Catastrophic

Officials say still not safe for 16,000 people to return home as crews in Orange county work to neutralize damaged tankA crack that formed by chance in an overheated chemical tank in southern California relieved pressure and helped avert a catastrophic explosion, but officials said on Tuesday it still was not safe enough for 16,000 people living closest to the aerospace plant to return home.The crisis forced 50,000 people to evacuate in and near the Orange county city of Garden Grove last week. Most returned home after the crack formed over the Memorial Day weekend, but the risk of a smaller explosion or potential spill kept evacuation orders in place for about a third of residents. Continue reading...

Exclusive: prison multinational MTC uses a ‘minimalist staffing model’ that critics say is putting detainees and staff in serious dangerGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA series of catastrophic security failures involving the US private prison company running Australia’s immigration detention centres has allowed the escape of high-risk detainees, caused ill-equipped staff to be stabbed and hospitalised, and triggered multiple investigations, one of which warned its “minimalist staffing model” was putting workers and detainees at risk.Guardian Australia can reveal that in September 2025, just six months after Management and Training Corporation assumed control of onshore detention, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, was forced to haul in the company’s president from the US to dress him down in a secret face-to-face meeting.Seriously ill detainees are missing medical appointments because MTC lacks the staff to escort them to health centres, a situation that has infuriated the home affairs department.Two MTC staff members were admitted to hospital with smoke inhalation after trying to rescue an unconscious detainee from a fire. Investigators found MTC had not given the staff basic respiratory equipment and fire-response training six months after assuming control of the centre.More than 12 escapes or attempted escapes have occurred in the 14 months MTC has had control of the system. A significant number took place during transport and escort operations to hospitals, airports or detention centres.A child sexual abuse offender deemed high-risk escaped MTC custody during an escort to Sydney’s Bankstown hospital despite being handcuffed and supposedly under close watch.In September a detainee absconded by shimmying up a light pole next to a boundary fence at Brisbane immigration detention centre. His disappearance was not discovered for 12 hours.Late last year two detainees were able to flee a guarded MTC vehicle travelling less than 500m in Melbourne. One managed to evade capture for four days.The risk assessment system MTC uses to classify detainees is so broken that Comcare, the federal work safety regulator, has warned the home affairs department it is putting staff at serious risk of violence. Continue reading...

• A new study reveals flowering plants underwent whole-genome duplication in nine distinct bursts across 150 million years to survive environmental crises. • One key event occurred 66 million years ago during the dinosaur-killing meteor impact, transforming plants into 'hopeful monsters' for better adaptation. • These rapid evolutionary shifts highlight plants' resilience, informing modern conservation amid climate change and biodiversity loss.

Official report says system ‘completely failed’ because some form of violence by Axel Rudakubana had been ‘unambiguously signposted over many years’Southport attack inquiry report – latest updatesAxel Rudakubana was able to carry out the Southport atrocity because of “catastrophic” failures by multiple agencies and the “irresponsible and harmful” role of his parents, a damning inquiry has found.Sir Adrian Fulford condemned the “inappropriate merry-go-round” of state bodies passing the buck and their “frankly depressing” refusal to accept responsibility, saying: “This culture has to end.” Continue reading...