(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Overnight News Digest February 5, 2023 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-05 The Guardian Chile wildfires kill at least 23 people as 40C heat hampers effort to stop spread Record summer temperatures of more than 40C (104F) are hampering efforts to tackle dozens of wildfires across central Chile that have killed at least 23 people, destroyed 800 homes and prompted the declaration of a state of emergency in three regions. Sixty-six people have been hurt in the fires, while almost 1,500 others are seeking refuge in shelters, according to an update on Sunday from the national forestry agency, Conaf. The state body said 87 fires were being still fought and 148 had been brought under control. A state of emergency has now been declared in three sparsely populated central regions – Araucanía, Biobío and Ñuble – which are home to many grape, apple and berry farms as well as large tracts of forest land. By Friday, 40,000 hectares had been burned by the fires, according to official data. Chile’s interior minister, Carolina Tohá, said 76 new fires had broken out on Friday alone, adding that the record temperatures were making it very difficult to stop the blazes spreading. NPR A defect in a rail car axle caused the massive Ohio train wreck, investigators say Ohio Chile EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — A mechanical issue with a rail car axle caused the fiery derailment of dozens of freight cars in Ohio near the Pennsylvania state line Friday night, federal investigators announced Sunday. The smoldering tangle of cars, some carrying hazardous materials, kept an evacuation order in effect. Michael Graham, a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a news conference that the three-member train crew received an alert about the mechanical defect "shortly before the derailment" but said the board was still working to determine which rail car experienced the issue. About 50 cars derailed in East Palestine at about 9 p.m. Friday as a train was carrying a variety of products from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, rail operator Norfolk Southern said. No injuries to crew, residents or first responders have been reported. Graham said investigators also have identified the exact "point of derailment" but did not disclose the location Sunday. He said information will be included in a preliminary investigative report expected in the next month or so. Al Jazeera Zelenskyy says situation in Ukraine’s east ‘getting tougher’ Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the situation on the eastern front line was getting tougher, with Russia throwing more and more troops into battle to break down Ukrainian defences. Zelenskyy’s comments on Saturday came as shelling continued in the eastern Donetsk region while an accident at a power plant in the southern region of Odesa left nearly 500,000 homes without electricity. “I’ve often had to say the situation at the front is tough, and is getting tougher, and it’s that time again. … The invader is putting more and more of his forces into breaking down our defences,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. “It is very difficult now in Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Lyman and other directions,” he continued. Russian troops, who have been pushing for a significant battlefield victory after months of setbacks, have been trying to close their grip on the town of Bakhmut and are also trying to capture the nearby coal-mining city of Vuhledar, also in the eastern region of Donetsk. Al Jazeera‘ Mission completed’: Ukraine minister says warplanes on the way Ukraine’s allies will agree to provide fighter aircraft to battle Russian forces, the defence minister said, despite recent comments by Western leaders that warplanes would not be forthcoming. Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov also told a news conference on Sunday that Russia will launch a major offensive in the coming weeks, but Ukraine has the soldiers and resources to repel such an attack. Ukraine’s military will halt the operation despite tanks and other weapon systems from the West not arriving in time, he said. “There will be planes, too,” Reznikov predicted. “The question is just what kind exactly … Consider that this mission is already completed.” So far Ukraine has won support from Baltic nations and Poland in its quest to obtain Western fighter jets. But several Western leaders have expressed concern that providing warplanes could provoke the Kremlin and draw their countries deeper into the conflict, which has cost tens of thousands of lives and wreaked massive destruction. Reuters Who next? Santos? New Hampshire Governor Sununu 'definitely thinking' about White House run WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Republican New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said on Sunday he is considering running for U.S. president in 2024, adding that he believes Donald Trump would lose to Democratic President Joe Biden if the former president secures his party's nomination. Sununu, who has served as governor of the small New England state since 2017, underscored the need for new leadership. Asked during an appearance on the ABC News program "This Week" whether he is considering seeking the presidency, Sununu said, "I'm definitely thinking about it, and having those conversations. But at the end of the day, you're going to have a lot of Republicans that get in that race. They're all really good people. They're really good candidates." Deutsche Welle Canadian province decriminalizes hard drugs The Canadian province of British Columbia has launched a pilot project to help decrease the number of overdoses and reduce stigma surrounding drug use. Drug policy remains a hotly debated topic among experts and politicians. What should a state's policy towards soft and drugs be and how can it reach certain goals? While many countries rely on prohibition and punitive measures, others have begun taking a more liberal approach. For example, Canada legalized the sale and consumption of cannabis in 2018, with the aim of decreasing demand on the black market and decreasing drug-related crime. Now, the country's northwestern province of British Columbia has launched an ambitious pilot project that will run for at least three years: Since January 31, 2023, people found in possession of up to 2.5 grams of hard drugs will no longer be committing an offense. Adults carrying a combined total of fewer than 2.5 grams of cocaine (in powder or "crack" form), methamphetamine, MDMA, heroin, morphine, fentanyl will not be arrested or prosecuted. Nor will the substances be confiscated. Buzzfeed News A Man Who Shot At A Group Of Children Throwing Snowballs Will Spend 16 Years In Prison A Wisconsin man who was convicted of shooting at a group of children after they threw snowballs at his car was sentenced to 16 years behind bars. William Carson, 27, pleaded to the court for leniency and mercy at his sentencing hearing Friday. He was found guilty in November of two counts of first-degree reckless injury and five counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. On Jan. 4, 2020, a group of seven children were playing in the snow and throwing snowballs at passing cars, until one of the drivers, who was later identified as Carson, turned his car around and fired his gun at the children as they ran away, Fox 6 Milwaukee reported. Two of the seven children suffered injuries. One was shot in the arm, and another was shot in the thigh. Washington Post‘ Historic Arctic outbreak’ crushes records in New England [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/5/2151306/-Overnight-News-Digest-February-5-2023 Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/