Marokko wurde am Freitag von einem ErdbebenShaken by a powerful earthquake that caused severe destruction from the Atlas Mountains to Marrakesh, the Moroccan Ministry of Interior reported on Sunday that the death toll had risen to over 2,000, with over 1,400 people seriously injured. The epicenter of the earthquake was located 70 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh, but the tremors reached the coast and the cities of Rabat, Casablanca, and Essaouira. This was the most severe earthquake ever recorded in the North African country and particularly dangerous as it originated only about 20 kilometers below the Earth’s surface. Entire villages, houses, and roads were destroyed, and rescue teams are still searching for survivors in the rubble. According to the World Health Organization, more than 300,000 people have been affected by the disaster in Morocco. Geoscientists are aware that certain regions are high-risk areas for earthquakes. Petrus Herpoele from the German Red Cross reports from Rabat on the situation at the scene. Claudia Vallentin, editor in the science department of ZEIT ONLINE, explains why an early warning system would have made little difference and what governments in earthquake-prone regions can do.
New York City is set to implement stricter regulations for short-term rentals of residential properties through commercial platforms like Airbnb. The city administration aims to crack down on the issue of residents being displaced due to high rental prices and an oversupply of vacation rentals compared to long-term rentals. Previous regulations were already in place, requiring the primary tenant or property owner to be present during the rental period and limiting the number of subtenants to two at a time. However, these rules were not consistently followed by landlords and tenants. A court has now ruled that residential properties can only be rented for less than 30 days if the landlords register with the city beforehand. Failure to comply with this registration requirement can result in fines of up to $5,000. It remains to be seen how these new regulations will impact the city and what lessons German cities can learn from this situation. Heike Buchter, a US correspondent, provides insights into these questions and more.New York für DIE ZEIT.
What’s new? Researchers have discovered a „golden egg“ off the coast of Alaska.
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