People across the South Pacific were told to avoid coastal areas due to the risk of tsunami waves following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday southeast of the Loyalty Islands in the French territory of New Caledonia.
Tsunami waves ranging from 0.3m to 1 metre above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Vanuatu, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said, waves below that level are set for 25 island groups including Tonga and Tuvalu.
A 22-centimetre tsunami had been observed near New Caledonia, the threat alert added.
Vanuatu warned citizens to seek higher ground, according to an official at the Vanuatu Meteorology & Geo-Hazards Department, who said the office had received calls from people on the southern islands who had felt shaking.
Australia's meteorology bureau issued a tsunami threat for Lord Howe Island off its east coast and warned the roughly 450 inhabitants to leave the water's edge due to waves and strong currents.
"We haven't moved to higher ground and we're probably not going to," said Damien Ball of the Thompsons General Store on Lord Howe Islands. "We've been through this numerous times before and nothing ever comes of it."
Similar warnings are in place for much of New Zealand's west coast.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake hit at a depth of about 38 km.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear programme by up to two years, suggesting the US military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.
Four people died, 38 were missing and 23 survived after a ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, the country's Search and Rescue agency said on Thursday.
The Arab League, which includes the UAE, has condemned statements made by Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.
A fire that shut London's Heathrow airport in March, stranding thousands of people, was caused by the UK power grid's failure to maintain an electricity substation, an official report said on Wednesday, prompting the energy watchdog to open a probe.
US President Donald Trump urged Hamas on Tuesday to agree to what he called a "final proposal" for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel in Gaza that will be delivered by mediating officials from Qatar and Egypt.
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