Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits Ecuador coast

A shallow 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Ecuador early Friday, the US Geological Survey reported, and was felt as far away as the Andean capital Quito. (X/@AlertaMundoNews)
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Updated 25 April 2025
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Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits Ecuador coast

  • Monitors said the epicenter was near the Pacific coast of Esmeraldas

QUITO: A shallow 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Ecuador early Friday, the US Geological Survey reported, and was felt as far away as the Andean capital Quito.
AFP reporters felt the shake before 7:00 am local time (1200 GMT).
Monitors said the epicenter was near the Pacific coast of Esmeraldas, at a depth of about 35 kilometers (22 miles).
There were no immediate reports of victims or severe damage and Ecuadoran authorities said there was no tsunami risk.
Ecuador sits on one of the most geologically active zones on Earth, and the fault between the Nazca and South American plates runs along its coast.


Greta Thunberg released from custody after arrest at UK pro-Palestinian protest

Updated 56 min 45 sec ago
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Greta Thunberg released from custody after arrest at UK pro-Palestinian protest

  • UK-based campaign group Prisoners for Palestine said Thunberg was earlier arrested under the Terrorism Act
  • City of London Police said ‌Thunberg ⁠had ​been ‌bailed until March

LONDON: Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was released from custody after being arrested ​on Tuesday in London at a pro-Palestinian protest, police said.

UK-based campaign group Prisoners for Palestine said Thunberg was earlier arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding a sign that said “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.” The British government has proscribed Palestine Action as ‌a terrorist ‌group.

City of London Police said ‌Thunberg ⁠had ​been ‌bailed until March.

Police said earlier two other people had been arrested for throwing red paint at a building. A spokesperson said 22-year-old woman later attended the scene and was arrested for displaying a placard in support of a proscribed organization.

Prisoners for ⁠Palestine, which supports some detained activists who have gone on ‌hunger strike, said the building ‍had been targeted because it ‍was used by an insurance firm which they ‍said provided services to the British arm of Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems.

The insurance company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Thunberg, 22, became ​prominent after staging weekly climate protests in front of the Swedish parliament in ⁠2018.

Last year, she was cleared of a public order offense in Britain as a judge ruled police had no power to arrest her and others at a protest in London the year before.

She was detained along with 478 people and expelled by Israel in October after joining an activist convoy of vessels, the Global Sumud Flotilla, that attempted to reach Gaza with aid supplies. ‌Israel has consistently denied genocide allegations.