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Just weeks after a deadly, 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the Himalayan city of Kathmandu, burying many beneath the rubble, another huge tremor struck about 150 kilometres away near the town of Namche Bazaar. Dozens in Nepal, Bangladesh and Tibet were reported dead and over 1,000 injured on Tuesday, according to Nepal's home ministry. The U.S. Geological Survey is calling the latest tremor a major aftershock of the April 25 earthquake, and warned more could be felt throughout the region for years to come. Nepal hit by another deadly earthquake, dozens reported killedTHE CURRENT: Nepal's disastrous politics could hold back its recoveryNepal earthquake: UN says funds for battered country falling well shortThe death toll from the April 25 temblor — known as the Ghorka earthquake after an affected district in Nepal — has risen to over 8,000. Tuesday's event is the result of shifting tectonic plates, which form the Earth's outer layer. The motion of the plates, of which there are more than a dozen major and smaller ones, not only created the world's mountain ranges but causes earthquakes, volcanoes and other seismic activity. Why is Nepal such a hotspot?Basically, the forces that produce earthquakes in the region are the same forces that created the famous Himalayas that draw travellers from all over the world and were also the site of an avalanche triggered by the earthquake, killing 18 climbers at base camp on Mount Everest.Edmonton man determined to raise money for earthquake victimsBetween 40 and 50 million years ago, the Indian and Eurasian plates collided to form the famous mountain range in one of the most dramatic examples of plate tectonics visible today."That's why the Himalayas are where they are. It's really the boundaries between these two plates," said Natural Resources Canada seismologist Allison Bent. Where the April earthquake occurred, the Indian plate is still being pushed beneath the Eurasian plate at a rate of about 45 millimetres per year, just slightly faster than fingernails grow.Why did the latest earthquake happen?Earthquakes can lead to more earthquakes, whether in the form of an aftershock or increased pressure that builds up along the fault line. They change the dynamics of the plate tectonics that cause them by releasing pressure in some areas and increasing pressure at other points, Bent said."When an earthquake happens, it changes the stresses around it," she said. "Generally, in the areas where it's increased, it's more likely the next earthquake will happen there."Aftershocks have already been recorded since Tuesday's 7.3 magnitude quake, said Julie Dutton, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, adding it's even possible an aftershock could be stronger than the original quake.Because the forces that created the Himalayas are still at work, the region will remain a seismically active zone and more earthquakes, including aftershocks, are expected. (Niranjan Shrestha/Associated Press)Can we predict when the next earthquake will strike?Because the forces that created the Himalayas are still at work, the region will remain a seismically active zone. An educated guess is the best experts can offer. "We have areas where we have a higher incidence of earthquakes and by statistics, we can figure out that they could expect to have a sizable earthquake in a certain amount of time. But to actually predict accurately when and where an earthquake is to occur is impossible," Dutton said. Earthquakes: 4 things to knowWorst earthquakes of the past 5 decadesCould such a thing ever happen in Canada?The Pacific and North American plates are sliding past each other on Canada's West Coast. A horizontal slip along the fault beneath Haida Gwaii caused a major earthquake in 2012, but an expected, so-called subduction or "megathrust" earthquake between the Juan de Fuca and North American plates is likely to cause the "Big One" within 500 years.B.C. megathrust earthquake will rip earth open like a zipper, expert saysWhat are the chances of this happening twice in the same area?"It's hard to predict because it depends on how much of the fault ruptures. Over long time periods, they can happen in the same places they happened before," Bent said, noting cities like San Francisco, located near the San Andreas Fault, have endured major earthquakes in the past and remain at risk for more.

Nepal earthquake: latest tremor an aftershock, experts say

Just weeks after a deadly, 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the Himalayan city of Kathmandu, burying many beneath the rubble, another huge...

ATHENS Greece expects its economy to grow at little more than a third of the pace it originally targeted in its 2015 budget, a reform plan drafted by the finance ministry and released on Saturday suggested, raising fresh questions about its bailout.The government forecast economic growth at more than 0.8 percent this year, well below the 1.4 percent it estimated in a list sent to its international lenders in March and far off the 2.9 percent assumed in budget planning late last year. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras left-led government, elected in January on a promise to ease the belt-tightening terms of the bailout, has been locked for months in talks with Greece's official creditors over a list of reforms to unlock funds. The 89-page plan appeared to be a broader outline of initiatives the government plans to take over the long term, rather than a specific list of reforms to secure financial aid immediately from the European Union and International Monetary Fund. The government said that lower-than-expected revenues in 2014 and uncertainty over funding had complicated the economic projection. "However, it's estimated that favorable conditions for the Greek economy will be maintained. Indicatively, the GDP rate in 2015 is expected to exceed the 0.8 percent noted in 2014," it said.Greece emerged last year from a deep, austerity-induced recession that shrank its gross domestic product by a quarter over a six-year period, slashing jobs and eroding living standards. The reform plan which was drafted in April outlines major changes such as reinstating collective bargaining, boosting employment, and cracking down on undeclared labor, bureaucracy and corruption. It does not include primary budget surplus estimates or growth projections for the coming years.The European Commission this week slashed its 2015 Greek GDP estimate from 2.5 percent to 0.5 percent because of the uncertainty that has dogged its policy direction since late 2014. Greece's IOBE think-tank revised down its growth forecast this year, predicting 1.0 percent economic expansion, down from 2.3 percent forecast in January. Euro zone finance ministers are expected to assess any progress made in talks between Athens and its lenders on Monday. (Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Greece slashes economic growth forecast again in latest reform plan

ATHENS Greece expects its economy to grow at little more than a third of the pace it originally targeted in its 2015 budget, a reform plan ...