4.7 Magnitude Quake Rattles Los Angeles Area

FILE - This aerial view shows the Malibu Pier in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - This aerial view shows the Malibu Pier in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
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4.7 Magnitude Quake Rattles Los Angeles Area

FILE - This aerial view shows the Malibu Pier in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - This aerial view shows the Malibu Pier in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

A 4.7 magnitude earthquake rattled the Los Angeles area Thursday morning, swaying lamps and jolting some people from bed. No injuries or damages were immediately reported.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered 4 miles (7 kilometers) north of Malibu and was about 7 miles (11 kilometers) below the surface.
The jolt was felt as far as 45 miles (72 kilometers) away in Orange County, where people reported items moving in their homes, The Associated Press reported.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said fire authorities were surveying the city for damage, as was the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Rene Vasquez, manager at The Country Kitchen breakfast place in Malibu, said the shaking lasted a few seconds and kitchen staff ducked outside as a precaution, but there was no damage.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Vasquez said. “Thank God nothing fell.”
People, including several celebrities, took to social media to post they were awakened by a jolt.
Hotel heiress and media personality Paris Hilton wrote on X, “That #Earthquake was scary.” Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian posted: “Damn that was a big one.”
Some residents said they were alerted by the state’s earthquake early warning system.
The quake comes as the region has been dealing with three major wildfires burning east of Los Angeles that torched dozens of homes and forced thousands to evacuate. The blazes erupted during a blistering heat wave that has just subsided.
A number of quakes have been felt in the area in recent months, including a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in August that rattled nerves from the Los Angeles area to San Diego, swaying buildings, knocking items off shelves and setting off car alarms. The temblor caused a pipe to burst at the ornate 1927 Pasadena City Hall building.



France Add First Nuclear Reactor in 25 Years to Grid

A general view of the three reactors making up the Flamanville nuclear power plant with the third-generation European Pressurised Water nuclear reactor (EPR) in the background in Flamanville, France, April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
A general view of the three reactors making up the Flamanville nuclear power plant with the third-generation European Pressurised Water nuclear reactor (EPR) in the background in Flamanville, France, April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
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France Add First Nuclear Reactor in 25 Years to Grid

A general view of the three reactors making up the Flamanville nuclear power plant with the third-generation European Pressurised Water nuclear reactor (EPR) in the background in Flamanville, France, April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
A general view of the three reactors making up the Flamanville nuclear power plant with the third-generation European Pressurised Water nuclear reactor (EPR) in the background in Flamanville, France, April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo

France connected the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor to its grid on Saturday morning, state-run operator EDF said, in the first addition to the country's nuclear power network in 25 years.

The reactor, which began operating in September ahead of the grid connection, is going online 12 years later than originally planned and at a cost of around 13 billion euros - four times the original budget.

"EDF teams have achieved the first connection of the Flamanville EPR to the national grid at 11:48am (1048 GMT). The reactor is now generating electricity," EDF said in a statement, Reuters reported.

The Flamanville 3 European Pressurised Reactor is France's largest at 1.6 gigawatts (GW) and one of the world's biggest, along with China's 1.75 GW Taishan reactor, which is based on a similar design, and Finland's Olkiluoto.

It is the first to be connected to the grid since Civaux 2 in 1999 but is being brought into service at a time of sluggish consumption, with France exporting a record amount of electricity this year.

EDF is planning to build another six new reactors to fulfil a 2022 pledge made by President Emmanuel Macron as part of the country's energy transition plans, although questions remain around the funding and timeline of the new projects.