Evacuation orders in the towns of Futaba, Okuma and Tomioka - imposed after the March 2011 accident at the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant - are to be partially lifted in early-March. The areas include three train stations, allowing a full service to resume on the JR Joban Line.

Some companies have taken steps to combat crisis but report says more could be done The world’s energy watchdog has warned the oil and gas industry that it risks a public backlash by failing to act on the climate crisis in favour of making short-term profits. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said oil companies must balance their desire for near-term returns and a long-term future by playing…

The European Investment Bank risks wasting €29bn (£25bn) of EU taxpayers’ money by overinvesting in gas projects which will be unnecessary under Europe’s climate action plans, according to a report. The EIB vowed late last year to end its support for fossil fuels within the next two years to become the world’s first “climate bank”, but 32 gas projects are still eligible for funding before the…

According to a report from the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree approving a national action plan for the first stage of adaptation to climate change, for the period up to 2022.