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Multiple earthquakes are rattling Santorini, a volcanic island in Greece, prompting authorities to dispatch rescuers with tents, a sniffer dog and drones, and to shut schools on four islands. Residents have been warned to avoid indoor gatherings, check escape routes, stay away from cliffs and to drain swimming pools to reduce potential structural damage to buildings in the event of a large earthquake. Greece lies in a highly seismically active part of the world, and earthquakes are frequent. The vast majority cause no injuries and little or no damage, but the country has also seen deadly quakes. Earthquakes can’t be predicted, but authorities are taking measures as a precaution. Santorini, one of Greeces most popular tourist destinations, took its present crescent shape following a massive volcanic eruption in antiquity. Now, millions of visitors each year come to see its dramatic scenery of whitewashed houses and blue-domed churches clinging to the cliff along the flooded caldera, or volcanic crater. Last week, scientists said they had noticed increased volcanic activity in the caldera, but say this isn’t linked to the earthquakes. Heres a look at the current situation: What’s going on? About 200 quakes with magnitudes between 3 and 4.9 were registered from Saturday to Monday afternoon between Santorini and the nearby island of Amorgos, authorities said. Seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos said on Greeces ERT television that the seismic activity began on Jan. 24, but intensified Saturday, with increasing frequency and magnitudes. The fault line producing the current earthquakes runs for about 120 kilometers (75 miles), but only the southern part between Santorini and Amorgos has been activated. The earthquakes have epicenters beneath the seabed, roughly 30-40 kilometers (18-25 miles) from any of the islands. Scientists say this is good news, as an epicenter beneath land could potentially be more destructive. But a large quake could also trigger a tsunami, so authorities have warned people to stay away from coastal areas and head inland if they feel a significant earthquake. So far, there has been no damage or injuries reported, although some minor rock slides have occurred. Could the earthquakes trigger a volcanic eruption? Santorini lies along the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, which stretches from the Peloponnese in southern Greece through the Cycladic islands. Last Wednesday, Greeces Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry announced monitoring sensors had picked up mild seismic-volcanic activity inside the islands caldera. Similar volcanic activity had been recorded in 2011, when it lasted for 14 months and ended without any major issues. Another volcano a submarine one called Kolumbo lies about 8 kilometers (5 miles) northeast of Santorini, nearer to the epicenter of the current earthquakes. But seismologists say the quakes aren’t related to the volcanoes. A meeting between government officials and scientists determined that seismic activity within Santorinis caldera remains at the same low levels as in recent days, the Civil Protection Ministry said Monday, but that it was particularly increased between Santorini and Amorgos. What are authorities worried about? Scientists are still trying to determine definitively whether the multiple quakes are foreshocks smaller earthquakes before a major temblor. Papadopoulos said that there was a high probability they are. Santorinis main villages are built along the rim of the volcanos caldera producing the dramatic scenery of cascading whitewashed houses and sunset viewpoints that make the island so popular, but also raising concerns in the event of a major earthquake. The sheer cliffs also make some areas prone to rock slides. What precautions are being taken? Authorities sent a team of rescuers with a sniffer dog and drones to Santorini, where they set up tents in a basketball court next to the islands main hospital as a staging area. Push alerts have been sent to cellphones warning people to stay away from areas where rock slides could occur, and banning access to some coastal areas. Residents and hotels have been asked to drain swimming pools, as the water movement in a major quake could destabilize buildings. People have been told to avoid old buildings and check for exit routes when in built-up areas. Schools on Santorini, as well as the nearby islands of Anafi, Amorgos and Ios, will remain shut all week. What’s the history? The fault line that has been activated was the site of Greeces largest quake in the last century: a 7.7 magnitude temblor dubbed the Amorgos earthquake that struck in 1956, triggering a roughly 20-meter (65-foot) tsunami, causing significant damage in Amorgos and Santorini and killing more than 50 people. Santorini is also the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in human history. Known as the Minoan eruption, it occurred around 1,600 B.C. and destroyed much of the formerly round island, giving Santorini its current shape. The eruption is believed to have contributed to the decline of the ancient Minoan civilization. Although it’s still an active volcano, the last notable eruption occurred in 1950. What we must realize is that the Santorini volcano produces very large explosions every 20,000 years, Efthymios Lekkas, seismologist and head of the scientific monitoring committee for the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, said last week. Its been 3,000 years since the last explosion, so we have a very long time ahead of us before we face a big explosion. Elena Becatoros, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
A lot has changed since Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. E-commerces share of total retail sales has risen from 15% at the end of 2020 to 16.2%a 1.2 percentage-point increase, but a near-10% rise in real terms. The number of packages entering the United States that come under the $800 de minimis threshold, which allows imports to enter the country “duty free,” has gone from around 600,000 in 2020 to more than one million in 2024. But the biggest change of all in the world of online retail is about to come, thanks to Trump himself, who has slapped a 10% tariff on goods coming into the country from China. This is all part of a bigger game of high stakes poker between the U.S. and China when it comes to trade negotiations, says Dan Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities. But in this case, the poker game could adversely affect the 335 million citizens of the United States who increasingly rely on e-commerce. Trump himself has admitted that Americans could feel some pain as a result of the tariffs, which include fees on imports from China. (Similar tariffs on Mexico and Canada were delayed after both countries agreed on Monday to send 10,000 troops to their respective borders with the U.S.) There are a lot of businesses that source from China that are going to have a lot of problemsand a lot of those brands go under the radar for how important they are to the wider e-comm ecosystem, says Ben Graham, an independent e-commerce expert. The random stuff that is non-premium is going to take a hit I thinkand thats the stuff that aggregators went pretty hard into.” Michael Wieder, cofounder of Lalo, a baby and toddler products company, sources from manufacturers’ products all over the world, but is pretty reliant on China, he says. In our industry, durable goods in the baby space, thats where its made, and that’s where there’s a sophisticated-enough supply chain and a trustworthy-enough supply chain. Wieder points out that regulated products such as Lalos come from China by necessityits where the knowledge base on how to build those products safely sits. Wieder can’t say for sure whether his company will be hit by the tariffs because the regulation has been very vague. Theres a lot of ambiguity right now, quite frankly, that were dealing with and learning about every minute to find out what our exposure is, he says. Besides first-party retailers selling through their own websites, the impact of tariffs on Chinese-sourced goods will be significant across the whole e-commerce industry. Around four in 10 third-party sellers on Amazon are exposed to Chinese-based sourcing of products, according to Bank of Americaand therefore will likely see their costs rise as a result of tariffs that hit Chinese imports to the U.S. Amazon particularly wont want to suffer the losses, so will likely try and make up any short falls in seller or ad revenue by pushing up their fees, says Graham, which will push the prices even higher, and as Amazon doesnt like to be the highest-priced channel you sell on, brands will have to raise other channel prices accordingly. Wieder, for his part, has decided to take the hit on income temporarilybut says that it might not be possible in the long run. Were going to have to understand the long-term impact, but for most people, youll first see the impact on your consumables, your groceries, that will start to take effect pretty quickly. He believes the first inkling that prices are going up will appear within eight to 12 weeks because businesses have enough stock in storage to last until then. But those customers will have to stick with the businesses that remain, Wieder adds. I think that there’s going to be a contraction of newer businesses and newer brands entering the market, he says. It takes more capital than ever to do that, and it’s going to be expensive to buy the inventory.
Category:
E-Commerce
Dozens of employees at the U.S. Education Department were put on paid administrative leave in response to President Donald Trumps order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government, according to a labor union that represents hundreds of workers in the agency. It’s unclear how many workers were put on leave or for what reasons, said Sheria Smith, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252. The majority of employees placed on leave do not work in DEI initiatives and span all branches of the agency, she said, from an office that sends billions of dollars to K-12 schools to an office that enforces civil rights laws. The shakeup comes as Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, pushes to cut programs and federal workers at departments across the government, including the U.S. Agency for International Development. A DOGE team was working at the Education Department on Monday to implement Trump’s executive orders and agenda, said Madison Biedermann, an Education Department spokesperson. The department did not immediately comment on the personnel changes and would not say how many employees were placed on leave. At least 55 Education Department workers received an email Friday saying they were being put on paid leave effective immediately pursuant to Trump’s executive order. It wasnt being done for any disciplinary purpose, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Associated Press. Those placed on leave lost access to their government email accounts and were told not to report to the office. They include a range of staff members and managers across the department, which employs more than 4,000 workers in Washington and regional offices across the country. Most of those on leave appear to have taken a voluntary diversity training seminar offered by the department, Smith said. The Diversity Change Agent program has been promoted by the agency for years, including during Trumps first term in office. Graduates of the two-day program were expected to serve as role models and help improve the department’s capacity to attract and retain a diverse workforce, according to an internal email from 2019 obtained by the AP. Smith said hundreds of employees have taken the training, but it was unclear if all of them were placed on leave. She said many people were under the impression the training was strongly encouraged or required. It seems unfair to encourage or require people to take a training and then four or five years later place them on administrative leave, Smith said. Some current employees who are on leave said the action could disrupt the agency’s core work, including the management of federal student loans and the FAFSA form for student financial aid. The workers spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a former teacher and member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Trump is purging employees for taking a training course that his administration encouraged them to take. This wont help our kids learn or even save us money, Murray said on the social media site X. Hes just breaking services people rely on. Trumps order called for all DEI staff in the federal government to be put on paid leave and eventually laid off. Its part of a broader crackdown on diversity programs that the Republican president says are racist. Trump campaigned on a promise to shut down the Education Department, which he says has been infiltrated by radicals, zealots and Marxists. He said the agency’s power should be turned over to states and schools. Collin Binkley, Associated Press The Associated Presss education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Category:
E-Commerce
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