hello and welcome to newsday on the bbc. i hello and welcome to newsday on the bbc. lam rico hello and welcome to newsday on the bbc. i am rico hizon in singapore. they headlines coal in america's epidemic. now a they headlines coal in america's epidemic. nowa major drug they headlines coal in america's epidemic. now a major drug company goes on trial in a landmark court case. we are not a dumping ground. malaysia says it is sending back thousands of tons of imported plastic waste to the countries of origin. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. also in the programme coal and european leaders meet to thrash out who gets the eu's top jobs and already there is disagreement. and torn apart by the islamic group, the

yazidi families of iraqi rebuilding their lives after the fall of is. the islamic state group is on the run now but the pain in the suffering they have cause has been amplified to tens of thousands of families in iraq and inferior as well. and that's going to take to recover from. glad you could join us, it is 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 6pm in the evening in the us state of oklahoma, where one of the world's largest young men —— drug manufacturers, johnson & johnson, is on trial. it has been accused of fuelling the opioid epidemic in the

country by deceptively marketing painkillers and downplaying the risks of addiction to opioid medications. the company denies wrongdoing and says it marketed its products appropriately. for more, let's cross over to our north america correspondent peter bowes, whojoins us now america correspondent peter bowes, who joins us now from los angeles. thanks forjoining us, peter. we are aware of the charges against johnson &johnson. we are aware of the charges against johnson & johnson. what we are aware of the charges against johnson &johnson. what has been their defence? well, they are strongly, as you say, denying those charges, and they say that their marketing over the years has not been deceptive and it was never their intention to, as they have been accused of, to flood the market with these drugs. in fact, they say that their marketing statements were along the same lines as the us government going back a decade or so ago. the food and drug administration talking about, in fa ct, administration talking about, in fact, in one specific statement saying that these painkillers when

properly managed rarely cause addiction. that was a government statement, and the company says it simply followed that same line. in one of the lawyers for the company looks around the court and said, look, we all know what severe, intense pain is like. we've probably all hit our thumb with a hammer and experienced that pain. imagine living with intense pain for a very, very long time. saying and paraphrasing what the argument is, saying that they were trying to balance the management of pain, which is a huge problem, with so many people, and the risk of addiction. so many people, and the risk of addiction. 50 peter, many people, and the risk of addiction. so peter, what does this state case mean for the other thousands of pending cases? well, yes. you're right, there's almost 2000 pending cases, some likely to come to court later on this year, and the significance of this is that the lawyers from those cases around the lawyers from those cases around the country will be watching closely

if there is a huge judgement against this company, well, it could set a benchmark for future judgements. this company, well, it could set a benchmark forfuturejudgements. it could also set a benchmark for possible out—of—court settlements in the future. a lot of people closely watching the fine detail as to the arguments that come out in this case, a benchmark case, the fine detailfrom case, a benchmark case, the fine detail from both case, a benchmark case, the fine detailfrom both sides. case, a benchmark case, the fine detail from both sides. thank you so much for that update from los angeles, the bbc‘s peter bowes. let's ta ke let's take a look at some of the day's other news. france and germany have disagreed over who should take one of the eu's top jobs, the have disagreed over who should take one of the eu's topjobs, the french leader isn't keen. eu leaders have been meeting for the first time, there they are, since last week's parliamentary elections, of course. the main centrist groups lost out to greens and nationalists, and it

appears that mr macron would like some fresh faces at the top of the eu. translation: the key for me is that the people in the positions to share oui’ the people in the positions to share our project should be the most charismatic, creative and competent, that's all. i don't have any other criteria. for the four nominations, we have to find a balance, after all. it's important for me to have gender balance in these nominations, that we have two men and two women, it's important for me to have the best possible profile, to have a balance in political and geographical sensibilities. also making yesterday coal in the united nations child ren‘s also making yesterday coal in the united nations children's agency, unicef, says education in afghanistan is under fire. unicef, says education in afghanistan is underfire. the report suggest the number of attacks on afghan schools almost tripled last year compared to the previous year. more than 1000 schools are closed because of the threat of violence from groups such as the taliban and islamic state.

according japan has refused to pay extra damages to two women who were forcibly sterilised a0 years ago under a law that was abolished in 1996. the eugenics law was designed to prevent the birth of what the government considered inferior children. lawyers for the two women say the compensation is insufficient. nepalese authorities say they have retrieved ten tons of rubbish from mount everest as this year's climbing season comes to an end. global warming means that glaciers are melting and revealing waste, including plastic bottles, empty ca ns including plastic bottles, empty cans and discarded climbing gear. it isa grim cans and discarded climbing gear. it is a grim reminder of the dangers facing mountaineers, four bodies have also been recovered from the slopes. in the united states, clean—up has begun after dozens of tornadoes tore through the states of ohio and indiana, killing at least one

person. emergency workers are trying to restore power to the homes of 80,000 people, and authorities warning of more severe weather to come in the next 2a hours. the malaysian government has ordered thousands of tons of imported plastic waste to be sent back to its countries of origin. well, the government says it no longer wants the country to be a dumping ground for waste from wealthier countries. it has received a growing amount of plastic waste into china banned it from being imported last year. our southeast asia correspondent jonathan head has the details. importing waste from europe, the us andjapan importing waste from europe, the us and japan has long been a profitable business in asia. looser environmental regulations and a workforce willing to tackle the hazardous job of processing it makes asia a cheaper place to send it. that is now coming to an end.

responding to growing public complaints, the malaysian environment minister took reporters to the country's main port and showed them nine containers filled with mixed plastic and electronic waste. she ordered them sent back to the countries of origin. malaysians, like any other developing countries, have a right to clean air, clean water, sustainable resources and a clea n water, sustainable resources and a clean environment to live in, just like citizens of developed nations. the philippines government has also demanded that canada take back 69 containers of rubbish which have been writing in filipino ports for several years. thailand says it will ban all imports of plastic and e—waste within the next ten years. pressure is building on indonesia to follow suit. all these countries have experienced a dramatic increase in waste imports since china banned them last year. much of the waste is wrongly labelled, and poor law

enforcement means it is often disposed of unsafely. some of that plastic waste might also be because of the poor control of waste here, ending up in the season this part of the world. it's a massive problem, because of course, if developed countries, it is notjust europe, it is america, it is japan as well, cannot send their waste here, they are going to have to figure out what to do with it back home, where it is much more expensive and people are far more resistant to have it happen. and frankly i think what the messages, there's going to have to be an entire transformation of consumer packaging and consumer behaviour if we are going to down on amounts of waste that now nobody in the world wants to take. with the fall of islamic state in syria, many are displaced. many are yazidis, who were displaced after is swept through their homeland in sinjar. our middle east

correspondent quentin sommerville sent this report from northern iraq. five years without play, five years of cruelty, five years a slave. 11—year—old nashat is now free from the islamic state group's torment. translation: they would buy us children, no matter what the age, and make us servants, and buy women of any age and make them wives. they treated their children nicely, like a piece of gold, but they kicked us out at night to sleep in the garden or the sheepfold. i don't know why they'd buy us, if they didn't want to look after us. is brought ruin to his town of sinjar, in iraq. not farfrom here they murdered the men, and then they took the women and children, sold into a life of servitude. most thought they'd never see sinjar again, and many did not. many did not.

terror that is brought here to the yazidi people was genocide, says the united nations. for his last years in syria, forced to convert to islam, he was alone with monsters. his father had escaped, but his mother, sister and brothers were sold to is fighters and their families. nashat‘s family was traded half a dozen times. four years ago, nashat‘s mother's freedom was bought. for fauzia, here in the pink, it was a bittersweet moment. nashat and his sisterjolene were still trapped in syria with is. granted asylum in germany, she had no peace while her children were missing. translation: our kids were crying. each hour, is would come and take the young women and the children from their mothers. we were forced to live in disgrace and humiliation. they treated us like sheep. they told me, "a man has bought you." i said, "i'd rather be killed

than go with that man." then, in march this year, nashat‘s nine—year—old nine—year—old jolene, was found. safely in iraq, she tries to forget about the last five years of work, cruelty and forced prayer. she speaks rarely now. but this is all in the past. now, nashat and jolene wait in iraq. their mum is flying in from germany. so much has stood in the way of this embrace. weeping. under the same roof for the first time in years, the family can finally

sleep without fear. we all know the islamic state group's crimes on the battlefield, but this is where it's really felt. they tried to destroy this family. they tried to wipe out the entire yazidi people. but they didn't, they failed. islamic state group is on the run now, but the pain and suffering that they've caused has been amplified with tens of thousands of families here in iraq, and in syria too, and that's going to take generations to recover from. but countless other yazidi families will never be reunited. the yazidis were a people that their country and the west failed to protect. despite this, nashat‘s family endured, and that in itself is another victory against the islamic state group. quentin sommerville, bbc news, northern iraq.

you are watching newsday on the bbc, live from singapore and london. still to come on the programme coal and eight years after the meltdown at japan's fu kushima nuclear and eight years after the meltdown atjapan's fukushima nuclear power facility, people are being allowed to return to their homes, but the question is, do they want to? also in the programme coal and how free is freedom of speech in myanmar? we report on how taking part in peaceful protests and artistic performances can end in arrest. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletic events to aid famine relief in africa. the first of what the makers of star wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7:00am. taunting which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full—scale riot, as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into the juve ntus enclosure.

the belgian police had lost control. the whole world will mourn the tragic death of mr nehru today. he was the father of the indian people from the day of independence. the oprah winfrey show comes to an end after 25 years and more than a,500 episodes. the chat show has made her one of the richest people on the planet. geri haliwell, otherwise known as ginger spice, has announced she has left the spice girls. i don't believe it! she's the one with the bounce, the go, the girl power. not geri. why? welcome back, you are watching newsday on the bbc. i am rico he's on in singapore. i'm lewis vaughan jones in london, our top stories: landmark trial opens in oklahoma as the state takes on a major drug

company over the epidemic killing hundreds every week. thousands of tons of imported plastic waste being returned countries of origin from china. we start off with the south china morning post, and it is leading on what it calls the unravelling trade negotiations between the us and china. two separate chinese sources have told the paper that one of the key problems is that the us demand that china completely opens up its internet. shifting our attention to the international edition of the japan times, and on its front page isa japan times, and on its front page is a knife attack in kawasaki, in which two people were killed. the paper says doctors fear that many of the 15 injured schoolchildren may

develop ptsd. and finally, the straits times of singapore with some good news for the citystate — a report by imd saying that there is has become the most competitive economy in the world, ahead of hong kong, the us, switzerland and the uae. now, the release of two reuters journalists in myanmar has been big news, but there i warns of an increased attack on freedom of speech. one group claims around 50 people have been charged since unsung suture's government took power, for taking part in artistic performances and protests —— aung

sun syu kyi. this is a performance at the expense of the powers that be, and it could have landed you in prison in the past. but those who thought officials would see the funny side we re officials would see the funny side were mistaken. when officials watched it on facebook, they had the performers arrested for pay painting the armed forces in a bad light. this morning, this woman is going to court accompanied by her mother and sister. they have no idea she will be coming home tonight. this situation is very bad, we didn't make violence, and we just went to the streets and performed in front of the people and it really shows what other people are feeling, but we didn't dare speak out, so this is

our freedom of speech. do you regret that you have been charged? not at all. the case held up as myanmar's most high—profile attack on freedom of speech was that of two journalists who were jailed as a expose dematagoda of rohingya muslims by the military. they may now be free but many others are being hauled before the courts, including this woman, who alongside six friends has just been charged with defaming the military. this became a regular site during five decades of military dictatorship, but are now under a civilian government, there are growing numbers of journalists, activists, and artists, being prosecuted. democracy activists are trying to sound the alarm. translation: 's case was brought by the army, so are the other cases. the government cannot stop them. but they are not

doing anything to try to stop them so the freedom of speech is getting worse. the government of nobel peace prize winner aung san suu kyi has insisted it will deliver legal reform but has so far failed to do so, and the army, out of government but still in control, is trying to jail more and more citizens. the filmmaker who called for the generals to get out of politics, the farmer who told aung san suu kyi at a public meeting that the military had grabbed his land, the newspaper editor who published reports of the latest fighting in the western rakhine state. back at this court house, this woman is taken to prison to await trial. her mother will not see her tonight. is she really a criminal, she asked? how can they treat her like this? they didn't even give me a chance to hold her. the traditional burmese performers,

who now face four years behind bars for expressing how the country feels. myanmar's leaders of tomorrow, prisoners of today. just time to let you know about something coming up later on newsday — the leading think tank the lowy institute is releasing its second ever asia power index, ranking 25 countries in terms of power they wield in the asia—pacific region. taking into account factors such as military capability, diplomatic influence, and resilience. this year, the us, china and japan topped the list. we will be speaking to a representative later to take us through the result. eight years after the meltdown of the fukushima eight years after the meltdown of the fu kushima power eight years after the meltdown of the fukushima power plant injapan, people are being able to return to their homes. they were evacuated

when a huge tsunami stuck precipitating a meltdown of the powerplant. now just precipitating a meltdown of the powerplant. nowjust over half the land in the small town of okuma has been cleaned up. our people coming home? i pulled the whole lot out. i am eating a salad without asking. after eight years as a nuclear refugee, this man is back in his field. this is very interesting, this man has planted his crops basically for his

own consumption. he is testing to see if it is safe to eat, what can grow here. he says he has removed the top soil, and consequently it is not nearly as good as it used to be. ona not nearly as good as it used to be. on a nearby field, in giant letters, the japanese words "we came back". they were planted by this 80—year—old man. they were planted by this 80-year-old man. translation: i have been back many times, so i am not worried about radiation at all. only a tiny part of okuma has been reopened, the rest remaining com pletely reopened, the rest remaining completely off—limits. as we have driven down into the proper old town, the atmosphere completely changed. you can see the gates, abandoned buildings, nothing has been touched here for eight years

the centre of the town is four kilometres from the nuclear reactors of fukushima. kilometres from the nuclear reactors of fu kushima. before kilometres from the nuclear reactors of fukushima. before the accident, 11,000 people lived here. you can see by the door here, the name of the man who took us on patrol this morning. he couldn't come with us because he is busy, but he can't come back here, and this is how it has been for the last eight years or more, because this is considered a high radiation zone still. this is a hotspot, and you can see it is because water has here, and the water tends to, when it washes down from the hills, it tends to bring a lot of radiation with it. you can see just this local area he has a particularly high reading. this is the first time i have been back here in the exclusion zone around the powerplant in in the exclusion zone around the powerpla nt in about in the exclusion zone around the powerplant in about 3.5 years, but it doesn't get any less strange.

radiation levels, we have taken measurements, they are much higher than outside the exclusion zone, around ten to 15 times higher. whether the levels here are a danger to human health is open to debate. some scientists say you could quite safely live here without much damage to your health. others say that can't be determined. whatever the truth about that, this place is now pretty much abandoned for the foreseeable future. there are no plans to clean it up, no plans for people to move back here. might you have been watching newsday. just before we go, i want to ta ke newsday. just before we go, i want to take a look at these pictures. a snowboarder practising on the sand dunes in central vietnam. as you can guess, vietnam is quite warm and tropical, it doesn't exactly have ski slope so much funding for winter

sports, but these athletes are doing their best to raise the profile and clearly use what they can. it looks like being a very warm start to the weekend across some parts of the uk, but a chance of rain on the way during wednesday. an atla ntic rain on the way during wednesday. an atlantic weather system pushing outbreaks of rain eastwards is the day goes on. ahead of that, with clearing skies, it'll be a fairly chilly start wednesday with a of dry weather around, and a few showers rushing through the northern isles. single figures for most, and cold enough across parts of northern england, especially in scotland. the cold est england, especially in scotland. the coldest spots, a touch of frost. already that weather system coming m, already that weather system coming in, rain moving towards western

england and on towards southern scotland. feeding further east during the day, early sunshine across eastern england, maybe a shower, not a huge amount of rain arriving until into the evening. in northern scotland, it will have the lion ‘s share of the sunshine. the breeze moving from a northerly mortar was southerly, and that will bring in some warmer air, but on wednesday nowhere is particularly warm. heavy showers in the northern isles, and single figures for some of us. on the south—westerly breeze, some warmer air drawing in from the south—west, more humid on wednesday night into thursday morning. plenty of cloud and outbreaks of rain. gillian northern scotland, and elsewhere temperatures starting the day on thursday into double figures, mild and muggy start to the day. we will draw in ever warmer air, particularly in parts of england in one through the rest of the week into the start of the weekend. the

weather is never far away, into the start of the weekend. the weather is neverfar away, and on thursday plenty of cloud around, it feels human, some patchy rain. some cloud breaking through central and eastern areas of england, and this is where we will get to see some warm and sunny spells coming in. the temperatures peaking in the upper 20s in some areas. cloud and outbreaks of rain in scotland and northern ireland, but that will hold temperatures down. for some it will be into the midteens. the weather system will move south at some point, inconsistency over the timing, but at the moment it looks like the warmth of england and will peak on saturday, then it will turn cooler and feel less humid by sunday.

this is a bbc news. the top story: a landmark trial related to the opioid crisis opens in the us. oklahoma is suing johnson & johnson alleging crisis opens in the us. oklahoma is suing johnson &johnson alleging are carried out is that if marketing campaignfor carried out is that if marketing campaign for painkillers. it denies wrongdoing. malaysian authorities are warning it is not a dumping ground and have ordered thousands of tons of plastic weight to be returned to the countries of audience. and trending on the website, there is expensive coffee and then there's this, in san francisco, $75 a cup from beans coming from panama. it sells for $1600 a kilo.