China starts freight train link to London

BEIJING • China has launched its first freight train to London, the China Railway Corp said.

The train left Yiwu West railway station, in eastern Zhejiang province, on Sunday, and will travel for about 18 days and more than 12,000km before reaching the British capital.

It will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before arriving in London.

London is the 15th city in Europe that has been added to the China-Europe freight train route.

XINHUA

Indonesian police nab terror suspect

JAKARTA • Indonesian police have arrested a suspected terrorist who was allegedly planning a New Year's Eve attack on a church in Palu, Central Sulawesi.

The suspect, who goes by the names Irwanto and Abu Muhammad, was captured during a raid by anti-terror unit Densus 88 last Saturday - just hours before he was due to launch an attack on a church and a house belonging to Shi'ite Muslims in Palu, the Jakarta Globe reported.

The police yesterday said Irwanto had set off two small handmade bombs during a test explosion before the planned attacks.