Early Bird Headlines 27 April 2015
Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
Global
- Crucial trade pact in ‘grabbing distance’ (The Sydney Morning Herald)
U.S.
- This Is How Fast America Changes Its Mind (Bloomberg) This is a graphics rich review of how quickly (and how slowly) the U.S. has embraced (or resisted) a variety of social changes.
UK
China
- China’s Young Leave State Ranks to Chase Riches at Tech Startups (Bloomberg) For decades, the most coveted jobs in China have been in government, with their steady income, job security and power. Now people are leaving the state to seek their fortunes at startups.
Japan
- BOJ to cut this fiscal year’s CPI forecast, keep upbeat outlook – sources (Reuters) The Bank of Japan is likely to cut its inflation outlook for the current fiscal year next week, but will forecast price growth to roughly reach 2 percent in the following two years.
Nepal
- A tragedy waiting to happen (CNN) Seismologists have revised their measurement of the Nepal earthquake to 7.9 magnitude which would actually make it about 40% larger than the 7.8 that has been reported. The record earthquake of 1934 was magnitude 8.0 and killed around 10,000 people. It is possible that after all is known the current earthquake could approach that toll.
In the 81 years since the 1934 Bihar earthquake, the land mass of India has been pushed about 12 feet into (and under) Nepal. Think of all that movement getting stored in a giant spring lying under Nepal. The spring is stuck on a broad, rough surface which we call a fault plane (a fault line is what we see when it emerges from the ground).
- Death toll in Nepal quake rises to more than 3,200 (Associated Press, MSN News) The death toll from Nepal’s earthquake rose to 3,218 on Monday, two days after the massive 7.8 magnitude quake and one day after a major 6.7 magnitude aftershock ripped across this Himalayan nation, leaving tens of thousands shell-shocked and sleeping in streets. Reports are still coming in from remote areas and efforts are still underway to dig out still trapped in the debris. In total there have been more than 100 after shocks; “It doesn’t stop,” said Rajendra Dhungana. 34-year old. This quake fell just short of the all-time record trembler of 1934 which registered 8.0 on the Richter Scale.
- Fears for Nepal’s ‘invisible’ Tibetan refugees (BBC News) With tens of thousands of Tibetan refugees living in remote villages, many is primitive conditions, and most not counted previously by the government, fatalities in that group may never be tabulated. And many of those who might be rescued will not be because no one knows they are there.
- Hit by Avalanche in Everest Basecamp 25.04.2015 (YouTube) Video shot by a German climber seconds before the avalanche hit, throughout the onslaught of snow, ice and rocks and the very shakey minute after the slide had passed. So far 19 people have been reported dead at Everest Basecamp.
- Climbers trapped on Everest (The Washington Post) Avalanches have destroyed the routes down for dozens of climbers trapped at elevations from 19,600 feet up to 21,300. Extended periods at these altitudes increase the possibility of fatal altitude sickness. The only way down right now appears to be by helicopter which is problematic at these high altitudes, although there are precedents of helicopters landing at these altitudes and even on the Mt.Everest summit. Stability of any landing zone must be a concern and also the disturbance caused by helicopters could even set off additional avalanches.
Click for large graphic at The Washington Post.
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