A powerful earthquake of magnitude of 7.8 struck off the coast of New Zealand at 1637 GMT 130 km north-east of Te Araroa, according to US Geological Survey (USGS).&nbsp; 
 
The civil authorities have ordered the evacuation of certain coastal areas over fears that the quake could trigger a tsunami.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The first tsunami activity has arrived. Tsunami activity will continue for several hours,&quot; the Civil Defence organisation, responsible for national emergency management, AFP reports.&nbsp; 
 
There are no immediate reports of casualties or injuries.&nbsp; 
 
People took to Twitter to report how they were woken up by shaking, Reuters said.&nbsp; 
 
There is no danger of tsunami on the Pacific coasts of the Americas, the US National Tsunami Warning Centre said.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The civil authorities have ordered the evacuation of some coastal areas. There are no immediate reports of casualties or injuries

A powerful earthquake of magnitude of 7.8 struck off the coast of New Zealand at 1637 GMT 130 km north-east of Te Araroa, according to US Geological Survey (USGS). The civil authorities have ordered the evacuation of certain coastal areas over fears that the quake could trigger a tsunami. "The first tsunami activity has arrived. Tsunami activity will continue for several hours," the Civil Defence organisation, responsible for national emergency management, AFP reports. There are no immediate reports of casualties or injuries. People took to Twitter to report how they were woken up by shaking, Reuters said. There is no danger of tsunami on the Pacific coasts of the Americas, the US National Tsunami Warning Centre said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake hits New Zealand, tsunami warning issued

Two strong earthquakes jolted central Italy on Wednesday, whose tremors were felt as far as the capital Rome.

The first magnitude 5.4 quake hit the village of Visso in Macerata area, the US Geological Survey said. The epicentre was seven kilometres south-southwest of the village in the central region of Marche.&nbsp;

The second tremor&nbsp;felt within a few hours of the first, registered 6.1 on the Richter scale. It struck 68 kilometres east of the central Italian city of Perugia, in the same region that was struck by a devastating quake in August that killed more than 300.

Dozens of people have been reported injured in the latest quakes. The mayor of one of the towns said that several buildings had collapsed as authorities rushed to assess the full extent of the damage.

It was felt in the towns of Pescara, Ancone and L&#39;Aquila with many people rushing out of their homes in panic.

&quot;Many houses have collapsed. Our town is finished,&quot; Marco Rinaldi, mayor of Ussita, told Sky Italy television by telephone. &quot;The second quake was a long, terrible one,&quot; he said.

&quot;I&#39;ve felt a lot of earthquakes but that was the strongest I&#39;ve ever felt. Fortunately, everyone had already left their homes after the first quake so I don&#39;t think anyone was hurt.&quot;

The tremors were also felt in the capital Rome, sending people running out into the streets. The second was felt as far away as Venice in the far north, and Naples south of the capital.

Schools in and around the affected region will not open Thursday to allow officials to carry out safety checks.

In August, a 6.0-6.2 magnitude quake had flattened the Italian mountain town of Amatrice, killing nearly 300 people and injuring hundreds.&nbsp;

The disaster caused an estimated four billion euros ($4.5 billion) of damage, with 1,400 people still living in temporary accommodation.

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Dozens were injured and several buildings flattened by the quakes, as authorities rushed to assess the full extent of the damage

Two strong earthquakes jolted central Italy on Wednesday, whose tremors were felt as far as the capital Rome. The first magnitude 5.4 quake hit the village of Visso in Macerata area, the US Geological Survey said. The epicentre was seven kilometres south-southwest of the village in the central region of Marche. The second tremor felt within a few hours of the first, registered 6.1 on the Richter scale. It struck 68 kilometres east of the central Italian city of Perugia, in the same region that was struck by a devastating quake in August that killed more than 300. Dozens of people have been reported injured in the latest quakes. The mayor of one of the towns said that several buildings had collapsed as authorities rushed to assess the full extent of the damage. It was felt in the towns of Pescara, Ancone and L'Aquila with many people rushing out of their homes in panic. "Many houses have collapsed. Our town is finished," Marco Rinaldi, mayor of Ussita, told Sky Italy television by telephone. "The second quake was a long, terrible one," he said. "I've felt a lot of earthquakes but that was the strongest I've ever felt. Fortunately, everyone had already left their homes after the first quake so I don't think anyone was hurt." The tremors were also felt in the capital Rome, sending people running out into the streets. The second was felt as far away as Venice in the far north, and Naples south of the capital. Schools in and around the affected region will not open Thursday to allow officials to carry out safety checks. In August, a 6.0-6.2 magnitude quake had flattened the Italian mountain town of Amatrice, killing nearly 300 people and injuring hundreds. The disaster caused an estimated four billion euros ($4.5 billion) of damage, with 1,400 people still living in temporary accommodation. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Strong twin earthquakes rock central Italy

A mid-intensity earthquake measuring 5.2 on the richter scale shook the border region of Jammu and Kashmir today. Tremors were also felt in Islamabad and Peshawar in Pakistan.

&nbsp;

There were no immediate reports of loss to life and property. The quake was centred&nbsp;around 62 km from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-Adminisered Kashmir.

&nbsp;

 
The quake occurred at 1.34 pm local time&nbsp;at the depth of 10 km, according to the National Centre for Seismology, a unit under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

(WION)

The quake occurred at 1.34 pm local time at the depth of 10 km

A mid-intensity earthquake measuring 5.2 on the richter scale shook the border region of Jammu and Kashmir today. Tremors were also felt in Islamabad and Peshawar in Pakistan. There were no immediate reports of loss to life and property. The quake was centred around 62 km from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-Adminisered Kashmir. The quake occurred at 1.34 pm local time at the depth of 10 km, according to the National Centre for Seismology, a unit under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. (WION)

5.2 magnitude earthquake jolts India-Pakistan border

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck off the town of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said. 
 
The epicentre of the quake was located 89 km (55 miles) northeast of Rabaul on New Britain island and at a depth of 499 km&nbsp;(310 miles). 
 
(Reuters)

The epicentre was located 89 km away from Rabaul

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck off the town of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said. The epicentre of the quake was located 89 km (55 miles) northeast of Rabaul on New Britain island and at a depth of 499 km (310 miles). (Reuters)

6.8 magnitude earthquake hits Papua New Guinea

Italy held a tear-drenched funeral Saturday for dozens of its earthquake victims as the country observed a day of mourning over a disaster that killed nearly 300 people. 
 
President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and other leaders were among hundreds of mourners who sat solemnly behind 35 coffins in a sports hall in Ascoli Piceno. 
 
The hall in the capital of the Marche region had been converted temporarily to a place of worship for the funeral of most of the people who perished in the villages of Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto in the region&#39;s mountainous interior. 
 
Hundreds more stood silently outside, the sombre proceedings of the mass relayed to them by loudspeakers. 
 
Relatives of the dead sat alongside the flower-bedecked coffins, some draping themselves across them and sobbing inconsolably, three days after the deadly earthquake struck before dawn. 
 
Others hugged each other tight as Giovanni D&#39;Ercole, the bishop of Ascoli, implored them not to lose faith. 
 
&quot;Don&#39;t be afraid to scream your suffering, but do not lose courage,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;Together we will rebuild our houses and churches, together above all we will give life back to our communities ... the village bells will ring once more.&quot; 
 
Among the coffins was a small, white casket for nine-year-old Giulia, whose body protected her younger sister, Giorgia, for long enough for the five-year-old to be pulled from the rubble virtually unscathed. 
 
Giorgia was one of the last survivors to be rescued and there have been no reports of anyone else being found alive since late Wednesday. 
 
On her sister Giulia&#39;s coffin a little note had been left that stated: &quot;Ciao little one. Sorry that we arrived too late.&quot; It had apparently been left by one of the workers involved in the rescue operation. 
 
More bodies found 
 
&quot;Giulia died but she was found in a position protecting Giorgia ... life and death came face to face and for Giorgia, life won,&quot; the bishop said. 
 
Mattarella, Italy&#39;s head of state, had earlier paid tribute to the &quot;extraordinary effort&quot; of more than 4,000 rescue professionals and volunteers on a brief visit to Amatrice, the small mountain town hit hardest by the quake. 
 
Some 230 of the quake&#39;s 290 confirmed victims were buried under tonnes of collapsed masonry in the popular beauty spot&#39;s devastated centre. 
 
Three more bodies were plucked from the town&#39;s Hotel Roma overnight and there are fears there are still more bodies to be recovered. 
 
Amatrice was packed with visitors when the powerful quake struck in the early hours of Wednesday. 
 
Nearly 400 people have been hospitalised since then, some of them with life-threatening injuries. 
 
Emergency services are more confident that they have accounted for everyone in the smaller outlying hamlets to the north of Amatrice -- some of which have been so badly damaged there are doubts as to whether they will ever be inhabited again. 
 
&quot;Saletta will disappear like so many tiny places,&quot; predicted Marco Beltrame. The 28-year-old lost his aunt and uncle when the quake struck their one-street hamlet. 
 
The first grieving families to bury their dead did so on Friday evening in Pomezia. 
 
There were also tearful scenes there as hundreds of residents of the small town south of Rome turned out to pay their respects to lost relatives, friends and neighbours who included an eight-year-old boy. 
 
1,300 aftershocks 
 
A large number of the victims were from the Rome area, where many former inhabitants of the mountains have moved for work, returning to family homes only at the height of summer. 
 
At least 16 foreigners died: 10 Romanians, three Britons and one each from Canada, El Salvador and Spain. 
 
Sixteen Romanians are unaccounted for, the foreign ministry in Bucharest said Saturday. 
 
With emotions still raw, some families chose not to take up the offer of state funerals. 
 
&quot;Why attend? To listen to politicians? They always say the same thing -- that they stand with us and that it must never happen again... always the same thing!&quot; said one inconsolable woman after identifying a relative in Amatrice. 
 
The government has pledged to support immediate reconstruction. 
 
But the clear-up operation needed first has been hampered by powerful aftershocks -- more than 1,300 since Wednesday -- which have closed winding mountain roads, damaged key bridges and made life dangerous for exhausted emergency services. 
 
Renzi has declared a state of emergency for the regions affected, releasing an initial tranche of 50 million euros ($56 million) in emergency aid.&nbsp; 
 
The total rebuilding operation is forecast to cost over a billion euros. 
 
Another major commemoration service has been scheduled for Wednesday in Amatrice. Once that is over, the government and local authorities will face intense scrutiny over why so many people died, just seven years after an earthquake in the nearby city of L&#39;Aquila left more than 300 people dead. 
 
That disaster, just 50 kilometres (30 miles) to the south, underscored the region&#39;s vulnerability to seismic events -- but preparations for a fresh quake have been partial at best.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

290 people died in the earthquake and nearly 400 have been hospitalised since then

Italy held a tear-drenched funeral Saturday for dozens of its earthquake victims as the country observed a day of mourning over a disaster that killed nearly 300 people. President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and other leaders were among hundreds of mourners who sat solemnly behind 35 coffins in a sports hall in Ascoli Piceno. The hall in the capital of the Marche region had been converted temporarily to a place of worship for the funeral of most of the people who perished in the villages of Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto in the region's mountainous interior. Hundreds more stood silently outside, the sombre proceedings of the mass relayed to them by loudspeakers. Relatives of the dead sat alongside the flower-bedecked coffins, some draping themselves across them and sobbing inconsolably, three days after the deadly earthquake struck before dawn. Others hugged each other tight as Giovanni D'Ercole, the bishop of Ascoli, implored them not to lose faith. "Don't be afraid to scream your suffering, but do not lose courage," he said. "Together we will rebuild our houses and churches, together above all we will give life back to our communities ... the village bells will ring once more." Among the coffins was a small, white casket for nine-year-old Giulia, whose body protected her younger sister, Giorgia, for long enough for the five-year-old to be pulled from the rubble virtually unscathed. Giorgia was one of the last survivors to be rescued and there have been no reports of anyone else being found alive since late Wednesday. On her sister Giulia's coffin a little note had been left that stated: "Ciao little one. Sorry that we arrived too late." It had apparently been left by one of the workers involved in the rescue operation. More bodies found "Giulia died but she was found in a position protecting Giorgia ... life and death came face to face and for Giorgia, life won," the bishop said. Mattarella, Italy's head of state, had earlier paid tribute to the "extraordinary effort" of more than 4,000 rescue professionals and volunteers on a brief visit to Amatrice, the small mountain town hit hardest by the quake. Some 230 of the quake's 290 confirmed victims were buried under tonnes of collapsed masonry in the popular beauty spot's devastated centre. Three more bodies were plucked from the town's Hotel Roma overnight and there are fears there are still more bodies to be recovered. Amatrice was packed with visitors when the powerful quake struck in the early hours of Wednesday. Nearly 400 people have been hospitalised since then, some of them with life-threatening injuries. Emergency services are more confident that they have accounted for everyone in the smaller outlying hamlets to the north of Amatrice -- some of which have been so badly damaged there are doubts as to whether they will ever be inhabited again. "Saletta will disappear like so many tiny places," predicted Marco Beltrame. The 28-year-old lost his aunt and uncle when the quake struck their one-street hamlet. The first grieving families to bury their dead did so on Friday evening in Pomezia. There were also tearful scenes there as hundreds of residents of the small town south of Rome turned out to pay their respects to lost relatives, friends and neighbours who included an eight-year-old boy. 1,300 aftershocks A large number of the victims were from the Rome area, where many former inhabitants of the mountains have moved for work, returning to family homes only at the height of summer. At least 16 foreigners died: 10 Romanians, three Britons and one each from Canada, El Salvador and Spain. Sixteen Romanians are unaccounted for, the foreign ministry in Bucharest said Saturday. With emotions still raw, some families chose not to take up the offer of state funerals. "Why attend? To listen to politicians? They always say the same thing -- that they stand with us and that it must never happen again... always the same thing!" said one inconsolable woman after identifying a relative in Amatrice. The government has pledged to support immediate reconstruction. But the clear-up operation needed first has been hampered by powerful aftershocks -- more than 1,300 since Wednesday -- which have closed winding mountain roads, damaged key bridges and made life dangerous for exhausted emergency services. Renzi has declared a state of emergency for the regions affected, releasing an initial tranche of 50 million euros ($56 million) in emergency aid. The total rebuilding operation is forecast to cost over a billion euros. Another major commemoration service has been scheduled for Wednesday in Amatrice. Once that is over, the government and local authorities will face intense scrutiny over why so many people died, just seven years after an earthquake in the nearby city of L'Aquila left more than 300 people dead. That disaster, just 50 kilometres (30 miles) to the south, underscored the region's vulnerability to seismic events -- but preparations for a fresh quake have been partial at best. (AFP)

Italy holds tear-drenched funeral for quake victims, observes day of mourning

Myanmar took stock of toppled spires and crumbling temple walls in the ancient capital Bagan today after a powerful earthquake hit the country, killing three and damaging the top tourist destination. 
 
Two young girls and a man died in Magway region where the 6.8 magnitude quake struck Wednesday evening, cracking buildings across centre of the country and sending tremors that were felt as far away as Bangkok and Kolkata.&nbsp; 
 
While Red Cross&nbsp;continued to provide help and assistance in search and rescue operations, it was not treating it as a major emergency situation, Amanda George from the International Red Cross in Myanmar said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We continue to provide assistance to injured people, but we don&#39;t see this as a major disaster.&quot; 
 
 
At least 187 centuries-old pagodas damaged&nbsp; 
 
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake struck near the town of Chauk, south of Bagan, about 175 km (110 miles) southwest of the country&#39;s second city Mandalay at around 5 pm (1030 GMT). &nbsp; 
 
At least 185 centuries-old pagodas were damaged in ancient capital Bagan, home to a vast plain of some 2,500 Buddhist monuments that are among Myanmar&#39;s most venerated religious sites. Truckloads of soldiers and squadrons of police have today been sent to protect and rebuild the Buddhist brick temples. 
 
&quot;First we need to figure out the extent of the damage,&quot; Arkar Kyaw, the deputy director of Myanmar&#39;s culture ministry said. 
 
&quot;Then we will make a renovation plan,&quot; he told AFP, adding that the government is working directly with UNESCO. 
 
Bagan rivals Cambodia&#39;s Angkor Wat and Borobudur in Indonesia as Southeast Asia&#39;s premier archaeological site. Myanmar is eager to see the city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 
 
The Southeast Asian country is in a seismically active part of the world where the Indo-Australian Plate runs up against the Eurasian Plate. A magnitude 6.9 tremor hit northwestern Myanmar in April but caused no major loss of life. 
 
The Fire Department and police in the town of Pakkoku, the biggest of the towns close to the epicentre, said many buildings were cracked and it has sent several trucks to assess the damage. 
 
In Chauk, one building had nearly collapsed and was sealed off, according to a local official from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. 
 
&quot;Other buildings have visible cracks, but apart from that there&#39;s no extensive damage,&quot; said Maung Maung Kyaw. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

At least 185 centuries-old pagodas were damaged in ancient capital Bagan, the centrepiece of Myanmar's fast-growing tourism industry

Myanmar took stock of toppled spires and crumbling temple walls in the ancient capital Bagan today after a powerful earthquake hit the country, killing three and damaging the top tourist destination. Two young girls and a man died in Magway region where the 6.8 magnitude quake struck Wednesday evening, cracking buildings across centre of the country and sending tremors that were felt as far away as Bangkok and Kolkata. While Red Cross continued to provide help and assistance in search and rescue operations, it was not treating it as a major emergency situation, Amanda George from the International Red Cross in Myanmar said. "We continue to provide assistance to injured people, but we don't see this as a major disaster." At least 187 centuries-old pagodas damaged According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake struck near the town of Chauk, south of Bagan, about 175 km (110 miles) southwest of the country's second city Mandalay at around 5 pm (1030 GMT). At least 185 centuries-old pagodas were damaged in ancient capital Bagan, home to a vast plain of some 2,500 Buddhist monuments that are among Myanmar's most venerated religious sites. Truckloads of soldiers and squadrons of police have today been sent to protect and rebuild the Buddhist brick temples. "First we need to figure out the extent of the damage," Arkar Kyaw, the deputy director of Myanmar's culture ministry said. "Then we will make a renovation plan," he told AFP, adding that the government is working directly with UNESCO. Bagan rivals Cambodia's Angkor Wat and Borobudur in Indonesia as Southeast Asia's premier archaeological site. Myanmar is eager to see the city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Southeast Asian country is in a seismically active part of the world where the Indo-Australian Plate runs up against the Eurasian Plate. A magnitude 6.9 tremor hit northwestern Myanmar in April but caused no major loss of life. The Fire Department and police in the town of Pakkoku, the biggest of the towns close to the epicentre, said many buildings were cracked and it has sent several trucks to assess the damage. In Chauk, one building had nearly collapsed and was sealed off, according to a local official from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. "Other buildings have visible cracks, but apart from that there's no extensive damage," said Maung Maung Kyaw. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Myanmar assesses damage after 6.8 magnitude earthquake kills 3, sends troops to rebuild ancient pagodas

A 5.3 magnitude shallow earthquake killed at least four people and injured more than two dozen when it rocked a copper-producing region in Peru late on Sunday, authorities said. 
 
The quake was eight kilometres (5 miles) deep in the Caylloma province of the Andean region Arequipa and aftershocks continued to shake the region on Monday (August 15), the Geophysical Institute of Peru said. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the earthquake as having a 5.4 magnitude. 
 
The&nbsp;USGS&nbsp;categorises earthquakes as shallow&nbsp;(up to 70 kilometers or 43 miles), intermediate&nbsp;(70-300 kilometers or 43-186 miles) or deep&nbsp;(186-434 miles). 
 
The Caylloma province is home to Peru&#39;s Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world and a popular draw for trekkers. 
 
&quot;We are now working with heavy machinery to clean up the area and we expect it will be another four to six hours and hopefully we will then be able to reach the town of Yanque which has been the worst hit district with injured and possibly more dead. We are right now in the sector that was hit by the earthquake last night,&quot; mayor Romula Tinta of Yanque said. 
 
A 66-year-old US man was among four confirmed casualties, the National Civil Defense Institute said. 
 
Preliminary reports from affected areas indicated eight people may have been killed as dozens of homes collapsed in three towns, Arequipa governor Yamilia Osorio said on local broadcaster RPP. 
 
Phone lines and electrical service were down and roads were blocked by landslides, provincial Mayor Romulo Tinta said on RPP on Monday. 
 
Southern Copper Corp said its two copper mines and smelter in Arequipa were unaffected by the quake. Representatives of Freeport McMoRan Inc&#39;s Cerro Verde copper mine in Arequipa could not immediately be reached for comment. 
 
Vice president Martin Vizcarra travelled to Caylloma to oversee the distribution of humanitarian aide, President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said on Twitter. 
 
The quake struck a day before the ninth anniversary of a 2007 earthquake in Peru that killed hundreds in the region of Ica. 
 
Many homes in Peru are built with precarious materials such as adobe that cannot withstand earthquakes.

The 5.3 magnitude earthquake rocked a copper-producing region in the Caylloma province

A 5.3 magnitude shallow earthquake killed at least four people and injured more than two dozen when it rocked a copper-producing region in Peru late on Sunday, authorities said. The quake was eight kilometres (5 miles) deep in the Caylloma province of the Andean region Arequipa and aftershocks continued to shake the region on Monday (August 15), the Geophysical Institute of Peru said. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the earthquake as having a 5.4 magnitude. The USGS categorises earthquakes as shallow (up to 70 kilometers or 43 miles), intermediate (70-300 kilometers or 43-186 miles) or deep (186-434 miles). The Caylloma province is home to Peru's Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world and a popular draw for trekkers. "We are now working with heavy machinery to clean up the area and we expect it will be another four to six hours and hopefully we will then be able to reach the town of Yanque which has been the worst hit district with injured and possibly more dead. We are right now in the sector that was hit by the earthquake last night," mayor Romula Tinta of Yanque said. A 66-year-old US man was among four confirmed casualties, the National Civil Defense Institute said. Preliminary reports from affected areas indicated eight people may have been killed as dozens of homes collapsed in three towns, Arequipa governor Yamilia Osorio said on local broadcaster RPP. Phone lines and electrical service were down and roads were blocked by landslides, provincial Mayor Romulo Tinta said on RPP on Monday. Southern Copper Corp said its two copper mines and smelter in Arequipa were unaffected by the quake. Representatives of Freeport McMoRan Inc's Cerro Verde copper mine in Arequipa could not immediately be reached for comment. Vice president Martin Vizcarra travelled to Caylloma to oversee the distribution of humanitarian aide, President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said on Twitter. The quake struck a day before the ninth anniversary of a 2007 earthquake in Peru that killed hundreds in the region of Ica. Many homes in Peru are built with precarious materials such as adobe that cannot withstand earthquakes.

Earthquake in southern Peru kills 4

Tokyo was struck by a third earthquake in four days on Wednesday, but there were no reports of damage or casualties. 
 
The 5.0 magnitude jolt was felt in Tokyo and areas of eastern Japan at 7:25 am (2225 GMT Tuesday), the US Geological Survey said. 
 
It was the third quake to shake the capital&#39;s high-rise buildings in recent days, following a 4.8 magnitude quake on Tuesday and one of 5.0 on Sunday, but an official with the Japan Meteorological Agency said they weren&#39;t a precursor of a major jolt. 
 
&quot;This is an area that sees frequent earthquakes&quot; of a moderate size, Nariaki Ohkawara told AFP, adding that the latest quakes were part of that trend.&nbsp; 
 
The epicentre of Wednesday&#39;s quake was east of the capital in Ibaraki prefecture at a depth of about 44 kilometres (27 miles), the USGS said. 
 
There was no threat of a tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. 
 
Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year, but rigid building codes and strict enforcement mean even powerful tremors frequently do little damage. 
 
A massive undersea quake that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan&#39;s northeast coast, leaving more than 18,000 people dead or missing, and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. 
 
In April, two strong earthquakes hit southern Japan&#39;s Kumamoto prefecture followed by more than 1,700 aftershocks, and left 49 dead and caused widespread damage. 
 
The country routinely holds emergency drills to prepare for a major jolt, and the government stepped up its disaster response in the wake of the 2011 devastation.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Japan's meteorological agency denied the possibility of a tsunami following the 5.0 magnitude earthquake

Tokyo was struck by a third earthquake in four days on Wednesday, but there were no reports of damage or casualties. The 5.0 magnitude jolt was felt in Tokyo and areas of eastern Japan at 7:25 am (2225 GMT Tuesday), the US Geological Survey said. It was the third quake to shake the capital's high-rise buildings in recent days, following a 4.8 magnitude quake on Tuesday and one of 5.0 on Sunday, but an official with the Japan Meteorological Agency said they weren't a precursor of a major jolt. "This is an area that sees frequent earthquakes" of a moderate size, Nariaki Ohkawara told AFP, adding that the latest quakes were part of that trend. The epicentre of Wednesday's quake was east of the capital in Ibaraki prefecture at a depth of about 44 kilometres (27 miles), the USGS said. There was no threat of a tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year, but rigid building codes and strict enforcement mean even powerful tremors frequently do little damage. A massive undersea quake that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunami barrelling into Japan's northeast coast, leaving more than 18,000 people dead or missing, and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. In April, two strong earthquakes hit southern Japan's Kumamoto prefecture followed by more than 1,700 aftershocks, and left 49 dead and caused widespread damage. The country routinely holds emergency drills to prepare for a major jolt, and the government stepped up its disaster response in the wake of the 2011 devastation. (AFP)

Tokyo jolted by third quake in four days

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 struck eastern Japan on Sunday and shook buildings in Tokyo, officials and witnesses said, but there was no danger of a tsunami and no immediate report of injuries or major damage. 
 
The US Geological Survey (USGS) put the epicentre of the quake 44 kilometres (27 miles) northeast of Tokyo at a depth of about 44 kilometres. There were no were immediate reports of damage. 
 
Broadcaster NHK reported that the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power station, which has been shut since 2011, was checked for damage after the quake but none was found. 
 
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world&#39;s most seismically active areas, which accounts for a fifth of the world&#39;s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or larger. 
 
Japan&#39;s strongest quake on record was one of magnitude 9 that struck the northeast coast on March 11, 2011, unleashing a massive tsunami and killing nearly 20,000 people, besides setting off the world&#39;s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. 
 
(Reuters)

The US Geological Survey put the epicentre of the quake 44 kms northwest of Tokyo. There are no immediate reports of damage

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 struck eastern Japan on Sunday and shook buildings in Tokyo, officials and witnesses said, but there was no danger of a tsunami and no immediate report of injuries or major damage. The US Geological Survey (USGS) put the epicentre of the quake 44 kilometres (27 miles) northeast of Tokyo at a depth of about 44 kilometres. There were no were immediate reports of damage. Broadcaster NHK reported that the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power station, which has been shut since 2011, was checked for damage after the quake but none was found. Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas, which accounts for a fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or larger. Japan's strongest quake on record was one of magnitude 9 that struck the northeast coast on March 11, 2011, unleashing a massive tsunami and killing nearly 20,000 people, besides setting off the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. (Reuters)

Earthquake measuring 5.0 rattles Tokyo and eastern Japan

A huge earthquake may be building beneath Bangladesh, which can turn urban areas in eastern India into &quot;ruins&quot;, a new study has warned. 
 
Scientists said they have new evidence of increasing strain where two tectonic plates underlie the world&#39;s largest river delta. 
 
They estimate that at least 140 million people in the region could be affected if the boundary ruptures; the destruction could come not only from the direct results of shaking, but changes in the courses of great rivers, and in the level of land already perilously close to sea level. 
 
The newly identified threat is a subduction zone, where one section of earth&#39;s crust, or a tectonic plate, is slowly thrusting under another. 
 
Strain between tectonic plates building for at least 400 years&nbsp; 
 
All of earth&#39;s biggest known earthquakes occur along such zones; these include the Indian Ocean quake and tsunami that killed some 230,000 people in 2004, and the 2011 Tohoku quake and tsunami off Japan, which swept away more than 20,000 and caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster. 
 
Up to now, all known such zones were only under the ocean; this one appears to be entirely under the land, which greatly multiplies the threat. 
 
The strain between the plates has been building for at least 400 years -- the span of reliable historical records, which lack reports of any mega-quake, said lead author Michael Steckler, a geophysicist at Columbia University. 
 
When an inevitable release comes, the shaking is likely to be larger than magnitude 8.2 on the Richter scale and could even reach a magnitude of 9, similar to the largest known modern quakes, said Steckler. 
 
 
Bangladesh, eastern India sit atop vulnerable landscape&nbsp; 
 
A giant plate comprising India and much of the Indian Ocean has been thrusting northeasterly into Asia for tens of millions of years, researchers said. 
 
This collision has caused the Himalayas to rise to the north, bringing events like the 2015 Nepal quake that killed nearly 9,000 people. 
 
Bangladesh and eastern India sit atop a landscape vulnerable even to moderate earthquakes: the vast delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, researchers said. 
 
This is basically a pile of mud as deep as 12 miles, washed from the Himalayas to the coast, covering the subduction zone. 
 
In a quake, this low-lying substrate would magnify the shaking like gelatin, and liquefy in many places, sucking in buildings, roads and people, said study coauthor Syed Humayun Akhter, a geologist at Dhaka University. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t have a good idea of its geometry, we don&#39;t know how far it goes down,&quot; said James Ni, a seismologist at New Mexico State University. 
 
He said that if researchers are right, and the slab is building strain, a quake would probably turn urban areas in eastern India &quot;into ruins,&quot; and effects likely would extend into Myanmar and beyond. 
 
The findings appear in the journal Nature Geoscience.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)&nbsp;

When an inevitable release comes, shaking is likely to be larger than magnitude 8.2 on Richter scale and could even reach a magnitude of 9

A huge earthquake may be building beneath Bangladesh, which can turn urban areas in eastern India into "ruins", a new study has warned. Scientists said they have new evidence of increasing strain where two tectonic plates underlie the world's largest river delta. They estimate that at least 140 million people in the region could be affected if the boundary ruptures; the destruction could come not only from the direct results of shaking, but changes in the courses of great rivers, and in the level of land already perilously close to sea level. The newly identified threat is a subduction zone, where one section of earth's crust, or a tectonic plate, is slowly thrusting under another. Strain between tectonic plates building for at least 400 years All of earth's biggest known earthquakes occur along such zones; these include the Indian Ocean quake and tsunami that killed some 230,000 people in 2004, and the 2011 Tohoku quake and tsunami off Japan, which swept away more than 20,000 and caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Up to now, all known such zones were only under the ocean; this one appears to be entirely under the land, which greatly multiplies the threat. The strain between the plates has been building for at least 400 years -- the span of reliable historical records, which lack reports of any mega-quake, said lead author Michael Steckler, a geophysicist at Columbia University. When an inevitable release comes, the shaking is likely to be larger than magnitude 8.2 on the Richter scale and could even reach a magnitude of 9, similar to the largest known modern quakes, said Steckler. Bangladesh, eastern India sit atop vulnerable landscape A giant plate comprising India and much of the Indian Ocean has been thrusting northeasterly into Asia for tens of millions of years, researchers said. This collision has caused the Himalayas to rise to the north, bringing events like the 2015 Nepal quake that killed nearly 9,000 people. Bangladesh and eastern India sit atop a landscape vulnerable even to moderate earthquakes: the vast delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, researchers said. This is basically a pile of mud as deep as 12 miles, washed from the Himalayas to the coast, covering the subduction zone. In a quake, this low-lying substrate would magnify the shaking like gelatin, and liquefy in many places, sucking in buildings, roads and people, said study coauthor Syed Humayun Akhter, a geologist at Dhaka University. "We don't have a good idea of its geometry, we don't know how far it goes down," said James Ni, a seismologist at New Mexico State University. He said that if researchers are right, and the slab is building strain, a quake would probably turn urban areas in eastern India "into ruins," and effects likely would extend into Myanmar and beyond. The findings appear in the journal Nature Geoscience. (PTI)

Massive earthquake threat looms over Bangladesh, India; 140 million people may be at risk: Study

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck northern Ecuador on Sunday in the same area devastated by a powerful quake in mid-April, the US Geological Service (USGS) said. 
 
Its epicentre was 41 kilometres (25.5 miles) south of the town of Propicia - located next to the quake-devastated coastal town of Esmeraldas - and 154 kilometres (96 miles) northwest of the capital Quito, the USGS said. 
 
The quake, which struck at 9:11 pm (0211 GMT Monday), was preceded just minutes earlier by a 5.9 magnitude quake with an epicentre one kilometre away. 
 
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. 
 
Earthquake monitors in Ecuador had slightly different readings on the magnitude of the quakes. 
 
The epicentre of both tremors was at a shallow depth of 35 kilometers, the USGS said. 
 
Ecuador is still reeling from a deadly 7.8-magnitude quake that struck on April 16, killing some 700 people. 
 
The quake flattened homes and buildings up and down a long stretch of Pacific coast, reducing picturesque resort towns to rubble. 
 
(AFP)

It was preceded by a 5.9 magnitude quake minutes earlier with its epicentre one kilometer away

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck northern Ecuador on Sunday in the same area devastated by a powerful quake in mid-April, the US Geological Service (USGS) said. Its epicentre was 41 kilometres (25.5 miles) south of the town of Propicia - located next to the quake-devastated coastal town of Esmeraldas - and 154 kilometres (96 miles) northwest of the capital Quito, the USGS said. The quake, which struck at 9:11 pm (0211 GMT Monday), was preceded just minutes earlier by a 5.9 magnitude quake with an epicentre one kilometre away. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Earthquake monitors in Ecuador had slightly different readings on the magnitude of the quakes. The epicentre of both tremors was at a shallow depth of 35 kilometers, the USGS said. Ecuador is still reeling from a deadly 7.8-magnitude quake that struck on April 16, killing some 700 people. The quake flattened homes and buildings up and down a long stretch of Pacific coast, reducing picturesque resort towns to rubble. (AFP)

6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes Ecuador

Nepal is selling thousands of tonnes of rice donated by China and Bangladesh to help earthquake victims, an official said, despite aid agencies warning that survivors remain at risk of food shortages. 
 
Nearly 9,000 lost their lives when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake ripped through the Himalayan nation in April 2015, destroying more than half a million homes and leaving thousands without food or shelter. 
 
Initial estimates by the World Food Programme (WFP) said that about 1.4 million were in urgent need of emergency food supplies, prompting governments to spring into action to help the desperately poor country. 
 
According to the state-run Nepal Food Corporation (NFC), Dhaka and Beijing donated about 11,200 metric tonnes of rice, only 20 per cent of which was distributed by the government to quake victims. 
 
&quot;The remaining rice has been sitting in our godown (warehouse) for 10 months and now that Bangladesh has donated even more rice to us, we don&#39;t have enough space to store it all,&quot; said Pawan Kumar Karki, NFC spokesman. 
 
&quot;So we started selling the rice last month and will deposit the proceeds in a fund operated by the government,&quot; Karki said. 
 
No further details about the fund were available. 
 
Kathmandu stopped distributing rice across quake-hit districts last June, just weeks after the disaster, according to Karki. 
 
Yet more than a year later, disaster victims continue to be at risk of food shortages, aid officials said. 
 
&quot;We were distributing rice, lentils and other supplies right until February. While there have been improvements, there are still pockets of food insecurity among households headed by single mothers or belonging to marginalised communities,&quot; said a WFP spokeswoman. 
 
The NFC&#39;s Karki said that authorities also plan to dispatch 3,400 metric tonnes of donated rice to the remote Karnali region following last year&#39;s poor monsoons and a prolonged winter drought, but no supplies had been sent yet. 
 
With an estimated four million people still living in temporary shelters, Nepal has asked for $8.4 billion in aid to help rebuild the country. 
 
But delays in formulating a reconstruction plan mean Kathmandu has received just $1.6 billion so far, about 40 per cent of the $4.1 billion pledged by international donors. 
 
Stung by criticism, the government has vowed to kickstart the rebuilding of schools and hospitals and speed up the distribution of a $2,000 payout to homeless households. 
 
So far, some 24,000 families have received the first $500 instalment of the promised payout, fewer than five per cent of those left homeless by the disaster. 
 
(AFP)

A year after earthquake, victims continue to be at risk of food shortages as governement runs out of space to store donated grains

Nepal is selling thousands of tonnes of rice donated by China and Bangladesh to help earthquake victims, an official said, despite aid agencies warning that survivors remain at risk of food shortages. Nearly 9,000 lost their lives when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake ripped through the Himalayan nation in April 2015, destroying more than half a million homes and leaving thousands without food or shelter. Initial estimates by the World Food Programme (WFP) said that about 1.4 million were in urgent need of emergency food supplies, prompting governments to spring into action to help the desperately poor country. According to the state-run Nepal Food Corporation (NFC), Dhaka and Beijing donated about 11,200 metric tonnes of rice, only 20 per cent of which was distributed by the government to quake victims. "The remaining rice has been sitting in our godown (warehouse) for 10 months and now that Bangladesh has donated even more rice to us, we don't have enough space to store it all," said Pawan Kumar Karki, NFC spokesman. "So we started selling the rice last month and will deposit the proceeds in a fund operated by the government," Karki said. No further details about the fund were available. Kathmandu stopped distributing rice across quake-hit districts last June, just weeks after the disaster, according to Karki. Yet more than a year later, disaster victims continue to be at risk of food shortages, aid officials said. "We were distributing rice, lentils and other supplies right until February. While there have been improvements, there are still pockets of food insecurity among households headed by single mothers or belonging to marginalised communities," said a WFP spokeswoman. The NFC's Karki said that authorities also plan to dispatch 3,400 metric tonnes of donated rice to the remote Karnali region following last year's poor monsoons and a prolonged winter drought, but no supplies had been sent yet. With an estimated four million people still living in temporary shelters, Nepal has asked for $8.4 billion in aid to help rebuild the country. But delays in formulating a reconstruction plan mean Kathmandu has received just $1.6 billion so far, about 40 per cent of the $4.1 billion pledged by international donors. Stung by criticism, the government has vowed to kickstart the rebuilding of schools and hospitals and speed up the distribution of a $2,000 payout to homeless households. So far, some 24,000 families have received the first $500 instalment of the promised payout, fewer than five per cent of those left homeless by the disaster. (AFP)

Nepal selling rice donated by Beijing, Dhaka for quake victims

At least 30 homes and a school were destroyed in an earthquake that caused no injuries or deaths in Tajikistan, the ex-Soviet country&#39;s state emergencies committee reported Saturday. 
 
A committee spokesman told AFP an earthquake of 5.4 magnitude struck in the remote Rasht region roughly 200 kilometres (124 miles) east of the Central Asian country&#39;s capital Dushanbe at around 1500 GMT on Friday. 
 
A full assessment of the damage is still being carried out by the committee&#39;s team on the ground, the spokesman added. 
 
Mountainous and poverty-struck Tajikistan is prone to regular natural disasters including landslides and earthquakes. 
 
Last week in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan a stronger quake of 6.7 magnitude struck close to the nations&#39; shared border according to the Kyrgyz emergency services ministry, but did not cause damage or casualties.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

The mountainous and poverty-struck country is prone to regular natural disasters like landslides and earthquakes

At least 30 homes and a school were destroyed in an earthquake that caused no injuries or deaths in Tajikistan, the ex-Soviet country's state emergencies committee reported Saturday. A committee spokesman told AFP an earthquake of 5.4 magnitude struck in the remote Rasht region roughly 200 kilometres (124 miles) east of the Central Asian country's capital Dushanbe at around 1500 GMT on Friday. A full assessment of the damage is still being carried out by the committee's team on the ground, the spokesman added. Mountainous and poverty-struck Tajikistan is prone to regular natural disasters including landslides and earthquakes. Last week in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan a stronger quake of 6.7 magnitude struck close to the nations' shared border according to the Kyrgyz emergency services ministry, but did not cause damage or casualties. (AFP)

5.4-magnitude earthquake rattles Tajikistan, destroys 30 homes and a school

A tremor of 4.4 magnitude today shook central Nepal, nearly 14 months after a massive earthquake devastated the Himalayan nation killing about 9,000 people. 
 
The epicentre of the tremor, that hit the region at 11.34 am local time, was located at Nuwakot district, about 50 miles Southwest of the capital Kathmandu. 
 
The National Seismological Centre said today&#39;s was the 461st aftershock with 4 or more magnitude since the 7.8 magnitude quake hit the country on April 25 last year. 
 
The previous aftershock was recorded on June 14 with its epicentre in Gorkha district. 
 
(PTI) 
 
&nbsp;

Nepal has experienced 461 aftershocks following the massive 2015 earthquake that killed around 9,000 people

A tremor of 4.4 magnitude today shook central Nepal, nearly 14 months after a massive earthquake devastated the Himalayan nation killing about 9,000 people. The epicentre of the tremor, that hit the region at 11.34 am local time, was located at Nuwakot district, about 50 miles Southwest of the capital Kathmandu. The National Seismological Centre said today's was the 461st aftershock with 4 or more magnitude since the 7.8 magnitude quake hit the country on April 25 last year. The previous aftershock was recorded on June 14 with its epicentre in Gorkha district. (PTI)

Earthquake of 4.4 magnitude rocks Nepal

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake and at least three aftershocks shook northwestern Nicaragua on Thursday night. 
 
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. 
 
The 6.1 quake struck at 9:25 PM (0325 GMT), centered 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) east of Puerto Morazan near the Honduras border at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey. 
 
It was followed by three weaker aftershocks within the next 20 minutes, USGS said. 
 
&quot;The quake was felt almost throughout the country,&quot; government spokeswoman and First Lady Rosario Murillo said, calling it &quot;unusually strong.&quot; 
 
She urged residents to stay calm, warning of the threat of more aftershocks. 
 
Puerto Morazan is about 125 kilometers northwest of the capital Managua.

An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude hit northwestern Nicaragua on Thursday night. There was no damage or casualty reported

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake and at least three aftershocks shook northwestern Nicaragua on Thursday night. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The 6.1 quake struck at 9:25 PM (0325 GMT), centered 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) east of Puerto Morazan near the Honduras border at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was followed by three weaker aftershocks within the next 20 minutes, USGS said. "The quake was felt almost throughout the country," government spokeswoman and First Lady Rosario Murillo said, calling it "unusually strong." She urged residents to stay calm, warning of the threat of more aftershocks. Puerto Morazan is about 125 kilometers northwest of the capital Managua.

6.1 magnitude quake, aftershocks shake northwest Nicaragua

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 shook parts of Taiwan today&nbsp;and was felt in the capital, Taipei, residents and officials said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey originally recorded the quake, centred about 110 km (70 miles) northeast of Taipei, with a magnitude of 6.4. Taiwan&#39;s Central Weather Bureau put the magnitude at 7.2.

Parts of Taiwan tremble as 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits, but no immediate reports of damage

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 shook parts of Taiwan today and was felt in the capital, Taipei, residents and officials said, but there were no immediate reports of damage. The U.S. Geological Survey originally recorded the quake, centred about 110 km (70 miles) northeast of Taipei, with a magnitude of 6.4. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau put the magnitude at 7.2.

Earthquake measuring 6.1 shakes parts of Taiwan, including capital

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