Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Climbing to the roof of the world is becoming less predictable and possibly more dangerous, scientists say, as climate change brings warmer temperatures that may eat through the ice and snow on Mount Everest. Nepal was left reeling when a sudden ice avalanche slammed down onto a group of Sherpa guides on Friday and killed 16 in the deadliest single disaster on Everest. While it is impossible to link any single event to long-term changes in the global climate, scientists say the future will likely hold more such dangers in high-altitude regions. Friday's disaster occurred at the Khumbu Icefall, long recognized as one of Everest's most dangerous spots, as the edge of the slow-moving glacier is known to crack, cave and send huge chunks of ice tumbling without warning. [] as global temperatures have gone up 0.75 degrees C (1.4 degrees F) in the last century, according to the International Panel on Climate Change, studies show the Himalayas warming at a rate up to three times as high. "The more people you have living or trekking in the mountains in seemingly blind disregard for a changing hazard environment, the more catastrophes you'll have," he said Wednesday in a telephone interview. The Sherpas who died on Friday were some of today's most skilled Everest climbers, underlining the fact that experience is no guarantee of safety, even if better gear and oxygen-breathing equipment have helped reduce some dangers. "[] the trail is full of bare and exposed rock," he said, making it harder for climbers to gain footholds with their spiky metal crampons meant for digging into ice.

New Zealand topped a list of 22 nations as Chinese tourists' favorite destination for the first time, according to a survey by the China Tourism Academy. The quarterly poll measures travelers' satisfaction across key indicators including public services, environmental conditions and security.

NEW YORK (AP) — A six-day rally on the stock market is petering out as some U. S. companies report earnings that disappoint investors. Norfolk Southern, Procter & Gamble and Avery Dennison all fell after reporting their latest quarterly financial results. Railroad operator Norfolk Southern's profit slumped as severe winter weather slowed shipments, and Procter & Gamble's revenue fell short of what investors were looking for. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell three points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,876 in the first few minutes of trading Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 17 points, or 0.1 percent, to 16,496.

Justin Bieber has apologized to those he offended by visiting Japan's Yasukuni war shrine this week, saying he was misled to see it as only a place of prayer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — To hear party operatives describe the fight for the Senate, it's the boogeyman billionaires against the shifty septuagenarian. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been relentless in his criticism against the wealthy industrialists Charles and David Koch (kohk), who fund a network of conservative groups. Now, Republicans are adjusting their plans and going after the 74-year-old Democratic Senate leader. A Republican National Committee advice memo released Wednesday says, quote, "There's little doubt that Harry Reid is abusing his power as majority leader.

The Iron Curtain was traced by an electrified barbed-wire fence that isolated the communist world from the West.

An American director's short film about an Israeli army raid in a Palestinian refugee camp ends with a surprise — literally involving a rabbit, though not one pulled from a hat. The story told in "The Warren" is meant to question the ways Israelis and Palestinians see each other as a result of their long-running conflict.

If doomed to repeat one’s life over and over again during the 1940s, who wouldn’t try to kill Hitler? Yet not interfering with history is one of the cardinal rules of the Cronus Club, a select group of people known as the kalachakra , who loop through time in “ The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August ,” by Claire North (Redhook, $25).

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, Dan Girardi and Dan Carcillo scored goals, leading the New York Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Five former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders are suing the team, saying they weren't paid for their time at games or mandatory public appearances that left them open to groping and sexual comments.