Fiscal implications of global decarbonization
Internationally coordinated climate mitigation policies can effectively put the world on a path toward achieving the agreed Paris temperature goals. Such coordination could be initiated by large players,
China
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Despite expense, oil-producing countries keep subsidies in place
BEIJING: China, India and other nations that subsidize gasoline and diesel prices may be even less willing to raise prices than they were six months ago, aiding crude's ascent toward $130 even as demand deteriorates elsewhere. While Indonesia appears set to raise prices this month, the world's fastest-growing oil users show little inclination to reduce their subsidy programs and allow fuel prices to rise, as fighting inflation has become their top priority.
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Just a matter of seconds, says teacher
The last child was out. She was alive. There were 16 young survivors. No more than that. Rescuers sighed, partly sad, partly relieved, as they stood on the debris of the Yinghua Middle School amid the half-light of early Thursday after 60 hours of toil. On the suddenly silent school campus, the heartbroken cry of a father went up, "There are no more! [My child] was not found!" The small town of Yinghua, surrounded by high mountains, is 20 km from Wenchuan County in southwesten Sichuan Province, the epicentre of the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that has claimed about 15,000 lives.
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Challenge and response in China (editorial)
The May 12 earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, in China's south-western Sichuan province has taken a confirmed toll of over 19,500 lives. It is feared that the number of dead could be above 50,000. The toll would have been higher but for the quick and efficient response by the government and the diligence shown by the rescue machinery. Amidst the gloom of many people buried under debris, beyond all help, there are moving accounts of children, women, and t he elderly being rescued. Even rare giant pandas have survived in reserves.
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Shaken lives
On Sunday, Liu Li received a simple Mother's Day present from her only child: a basket of red, pink and white carnations wrapped in purple rice paper. That afternoon, the 15-year-old returned to boarding school knowing he had made his mother the happiest woman in their village. Liu and her husband never thought about defying China's one-child policy. They already had everything they could hope for in a son. Meng Hao was not only a good student and star athlete, he was even the tallest kid around.
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Animals may have signalled disaster
First, the water level in a pond inexplicably plunged. Then, thousands of toads appeared on streets in a nearby province. Finally, just hours before China's worst earthquake in three decades, animals at a local zoo began acting strangely. As bodies are pulled from the wreckage of Monday's quake, Chinese online chat rooms and blogs are buzzing with a question: Why did n't these natural signs alert the government that a disaster was coming?
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China toll may rise to 50,000
China warned the death toll from this week's earthquake could soar to 50,000 while the government issued a rare public appeal on Thursday for rescue equipment as it struggled to cope with the disaster. Rescue workers cleared roads to the epicentre in the race to find survivors.
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Quake toll 'could reach 50,000'
The death toll from Monday's earthquake could climb as high as 50,000, China's state council said on Thursday as rescue workers continued to struggle to reach some of the worst affected areas. The number of deaths announced so far has reached 19,500 in Sichuan province, where the earthquake was centred. However, the sharp escalation in the expected death toll indicates that hopes are fading for the tens of thousands of people who are still buried under collapsed buildings.
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China ups stakes in iron ore battle
Rio Tinto last night slammed Chinese steelmakers over increasingly aggressive negotiating tactics, after the China Iron & Steel Association called for its members to boycott the Anglo-Australian mining group's spot sales of iron ore. The steelmakers have failed to agree a 2008-09 annual contract price with Rio and BHP Billiton despite months of talks. Earlier this year, the Chinese authorities delayed issuing permits needed to import some shipments of Australian iron ore, a move that was also considered a negotiating ploy.
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Death toll could climb to 50,000
The death toll from Monday's earthquake in China could reach as high as 50,000 people, the state council said last night, as rescue workers still struggled to reach some of the worst affected areas. The number of deaths announced so far rose yesterday to 19,500 in Sichuan province, the centre of the earthquake. However the sharp escalation in the expected death toll indicates that hopes are fading for the tens of thousands of people who are still buried under collapsed buildings.