Tsunami alert wound back after large quake hits off Vanuatu

SYDNEY - Officials wound back an initial tsunami threat issued after a large earthquake struck off the coast of the South Pacific islands of Vanuatu on Sunday.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the danger had largely passed and canceled an earlier warning of a possible tsunami as a result of the quake, which was initially measured at a magnitude of 7.2 but later revised down to 6.9.
The quake was also deemed to be deeper that first thought - 33 kilometers (21 miles) as opposed to 10 kms, Kanoa Koyanagi, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii told Reuters.
Koyanagi said experts expected waves of no larger than 30 centimeters, well below tsunami levels, from the quake which struck 151 km north northwest of Vanuatu@@@s Santo island.
"Based on all data available ... the tsunami threat from this earthquake has now mostly passed," the center said in a statement.
Defense Ministry to conduct exercise on Highway 35 on Sunday afternoon
Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow forces airport closure, Russia says
US condemns shooting of Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe
Israeli man arrested in Albania after trying to leave with undeclared €194,000 - report
IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichay Adraee issues evacuation notice to residents north of Gaza City
Fire breaks out in Haruvit Forest, not yet contained
France's Armed Forces Minister reaffirms no weapons being sold to Israel
IDF arrests PIJ Jenin Battalion commander during West Bank operation
Twenty live hostages, two undetermined, 33 dead, says Israeli source
North Korea internet hit by a major outage, analyst says