IN BRIEF (Page 8)

China Daily | Updated: 2019-07-06 07:33

United States

More quakes could hit California in days ahead

Residents were assessing the damage and cleaning up the mess on Friday left by the strongest earthquake to hit Southern California in 25 years, with quaking felt by more than 20 million people from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. And it was likely not to be over. More temblors, big ones, could be in store in the days ahead, seismologists said. In the small desert city of Ridgecrest near the epicenter of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake, grocery store aisles were littered with smashed bottles, jars and packages. US Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones said more than 80 aftershocks had hit the area in the hours since the initial quake. The quake is the largest in Southern California since the 1994 magnitude 6.6 Northridge earthquake, USGS geophysicist Paul Caruso said. That quake, which was centered in a heavily populated area of Los Angeles, killed 57 people.

Spain

WWF warns of worsening 'superfires'

Global conservation group World Wildlife Fund warned on Thursday of the risks from new faster-spreading "superfires" in the wake of heat waves and droughts that have been afflicting Europe in what many see as a symptom of climate change. Although the Mediterranean is the area most affected by wildfires, traditionally wetter northern European countries have recently also struggled with huge forest blazes. An average of 300,000 hectares of forest burn every year in Europe, European data show. The report, released by WWF Spain, said the fires cost the continent an estimated $3.38 billion annually.

Russia

Nuclear reactor safe on fire-hit submersible

The nuclear reactor on one of the Russian navy's research submersibles hasn't been damaged in a fire that killed 14 seamen, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday, adding that the vessel would be put back into service after repairs. The Defense Ministry said the 14 seamen were killed by toxic fumes from Monday's blaze, the navy's worst accident in more than a decade. It said some others survived the blaze, but there was no information on how many crew members have been rescued. The ministry didn't name the vessel, and the Kremlin refused to divulge any details about it, saying the information is highly classified. Russian media reported that it was the country's most secret submersible, a nuclear-powered research submarine called the Losharik intended for sensitive missions at great depths.

Agencies

(China Daily 07/06/2019 page8)