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US health officials say that eyedrops may have killed one person and severely injured several others due to drug-resistant bacterial contamination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified 68 patients across 16 states with a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The strain had never been found in the US before this latest outbreak. In addition to the one death, eight patients have suffered vision loss, and four have had eyes surgically removed. Most of the patients diagnosed with the infection reported using eyedrops and artificial tears, according to the CDC. Ten different brands were initially identified as possibly linked to the outbreak, the CDC said. Eyedrops that are made in India and imported to the US under two brands were subsequently pulled from shelves in January and February. In January, the CDC warned people to stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears. The next month, the company that owns the brands - Global Pharma - issued a voluntary recall following a formal recommendation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The US State Department has approved the sale of some 220 cruise missiles to Australia in a deal valued at $895m. The proposed sale, which requires sign-off from Congress, includes Tomahawk missiles and technical support. The missiles will be used by the Virginia-class submarines Australia will acquire from the US under the Aukus defence pact. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the missiles would provide "a really important capability". The deal would enable the country "to reach out beyond our shores further and that's ultimately how we are able to keep Australia safe" the minister told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The missiles could be initially deployed on Australia's Hobart-class destroyers before the first Aukus submarines are delivered, ABC reported. The Pentagon said the sale would "improve Australia's capability to interoperate with US maritime forces and other allied forces as well as its ability to contribute to missions of mutual interest".

Poland has charged six foreign citizens with preparing acts of sabotage and spying for Russia, interior minister Mariusz Kaminski has said. Mr Kaminski said the six were "foreigners from across the eastern border" and they had sought to disrupt military and aid supplies to Ukraine. Prosecutors are currently preparing proceedings against three other people also detained in the operation. Mr Kaminski said the cell had been preparing "sabotage actions" in Poland. "Evidence indicates that this group monitored railway lines. Their tasks included recognising, monitoring and documenting weapons' transports to Ukraine," Mr Kaminski told a news briefing on Thursday morning. "The suspects were also preparing sabotage actions aimed at paralysing the supply of equipment, weapons and aid to Ukraine." Six of the suspects have been charged with conducting espionage for Russia and participation in an organised criminal group, after they were detained as part of an operation conducted by Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW).

At least one person has been killed and two injured in a fire at a building used by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Russian media say. Dramatic footage on social media shows a large blaze, with smoke visible all over the city. Rostov's regional governor said a short circuit appeared to have caused the fire, which ignited fuel tanks. The street where the building is located has been cordoned off. The blaze occurred at a building belonging to the FSB's regional border patrol section in a built-up area of the city. The FSB is Russia's internal security service and is responsible for counter-intelligence, border security and counter-terrorism. Rostov Governor Vassily Golubev said the fire had spread over 800 sq m, causing two walls to collapse.

Seoul makes the first move - but expects more Jean Mackenzie in Seoul South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has pulled off quite the coup to get this summit. This is the first time a South Korean leader has been invited to Tokyo for such a meeting in 12 years. The relationship between these neighbours has been plagued for decades by their difficult history. South Korea was colonised by Japan from 1910 until the end of World War Two. Japanese soldiers forced hundreds of thousands of Koreans to work in its mines and factories. Women were pushed into sexual slavery. These scars, while no longer fresh, are not forgotten nor forgiven here. But last week, President Yoon dropped the demand that Japan compensate some of the victims of its slavery. He agreed South Korea would raise the money instead. In doing so he sought to put aside the past for the sake of the security of northeast Asia.

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Getting Started With Classic Cars – Setting Out 13 March 2023 Interest in classic cars has never been higher and the classic car scene has never been more exciting, diverse, and busy with a whole plethora of events and tours on offer. It’s a great community to be a part of and the reasons why you might want to dip your toe in are as many and varied as the number of cars on offer. Getting started with Classic Cars Many enter the world of classic cars because of nostalgia, buying the car they hankered after as a youth, or one that brings back memories of a dear family member or friend. Some were ‘doomed at birth’ having grown up in families dedicated to classic cars and the tight knit community around them. Recent research by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs revealed that many new owners buy a classic to enable them to go to certain events, tours or to access a particular lifestyle. Full Article

Artificial intelligence has the awesome power to change the way we live our lives, in both good and dangerous ways. Experts have little confidence that those in power are prepared for what's coming. Back in 2019, a non-profit research group called OpenAI created a software program that could generate paragraphs of coherent text and perform rudimentary reading comprehension and analysis without specific instruction. OpenAI initially decided not to make its creation, called GPT-2, fully available to the public out of fear that people with malicious intent could use it to generate massive amounts disinformation and propaganda. In a press release announcing its decision, the group called the program "too dangerous". Fast forward three years, and artificial intelligence capabilities have increased exponentially. In contrast to that last limited distribution, the next offering, GPT-3, was made readily available in November. The Chatbot-GPT interface derived from that programming was the service that launched a thousand news articles and social media posts, as reporters and experts tested its capabilities - often with eye-popping results.

Two and a half tonnes of uranium have gone missing from a site in Libya, the UN's nuclear watchdog has said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sounded the alarm after a visit by its inspectors to the undisclosed site earlier this week. They found that 10 drums containing uranium ore had disappeared, the IAEA said. There are fears the uranium could pose a radiological risk as well as nuclear security concerns. The IAEA said that the site where the uranium was stored was not in government-controlled territory. In a statement, the organisation said it would conduct further activities "to clarify the circumstances of the removal of the nuclear material and its current location". It is unclear when the uranium went missing.