired in the presence of Major General Mohammed Benlouali, Chief of Staff of the Southern Zone, and Brigadier General Daniel Cederman, Deputy Commanding General-Reserve of the US Army Southern European Task Force-Africa. US Space Forces Europe – Space Forces Africa significantly expanded its support for this year's exercise. They provided nine days of academics compared to just one day for last year's African Lion exercise. SPACEFOREUR-AF personnel delivered six days of Space-Electronic Warfare academic lessons, totaling over 30 hours of instruction for 30 Moroccan Royal Armed Forces students. The Hawaii Air National Guard's 109th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron implemented a two-day live demonstration of the Night Owl Electromagnetic Support System. This hands-on training showed Moroccan forces how EW systems function in operational scenarios. 'Our goal here is to show how commercial space-derived and fused information can directly support operations, especially disaster response operations,' said Tech. Sgt. Anson Monestime, a space operations NCO participating in the exercise. Beyond combat situations In addition to military operations, the Utah Air National Guard's 151st Medical Group established a humanitarian civic assistance program near the rural town of Anzi. Operating from a fully functional field hospital, US military dentists provided essential care to local Moroccans who often live hours from medical facilities. 'The care we're providing is mostly fillings and extractions,' said US Air Force Maj. Kyle Sansom, assigned to the 151st Medical Group. 'If a tooth is restorable, we'll do a filling. But if it's infected or broken down, we must extract it. It may seem simple, but to someone in pain, it can be life-changing.' African Lion 2025 began on May 12 and is scheduled to run until May 23. The exercises are taking place in Agadir, Tan-Tan, Tiznit, Kenitra, Benguerir, and Tifnit regions. This 21st edition also includes humanitarian and social actions. The multinational exercise brings together 41 countries and approximately 10,000 US service members. It features integrated training in airdrop, airlift, close air support, aeromedical evacuation, and advanced space and Electronic Warfare operations across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. The exercise aims to strengthen military cooperation between Morocco and the United States. It develops interoperability and enhances intervention capabilities in a multinational context, contributing to regional security, peace, and stability. Read also: African Lion 25: US Officials Exalt Morocco's Cornerstone Partnership Tags: African Lion 2025African Lion Military Exercise
Wales Online
16-05-2025
- Wales Online
Loud noise heard for miles after 'controlled explosion' at university
Loud noise heard for miles after 'controlled explosion' at university Disposal of the 'volatile and explosive' chemical could be heard from miles away The Singleton Campus at Swansea University (Image: Swansea University ) Residents living in a Swansea suburb reported hearing a loud explosion, leaving many perplexed at the cause of the explosion. The blast was heard in the Singleton area but also in surrounding areas at least a couple miles away. WalesOnline can now confirm that this was due to a 'controlled explosion' of a 'volatile and explosive' chemical that was found in Swansea University storage. The university has said this chemical, was found by the staff following 'ongoing proactive audit' but this is not the first time such an incident has happened. Staff found the chemical stored at the university during the audit yesterday, May 15, and notified South Wales Police shortly after 1pm. The chemical found, called Dinitrophenol, or DNP, is used in making explosives, and as a pesticide or herbicide. Police have said that the chemical can be 'volatile and explosive in some states.' Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here A team Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) were called to the scene alongside Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams. The force said that university buildings were evacuated while the teams worked. Swansea University has said that its Security, Faculty and Health Safety & Resilience teams supported the operation and that there was 'no risk or disruption to the university community.' Article continues below However, this is not the first time that such an incident has taken place at Swansea University. In 2016, a similar incident occurred when the Swansea University's Singleton campus had to be evacuated after the "discovery of volatile chemicals which need to be disposed of". In the present incident too, the chemical had to be destroyed through a 'controlled explosion' on the Singleton Campus, which was similar to the sound people in the surrounding areas heard last night. A South Wales Police statement read: 'Officers were notified shortly after 1pm on Thursday May 15 of a discovery of DNP chemicals found in storage at Swansea University by University staff. 'DNP can be volatile and explosive in some states. 'An evacuation of University buildings took place while CBRN and EOD teams attended. 'A controlled explosion of the chemicals then took place.' A Swansea University spokesperson said of the incident: 'The hazardous substance was found on 15th May at Singleton Campus during an ongoing proactive audit. 'South Wales Police were informed, and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit attended to remove and safely dispose of the substance in a controlled explosion on campus. Article continues below 'The operation was supported by the University's Security, Faculty and Health Safety & Resilience teams with no risk or disruption to the university community.' Such incidents have happened outside of Swansea University too. In October 2016, Gower College Gorseinion campus had to be evacuated after South Wales Police attended an incident related to the storage of chemicals.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
X blocks 8,000 Indian accounts after executive orders; Are AI models susceptible to producing harmful content? Apple looks to add AI search to company's browser
X blocks 8,000 Indian accounts after executive orders X said on Thursday that it has started blocking 8,000 accounts in India following executive orders from the government. In a post on X's Global Government Affairs handle, the platform said it received executive orders from the Indian government requiring it to block over 8,000 accounts in the country 'subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company's local employees'. 'The orders include demands to block access in India to accounts belonging to international news organisations and prominent X users. In most cases, the Indian government has not specified which posts from an account have violated India's local laws. For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts,' X said. It further said that to comply with the orders, it will withhold the specified accounts in India alone. X said it is exploring all possible legal avenues available to the company. Are AI models susceptible to producing harmful content? Advanced AI models that showcase unparalleled capabilities in natural language processing, problem-solving, and multimodal understanding have some inherent vulnerabilities that expose critical security risks. While these language models' strength lies in their adaptability and efficiency across diverse applications, those very same attributes can be manipulated. A new red teaming report by Enkrypt AI underscores this duality, demonstrating how sophisticated models like Mistral's Pixtral can be both groundbreaking tools and potential vectors for misuse without robust, continuous safety measures. It revealed significant security vulnerabilities in Mistral's Pixtral large language models, raising serious concerns about the potential for misuse and highlighting a critical need for enhanced AI safety measures. The report details how easily the models can be manipulated to generate harmful content related to child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, at rates far exceeding those of leading competitors like OpenAI's GPT-4o and Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet. Apple looks to add AI search to company's browser Apple is 'actively looking at' reshaping the Safari web browser on its devices to focus on AI-powered search engines, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, a move that could chip away at Google's dominance in the lucrative search market. Apple executive Eddy Cue testified in the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust case against Alphabet, saying searches on Safari fell for the first time last month, which he attributed to users increasingly turning to AI, the report said. Google is the default search engine on Apple's browser, a coveted position for which it pays Apple roughly $20 billion annually, or about 36% of its search advertising revenue generated through the Safari browser, analysts have estimated. Losing that position could deepen pressure on the company at a time it is already facing tough competition from AI startups such as ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Perplexity. Apple has already tied up with OpenAI to offer ChatGPT as an option in Siri.
The Star
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
CBRN risk mitigation and nuclear knowledge meeting for South-East Asia held in Laos
VIENTIANE (Xinhua): The European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative hosted a regional meeting to review progress on CBRN risk mitigation and explore opportunities for regional cooperation. The 24th National Focal Points Regional Strategic Coordination Meeting for South-East Asia, held here from April 28 to 30, gathered representatives and experts from members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), the European Union (EU), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), and relevant sectors in Laos. The meeting aimed to review the progress of CBRN activities in South-East Asia, with reports from the Regional Coordinator and Asean focal points on their countries' priority initiatives supported by the EU. The participants also discussed cooperation frameworks between partner countries and the EU, focusing on regional CBRN priorities and the potential development of a regional CBRN risk reduction plan. In his speech, Lao Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Maythong Thammavongsa emphasized the meeting's focus on updating national implementation efforts, discussing new project opportunities, and exploring additional assistance under the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centers of Excellence Initiative. He also highlighted the value of international collaboration in enhancing preparedness and response capacity. - Xinhua
