East State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania Photographers Daniel Barter and Daniel Marbaix’s pictures of deserted buildings in the north-eastern states of the US show once-grand edifices slipping into terminal decline. The pair’s eerie portraits of emptiness have been collected in a book, States of Decay, published by Carpetbombing Culture in the UK this month. Theatre, Connecticut The structures pictured include abandoned power plants, hospitals, asylums, schools, theatres, steel mills, prisons, factories and […]

Fascinating documentary goes behind the scenes of thriving scrap trade Sydenham Scrap Metal yard in south London turns over £7million a year Boss Michael, 31, says: ‘I’ve no exams but I run a multi-million business’ Self-employed ‘scrappers’ collect waste from the streets and sell it to him Scrappers with lorries earn £800 a day; others with pony and trap just £12 Getting Rich In The Recession: Scrappers will be on […]

American Airlines and US Airways have settled an anti-trust suit with US regulators, paving the way for their proposed merger to be finalised. The merger would create the world’s largest airline. As part of the agreement, which must still be approved by a judge, the airlines will give up slots at several US airports. The two companies argued the consolidation was necessary to their survival. The US Justice Department had […]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS European bison have been successfully reintroduced to Poland Animal was declared extinct in the country in the 1920s Around 1,200 animals are closely monitored by conservation groups Controlling population is now an issue with hunting a controversial proposal As a group of tourists was passing through the villages of Lesna and Zabrody in the north east of Poland last month, they caught glimpse of something that immediately sent […]

She was attacked at a rural police station, and her landmark case awakened India decades ago. But did she manage to love, have children, find happiness? New headlines about rape in my homeland set me on a journey to find her. She was 14, maybe 16, when they raped her. It was 1972, and I was 9. The India of her youth was the India of mine — except she […]

From monkeys to humans, grooming is an important way to win favours and earn social standing. For babies, it can also be the difference between life and death. When you run your hands through your lover’s hair, you’re probably not thinking about your place in the social hierarchy. Give your team-mate or colleague a pat on the back after a setback, and the chances are you’re not consciously seeking to […]

Elephants and humans are coming into contact with each other more often in Malaysia. The areas where elephants used to roam are being built upon or used for agriculture. Some favour relocating them to a national park – but is this the right thing to do? There were only two things that scared our native guides: Tigers and elephants. When I asked them what was dangerous about the jungle they […]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Police arrested 561 people Saturday in the capital of Riyadh Saudi Arabia launched a “security campaign” this month to crack down on visa violations Two people were killed and 68 others injured in clashes between police and foreign workers following a visa crackdown in Saudi Arabia, the official news agency reported. Police arrested 561 people Saturday in the capital of Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The […]

The crocodile soon realised that it had bitten off more than it could chew by grabbing the large animal Amusing pictures were captured in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park by photographer Ian Salisbury Images reminiscent of Jungle Book author Rudyard Kipling’s story How The Elephant Got His Trunk This young elephant got more than he bargained for when he ambled up to a water hole to slake his thirst. Just […]

Marina Chapman claims she was raised by capuchin monkeys in Colombia She had been left in the jungle aged five after a botched kidnap The 63-year-old from Bradford says the monkeys ‘cared for her’ A film team followed her back to the jungle to see if her story is true Deep in the Colombian  jungle the humid air is heavy with the incessant buzz of swarms of mosquitoes which engulf […]