February 28, 2013– KAMCHATKA – A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck near the southern tip of Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, at a depth of around 52 km (33 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported on Thursday. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of a destructive widespread tsunami, based on historical earthquake and tsunami data. Britain’s BBC quoted Russia’s Emergencies Ministry as saying there were no reports of casualties or damage, and that no tsunami warning had been issued. The arc formed by the peninsula and the Kurile Islands stretching from Russia to Japan is one of the most seismically active areas in the world. USGS’s first report had put the quake at magnitude 7.0, at a depth of 18 miles. Today’s earthquake is the 24^th major earthquake to strike the planet in the month of February. –Reuters, TEP

Vanuatu: A strong