Roundup: Earthquakes in Costa Rica and SoCal; Canadian trekkers break Antarctica record; more BART-shooting protests in Oakland

Did you feel last night’s earthquake? Centered near San Bernardino, it jolted Southern California at an estimated magnitude 4.5. I didn’t feel it in Venice, but The Times’ Quake Report Board generated comments from West Hollywood to Laguna Niguel and beyond. No damage has been reported.

A quake that shook Costa Rica on Thursday had more serious consequences. Read on for that story and more.

Costa Rica | The death toll from a magnitude 6.1 quake that shook Costa Rica on Thursday afternoon has risen to 14, reported the Associated Press this morning. The quake triggered a landslide near the Poas Volcano national park at La Paz waterfall, where 10 fell victim, according to a Red Cross spokesman interviewed for a Reuters report. The temblor was reportedly felt strongly all over the country; its epicenter was about 22 miles from the capital, San Jose.

Canada | Three Canadians have claimed to beat the world record for fastest trek from Hercules Inlet on Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf to the South Pole. Energized by butter and bacon, the men arrived at their destination Thursday, completing the 700 subzero miles in just under 34 days. Read the AP story about their feat, and see the adventurers’ blog South Pole Quest 2008.

Oakland | Following the fatal New Year’s Day shooting of an unarmed man by a BART transit police officer, protests continued Thursday night in the streets of Oakland. Wednesday night saw more than 100 demonstrators arrested in downtown Oakland, where some storefronts were damaged and cars set afire, the Associated Press reported. On Thursday night, an estimated 100 people gathered downtown to continue protests before being dispersed by police, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

[Click on the photo to see a photo gallery on the Oakland protests.]

- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Top photo: Ray Zahab, Kevin Vallely and Richard Weber at the South Pole. Credit: SouthPoleQuest.com

Bottom photo: Protesters in Oakland on Jan. 7. Credit: Frederic Larson / San Francisco Chronicle

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 9, 2009 at 8:12 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Good Morning, Latin America & Caribbean, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice, Outdoors & Adventure, Polar Regions, San Francisco. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.