Environment

A government watchdog has warned that there are “extremely worrying” signs that ISIS might be developing chemical weapons of its own.  Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Uzumcu said that ISIS may already be using such weapons in Iraq and Syria. Presstv.com reports: Uzumcu said fact-finding teams from The Hague-based watchdog have discovered evidence that suggest the use of sulfur mustard in attacks in the two crisis-hit Arab countries.

A new study has shown that the aerial spraying of pesticides used to kill mosquitoes has caused an increase in autism amongst children in America.  According to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies, the use of pesticides to combat mosquito borne illnesses such as the Zika virus, has actually caused birth defects amongst the population. Scientists observed a 25 percent increase in autism and developmental disorders in children who lived in areas where aerial spraying for mosquitoes has been used since 2003.

The usually peaceful citizens of Vietnam have taken to the streets in protest against the worryingly high numbers of fish that have washed up dead on Vietnam’s shores without an official explanation from authorities.  Over 50 tons of dead fish have been found mysteriously washed up on the shores of Vietnam, and the public are angry that nothing is being said or done about it. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged authorities to investigate the cause in a statement on Friday, saying that the loss of fish is having a serious impact on locals.

Based on the world risk index, which takes into account not only the frequency of natural disasters in each country (known as exposure) but also how well equipped the country is to cope with and recover from the effects of a disaster, The Guardian reports Vanuatu is the riskiest country to live in, with natural disasters on average affecting more than a third of the population each year. If you want to be safe from natural disasters, move to Qatar (the lowest disaster risk country in the world)...

Source: The Guardian

An earthquake that struck the New Madrid fault seismic zone this weekend could be a foreshock for a much bigger earthquake yet to come.  On Sunday a magnitude 3.5 earthquake hit western Kentucky, which was felt across three other states up to 267 miles away.