Dangerous | Common News Update

Dec302019 by adminNo Comments

Iraq says US airstrikes ‘will have dangerous consequences’

Iraq condemned the United States on Monday for launching airstrikes against an Iranian-backed militia on its soil and warned the action could damage relations.The country's National Security Council said it would have to reconsider working with the US-led coalition against Islamic State. US, British and other foreign troops are only able to operate in Iraq with the permission of the government. Any review of the relationship could lead to permission being withdrawn.The warning came as US forces in Iraq were on alert for possible reprisal attacks war planes targeted the Kataib Hezbollah militia group on Sunday night in an escalation of tensions.A military officer told the Reuters news agency: "I think they will retaliate." Advertisem...

Dec122019 by adminNo Comments

Outdated, dangerous childbirth practices persist in Europe

Health

BARCELONA -- When Clara Massons was in labor with her son, a midwife climbed onto her bed and pushed down on Massons’ belly, explaining that she was helping to deliver her baby. For the next few hours, the midwife and a doctor took turns pressing down during contractions, using an old, now controversial technique for troubled deliveries. Masson said her pleas to stop were ignored at the Barcelona hospital where she delivered two years ago, and she later complained to authorities. The hospital said doctors took “appropriate measures” during her delivery. “I thought I was going to die,” she said. “For one month after, my belly was blue and purple.” The technique is known as the Kristeller maneuver and was first described in an 1867 German textbook. It is sometimes used during the second

Sep282019 by adminNo Comments

CDC study to track dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

Health

Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention announced a new multi-site study this week that will investigate the health effects of drinking water contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The new study -- the first to examine multiple sites of PFAS contamination nationwide -- was authorized by the National Defense Authorization Acts of 2018 and 2019 to provide information to communities about the health effects of PFAS exposure. The CDC will award initial grants totaling $ 7 million to begin the study, with a goal of understanding the relationship between PFAS exposure and health outcomes in differing populations. The study will recruit at least 2,000 children ages 4 to 17, and 6,000 adults over age 18, who have been exposed to PFAS-contaminated...

Sep132019 by adminNo Comments

Whirlpool issues urgent appeal over 435,000 dangerous dryers

Business

Hundreds of thousands of tumble dryers that pose a fire risk are still in people's homes.Whirlpool has issued an urgent appeal for owners of the faulty machines that have not yet been replaced or modified to come forward. The firm launched a full recall involving 500,000 dryers in July, but said only 65,000 owners have so far come forward.The company said it was vital owners got in touch "as a matter of urgency".The recall, which was ordered by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), relates to certain models of Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan and Proline dryers built between 2004 and 2015. Advertisement Ahead of the recall, some 1.7 million had already been modified during a safety campaign laun...

Aug112019 by adminNo Comments

Gadgets can be hacked to produce ‘dangerous’ sounds, says researcher

Technology

Many modern gadgets can be hacked to produce deafening and disorienting sounds, research has revealed.Security researcher Matt Wixey found a range of devices had little protection to stop themselves being turned into "offensive" low-grade, cyber-weapons.Mr Wixey tested laptops, mobile phones, headphones, a PA system and several types of speakers. The weaknesses could cause physical harm, harass individuals or disrupt larger organisations, he said. Annoying tonesMr Wixey, who is a head of research at PWC's cyber-security practice, said he conducted the experiments as part of PhD work into the ways that malware can directly cause physical harm.He sought to find out if the volume and speaker controls of the devices could be manipula...