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Geopolitics

South Sudan Talks Begin, Polar Vortex, Juan Carlos' Daughter Suspected

Temperatures are sticking far below zero Tuesday in Chicago, aka "Chiberia"
Temperatures are sticking far below zero Tuesday in Chicago, aka "Chiberia"
Worldcrunch

SOUTH SUDAN CEASEFIRE TALKS BEGIN
Government and rebel representatives of South Sudan have both confirmed the beginning of ceasefire talks in neighboring Ethiopia, almost a month after the alleged coup attempt from soldiers loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar. Read more from Al Arabiya.

STATE OF EMERGENCY IN N.Y. AS COLD CONTINUES
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency in western parts of the state, with residents urged to remain indoors, as a wave of extremely cold temperatures across North America continues, The New York Times reports. The market prices of oil and natural gas rose slightly, as demand is expected to increase. The “polar vortex” is expected to affect 187 million people, and Chicago has earned the new nickname “Chiberia.”

MASSIVE RESHUFFLE AT ANKARA PD AMID SCANDAL
The Turkish government fired 350 police officers during the night and is relocating another 600 in response to the ongoing corruption scandal,Hurriyetreports, citing private news agency DoÄŸan.

To better understand the spiraling corruption scandal, we offer a Radikal/Worldcrunch timeline of recent events.

AT LEAST 34 JIHADISTS DEAD IN FIGHTS WITH SYRIAN REBELS
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least 34 non-Syrian jihadist fighters had been executed by rebels, as moderate opposition groups are now fighting against al-Qaeda-linked organizations. Read more from AFP.

BY THE NUMBERS
Total losses caused by natural disasters in 2013 were about $125 billion worldwide, according to the world’s biggest reinsurer, Germany-based Munich Re.

SAMSUNG’S BONUS PAYOUT LEADS TO PROFIT LOSSES
Samsung, the world’s largest cellphone manufacturer, announced profits for the fourth quarter of 2013 were down 6% compared with the previous year. This comes after the company distributed $1 billion in bonuses to employees to celebrate the 20th anniversary of chairman Lee Kun-hee’s “New Management” strategy, the Financial Times reports.

CRIME INT'L
The daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain, Infanta Cristina, has been summoned by a Spanish judge to appear before a court over accusations of money-laundering and fraud.

FAREWELL
Hong Kong kung fu film pioneer Run Run Shaw has died at the age of 106.

NEW FED CHIEF
Janet Yellen won U.S. Senate confirmation to become the 15th chairman of the Federal Reserve and the first woman to head the central bank in its 100-year history. Read more from Bloomberg here.

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Green

How Climate Change May Be Triggering More Earthquakes — And Vice Versa

Researchers have identified a possible link between climate change and the frequency of earthquakes — and the quakes may also start a vicious circle of accelerating climate change.

Image of a man trying to measure the offset of a crevasse on a glacier

Crevasse on the Canwell glacier created by the earthquake that struck near Denali National Park in Alaska in November 2002

Paul Molga

PARIS — Between 1900 and 1950, the Earth recorded an average of 3.4 earthquakes per year with a magnitude greater than 6.5. That figured doubled to 6.7 a year until the early 1970s, and was almost five times that in the 2000s.

Their intensity would also have increased with more than 25 major earthquakes per year, double the previous periods. This is according to the EM-DAT emergency events database, which compiled the occurrence and effects of 22,000 mass disasters worldwide in the 20th century.

Can we conclude that there is a causal relationship with the rise of human activities, as some experts suggest? The idea was first suggested in 2011 by an Australian research team led by geology professor Giampiero Iaffaldano. At the time, it reported that it had found that the intensification of the monsoon in India had accelerated the movement of the Indian tectonic plate by 20% over the past 10 million years.

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