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However, no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Monday, U.S. seismologists said. However, no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The undersea quake hit about 190 kilometres (120 miles) northeast of Maumere, a holiday destination in Flores, at 09:13 am (0113 GMT), at a depth of 522 kilometres, said the U.S. Geological Survey. Indonesia’s disaster agency said officials were checking to see if the quake had any impact. Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, where tectonic plates collide.

First cargo train departs from south-western Yunnan province’s capital Kunming for Karachi. China and Pakistan on Thursday launched a direct rail and sea freight service with the first cargo train departing from China’s south-western Yunnan province. The service was launched with the first cargo train loaded with 500 tonnes of commodities left Kunming, capital of Yunnan, an inland province in south-west China departed for Karachi, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. “China, Pakistan launch direct rail & sea freight service between Kunming and Karachi, cutting transport cost by over 50 per cent,” according to a tweet by the news agency. Part of Maritime Silk Road The service is a part of China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative, of which $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project (CPEC) is a part. The CPEC was launched in 2015 to link up north-western China with the Gwadar deep seaport in southern Pakistan. The two countries already started the trade activities under CPEC...