Earthquake off the coast of Greece

On Feb. 3, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off of the western coast of Greece. The earthquake hit close to the island of Cephalonia, which is about 185 miles west of Athens, and at a depth of about nine miles. It has not been reported if there are any casualties or not.

Castaway claims to have been adrift at sea for 13 months

Jose Salvador Alvarenga was found on Jan. 28 in a damaged boat off the coast of the Marshall Islands, claimed to have been adrift in the Pacific Ocean for 13 months. Authorities are trying to verify if the man’s story is true or not, because many questions have come up concerning whether or not Alvarenga would have been able to survive on the small boat. The Mexican Government issued a statement confirming Alvarenga’s identity. Some of his family members have been contacted, many of whom had thought he was dead. He has a 12 year old daughter who doesn’t remember her father.

Protests continue in Thailand

Anti-government protesters in Thailand disrupted a national election on Feb. 2 and show no sign of stopping their campaign against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The election was boycotted by the main opposition party, demonstrators stopped candidates from registering, blocked ballot box delivery and prevented people from casting their vote. The demonstrators have been protesting since November 2013, saying that they no longer want Yingluck and her older brother the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in power.

Russia tells Ukraine protesters to stop protests

Russia called on Ukraine protesters who are trying to stop the ultimatums and Ukraine’s President, Viktor Yanukovych from gaining more power. Thousands of anti-government demonstrators packed Kiev’s independence square on various occasions since November, looking for change.  On Feb. 3 Russia’s Foreign Ministry told Ukraine demonstrators to stop protesting.