IN BRIEF (Page 8)

China Daily | Updated: 2019-07-20 07:13

Greece

Strong quake shakes Athens, sparks fear

A strong, shallow earthquake jolted Athens on Friday, knocking out phone and cellphone services and sending worried residents rushing into the streets, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. According to the Greek geodynamic institute, it was a magnitude-5.1 quake with the epicenter 23 kilometers northwest of Athens and was followed by aftershocks. The epicenter was near the area where a magnitude-5.9 quake left 143 people dead in and near Athens in 1999. The US geological institute said Friday's quake had a magnitude of 5.3.

France

Man-made ruin puts 7,000 species in danger

Mankind's destruction of nature is driving species to the brink of extinction at an "unprecedented" rate, the leading wildlife conservation body warned on Thursday in Paris as it added more than 7,000 animals, fish and plants to its endangered "Red List". From the canopies of tropical forests to the ocean floor, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature said iconic species of primates, rays, fish and trees were now classified as critically endangered.

Agencies

(China Daily 07/20/2019 page8)