Ten hospitals -- three in Alabama and seven in Australia -- have been hit with paralyzing ransomware attacks that are affecting their ability to take new patients, it was widely reported on Tuesday. Ars Technica reports: All three hospitals that make up the DCH Health System in Alabama were closed to new patients on Tuesday as officials there coped with an attack that paralyzed the health network's computer system. The hospitals -- DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Northport Medical Center, and Fayette Medical Center -- are turning away "all but the most critical new patients" at the time this post was going live. Local ambulances were being instructed to take patients to other hospitals when possible. Patients coming to DCH emergency rooms faced the possibility of being transferred to another hospital once they were stabilized. "A criminal is limiting our ability to use our computer systems in exchange for an as-yet unknown payment," DCH representatives wrote in a release. "Our hospitals have implemented our emergency procedures to ensure safe and efficient operations in the event technology dependent on computers is not available." At least seven hospitals in Australia, meanwhile, were also feeling the effects of a ransomware attack that struck on Monday. The hospitals in Gippsland and southwest Victoria said they were rescheduling some patient services as they responded to a "cyber health incident." According to news reports, hospital computer systems remained locked down at seven hospitals on Tuesday more than 24 hours after the attack struck. "An official said it would take weeks to secure and restore damaged networks," reports Ars Technica. "The official said there was no indication that patient records had been accessed."

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Ten hospitals -- three in Alabama and seven in Australia -- have been hit with paralyzing ransomware attacks that are affecting their ability to take new patients, it was widely reported on Tuesday. Ars Technica reports: All three hospitals that make up the DCH Health System in Alabama were closed to new patients on Tuesday as officials there coped with an attack that paralyzed the health network's computer system. The hospitals -- DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Northport Medical Center, and Fayette Medical Center -- are turning away "all but the most critical new patients" at the time this post was going live. Local ambulances were being instructed to take patients to other hospitals when possible. Patients coming to DCH emergency rooms faced the possibility of being transferred to another hospital once they were stabilized. "A criminal is limiting our ability to use our computer systems in exchange for an as-yet unknown payment," DCH representatives wrote in a release. "Our hospitals have implemented our emergency procedures to ensure safe and efficient operations in the event technology dependent on computers is not available." At least seven hospitals in Australia, meanwhile, were also feeling the effects of a ransomware attack that struck on Monday. The hospitals in Gippsland and southwest Victoria said they were rescheduling some patient services as they responded to a "cyber health incident." According to news reports, hospital computer systems remained locked down at seven hospitals on Tuesday more than 24 hours after the attack struck. "An official said it would take weeks to secure and restore damaged networks," reports Ars Technica. "The official said there was no indication that patient records had been accessed."

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An anonymous reader shares a report: Prolific science and science fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) developed the Three Laws of Robotics, in the hope of guarding against potentially dangerous artificial intelligence. They first appeared in his 1942 short story Runaround: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Asimov fans tell us that the laws were implicit in his earlier stories. A 0th law was added in Robots and Empire (1985): "A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm." [...] Chris Stokes, a philosopher at Wuhan University in China, says, "Many computer engineers use the three laws as a tool for how they think about programming." But the trouble is, they don't work. He explains in an open-access paper (PDF): The First Law fails because of ambiguity in language, and because of complicated ethical problems that are too complex to have a simple yes or no answer. The Second Law fails because of the unethical nature of having a law that requires sentient beings to remain as slaves. The Third Law fails because it results in a permanent social stratification, with the vast amount of potential exploitation built into this system of laws. The 'Zeroth' Law, like the first, fails because of ambiguous ideology. All of the Laws also fail because of how easy it is to circumvent the spirit of the law but still remaining bound by the letter of the law.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: Household appliances will become easier to repair thanks to new standards being adopted across the European Union. From 2021, firms will have to make appliances longer-lasting, and they will have to supply spare parts for machines for up to 10 years. The rules apply to lighting, washing machines, dishwashers and fridges. But campaigners for the "right to repair" say they do not go far enough as only professionals -- not consumers -- will be able carry out the repairs. The legislation has been prompted by complaints from consumers across Europe and North America infuriated by machines that break down when they are just out of warranty. Under the European Commission's new standards, manufacturers will have to make spares, such as door gaskets and thermostats, available to professional repairers. These parts will have to be accessible with commonly-available tools and without damaging the product. Manufacturers say they are only making the parts available for independent professionals because if consumers were allowed to buy spares and mend their own machines it would raise questions about risk and liability. The report also notes that "star ratings for the energy efficiency of appliances will be ratcheted up," which "could directly save 20 billion euros on energy bills per year in Europe from 2030 onwards -- equivalent to 5% of EU electricity consumption."

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Alcohol consumption has dropped more than 40 percent since the turn of the millennium, the WHO reports.

Alcohol consumption has dropped more than 40 percent since the turn of the millennium, the WHO reports.

Alcohol consumption has dropped more than 40 percent since the turn of the millennium, the WHO reports.

UPS said today that it is the first to receive the official nod from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate a full "drone airline," that will allow it to expand its current small drone delivery service pilots into a country-wide network. From a report: In its announcement of the news, UPS said that it will start by building out its drone delivery solutions specific to hospital campuses nationwide in the U.S., and then to other industries outside of healthcare. UPS racks up a number of firsts as a result of this milestone, thanks to how closely it has been working with the FAA throughout its development and testing process for drone deliveries. As soon as it was awarded the certification, it did a delivery for WakeMed hospital in Raleigh, N.C. using a Matternet drone, and it also became the first commercial operator to perform a drone delivery for an actual paying customer outside of line of sight thanks to an exemption it received from the government. This certification, officially titled FAA's "Part 135 Standard certification," offers far-reaching and broad license to companies who attain it -- much more freedom than any commercial drone operation has had previously in the U.S.

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UPS said today that it is the first to receive the official nod from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate a full "drone airline," that will allow it to expand its current small drone delivery service pilots into a country-wide network. From a report: In its announcement of the news, UPS said that it will start by building out its drone delivery solutions specific to hospital campuses nationwide in the U.S., and then to other industries outside of healthcare. UPS racks up a number of firsts as a result of this milestone, thanks to how closely it has been working with the FAA throughout its development and testing process for drone deliveries. As soon as it was awarded the certification, it did a delivery for WakeMed hospital in Raleigh, N.C. using a Matternet drone, and it also became the first commercial operator to perform a drone delivery for an actual paying customer outside of line of sight thanks to an exemption it received from the government. This certification, officially titled FAA's "Part 135 Standard certification," offers far-reaching and broad license to companies who attain it -- much more freedom than any commercial drone operation has had previously in the U.S.

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UK PM's comments have been met with concern in the EU and anger in Ireland, which is against a return to a hard border.

UK PM's comments have been met with concern in the EU and anger in Ireland, which is against a return to a hard border.

hackingbear writes: In a large military parade led by President Xi Jinping to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, China's military has shown off a new hypersonic ballistic nuclear missile believed capable of breaching all existing anti-missile shields deployed by the United States and its allies. The DF-17, as the new missile is known, uses hypersonic glide vehicle technology also permits it to fly on a highly manoeuvrable trajectory, at extremely fast speed, at a much lower altitude just before delivering its warhead, defeating attempts to detect and intercept the weapon. The DF-17 is believed to be the first of its kind to reach operation status. In addition to DF-17, China also showed off a number of new weapons including the first official revealing of DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile, with a reach of between 12,000 and 15,000 kilometers (7,400-9,320 miles), reportedly the longest in the world.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

hackingbear writes: In a large military parade led by President Xi Jinping to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, China's military has shown off a new hypersonic ballistic nuclear missile believed capable of breaching all existing anti-missile shields deployed by the United States and its allies. The DF-17, as the new missile is known, uses hypersonic glide vehicle technology also permits it to fly on a highly manoeuvrable trajectory, at extremely fast speed, at a much lower altitude just before delivering its warhead, defeating attempts to detect and intercept the weapon. The DF-17 is believed to be the first of its kind to reach operation status. In addition to DF-17, China also showed off a number of new weapons including the first official revealing of DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile, with a reach of between 12,000 and 15,000 kilometers (7,400-9,320 miles), reportedly the longest in the world.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Former president latest senior French politician swept up in anti-corruption investigations.

Former president latest senior French politician swept up in anti-corruption investigations.