عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Northeast US Digs Out from Brutal Snowstorm That Disrupted Flights and Canceled School 

A snow plow crosses Second Avenue and heads down 19th Street to clear it after a snowstorm, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in New York. (AP)
A snow plow crosses Second Avenue and heads down 19th Street to clear it after a snowstorm, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in New York. (AP)
TT
TT

Northeast US Digs Out from Brutal Snowstorm That Disrupted Flights and Canceled School 

A snow plow crosses Second Avenue and heads down 19th Street to clear it after a snowstorm, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in New York. (AP)
A snow plow crosses Second Avenue and heads down 19th Street to clear it after a snowstorm, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in New York. (AP)

Neighbors, government workers and a powerful railroad snow-clearing machine nicknamed “Darth Vader” scrambled to dig out much of the northeastern United States from a brutal and — in some areas — record-breaking storm that blanketed the region with snow and resulted in thousands of flight cancellations.

But as the snow moved northward and tapered off in other areas Tuesday, forecasters warned that another storm could be right around the corner.

Monday’s storm that meteorologists are calling the strongest in a decade dumped more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow in parts of the Northeast. More than 3 feet (91 centimeters) fell in Rhode Island — surpassing snow totals from the historic Blizzard of 1978 that struck the Northeast, the National Weather Service said.

By Tuesday morning, roads were beginning to reopen, mass transportation was coming back online in some cities and power had returned for some of the hundreds of thousands who had lost electricity in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware and Rhode Island.

Amtrak canceled some trains between Boston and New York and between New York and Philadelphia on Tuesday morning.

Some schools reopening while others stick with online learning In New York City, which canceled classed Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that schools would reopen for in person learning on Tuesday, raising questions about how feasible that is with snow still piled along sidewalks.

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said school should remain closed, while Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, described the situation as “a big mess.”

“There's going to be low attendance of students. You're going to have low attendance of staff because people don't know if they can travel, if they can get to schools,” he said.

Spokespersons for Mamdani didn’t respond to an email seeking comment but his schools chief, Chancellor Kamar Samuels, said in a post on X, that they were “confident in our decision to reopen.”

Philadelphia switched to online learning Monday and Tuesday. Districts on Long Island and elsewhere in the New York suburbs said they would cancel school again Tuesday.

Another storm is on the way

The weather service said it's tracking another storm that could bring more snow to the region later this week. A combination of rain and snow is expected Wednesday, with up to a couple of inches of possible snow.

While the new storm is not expected to be as strong, even a few extra inches of snow on top of hard-hit areas could make cleanup more difficult, said Frank Pereira, meteorologist for the weather service in College Park, Maryland.

“Any additional snow at this point is probably not going to be welcome,” he said.

Bomb cyclone cancels thousands of flights

The weather service referred to Monday’s storm as a “classic bomb cyclone/nor’easter off the Northeast coast.” A bomb cyclone happens when a storm’s pressure falls by a certain amount within a 24-hour period, occurring mainly in the fall and winter when frigid Arctic air can reach the south and clash with warmer temperatures.

More than 2,000 flights in and out of the United States were canceled Tuesday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Most of the cancellations involved airports in New York, New Jersey and Boston.

Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport paused its airport operations Monday as it dealt with nearly 38 inches (97 centimeters) of snow, according to the Weather Service, breaking a record of 28.6 inches (72.6 centimeters) set in 1978. The pause continued through Tuesday morning as the airport assessed conditions.

Central Park in New York City recorded 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow. Warwick, Rhode Island, exceeded 3 feet (91 centimeters), topping the nation so far. The highest wind gust of 84 mph (135 kph) was recorded in Montauk Point, New York.

New York, Philadelphia and other cities, as well as several states, declared emergencies.

The Boston Globe management called off printing its daily newspaper for the first time in its more than 150-year history because snow and winds kept staff from safely getting to its printing plant, the newspaper said in an article on its website.

Christa Prince and two others were out in Brooklyn on Monday afternoon with shovels and an electric snowblower.

“We’re just making a path for this car,” Prince said. “It’s not our car but you know, we’re just doing our neighbor a kind deed.”

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Indonesian Wildfire Emissions Surge to World’s Highest, Data Shows

This aerial photo taken from a commercial aircraft shows haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketing a bridge in Kuching, the capital city of Malaysia's Sarawak state on the island of Borneo on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial photo taken from a commercial aircraft shows haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketing a bridge in Kuching, the capital city of Malaysia's Sarawak state on the island of Borneo on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Indonesian Wildfire Emissions Surge to World’s Highest, Data Shows

This aerial photo taken from a commercial aircraft shows haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketing a bridge in Kuching, the capital city of Malaysia's Sarawak state on the island of Borneo on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial photo taken from a commercial aircraft shows haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketing a bridge in Kuching, the capital city of Malaysia's Sarawak state on the island of Borneo on September 5, 2026. (AFP)

Indonesia is facing a surge in emissions from wildfires burning through parched stretches of forest and peatland on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, with carbon dioxide readings currently the highest in the world, data showed on Wednesday.

Fire emissions from Indonesia from September 1 to September 7 reached 19.7 million metric tons, overtaking Russia this week and making up more than a third of the global total, according to Fire Emissions Watch, a portal developed by the European Union's Copernicus climate monitoring service.

Indonesia is one of the world's most fire-prone countries, but as "super-El Nino" weather conditions drive up temperatures and cause punishing droughts, the country is battling what authorities say is its most intense wildfire season in 11 years.

"We do expect to see some fires across the region at this time of year, but with El Nino, it clearly ‌just gives a ‌big enhancement to them," said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service ‌in ⁠Bonn.

"It's much drier, ⁠it's hotter, and when there's ignition, these fires burn in a far more extreme way."

From September 1 to September 7, fire emission intensity exceeded 1,500 kg/sq km, more than 10 times the Russian level, with the highest concentrations in Kalimantan in Indonesia's part of Borneo and eastern parts of Sumatra, Copernicus data showed on Wednesday.

Emissions were 273% higher than the seasonal average, though still lower than the 21.7 million tons emitted in the same week of 2015, when Indonesia was battling similarly intense El Nino conditions.

Among the hardest hit areas has been the city of Pontianak in West Kalimantan, where the air quality index was ⁠394 on Wednesday, according to Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir. A reading of 300 ‌is considered hazardous.

Indonesia's environment ministry told Reuters in a statement that it ‌viewed the hazardous air quality readings in Kalimantan and elsewhere "with concern".

It said it was monitoring Copernicus's data, but added it "does not ‌directly reflect air quality conditions in a specific area", and other factors needed to be taken into account.

'BELOW THE ‌DETECTION LIMIT'

From January to July this year, fires burned around 202,000 hectares (780 square miles) of Indonesian land, about a third the amount over the same period in 2015, said Nisa Novita of the environmental group YKAN, which helps communities tackle fires.

"However, August data are estimated to show a significant increase of around 600,000 hectares, particularly in Kalimantan, Sumatra and South Papua," she said.

Indonesia lost a total ‌of 2.6 million hectares to fire in the whole of 2015, an area bigger than Wales.

The number of recorded hotspots from August 1 to September 8 reached ⁠13,443, compared to 9,454 over ⁠the same period of 2015, according to Indonesian forest ministry monitoring platform Sipongi, based on data from NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites.

A record monthly high for hotspots was recorded in October 2015, Sipongi data showed.

Fire Emissions Watch uses satellite observations to estimate concentrations of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, greenhouse gases and other fire-fuelled pollutants, but Parrington said it could actually be underestimating the extent of the problem.

"One of the aspects with peat fires is if they're burning at low temperatures or underground, they'd be below the detection limit of the sensors, which means we're not actually seeing them," he said.

Studies have shown that fires in Indonesia in 2015 produced more emissions per day than the whole of the EU, and caused more than 100,000 excess deaths throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

"We have to remember that this is still the beginning of the season, and we expect the fires to continue and the emissions to keep increasing, potentially through to the end of October, which is what we saw in 2015," said Parrington.

"In two months we'll know how extreme this year has been, but the early indications are that it is at pace, if not slightly above those previous El Nino years."

Varieties

Amusing or Addictive? The Algorithms Powering our Social Feeds

Australia could soon give citizens the choice to opt out of social media algorithms. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP
Australia could soon give citizens the choice to opt out of social media algorithms. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP
TT
TT

Amusing or Addictive? The Algorithms Powering our Social Feeds

Australia could soon give citizens the choice to opt out of social media algorithms. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP
Australia could soon give citizens the choice to opt out of social media algorithms. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

Social media algorithms are a powerful feature of online life, serving up content to users based on their browsing habits or personal data.

Australia could soon give citizens the choice to opt out of them under new legislation that also threatens big tech companies with fines if they fail to protect young users from harmful content, reported AFP.

Here's what algorithms do, and the arguments around their effects.

- What is an algorithm? -

Open TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or other platforms and you'll see a scrolling feed or recommendations bar showing content targeted to your interests.

These posts are selected for users based on programming rules called algorithms that predict what you will engage with -- whether it's something you like, or that riles you.

Broadly speaking, the recommendations are based on what the machine knows about you: what you've interacted with or posted about online, or information such as your age, job, location and marital status.

Social media giants usually keep the coding behind these algorithms -- the so-called "secret sauce" that drives traffic to their platforms -- closely guarded.

- Are they addictive? -

It's a familiar pattern for many -- open your phone on a break and before you know it an hour has passed and you're still scrolling.

That's by design, researchers and activists say.

"These platforms have engineered addictive features that keep children and adults online longer than they intend, often at the expense of sleep, wellbeing and real-world connection," Mark Williams, honorary professor of cognitive neuroscience at Macquarie University, said.

In a landmark trial in Los Angeles this year, tech giants were accused of creating "addiction machines".

Experts point to strategies companies use to encourage scrolling, like never-ending feeds, intermittent rewards and time-sensitive notifications.

"This unpredictability triggers the dopamine system, creating a compulsive cycle of seeking and anticipation," University of Leicester lecturer Quynh Hoang wrote.

This can create dependence similar to substance addiction, research published in online medical journal Cureus last year found.

- What are the dangers? -

By pushing people to content they respond to emotionally, many say social media can drive us into "rabbit holes" that are difficult to escape.

The recommendations "are designed to hold our attention, and too often that means privileging provocative and extreme content because outrage drives engagement and engagement drives profit", Steven Roberts at Monash University said.

Algorithms have been accused of pushing teenage boys towards the "manosphere" -- communities and influencers that promote misogyny and violence against women.

Research from Melbourne-based men's health charity Movember found that social media guided young men to that content whether they wanted it or not, a path leading from innocuous posts about working out and sports to violent, extreme content.

"We can already see the consequences in Australian schools," where "misogyny is rife", Roberts said.

"Our national survey of more than 2,600 teachers found that... 70 per cent had frequently or occasionally seen the impact of manosphere social media influencers present on student attitudes and behavior."

- What is Australia proposing? -

Under Australia's new rules, social media giants must allow users to "opt out" of the algorithm.

It also holds the firms responsible for protecting under-18s from pornography, online bullying, and content that glorifies crime or encourages eating disorders.

The "my feed, my way" initiative aims to bring social media back to basics -- a feed focused on updates from friends, family and pages you follow.

"The government has handed Australians a switch. Whether anyone flips it is another matter," Lisa Harrison, a lecturer in communication and media at Flinders University, said.

In a 2025 survey of over 6,000 people in six countries, only one in five said they would switch off personalized recommendations if they could, she noted.

"The algorithm is good at its job, and the minority who do opt out will find a feed of friends and creators feels quieter than the one they left."

Varieties

Tylenol Use in Pregnancy May Be Linked with Uterus, Ovary Changes in Daughters

An illustration photo shows Tylenol in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, US September 24, 2025. (Reuters)
An illustration photo shows Tylenol in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, US September 24, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Tylenol Use in Pregnancy May Be Linked with Uterus, Ovary Changes in Daughters

An illustration photo shows Tylenol in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, US September 24, 2025. (Reuters)
An illustration photo shows Tylenol in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, US September 24, 2025. (Reuters)

Female reproductive organ development may be impacted by a mother's use of Tylenol during pregnancy, according to researchers who emphasize that their study does not prove the pain medicine is to blame and does not indicate any effect on the girls’ future fertility.

Whether the differences observed in the study of infants have implications for fertility later in life and age at menopause will require long-term follow-up, study leader Margit Bistrup Fischer of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen said in a statement.

Women who during pregnancy have used Tylenol — also sold as acetaminophen, or paracetamol outside the US — should not be alarmed by the findings, Fischer said.

Her team studied 302 three-month-old baby ‌girls whose mothers' Tylenol ‌use had been tracked during pregnancy.

Ninety-two of the infants were first ‌exposed ⁠to Tylenol in utero ⁠before 17 weeks of pregnancy, 67 were first exposed after 17 weeks, and 143 were born to mothers who had not used the drug.

Tylenol exposure was assessed based on urine samples provided by the women at regular intervals. The mothers took relatively low amounts, and none exceeded the recommended daily maximum dose of 4,000 milligrams. Most took it for headaches or musculoskeletal pain.

On average, infants exposed in utero had smaller ovaries, fewer ovarian follicles, which are the structures that contain immature eggs, smaller uteruses and lower levels of reproductive hormones, researchers reported on Wednesday ⁠in Human Reproduction Open.

A woman’s reproductive function and window are established while she’s still ‌in the womb, the researchers explained, and girls are born with ‌all the eggs they will ever have.

Animal studies have suggested that fetal exposure to Tylenol, the most commonly ‌used drug in pregnancy, might affect ovarian egg reserve and later reproductive function, but no one has reported ‌similar findings in humans until now.

US President Donald Trump has linked the use of Tylenol during pregnancy to autism, a claim that has been widely dismissed by the medical community and major health organizations as lacking scientific backing.

MEASURING IMPACT ON OVARIES AND UTERUS

The three-month-old girls in the study who were exposed to Tylenol in utero had, on average, ‌a 40% smaller ovarian volume, a 13% smaller uterine volume and 23% fewer ovarian follicles, the researchers found.

Babies exposed early in pregnancy – before 17 weeks – ⁠also had lower levels of ⁠Anti-Müllerian hormone, an indicator of the amount and quality of eggs in the ovaries.

The researchers also looked at a separate group of 1,210 girls who were followed from infancy to adolescence and whose mothers had reported Tylenol use during pregnancy. In this group, fetal exposure was associated with smaller uteruses at puberty and smaller ovaries during adolescence.

The study cannot predict outcomes for any individual woman or child, Fischer said, noting that many women who used Tylenol during pregnancy had daughters whose ovarian measurements were similar to those of daughters born to women who did not use the drug.

Current guidelines continue to recommend Tylenol as safe for treating pain and fever during pregnancy. Untreated high fever or severe pain can themselves pose risks to the mother and the fetus, Fischer said.

In an accompanying commentary, Dr. Christian De Geyter, a reproductive medicine specialist at the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland, said the researchers’ findings fit well with data from research in animals.

Follow-up of girls exposed to Tylenol in utero should extend into menopause, he said, adding that recommendations on its use during pregnancy should be reconsidered.