These are the places most at risk from record-breaking heat waves as the planet warms
Dangerous, record-breaking heat waves are set to increase as the climate crisis intensifies, and they will be particularly devastating in countries and regions that are least prepared for them, according to a new study.
Scientists analyzed temperature data sets spanning more than 60 years, as well as climate models, to calculate the likelihood of unprecedented heat extremes occurring – and where these might happen.
They identified Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Central America – including Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – as “hot spots” for high-risk heat waves.
These regions are particularly vulnerable due to their fast-growing populations and limited access to healthcare and energy supplies, which undermine their resilience to extreme temperatures, according to the report, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
Chinese journalist arrested on charges of espionage
Trial of Dong Yuyu, detained after meeting Japanese diplomat, comes as country’s espionage laws widened
A Chinese journalist at one of the country’s major state media outlets known for his relatively forthright and liberal writings has been arrested on charges of espionage, his family have said.
Dong Yuyu was detained in February 2022 after meeting with a Japanese diplomat who, it was reported at the time, was also taken for interrogation before being released. Dong’s family kept his detention secret in the hope of securing his release, but last month were told his case was progressing to trial.
Under China’s espionage laws – which are set to be broadened even further on Wednesday – Dong could face a jail sentence of 10 years to life. China’s notoriously opaque justice system has a conviction rate of more than 99%, with next to no transparency for national security-related cases.
Turkey arrests 110 over alleged Kurdish militant links
Turkish police say they have arrested scores of people over suspected links to the outlawed PKK militant group. The detentions come just weeks before major elections.
Turkish police on Tuesday detained 110 people in an operation targeting people accused of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group, security sources said.
The operation extended over 21 provinces but was focused on the Kurdish-majority town of Diyarbakir in the southeast, the sources said.
A pro-Kurdish lawmaker said politicians, lawyers, journalists and artists were among those arrested in the raids, which come before presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14.
Why is the PKK being targeted?
Security sources referred to the raids targeting people with suspected links to the PKK as a "counterterror" operation.
How the West, Russia see Turkey's presidential elections
The 2023 Turkish presidential election next month will be eagerly followed in Western capitals – and in Moscow. Russia favours the incumbent, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while the West tacitly prefers his main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, according to analysts. But an opposition win does not guarantee an obstacle-free path to pivoting Turkey back towards the West.
Erdogan has attracted much international attention over recent years with his assertive foreign policy – most recently his blocking of Sweden’s NATO accession, after accusing Stockholm of giving safe haven to people allegedly linked to Kurdish militant group, the PKK.
This confrontational approach to projecting power marked a big change from Erdogan’s pro-Western stance shortly after he took power in 2003.
107 victims of 2005 fatal train derailment in Hyogo remembered
West Japan Railway Co (JR West) officials, survivors and relatives of victims of a fatal train derailment in 2005 in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, attended a memorial service on Tuesday.
On April 25, 2005, a speeding train on the JR Fukuchiyama Line jumped the tracks on a tight bend during the morning rush hour and plowed into a residential tower. The driver and 106 passengers died in the accident, which also left 562 people injured in Japan's worst rail disaster for four decades. It was determined later that the 23-year-old driver had been going over the speed limit on a curve because he was running late. The driver had been disciplined twice before the accident for running behind schedule.
Since the accident, a memorial service has been held each year, except for 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus.
ispace: Japan Moon landing would be first by private firm
A Japanese company hopes to land an uncrewed probe on the Moon on Tuesday.
If it succeeds, the Hakuto-R M1 mission would be the first time a private firm has landed on the lunar surface.
Once there, the lander will deploy a two-wheeled, tennis-ball-sized robot developed by a Japanese toymaker and a rover from the United Arab Emirates.
Only the United States, Russia and China have successfully landed a spacecraft on the Moon.
The spacecraft is scheduled to land at 1740 BST (1640 GMT).
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