News

Covid hospital fire: 82 killed by exploding oxygen tank

Published

5 years ago

April 26, 2021

Natasha Schapova

An Iraqi covid hospital fire has killed at least 82 people and left 110 injured.

The fire was caused by an exploding oxygen tank at Ibn Khatib hospital in Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad.

About “30 patients were in the intensive care unit”, which was reserved for the most severe cases of Covid, a hospital source told the AFP news agency.

Emergency service officials said many patients died when they were taken off oxygen machines to be evacuated, while others were suffocated by smoke.

A fire that ravaged a Covid-19 hospital in Iraq’s capital Bagdad has left at least 82 people dead and 110 injured pic.twitter.com/XAjjPmoYqt

— TRT World (@trtworld) April 25, 2021

The Iraqi Prime Minister suspended the health minister over the fire.

The Iraqi PM referred the health minister to authorities for investigation.

The head of Iraq’s Civil Defence, Gen Kadhim Bohan, said the fire had broken out in the hospital’s intensive-care unit.

In a statement, the government’s human rights commission said the incident was “a crime against patients exhausted by Covid-19”.

“Once the fire started somebody needed to put the auto central pipes off, which means basically cutting the oxygen from those who need it most,” Halla Sarraf, the director of Iraqi Health Access, a non-governmental organisation, told the BBC.

The fire adds strain as Iraq passes the one-million mark of Covid infections this week.

Iraq’s hospitals have been pushed to the limit during the coronavirus pandemic, adding to the strains wrought by years of war, neglect and corruption.

Covid infections have been rising steeply since February in Iraq, and the total passed the one-million mark this week.

The health ministry has recorded 1,025,288 cases and 15,217 deaths since the pandemic began.

The country launched its vaccination campaign last month, and has received nearly 650,000 doses, most of which have come from Covax, a global programme for sharing jabs.

News

OpenAI and Instacart launch grocery shopping inside ChatGPT

OpenAI partners with Instacart for seamless grocery shopping in ChatGPT; learn about Instant Checkout and future integrations.

Published

5 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Harvey Vargas

OpenAI partners with Instacart for seamless grocery shopping in ChatGPT; learn about Instant Checkout and future integrations.

OpenAI has partnered with Instacart to bring a revolutionary grocery shopping experience directly into ChatGPT. Users can now shop, check out, and pay for groceries seamlessly without leaving the app. This integration is designed to make online shopping faster, smarter, and more convenient than ever.

Karen Sutherland from Uni SC joins us to explain how the Instant Checkout feature works and how users can activate the Instacart app within ChatGPT. We also dive into Stripe’s role in ensuring secure payments and explore how OpenAI is differentiating itself in the growing agentic commerce market.

The discussion also covers user feedback so far, the Agentic Commerce Protocol that powers the app, and what future integrations or features OpenAI might roll out. Learn how this partnership fits into OpenAI’s broader business strategy and the challenges of scaling the service across platforms.

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#OpenAI #ChatGPT #Instacart #GroceryTech #AgenticCommerce #InstantCheckout #FutureOfShopping #TechInnovation

News

Australia becomes the first country to ban social media for under-16s

Australia bans social media for children under 16, marking a historic step in youth online safety regulations.

Published

6 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Harvey Vargas

Australia bans social media for children under 16, marking a historic step in youth online safety regulations.

Australia has made history, becoming the first country to ban social media access for children under 16. From midnight, platforms including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram will be blocked for young users across the nation. The move marks one of the strongest regulatory actions ever taken on youth online safety.

The new law requires ten major digital platforms to comply or face fines of up to A$49.5 million. The decision comes amid growing global concerns about the impact of social media on children’s mental health, with other countries watching closely as they consider similar measures.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the ban is designed to support young Australians and reduce harmful pressures created by constant digital engagement. While platforms are preparing to use age-inference technology to comply, critics warn the ban could isolate vulnerable teens.

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#AustraliaNews #SocialMediaBan #TechRegulation #YouthSafety #DigitalWellbeing #TikTokNews #OnlineSafety #GlobalPolicy

News

U.S. approves Nvidia H200 chip exports to China amid tensions

U.S. approves Nvidia’s H200 AI chip exports to China, balancing security with tech collaboration amid ongoing tensions.

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

Harvey Vargas

U.S. approves Nvidia’s H200 AI chip exports to China, balancing security with tech collaboration amid ongoing tensions.

The U.S. Commerce Department has approved exports of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to China, signaling a cautious compromise in the ongoing technology standoff between the two countries. This decision reflects efforts to balance national security concerns with continued technological collaboration.

Nvidia shares jumped 2% following the announcement, showing investor optimism about the move. Analysts are closely watching how Chinese firms will respond and whether they will aggressively pursue these high-performance AI chips.

Despite the approval, concerns remain about the potential military applications of AI technology. Officials emphasize that the decision aims to protect U.S. interests while navigating complex international tech dynamics.

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#Nvidia #AIChips #ChinaTech #USChina #TechTensions #Semiconductors #H200 #InvestorNews