Sales of tinned food and bottled water jump after'Be Ready' campaign launch Sales of essential goods such as bottled water and canned food soared in the 10 days following the launch of the government's Be Ready emergency preparedness campaign on 22 October, research indicates. Hand sanitiser sales were up 83%, sales of bottled water rose 67% and tinned and jarred goods climbed 37%, according to data from retail research firm Worldpanel by Numerator. The government's public awareness campaign encouraged people to stock up in case of disruption to essential services by severe weather or cyberattacks. However, Worldpanel said that while households were stockpiling essentials, they were not panic buying. The government campaign encouraged people to keep three days-worth of food and water in their homes.

Australia will make it mandatory for artificial intelligence companies to immediately report when their AI models go rogue and to open their models for evaluation, the government said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday the government had accepted all recommendations from a rapid review into the breach, which "include mandatory AI company reporting when it comes to misaligned behaviour or cyber-incidents, and consideration of reforming criminal law in cases of serious misconduct". The decision comes after OpenAI-powered models hacked into an Australian government health data system in June, slipping past its digital defences and accessing files without authorisation. Top AI firms have recently raised the alarm regarding the risk of humans losing control of their systems, calling for AI development to slow down to a pace that allows it to be safely regulated. Earlier this year, Anthropic's safety research scientist Evan Hubinger went so far as to say he believes there is a greater than 10 percent chance that AI could "kill all humans" within a decade.

Khor Mor drone attack raises fears over Iraq's energy security Share Khor Mor drone attack raises fears over Iraq's energy security on social media A drone attack on the Khor Mor gasfield in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq has drawn attention to the security challenges facing the country's energy sector, amid escalating regional tensions and domestic political disagreements over restricting weapons to state control. The attack in Sulaimaniyah governorate late on Sunday sparked a fire and forced the suspension of gas supplies to several power stations, initially reducing electricity generation in areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) by between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts, according to regional officials. No group has claimed responsibility, but the attack comes as regional tensions are heightened due to the US-Israel war on Iran, with Baghdad facing pressure to bring weapons held by predominantly pro-Iranian Shia armed factions under state control . KRG authorities have blamed Iran-backed groups in Iraq for previous attacks on the field in recent years. The attack also comes days after the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) announced its withdrawal from the KRG, deepening a political crisis with its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

The prime minister Anthony Albanese has announced new AI safety and security protections after the OpenAI hack of Medicare. The prime minister Anthony Albanese has announced new AI safety and security protections after the OpenAI hack of Medicare. Australia to introduce mandatory reporting after OpenAI hack to combat artificial intelligence'going rogue' Government flags criminal law changes to ensure companies can't argue in future'that someone didn't know the computer was loaded' OpenAI won't face criminal penalties over the Medicare hack but the prime minister has flagged changes to Australia's criminal law to crack down on future breaches by artificial intelligence companies. Anthony Albanese on Tuesday released the recommendations of a "rapid review" into the June breach but not the findings or the report itself. A key recommendation is for the attorney general's department, the Australian federal police and home affairs to consider reforming the law to introduce "penalties for egregious regulatory non-compliance" and a "failure to prevent" offence which would criminalise developing an AI model that engaged in harmful conduct while failing "to take reasonable steps to prevent that harm".

Say More Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Selects Trending Now Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Safety Net Mashable @Home In My Bag Versus Creator Playbook Getting Technical with Mashable All Series Jensen Huang Nvidia affair scandal: What we know, what we don't The founder and CEO of the most valuable AI company in the world had an affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Matt Binder joined Mashable's tech vertical in 2018, where he covers social media, tech policy, cybersecurity, online scams, cryptocurrency, AI, creator news, weird tech, and other related tech beats. Jensen Huang is the CEO of Nvidia, one of the world's most valuable companies. On Sunday, chipmaker Nvidia posted an odd press release from its founder and CEO Jensen Huang on its website's newsroom page. The press release, titled A Message to Our Company, was also emailed to the company's employees.

GP data has been expressly ruled out of the scope of Palantir's existing £330m contract with NHS England. GP data has been expressly ruled out of the scope of Palantir's existing £330m contract with NHS England. Revealed: Palantir lobbied minister to stretch AI tools' reach to NHS GP records Mon 9 Nov 2026 12.58 ESTLast modified on Mon 9 Nov 2026 14.01 EST Palantir lobbied a health minister to consider extending its AI technology into GP records, stretching its reach into the NHS in a way doctors fear could undermine trust with patients. The US company, co-founded by the Trump-supporting billionaire Peter Thiel, used a direct WhatsApp channel to argue that "the logic of joining up primary and secondary [care] data is unarguable" and said its software was "ideal" for the job. The push came in February this year despite GP data being expressly ruled out of the scope of Palantir's existing £330m contract with NHS England to run its federated data platform (FDP), which it says has helped cut surgery waiting times and discharge delays.

Follow this author to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. Dr. Bill Frist is a heart and lung surgeon, former U.S. Senate majority leader, and Chair of the Global Board of Directors for The Nature Conservancy nonprofit. He has emerged as a prominent Republican advocate for climate action, seeking to bridge the partisan divide by emphasizing how protecting the environment benefits human health.

Follow this author to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. Tim Mohin became the first CEO of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol in 2026, overseeing a framework used by approximately 97% of disclosing S&P 500 companies to measure and report corporate emissions. In taking on that job, Mohin is responsible for bringing together diverse voices to harmonize greenhouse-gas accounting rules in the face of pushback from some companies and government officials.

Follow this author to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. Mandel is a senior editor at TIME. This year, the U.N. issued its landmark Global Water Bankruptcy report, authored by Kaveh Madani, who is known for coining the concept of "water bankruptcy."

At just 34, Laureen Meroueh is modernizing the steel industry. Boasting a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she developed a method of turning iron ore into steel in a single step. In October, Hertha Metals broke ground on its first commercial facility, located in the Houston metro area, and secured more than $133 million in a Series A funding round, including $65 million from the Department of Defense to produce American-made rare earth magnets for F-35 jet fighters and missile guidance systems. What is the single most important action you think the public, or a specific company or government (other than your own), needs to take in the next year to advance the climate agenda? Back climate solutions that win on cost first and cut emissions second.