Santorini’s Earthquake Swarm Is Declining Gradually as Thousands Return to the Greek Island 

A drone view of the village of Oia, as the seismic activity continues, on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 20, 2025. (Reuters)
A drone view of the village of Oia, as the seismic activity continues, on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 20, 2025. (Reuters)
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Santorini’s Earthquake Swarm Is Declining Gradually as Thousands Return to the Greek Island 

A drone view of the village of Oia, as the seismic activity continues, on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 20, 2025. (Reuters)
A drone view of the village of Oia, as the seismic activity continues, on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 20, 2025. (Reuters)

An earthquake swarm near the island of Santorini is gradually declining a month after it began, Greek scientists monitoring the phenomenon said Monday.

The undersea shocks — sometimes recorded only minutes apart — led thousands of residents and workers to flee the famed clifftop towns of Santorini as well as the nearby islands of Ios, Amorgos and Anafi.

Schools remain closed on those islands for a fourth week and many other restrictions are still in effect. But scientists said they were encouraged by the decline of the earthquake swarm.

“Seismic activity continues to show a gradual decline, both in terms of the daily number of recorded earthquakes and maximum magnitudes,” the Interdisciplinary Committee for Risk and Crisis Management at the University of Athens said.

“The activity remains concentrated in the same focal area ... with no new micro-seismic surges observed since Feb. 15,” it said.

The committee said it recorded more than 20,000 earthquakes of magnitude 1 or higher between Jan. 26 and Feb. 22.

The multiple earthquakes, attributed to natural tectonic processes as well as magma movements below the seabed, have measured up to magnitude 5.3 but have caused only minor damage.

Santorini Mayor Nikos Zorzos on Monday said several thousand people had returned to the island since late last week, and called on government authorities to provide additional assistance in dealing with risks — including controlling rockfalls and the installation and repair of hillslope fencing.



Labubu Fans Dote Over Ugly-Cute Doll Trending at Comic-Con 

Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)
Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)
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Labubu Fans Dote Over Ugly-Cute Doll Trending at Comic-Con 

Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)
Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)

San Diego Comic-Con is the latest location where the ugly-cute dolls named Labubu have been trending, with fans carrying the plushies globally popularized by celebrities Rihanna, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink.

The wide-eyed and grinning doll was created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung allowed them to be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that sells collectible figurines, often in "blind boxes".

"Blind boxes" are sealed boxes containing a surprise item that is usually part of a themed collection.

Naomi Galban, from San Diego, waited in line on Sunday at the Pop Mart booth in the San Diego Convention Center for a chance to get her first Labubu.

"Every time I go to a Pop Mart store, they're sold out," the 24-year-old told Reuters. She hoped to buy one for her little sister.

Emily Brough, Pop Mart's Head of IP Licensing, spoke to Reuters on Thursday about Labubu fans at Comic-Con.

"We love to see how fans are personalizing it (Labubu) for themselves," Brough said next to the Pop Mart booth.

While Brough noted that there were many people with a Labubu strapped to their bags and backpacks at Comic-Con, the doll's popularity did not happen overnight. Labubus had a huge boost in 2019 after Pop Mart began selling them, and in 2024, when Blackpink's Lisa, who is Thai, created a buying frenzy in Thailand after she promoted Labubu on social media.

Pop Mart saw sales skyrocket in North America that same year, with revenue in the US in the first quarter of 2025 already surpassing the full-year US revenue from 2024, Pop Mart said.

When he created Labubu, Lung gave the character, who is female, a backstory inspired by Nordic mythology.

He called her and his other fictional creatures "The Monsters."

Diana Goycortua, 25, first discovered Labubu through social media, and before she knew it, it felt like a "game" to try and collect the dolls.

"It's a little bit of gambling with what you're getting," the Labubu fan from San Diego said on Sunday while waiting at the Pop Mart booth, concluding that her love for the character made it worth trying blind boxes.

Goycortua already has three Labubus, and was hoping to score her a fourth one at Comic-Con.