International
A magnitude 6 earthquake shakes Japan’s west coast without a tsunami alert
A magnitude 6 earthquake shook Ishikawa Prefecture, in western Japan, without activating the tsunami alert in an area that was impacted by a stronger earthquake on January 1.
The earthquake took place at 6:31 local time on Monday (21:31 GMT on Sunday) at the northeastern end of the Noto peninsula, at a depth of 10 kilometers, and reached a high level 5 of the Japanese scale, with a maximum of 7 and focused on measuring the agitation on the surface and the affected areas.
A few minutes later, at 6:40 local time (21:40 on Sunday), another earthquake of magnitude 4.8 was recorded with a very close epicenter and with magnitude 4 on the Japanese scale, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
Local authorities told the state chain NHK that at least five houses collapsed as a result of the earthquakes in the damaged city of Wajima. All of them were already damaged by the strong earthquake in the area on January 1, of which it is believed that today could have been a replica, but so far no injuries have been reported, although they continue to gather information.
The nuclear regulator and the companies responsible for the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa and Shika nuclear power plants (whose two reactors remain deactivated), Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) and Hokuriku Electric, respectively, reported that no damage or anomalies were detected in any of the facilities due to this Monday’s seismic activity, nor was the energy supply affected.
This same prefecture was affected by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake at the beginning of the year that caused a tsunami several meters high in some parts of the coast of Noto, a disaster that left 260 dead and extensive material damage, and was considered one of the worst that hit the country since the 2011 catastrophe in northeastern Japan.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
International
Three salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
Three Salvadoran residents living in Orlando, Florida, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and wire fraud involving a scheme exceeding $146 million in the construction industry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. The sentence was handed down by federal judge Timothy J. Corrigan on Tuesday, July 29.
Eduardo Aníbal Escobar (45) was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison, Carlos Alberto Rodríguez (36) to 3 years and 4 months, and Adelmy Tejada (57) to 18 months in prison, followed by 6 months of house arrest. All three pled guilty on April 3, 2025.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered restitution payments totaling $36,957,616 to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes, and $397,895 to two insurers for workers’ compensation claims related to the scheme.
Escobar and Rodríguez are permanent legal residents originally from El Salvador, while Tejada is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Salvadoran origin.
International
Kremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
The Kremlin expressed relief that the earthquakes that struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula today —the first being the strongest since 1952— resulted in no casualties, and emphasized that the region is well prepared to face such natural disasters.
“Thank God, there were no victims,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily press briefing.
The presidential representative stated that “all alert systems were activated in time, and evacuations were organized for residents in areas requiring it in response to tsunami threats.”
“Overall, the seismic resilience of the buildings proved effective (…) Therefore, we can say that the technological preparedness demonstrated a high level,” Peskov added.
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Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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