Ohio town reflects on chemical train derailment aftermath
For East Palestine residents John and Lisa Hamner, life as they knew it came to a screeching, flaming halt at 8:55 pm on 3 February.
It was that day that a toxin-laden train derailed just metres from their successful garbage truck business, which they had grown from five customers to more than 7,000 over an 18-year period in and around this close-knit Ohio town.
"It's totally wrecked our life," he told the BBC, choking back tears in the parking lot of his business, where the stench of chemicals and sulphur from the derailment remains powerful.
"I'm at the point now where I want out of here," he added. "We're going to relocate. We can't do it no more."
Taliban bans contraception calling use a ‘western conspiracy’
Reports that fighters have threatened those issuing birth control medicines come as Afghan midwives and activists warn of impact on women’s health and rights
Taliban fighters have stopped the sale of contraceptives in two of Afghanistan’s main cities, claiming their use by women is a western conspiracy to control the Muslim population.
The Guardian has learned that the Taliban has been going door to door, threatening midwives and ordering pharmacies to clear their shelves of all birth control medicines and devices.
“They came to my store twice with guns and threatened me not to keep contraceptive pills for sale. They are regularly checking every pharmacy in Kabul and we have stopped selling the products,” said one store owner in the city.
Iran: Earthquake fears rise after Turkey-Syria disaster
There is much sympathy in Iran for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria, but the disaster has also stoked fears. Iranian authorities seem to have learned little from similar past catastrophes in their country.
Reports on the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey have shocked many in Iran. Turkey is one of the few countries in the world that allows Iranian nationals to visit without a visa, and around half a million Iranians reside there permanently. There is a lot of compassion felt for the victims.
People in Iran know all too well what earthquake catastrophes are like. The country, like Turkey, sits at the intesection of a number of major tectonic plates, making it one of the countries most at risk from earthquakes. And fear there is mounting, with experts warning in Iranian state media of the potential impact of a future disaster of this kind. Among other things, they have speculated about apocalyptic scenes in the densely built capital city of Tehran, a city with more than 15 million inhabitants that is situated above several fault lines.
Bulgaria finds 18 migrants dead in truck
Bulgarian authorities said Friday they had found 18 migrants dead in an abandoned truck, as the Balkan nation struggles with an increase in illicit border crossings.
The vehicle "was illegally transporting around 40 migrants hidden under some wood", the interior ministry said. "Eighteen of them have died."
It is believed to be one of the deadliest people smuggling incidents recorded in the country.
After locals alerted the police, they found the truck was located near the village of Lokorsko, 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Bulgaria's capital Sofia.
Ex-ad agency chief admits guilt as Tokyo Olympic bribery trial opens
By YURI KAGEYAMA
A trial looking into widespread bribery at the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee began Friday with a former head of a major ad company admitting to the charges.
Shinichi Uneo, 69, who formerly headed ADK Holdings, quietly told the Tokyo District Court the allegations were accurate. In Japan, a trial continues even if a suspect admits guilt. Three prosecutors took turns reading their opening statement during a two-hour session.
Ueno is accused of paying nearly 15 million yen to Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, a former executive at ad giant Dentsu, who wielded powerful influence in selecting sponsors for the 2020 Games. Ueno is among 15 people arrested in the bribery scandal.
Nearly 30 dangerous feedback loops could permanently shift the Earth’s climate, scientists say
Dangerous climate feedback loops are increasing global warming and risk causing a permanent shift away from the Earth’s current climate, according to a new study.
Climate feedback loops are cyclical chain reactions that happen when one change triggers further changes, in a process that keeps on repeating itself. Some of these feedback loops drive down warming, but others amplify it.
Take Arctic ice, for example. Warming temperatures cause sea ice to melt, revealing the dark ocean water beneath. As dark surfaces absorb more heat than reflective surfaces like ice, the ocean warms and more ice melts.
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