🌊 Massive 8.8 Earthquake Rocks Russia’s Kamchatka, Triggers Pacific-Wide Tsunami Alerts
The strongest quake to hit the region since 1952 shook cities, knocked out power, and sent tsunami warnings rippling across the Pacific Rim—from Russia’s Far East to Hawaii and California.
A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula early on July 30, triggering tsunami waves, widespread evacuations, and emergency declarations around the Pacific Rim. The quake, which originated 119 kilometers east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a shallow depth of 19.3 kilometers, is the strongest seismic event in the region since 1952, according to Russia’s Geophysical Service of the Academy of Sciences. Tremors were felt across Kamchatka and as far away as the Kuril Islands. Witnesses described intense ground shaking as car alarms blared. Residents rushed into the streets as more than 30 aftershocks followed, including a powerful 6.9-magnitude jolt shortly after the main quake. Power outages were reported across Kamchatka and Sakhalin. Authorities say the power grid in Sakhalin sustained damage, and electricity remains shut off in several districts. The earthquake, initially measured at magnitude 8.0, was later upgraded to 8.8 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Its impact extended far beyond Russia, with tsunami warnings issued as far south as the Galápagos Islands and across the entire Pacific coast of the Americas. The seismic event triggered a series of tsunami waves that struck coastal areas, particularly the port town of Severo-Kurilsk in Russia’s Sakhalin region. Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko said no deaths were reported and that most residential structures remained intact. However, Kamchatka’s Health Minister Oleg Melnikov confirmed several injuries, though none serious. Tsunami alerts extended across the Pacific, prompting evacuations and warnings in Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, and Japan. In Japan, tsunami waves washed several whales ashore and caused minor coastal flooding. Waves as high as 1.8 meters (6 feet) were reported in parts of Hawaii. The earthquake highlights Kamchatka’s location in one of the world’s most active seismic zones—the Pacific Ring of Fire—where tectonic movements frequently generate powerful earthquakes and volcanic activity. - RFE/RL
My hot take comment: Given the quake’s remote location in Russia’s Far East, mounting an effective emergency response will be challenging for Moscow. While regional officials report only minor injuries and limited property damage, such claims seem doubtful given the sheer magnitude of the 8.8 tremor. Compounding the risk, building codes in Russia are often poorly enforced. Adding to residents’ frustration, much of Russia’s military and logistical capacity in the Far East has been diverted to the war in Ukraine, leaving fewer resources for disaster relief. Historically, the Kremlin has shown little urgency in aiding remote regions—meaning locals should not expect a rapid or robust federal response this time either.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’ll impose a 25% tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because he says India’s purchasing of Russian oil is extending the war in Ukraine. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that India “is our friend” but its “Tariffs are far too high” on U.S. goods. The Republican president said he’ll charge an additional “penalty” starting Friday as his administration launches revised tariffs on goods Americans buy from multiple countries.- AP
Gaza hospitals have recorded seven new deaths “due to famine and malnutrition”, raising the total hunger-related death toll to 154, according the enclave’s Health Ministry. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks continue with at least 21 Palestinians, including more than a dozen aid seekers, killed since dawn across the Gaza Strip, according to medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera. Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has told Al Jazeera Arabic that the aid trickling into Gaza does not reach the majority of the population. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor says its field team “has documented the deaths of dozens of elderly people in displacement camps due to starvation, malnutrition, or lack of treatment”.
Twenty-two cabinet ministers and coalition lawmakers have signed a letter asking Defence Minister Israel Katz to approve a tour of northern Gaza by settlement groups in order to examine possible sites for future illegal Israeli settlements, according to The Times of Israel newspaper.
Israel could threaten to annex parts of Gaza to increase pressure on the militant group Hamas, an Israeli minister said on Wednesday, an idea that would deal a blow to Palestinian hopes of statehood on land Israel now occupies. The comment by security cabinet member Zeev Elkin came a day after Britain said it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in Gaza and agrees to a ceasefire in the war with Hamas. France, which said last week it would recognise a Palestinian state in September, and Saudi Arabia issued a declaration on Tuesday, backed by Egypt, Qatar and the Arab League, outlining steps toward implementing a two-state solution.
As part of an end to the Gaza war, they said Hamas "must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority". Israel has denounced moves to recognise a Palestinian state as rewarding Hamas for its October 2023 attack that precipitated the war - Reuters
Israel’s Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu has said the mission to return the captives being held in Gaza back to Israel should not be the primary goal of Israel’s war in Gaza, according to Israeli media. “They should be called ‘prisoners of war’,” he said in an interview to Haredi radio station Kol Chai, “and ‘prisoners of war’ are dealt with at the end of the war. “When you define them as hostages, the objective is first and foremost to return the hostages, but I think the hostages shouldn’t be the primary goal,” he added. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemned the definition and said the majority of the Israeli public does want the hostages returned immediately, according to the Haaretz newspaper.
Five employees of UNICEF, the United Nation’s children’s organization, were released Monday night after being held by a gang for three weeks in Haiti, where criminal groups are turning to kidnappings to finance their criminal enterprises. Six people were kidnapped on July 7 during an authorized UNICEF mission in an area controlled by armed groups in Port-au-Prince, the capital, and one was released the following day, UNICEF said in a statement. The agency did not say whether any ransom was paid. Haitian gangs are abducting people for ransom to buy weapons and ammunition as they tighten their violent grip on the capital and surrounding areas. Experts say that gangs are leaning more heavily on their own revenue sources, like extortion, imposing road tolls and kidnappings, allowing them to rely less on elite business leaders, who have traditionally supported them. Nearly 350 people were kidnapped in the first six months of this year, according to U.N. figures. The U.N. said 1,494 people were kidnapped in 2024, a year that saw a major surge in gang violence - NYT
The breakaway region of Somaliland offered the US a critical minerals deal in exchange for diplomatic recognition, becoming the latest territory to leverage resources for favorable treatment from Washington. This month, various camps in Myanmar’s internecine conflict pitched Washington on a plan to divert the country’s rare earths exports from China in exchange for eased sanctions. Elsewhere, Washington has prioritized minerals in its push for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo and signed a deal with Kyiv giving it preferential access to Ukraine’s resources in exchange for reconstruction help, a recognition of US dependence on mineral imports. “We need to start yesterday in terms of really shoring up that supply chain,” a US lawmaker told Axios in May - Semafor
Eight public universities in Hong Kong have signed a new accountability agreement requiring them to follow the “advice and guidance” of the central government and align with the remarks of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The eight signatories are the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University, and the Education University of Hong Kong. The publicly funded institutions signed the University Accountability Agreement with the University Grants Committee (UGC) for the 2025-28 period last month, setting out overall strategic directions, funding allocation principles, and performance indicators. The signed agreements, uploaded to the UGC website on June 30, called on universities to seize opportunities to contribute to Hong Kong’s integration into the overall development of mainland China, with an emphasis on “invigorating China through science and education.” The phrase was first used by President Xi at the opening session of China’s 20th Party Congress on October 16, 2022. According to the new agreement, universities “should also strive to follow the advice and guidance of the Central Government on the future of Hong Kong, particularly in light of the ‘four musts” and ‘four proposals,’ and observe President Xi Jinping’s remark on creating strong impetus for Hong Kong’s growth and nurturing young talents for Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity.” Local media reported on Monday that this was the first time the UGC agreement had explicitly required local universities to follow the guidance of the central government since they began signing the three-year contracts in 2019. The new agreement instructed universities to strengthen education on China’s Constitution, Hong Kong’s Basic Law, and the national security law. This, the agreement said, would help nurture future leaders with “a strong sense of integrity, law-abidingness, civic responsibility, work ethics, and mutual respect.” - HKFP
Passengers across Britain face airport chaos after planes were grounded at the start of the school summer holidays. The country’s airspace was closed for 36 minutes over “technical issues” said to be caused by a “radar failure”. Eurocontrol, the EU-wide air traffic control agency, said that the London control area was “temporarily unavailable due to technical issues”. A spokesman for Nats, the air traffic control company in charge of Britain’s skies, acknowledged a “technical issue” but said he could give no indication of when the problems would be fixed. He said: “As a result of a technical issue at Nats Swanwick air traffic control centre, we are limiting the number of aircraft flying in the London control area in order to ensure safety, which is always our first priority - Telegraph
A casual stroll, a swanky dinner, and now TMZ can reveal Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau wrapped it up with cozy drinks on a terrace -- a really long hangout session for two A-listers ... but sure, they're totally "just friends."👀 Yep, it’s the hangout that keeps on giving, and TMZ’s got every moment. Check this video -- Justin was looking every bit the ladies' man, arm practically welded to Katy’s waist as they left Montreal’s Taverne Atlantic ... with sources telling us they enjoyed some drinks on the terrace. If that doesn’t scream romance, then we don't know what does. Whiskey is on the menu at the Atlantic ... but we're told when Katy first ordered a Jack and Coke, she quickly found out they don’t sell much American liquor in Canada due to the new tariffs ... so she ordered Crown Royal Canadian whiskey instead. The terrace tête-à-tête capped off a whirlwind few hours that, as TMZ told you, started with a scenic park stroll. Justin was looking a little too excited during the casual outing, and the good vibes kept rolling at dinner at Le Violon -- and whether it was business or casual, Danny Smiles, the chef who served them, confirmed to us: no PDA. Still, the whole thing is screaming classic date night vibes, and let’s not forget, Katy’s got a thing for international men -- Russell Brand, Orlando Bloom ... and now Justin?😝
The journals…
Off topic: We need to make Substack aware that losing subscriptions because people disable their email delivery is unacceptable. Most won't look for us on the app.