Latest news with #JamesDavis
AllAfrica
3 days ago
- Business
- AllAfrica
A faint and fragile opportunity to end the Ukraine war
Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Stage set for Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine, sans Zelensky James Davis reports that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's Moscow visit has paved the way for a Russia-US summit. Peace in Ukraine will dominate discussions, amid leaked proposals suggesting a ceasefire, territorial swaps, phased sanctions relief, and arms control talks. 'No Reform, no growth, no money': Berlin's fiscal paralysis deepens Diego Faßnacht observes that Germany faces a €172 billion fiscal gap through 2029, with industrial output at its lowest since 2020. Investment is fleeing, and public willingness to support rising military spending is weak, underscoring political stability risks. Trump's financial 'shakedown' undermines US-Japan alliance Scott Foster reports that President Donald Trump's flippant description of Japan's $550 billion US investment pledge as a 'signing bonus' and conflicting US statements over tariff terms have deepened mistrust in Tokyo, giving rise to rare public dissatisfaction with the US relationship.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
NYC could face $4.7B in damage if rocked by earthquake similar to resent temblors
It wouldn't take an unusually strong earthquake to cause severe damage across the Big Apple, analysis shows, but geology experts say New Yorkers shouldn't be trembling about the Big One coming any time soon — even as the city experienced its third temblor in just over a year Monday afternoon. An earthquake clocking in at just 5.2 on the Richter scale would cause about $4.7 billion in damage if it struck today, and also leave around 100 buildings 'completely damaged' and about 2,000 people homeless, according to a 2019 disaster assessment done by the city. That analysis was based on a quake of the same magnitude that shook the city on Aug. 10, 1884, which sent chimneys toppling and brick walls shattering. Advertisement But that was over 140 years ago, and the story could be far different for the modern city if the same quake struck again, the assessment found. 3 There have been three earthquakes in northern New Jersey since April 2024, each of which was felt in New York City. Tam Nguyen / NYPost Design 'Considering the amount of building and development in New York City since 1884, if the same magnitude earthquake occurred today, the amount of damage to people and property would be far worse,' the city's report read. Advertisement And while experts think the odds of such a catastrophe are slim, many say it's ultimately impossible to predict what might happen in the fickle field of tectonics. 'The short answer is that no one really knows,' said Dr. James Davis, a seismology professor at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. 'It's pretty low, though, if you look at the overall risk.' 'What makes it different for New York City is there's just a lot of infrastructure. So even a relatively low magnitude earthquake could have the possibility for some damage,' he added. 3 New York City could face more than $4 billion in damage if hit by the same sized quake that struck in 1884. Christopher Sadowski Advertisement Davis' warning came just hours after New York was shaken on Tuesday afternoon by a 2.8 magnitude earthquake, which followed a 3.0 originating just miles west in northern New Jersey's Ramapo Fault zone on Saturday night. And in April 2024, the city was hit by a 4.8 magnitude quake out of the Ramapo, which was about 3.9 times weaker than the 1884 5.2 — though still relatively close in magnitude by the Richter scale, where strength increases by 32 times for each preceding whole number. The recent frequency of temblors coming out of the Ramapo is 'unusual,' Davis conceded, but he reassured New Yorkers that it doesn't mean the Earth is getting ready to unleash something big. 'It's definitely an increase in frequency, but we don't think that it's an increase in frequency that portends anything,' he said. Advertisement 'It's more like, if you're used to rain every few weeks, and then we get a week where it rains three days in a row. You don't say, 'Oh my God, it's going to rain every day.'' 3 Experts reassured New Yorkers that they likely don't have anything to fear from a catastrophic earthquake. Negro Elkha – Dr. Kenneth Miller — a Rutgers University Earth sciences professor — thinks Tuesday's temblor was an aftershock from Saturday's. He agreed that while it was difficult to estimate whether New York could be in store for serious damage from another quake, it probably won't be happening any time soon. 'It's very likely not a worry,' Miller said. 'You never want to say nothing happened. But it seems very unlikely that any that any larger earthquake would occur in the immediate or near future.' Miller estimates it would take between a 6 and 7 magnitude earthquake to bring mayhem to Manhattan, but said the Ramapo Fault zone probably doesn't have that kind of power in it. And the fault zone — which generally moves northeast by southwest — doesn't even create the kinds of vertical moving earthquakes that typically topple buildings and spark tsunamis, Professor Davis explained. Advertisement New York City's skyscrapers are also designed to withstand earthquakes up to 6.5 magnitude, meaning most modern buildings would survive a serious shaking. But despite those reassurances, Davis said every earthquake should be a reminder of how important it is to adhere to safe building standards and to continue studying the seismology of the area. 'We should be aware that we do live in an area that gets earthquakes,' he said. 'But I wouldn't walk around in fear.'
AllAfrica
12-07-2025
- Business
- AllAfrica
Europe nears a flashpoint as US-Russia ties fray
Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Trump-Putin disconnect, Russian strikes bode ill for Ukraine James Davis analyzes a pivotal escalation in the Ukraine conflict marked by a faltering Trump-Putin dialogue and Russia's largest aerial assault of the war. Kremlin sources say Russian President Vladimir Putin has abandoned hopes of improved US ties. Germany's fiscal debate reveals deeper economic malaise Diego Faßnacht analyzes how Germany's 2025 budget debate has exposed a deeper crisis of economic direction and political fragmentation. In place of structural reforms, Germany is offering a vast spending plan without a clear growth strategy. Japanese manufacturers continue to expand in China Scott Foster observes that despite rising geopolitical tensions and US-led pressure to decouple from China, Japanese businesses are deepening their presence in the Chinese market, betting on Beijing's push for domestic consumption to drive demand. US tariffs blowback in Asia as power trumps principle Scott Foster analyzes the sweeping impact of President Donald Trump's newly announced tariffs on Asia, which disproportionately target poorer states, ASEAN and key US allies like Japan and South Korea, measures that are straining US credibility across the region.
AllAfrica
03-07-2025
- Business
- AllAfrica
Deadlocks and dealmakers
Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Russia presses ahead militarily as Washington mulls sanctions strategy James Davis analyzes a potential US sanctions package that would impose 500% tariffs on nations trading energy with Moscow. While Senator Lindsey Graham claims President Trump supports the move, insiders say he opposes any binding sanctions that would constrain his flexibility. SPD congress exposes divisions, raising risks for Merz coalition Diego Faßnacht assesses the deepening fractures within Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) following its national congress, highlighting the risks this poses to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition government and its efforts to implement defense and fiscal reforms. Japan's election campaign underway as Trump piles on the abuse Scott Foster details how escalating tariff threats from US President Donald Trump have disrupted Japan's Upper House election campaign, casting a shadow over traditional policy debates while exposing strains in the US-Japan alliance.
AllAfrica
27-06-2025
- Business
- AllAfrica
Trump's Iran gamble brings respite, not resolution
Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Israel-Iran war poised to reignite with little warning Nile Bowie analyzes the aftermath of the Israel-Iran war, arguing that the conflict has likely catalyzed Tehran to shift toward nuclear deterrence amid contradictory US intelligence assessments of the strikes' impact on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Ukraine's bargaining power fades as NATO recalibrates James Davis assesses the deepening fatigue among Western nations toward Ukraine's war effort. The June NATO summit marked the first time since 2022 that Ukraine was not central to the communiqué, and Russia was not explicitly condemned. Germany sets record deficit in €850 billion debt push Diego Faßnacht unpacks Germany's record-breaking 2025–2029 federal budget, which signals a historic shift from fiscal orthodoxy toward aggressive deficit spending under new Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. The long-term viability of Germany's fiscal pivot remains uncertain. Moore's Law with Chinese characteristics Scott Foster analyzes how China's forthcoming 15th Five-Year Plan is set to elevate the semiconductor industry as a national priority. Drawing on insights from Ye Tianchun, a leading industry figure, Foster outlines Beijing's comprehensive planning and strategic resilience.
