In a closed-door simulation, insurers played out their response to a mass disruption by China's Volt Typhoon hackers--and found a nightmare scenario. It's around an hour and 10 minutes into the role-playing game I've been invited to observe, a simulated catastrophic cyberattack on US water utilities, when the whole thing begins to feel less like a fun afternoon playing Dungeons & Dragons and more like a plausible threat to civilization. A full 24 hours of in-game time have passed since hackers disrupted 5,000 water utilities across the United States in this imagined scenario. Joshua Corman, the former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency strategist serving as our dungeon master, stands at the front of a conference space in an office tower high above Times Square, narrating the latest updates to the game's participants, a few dozen insurance executives set up in six teams. All of them have gone disturbingly silent. It's about to get harder," Corman says. "I'm going to share a few things, and it's going to hurt." It is, of course, still the same April afternoon as when we started--but in game time, the second-order effects of widespread water outages have started to become clear. Food refrigeration systems are failing at cold storage warehouses. Water-dependent drug and chemical manufacturing has been bottlenecked, leading to insulin shortages. Data centers' cooling systems are failing, causing outages of cloud services. Most critically, 2,000 hospitals are without water, hampering patient care and in some cases leading to evacuations as HVAC systems shut down and the July heat--the game takes place just before Independence Day in 2027--bakes facilities. Worse yet, Corman is playing a looping video onscreen, at the front of the room, showing a burst water main: The hackers have managed to trigger not just IT disruption but also, in at least some cases, real physical destruction that will take far longer to fix. "Everyone downstream is without water pressure," Corman says. "There are no breaks in real incident response," Corman explains just before the giant water pipe starts gushing onscreen. "If you have to go to the bathroom, go to the bathroom.

This year, RoboCup took place in Incheon, South Korea, from 2-6 July. The event saw teams take part in competitions, training sessions, and a symposium. Take a look at what the participants got up to in our round up from social media. RoboCup 2026 officially begins today! A post shared by RoboCup Federation (@robocup.official)

Petrifying new photos show sagging Manhattan skyscraper that continues to move after buckled beams triggered mass evacuation... as city official insists any collapse will be'localized' Credit Suisse VP gave wife genteel Southern life after staging romantic beach proposal. Lauren Bennett's father reveals devastating details of her final months before LMFAO star's shock death at 36 Argentina vs Egypt - last 16 LIVE: Furious Egyptians claim World Cup is RIGGED in Lionel Messi's favour after underdogs fell victim to two VAR controversies in dramatic defeat in Atlanta Why the King's patience finally snapped after Harry's endless flip-flopping on Palace stay: REBECCA ENGLISH reveals how Charles was pushed to breaking point by'chaos, disruption and disrespect' I lost 126lbs in a year after I began taking this little-known 7-cent supplement. It killed all my cravings... and it can even tackle female facial hair and acne The unglamorous reality of attending Taylor Swift's wedding... revealed by disgruntled guests: ALISON BOSHOFF Astonishing downfall of Obama-backed Democratic golden boy as he's arrested on disturbing charges Mutiny at Justice as hundreds demand rejection of Pam Bondi's replacement over'culture of fear' Candace Owens is profiting off Charlie Kirk's death. She was his protégé and my employee. Louise Lasser dead at 87: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman actress who was Woody Allen's second wife passes away Revealed: Taylor and Travis have a SECRET DOG.

Get your news from a source that's not owned and controlled by oligarchs. The trees are now considered invasive, and their bark contributes to wildfire risk. In 2023, author and poet Victoria Chang watched as the massive eucalyptus tree across the street from her home in Los Angeles was cut down. As the men lopped off the tree's limbs, Chang realized she hadn't spent much time really looking at it. She reflected that the tree had probably taken years to grow and was so easily cut down in just a few days. Chang felt compelled to write poems about this feeling that would later evolve into her latest poetry collection, which asks what it means to be human in the face of nature.

The impact of the Iran war means a million more homeowners face higher mortgage bills than the Bank of England had previously expected. Just over five million homeowners should expect their monthly mortgage repayments to increase by the end of 2028, according to Bank forecasts. That compared to four million projected by the Bank in December. However, the Bank's Financial Stability Report said the hit would not be as hard as seen in recent years. A typical owner-occupier rolling off a fixed rate in the next two years is likely to face an increase of £45 on their monthly mortgage bill, the Bank said. That compares to a typical rise of £120 for those getting a new deal between the end of 2022 and end of 2024.

The EurAI Distinguished Service Award started in 2012, and it is presented annually to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the European AI community. This year, the award goes to two researchers: Jérôme Lang and Luc de Raedt. Find out who won the small, middle and large divisions in Incheon. Find out the latest from day two of the competition. In the first of our round-ups from the humanoid league we introduce the competition, and report some preliminary results.

Harmful nitrogen dioxide and ozone levels could affect fertility and pregnancies. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . Air quality is linked to a wide range of health issues including respiratory problems, cardiovascular complications, and cancer, and that list of concerns only continues to grow .

Russia's shadow fleet appears to have launched drones at European military bases and airports to test NATO air defenses, according to a new IISS report.

Science Biology Mystery of Hannibal's infamous Alps crossing gets a major clue In 218 BCE, the Carthaginian general crossed the rugged mountain range with 40,000 men, 7,000 horses and 37 war elephants. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . In 218 BCE, Carthaginian general Hannibal crossed the Alps with a squadron of 37 war elephants to invade Italy.

How healthy is your brain? In our efforts to keep our brains healthy, how do we know what is working? It shouldn't have been difficult: 72 x 72. From the back seat, my daughter, newly confident in mental maths, wanted to check her answer. Whether it was because it was the end of the day, I was trying to park or something else, I stalled, cognitively speaking. Lately, though, I have had the sense that my brain isn't firing on all cylinders.