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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaNew York and beyond rattled by rare East Coast earthquakePublished1 minute agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Earthquake shakes New York and New JerseyBy Kayla Epstein & Graeme BakerBBC News, New York & WashingtonNew York and cities on the US East Coast are assessing the impact of a rare earthquake that swayed landmarks and cracked roads.The magnitude-4.8 quake struck at 10:23 local time (15:23 GMT) near Lebanon, New Jersey, and could be felt from Pennsylvania to Connecticut.Residents spoke of being rocked by a violent rumbling that threw objects around their homes and damaged walls.Officials are now conducting safety assessments of infrastructure.At least six aftershocks were reported by residents and the United States Geological Survey, including one with a 4.0 magnitude felt around 18:00 local time.In New York, the Statue of Liberty was seen swaying during the initial earthquake, while workers and residents across the city’s five boroughs reported violent rumbling. Jane Coxwell told the BBC she felt a “rattling” like a train passing while she was in a building in lower Manhattan. “Living in New York I have become accustomed to rattling from the subway. That’s what I thought it was,” she said.”Then I realised I was on the ninth floor. It was a bit unsteady for sure. It felt like a passing train.”Image source, ReutersBrooklyn and the Bronx residents reported rattling cupboards, doors and fixtures.Charita Walcott, a 38-year-old from the Bronx, said the quake felt “like a violent rumble that lasted about 30 seconds or so”.”It was kind of like being in a drum circle, that vibration,” she said.Another New York resident told the BBC’s US partner CBS News how their lazy morning suddenly turned. “I was laying in my bed, and my whole apartment building started shaking. I started freaking out,” they said.At the UN Security Council headquarters, a meeting on Gaza was temporarily paused due to the tremor. “Is that an earthquake?” said Save the Children representative Janti Soeripto, who was speaking at the time.Aircraft at two airports – JFK in New York and Newark in New Jersey – were temporarily grounded while runways were inspected.Yet for all of the drama, New York state Governor Kathy Hochul said there had been no reports of major damage or injuries. Ms Hochul warned of aftershocks, but said they are normal and not expected to cause further damage. The latest aftershock in the early evening was reported on social media by several users, including the official page for the Empire State Building, which wrote on X: “Not again” and “I’m still fine”. Ms Hochul said that officials had started a damage assessment across the state to ensure the safety of buildings and infrastructure. “It’s been an unsettling day, to say the least,” she added. In the town of Union, New Jersey, about 35 miles from the epicentre, resident David Scibione told CBS how “things on our roof started coming down” when the shaking began. And when it had finished, the roads around his house had split from the force.Allison Martins, also of New Jersey, was recording on TikTok when the rumbling started. Her “little video on the day in the life of somebody who works from nine to five” became something more as her camera caught her house shaking.”We’re not used to having earthquakes in New Jersey, let alone a big one like this; we were all scared,” she said.New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said his state had also started a safety assessment. His top concern were the Hudson River tunnels, although there were no reports of major damage. “The rail tunnels were built in…1911, which is why we’re building two new ones,” he said. Image source, CBSImage caption, Cracks appeared in roads closer to the epicentre – such as here in Union, New JerseyThe East Coast and New York City are no strangers to earthquakes, although they are rare. A quake hit near the town of Newcomb in upstate New York with a 5.1 magnitude in 1983, and a 5.0-magnitude tremor was measured in New York City in 1884.But the biggest to affect the East Coast was in 2011, when a 5.8 quake in Virginia forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate buildings in New York, Washington DC and other cities. Jessica Jobe, of the US Geological Survey, said said that Friday’s quake may have happened on an old fault line that had become “reactivated”.”Although there are no known active faults in the area, there are dozens of older inactive faults that formed millions of years ago,” she said. “And under the current stresses from tectonic plates moving those faults can be intermittently reactivated.”She added that earthquakes “can happen anywhere at any time”, but there was only a 3% chance of a 5 magnitude aftershock in the next week.Related TopicsNew JerseyNew York CityNew YorkUnited StatesEarthquakesMore on this storyWatch: New York’s iconic landmarks shaken by earthquake. Video, 00:00:56Watch: New York’s iconic landmarks shaken by earthquakePublished4 hours ago0:56Top StoriesIDF officers sacked over fatal aid worker attackPublished4 hours agoNew York and beyond rattled by East Coast quakePublished1 minute agoWatch: Moment New York landmarks shaken by earthquake. 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[ad_1] The rare magnitude-4.8 earthquake hit on Friday morning, shaking buildings and throwing objects around homes.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaAre Hong Kong’s days as a global business hub over?Published3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Alexi RosenfeldImage caption, Hong Kong’s future as an a global finance hub is in doubt following a tough new security lawBy Joyce LeeBBC Chinese, Hong KongThere is a new running joke in Hong Kong: locals mock their city for losing its status as the darling of global capital. As one joked, it is the newest UNESCO world heritage site.A tough security law – Article 23 – that came into effect over the weekend has only renewed the underlying concerns. Authorities say it will protect the city and ensure stability, while critics are alarmed it will silence all dissent with its closed-door trials and life sentences for broadly-defined offences – from insurrection to treason. It comes at a time when Beijing’s iron grip and US-China tensions were already driving away foreign investors who now have an “anywhere but China” policy, says Mr Chan, a real estate surveyor, who did not wish to disclose his full name. “Hong Kong was seen as distinct from China so investors could still invest here – not anymore now,” he says.Article 23 and after The emphasis on national security and the danger posed by “foreign forces” – a running theme in the legislation and in Beijing’s recent policies – raises the stakes for foreign capital and businesses operating in the city. “The business has been awful in the past two years and there was no major deal at all,” says Mr Tse, who works for a Chinese state-owned bank. He said his company fired 10% of their staff in June and another 5% just this past week. “No one knows when it will be their turn.”While it is too early to evaluate the risks of Article 23 to businesses, it could lead to higher compliance costs because of its “broad wording” and the “severe consequences of a breach”, says Johannes Hack, the president of the German Chamber of Commerce.The Hong Kong government told the BBC in a statement that Article 23 will make the city “advance from stability to prosperity”, and will not affect “normal” businesses. It also said it is “outrageous” to single out Hong Kong when other countries have security laws too.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Beijing imposed the national security law in 2020 after unprecedented protests a year earlierHong Kong’s Article 23, which expands on national security legislation imposed by China in 2020, comes at a time when the city’s administration is trying to reassure the world that it’s still a financial dynamo. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce argued it “will make Hong Kong a safer destination for local and foreign businesses and professionals operating” in the city, while Hong Kong’s chief executive John Lee had dismissed as “ridiculous” the notion that the administration only cared about national security, calling such concerns a form of “soft resistance”. Hong Kong’s economy has been reeling from Beijing’s crackdown since the pro-democracy protests in 2019 and a harsh zero-Covid policy. Rentals for commercial and retail spaces have fallen, leaving office buildings and shopfronts vacant. There are fewer tourists – last year’s arrivals were only 60% of the pre-pandemic figure. The value of the Hang Seng index – Hong Kong’s crown jewel – has fallen by more than 40% since 2019. India overtook it in January to become the world’s fourth-largest stock market. Singapore has emerged as a stiff regional rival for finance. Global banks have been laying off people focused on Hong Kong and China, pointing to sluggish growth and plummeting investor confidence. An exodus of capital and people has followed, with the former head of Morgan Stanley Asia declaring recently in a newspaper column that “Hong Kong is over”. Veteran investor Lam Yat-ming wrote in an economic magazine that investors should “cherish their lives and distance themselves from Hong Kong stocks”. “Outside perception of Hong Kong” has changed, Mr Hack says.”While the city is still distinctly different from the mainland, the focus on security may increasingly blur the distinction in people’s minds.” One country, two systems The former British colony has been run under the principle of “one country, two systems” since its return to China in 1997. Beijing promised that Hong Kong would enjoy civil liberties for half a century.But critics say it has reneged on the deal, crushing pro-democracy protests and imposing a national security law (NSL) in 2020 under which more than 260 people, including former lawmakers, have been arrested. Authorities defend it, saying it marked the transition from “chaos to governance”. A local security law, outlined in the city’s mini constitution, was always on the cards. The first attempt in 2003 failed after half a million people took to the streets against it. This time, Article 23 was passed less than two weeks after it was tabled. Under Xi Jinping, China attaches “absolute importance” to national security – and Hong Kong’s status as a free society and an international gateway comes second, says Kenneth Chan, a political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist University.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Jimmy Lai’s case has had an impact on Hong Kong’s reputation as an international financial centre, Dr Chan saysHe says the arrest of Jimmy Lai, the former media mogul who has been charged under the NSL, was an “awakening for the international community”. “The national security law has no limits. Personal safety, private property rights, and individual assets are not guaranteed,” Dr Chan adds. After police raided Mr Lai’s Apple Daily newspaper in 2021, trading in his company was suspended and it was delisted the following year. The 76-year-old tycoon, who is now on trial, has been behind bars for three years and his assets worth HK$500 million ($64m; £50m) have been frozen. Hong Kong’s common law system, which underpins its rule of law, has come under scrutiny following the trials of pro-democracy protesters. But the city’s judiciary is perceived as independent, at least over commercial matters, although critics worry that Mr Lee can now pick judges handling national security cases. Under such security laws, businesses in Hong Kong have to adopt additional measures to mitigate political risk – just like in the mainland, Dr Chan says. “No-one can grasp the political direction, so big companies have started recruiting political consultants to evaluate risks and build political connections. These are all new costs, leading to lower efficiency.” To invest or not The city should not be discounted as an international financial hub, says Kevin Tsui, chief economist at the research firm Orientis. He adds that Hong Kong should make use of its advantages – a simple, low-rate tax system, and the fact that it’s the only Chinese city with no foreign exchange controls. The Hong Kong dollar is also pegged to the US dollar, providing financial stability.”Even if Hong Kong is just a Chinese city, foreigners want to do business with China,” he says. And yet confidence in the city has been shaken, not least because it is also feeling the heat of a slowing Chinese economy, which has been hit by debt and a property market crisis. The mainland is the city’s biggest trading partner and second-largest source of investment. Half of the 2,600 companies listed on Hong Kong’s stock market are from mainland China.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Shares on the city’s prized stock market have plummeted by 40% in five yearsBut a new rule Beijing introduced last year requires Chinese companies to have official approval to list overseas. This has made the process far more cumbersome, said a banker who spoke on the condition of anonymity.”We can only wait because we have no idea about the progress. If the companies are involved in sensitive industries such as data security or genetic technology, the process will be extremely slow,” he said.Hong Kong, which ranked as the world’s number one IPO venue in seven of the last 15 years, is now in the eighth spot, according to industry reports. “Beijing wants private companies to raise funds internationally to salvage the economy, but at the same time it worries these companies will no longer be under [their] control after listing,” says the banker who wanted to remain anonymous. “They want to control everything, but it will kill the financial market eventually.” Additional reporting by Grace Tsoi in Hong Kong Related TopicsChinaHong Kong national security lawHong KongAsia BusinessMore on this storyHong Kong passes tough security law fought by protesters for yearsPublished5 days agoWhat is Hong Kong’s tough new security law?Published5 days agoWhat is Hong Kong’s national security law?Published6 days agoTop StoriesRussia charges four men over Moscow concert attackPublished1 hour agoRosenberg: As Russia mourns, how will Putin react to concert attack?Published4 hours agoUK to link electoral roll cyber-attacks to ChinaPublished5 minutes agoFeaturesIs now the time Palestinian politics can start afresh?Did Russia ignore US ‘extremist’ attacks warning?The Brazilian teen who scored winner against EnglandAttributionSportYour pictures on the theme of ‘reflections’‘Having a certificate of loss proves my baby existed’Kate cancer diagnosis rewrites story of past weeksSimon Harris – the man on the brink of Irish history England kits ‘should connect people’From the desert to the icy waters of WalesElsewhere on the BBCBorn to survive, built to thrive…Sir David Attenborough follows the journeys of our closest relatives in the animal kingdomAttributioniPlayerCan you spot the AI images from the real ones?Challenge your detection skills with this deceptive quizAttributionBitesizeThe unheard Banksy interview…In this bonus episode, James Peak tracks down the recording from 2003AttributionSoundsFrom Starman to film star…How did the silver screen inspire David Bowie?AttributioniPlayerMost Read1Russia charges four men over Moscow concert attack2The Jewish settlers who want to build homes in Gaza3Murder arrest at Heathrow after man hit by car4Scientists to hunt mysterious ‘ghost’ particles5Avanti to pay train drivers £600 a shift for overtime6Are Hong Kong’s days as a global business hub over?7Boy, 12, charged with attempted murder8Rosenberg: As Russia mourns, how will Putin react to concert attack?9’China hack attack’ and ‘UK nuclear defence boost’10Dragon Ball theme park to be built in Saudi Arabia](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/4E81/production/_132979002_gettyimages-2035370490.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaAeromexico passenger opens plane door and walks on wingPublished16 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesA man has been arrested in Mexico after opening an aeroplane’s emergency door and walking on to the wing.The man took action after the Guatemala City-bound plane had been stuck for hours on the tarmac without air conditioning or water for passengers.Mexico International Airport said no harm had been caused, but that the passenger had been handed to police.Fellow passengers, however, have written a joint statement, saying the man had everyone’s support.The incident occurred last Thursday, at around 11:30 – about three hours after the Aeromexico flight had been scheduled to take-off from Mexico City.The delay was caused by a maintenance issue, an incident report said.It went on to explain that a change of plane had become necessary after the unidentified passenger’s unilateral move.It is not clear if the man remains in custody – or what charges he may face. Irate passengers, however, saw the incident in a different light.”All passengers on the flight from CDMX [Mexico City] to Guatemala [flight] AM 0672 state that the passenger on board who opened the emergency window was for the protection of everyone , with the support of everyone, since the delay and lack of air created dangerous conditions for the health of the passengers,” the handwritten note by fellow passengers reads.”He saved our lives,” they wrote – and added their names and signatures to the note distributed on social media.You may also want to read:US investigates why plane idled on tarmac in heatwaveUntrained passenger lands plane as pilot falls illRussian plane lands on frozen river by mistakeThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: An eyewitness filmed the moment the woman ran up to the plane’s cockpitRelated TopicsAviation accidents and incidentsMexico CityGuatemala CityMexicoAir travelMore on this storyWoman runs up to Qantas plane on tarmac. Video, 00:00:25Woman runs up to Qantas plane on tarmacPublished2 November 20230:25Russian plane lands on frozen river by mistakePublished28 December 2023Untrained passenger lands plane as pilot falls illPublished12 May 2022US investigates why plane idled on tarmac in heatwavePublished21 July 2023Top StoriesPost Office chair had to go as ‘it wasn’t working’ – BadenochPublished11 minutes agoProtesters throw soup at Mona Lisa paintingPublished19 minutes agoUN in aid plea after staff accused of Israel attackPublished4 hours agoFeaturesWho invented butter chicken? Creamy dish centre of court battleWhen Louis Vuitton tries to make you change your brand nameAuschwitz film was ‘like Big Brother’ in house next to campKuenssberg: What do voters think of party leaders? Not a lotThe Papers: ‘Rwandans get UK asylum’ and PM wants ‘Saga vote’Would it bother you if you only got mail three days a week?Net closes in on vigilante destroyer of Italy’s speed camerasMy dad saved my club, now we’re playing Man UtdOneFour: The rap group dividing AustraliaElsewhere on the BBCHow are jelly beans made?Gregg Wallace visits a factory in Dublin that makes over ten million of the sweets per day!AttributioniPlayerIs this the greatest Jurassic predator that ever lived?Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique discovery: the skull of a giant, prehistoric sea monsterAttributioniPlayer’I smashed all my trophies’Bradley Wiggins opens up about his mental health and imposter syndromeAttributioniPlayerA Royle Family reunion and the best of the North!Ricky Tomlinson and Ralf Little set off on an epic camper van adventure across Northern EnglandAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Protesters throw soup at Mona Lisa painting2World’s largest cruise ship sets sail from Miami3Who invented butter chicken? Creamy dish centre of court battle4Post Office chair had to go as ‘it wasn’t working’ – Badenoch5Dragons’ Den episode edited after ME complaints6BBC confronts man who abused boy in secretive Christian church7My dad saved my club, now we’re playing Man Utd8Off-peak Friday fares trial to start in London9Fire that billowed smoke over city investigated10’Rwandans get UK asylum’ and PM wants ‘Saga vote’](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/BA2A/production/_132485674_gettyimages-1845980444-1.jpg)
