Tag Archives: magnitude

At Least 120 Dead in Burma Earthquake

Aid workers said Friday that at least 120 people were killed by the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that hit Thursday, rattling high-rises in Bangkok and sending people streaming into the streets of Hanoi. Details of the disaster were slowly seeping out from Shan State in northeastern Burma, a relatively remote region near the border with Laos and Thailand in the heart of the area known as the Golden Triangle.

Fed action may hurt more than help

Fed action may hurt more than help The Federal Open Market Committee, which meets Nov. 2-3, is all but certain to announce renewed measures intended to boost the economy. Specifically, the Fed will engage in another round of bond-buying, snapping up government debt with newly created money. It is hardly a secret this is coming; […]

South Korea’s average ‘Net speed plunges 24%, iPhone blamed

South Korea’s average ‘Net speed plunges 24%, iPhone blamed In the course of three months during 2009, South Korea’s average Internet connection speed dropped by a dramatic 24 percent. Think about the magnitude of the decline here: one of the world’s most wired countries suddenly sees its overall Internet speeds reduced by a quarter over […]

Death Toll in China Quake Rises to 617

Death Toll in China Quake Rises to 617 The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck western China  Wednesday rose to at least 617 people on Thursday, with 10,000 more injured as many remained buried under debris, Chinese state media reported. The quake, which struck at 7:49 a.m. in Qinghai Province, bordering Tibet, had […]

Spotlight: New Mammogram Guidelines

The uproar in the medical community was immediate. In a reversal of standard practice that bewildered physicians and patients around the nation, an independent government panel this week abandoned its long-standing recommendation that healthy women over age 40 get a breast-cancer screen once every year or two years.

Why Do Italy’s Disasters Have Such High Death Tolls?

Disasters in Italy have a predictable chronology: after the calamity strikes, rescues are attempted, destiny is lamented and pledges are made to rebuild destroyed towns. And without fail, as the first victims are still being buried, a criminal investigation is opened.