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A major 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia Thursday, killing at least one person, causing waves of up to 75cm (2.5 feet) and triggering a tsunami warning that was subsequently lifted.The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the tremor hit at a shallow depth of 35 kilometres in the Molucca Sea between the Sulawesi and Maluku island groups in the early morning.One person was killed when a building collapsed in the city of Manado in North Sulawesi province, a local search and rescue official told AFP."The quake was felt strongly and around Manado... one person died and one person had a leg injury," George Leo Mercy Randang told AFP by telephone.The victim was "buried under the rubble" of a collapsed building, he said.The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 1,000km (621 miles) of the epicentre along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.Within half an hour of the quake, waves up to 75cm were recorded in North Minahasa and 20cm in Bitung, both in the north of Sulawesi island, according to Indonesia's BMKG geological agency.Thirty-centimetre waves were also logged in North Maluku province.The PTWC lifted its warning just over two hours after the tremor, saying the tsunami threat "has now passed."Ternate resident Budi Nurgianto, 42, said he was inside his house when the tremor struck, sending people panicking outside."The quake was felt strongly. I heard it first from the walls of the house that shook," he said."When I went outside, there were many people outside. They were panicked. The quake was felt (for) quite long, more than a minute."I even saw some people leaving their house without having finished their shower."BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani told journalists in the capital Jakarta there were 11 aftershocks, the biggest with a magnitude of 5.5.An AFP journalist in Manado on Sulawesi, about 300km west of Ternate by sea, said the shaking woke him and others in the city of around 450,000 people."I immediately woke up and left my house. People (were) immediately scrambling outside. There is a school and the pupils rushed outside," he said.The shaking persisted for "quite long" but he did not witness "significant damage", he added.The PTWC had initially warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre were possible for parts of Indonesia, with smaller waves possible for the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Guam and Palau."Government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas should take action to inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk," the agency said.The Japan Meteorological Agency said it expected "slight changes" in the sea level along the Pacific coast from northern Hokkaido to southern Okinawa, but has not issued any warnings.The earthquake centres of the Philippines and Malaysia have also not issued tsunami alerts.Indonesia and neighbouring countries experience frequent earthquakes due to their location in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" — an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 quake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia. 

As the geopolitical tensions continue to affect Qatar, the Government Communication Office (GCO) has issued a set of guidelines to handle the Early Warning System Alert issued by the competent authorities without panicking.The guidelines explain how the public should deal if an alert is received on various situations and at different places. The situations include while people are indoors or outdoors, while driving or while at their workplace.The GCO has been continuously updating the public on the ongoing scenario and providing useful tips to face the current situation and recently they have started a WhatsApp channel which is open for everyone in the country.The GCO has highlighted that the alerts are given to ensure the safety of the people and there is no room for panicking as the defence mechanism is taking care of the safety of the public very efficiently and with utmost care.Officials have called on the public to remain calm when they get an alert and make sure to ensure personal safety as the priority. As for the general instructions, GCO has stated that people should strictly follow the instructions issued by the official departments and should not leave their residences unless it is absolutely necessary. They must keep themselves on alert and look for information from official sources.If anyone receives an alert while driving, people should keep driving calmly and reach the destination or a safe place at the earliest. They must adhere to the speed limits and keep a safe distance from other vehicles. They must not be distracted by filming or stopping the vehicle unnecessarily and should not use the mobile phone while driving. When they reach the destination, or a safe place, take shelter in a secure area and wait for the notification that the threat has been eliminated.The GCO has highlighted that being inside a building provides greater safety and while inside the building, people must stay away from windows and exposed areas. While inside the building, they should also keep away from glass covered areas and take shelter in a safe place inside until the threat has been eliminated or the situation has become normal.If an alert is received while outdoors, people must remain calm and look for a safe, covered and enclosed location that offers protection. They must ensure that everyone around are also guided to the safe place and they must stay together in one location and avoid unnecessary movement.While people are at the workplace, they must ensure to follow the building safety and security team’s instructions and stay inside and avoid unnecessary movements. While inside a workplace, it is important to keep away from the windows, exposed areas, glass, power sources and flammable materials.It is important to move to a safe, enclosed and covered area inside the office until the safety notification is issued. In case of exiting the workplace is absolutely necessary, use the stairs instead of the elevators. It is also important to be familiar with the emergency exits and the assembly points at the workplace.GCO has once again reminded everyone to always follow official notifications, not to leave the residence unless absolutely necessary and to stay alert to ensure personal safety and the safety of others. 

Weather, inshore, until 6:00 pm on Saturday will be relatively hot with slight dust in places daytime becomes mild by night, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report, warning of strong wind in places daytime. Offshore, it will be hazy and some clouds at times, the report added, warning of strong wind and high seas. Wind inshore will be mainly northwesterly, 10 to 20 knots gusting to 25 knots in places daytime. Offshore, it will be westerly to northwesterly from 08 to 18 knots and reach to 24 knots at times. The sea state inshore will be 1 to 4, while offshore it will be 02 to 05 feet and rise to 8 feet at times. Visibility inshore and offshore will be 04 to 10 kilometers. Offshore it will also be 04 to 10 kilometers.

Inshore weather until 6:00 pm on Sunday will be misty to foggy in some areas at first, becoming relatively hot to hot during the day and mild by night, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report, warning of poor horizontal visibility in some areas at first. Offshore, the weather will be hazy to misty in some places at first, becoming fine later. The report also warned of expected strong wind and high sea conditions by night. Inshore wind will be variable at first, becoming northwesterly at 5 to 15 KT, gusting to 21 KT at times. Offshore, it will be northwesterly at 5 to 15 KT, increasing to 18 to 25 KT by night. Sea state inshore will be 2 to 4 feet, rising to 3 feet by night. Offshore, it will be 2 to 4 feet, rising to 5 to 8 feet by night. Visibility inshore will be 4–8 km / 2 km or less at places at times. Offshore, it will be 5–10 km / 3 km or less in places at times.

Inshore weather until 6:00 pm on Thursday will be relatively hot to hot in daytime and mild by night, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report. Offshore, the weather will be fine, the report added, warning of strong wind and high seas till late at night.Wind inshore will be northwesterly at a speed of 5–15 KT, gusting to 25 KT in places daytime. Offshore wind will be northwesterly at a speed of 5–15 KT, gusting to 35 KT at times, decreasing to 10–20 KT by late night.The sea state inshore will be 3–5 ft, falling to 2–4 ft by late at night. Offshore, it will be 4–8 ft / 12 ft, falling to 3–6 ft, by last night. Visibility inshore will be 5–10 km, while offshore it will be 5–9 km.