Earthquakes rock capital of Peru from news.com.au TWO powerful earthquakes struck within minutes of each other today near Lima, the capital of Peru, killing at least 17 people according to reports.
A potentially destructive tsunami was generated by the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.
It issued a warning for Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica and a tsunami watch advisory for Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, and Honduras.
A tsunami advisory was meanwhile issued for Hawaii in the mid-Pacific.
The first quake, with a magnitude of 7.7, hit about 30km west of Chincha Alta, at a shallow 18km from the earth's surface, the US Geological Survey said.
It said the second had a magnitude of 7.5.
An Associated Press photographer said homes had collapsed in the centre of Lima and that many people had fled into the streets.
The AP said at least 17 people were killed as buildings toppled.
Cable new station Canal N reported that a church collapsed in the city of Ica south of Lima, killing 17 people and injuring 70.
Firefighters quoted in radio reports said lamp posts collapsed and windows shattered in Lima but did not specify if there were any injuries.
Hundreds of workers were evacuated from Lima office buildings after the quake struck and remained outside, fearing aftershocks
Callers to Radioprogramas, Peru's main news radio station, said parts of several cities in southern Peru had been hit with blackouts.
Callers said homes in poor neighbourhoods in Chincha and Cerro Azul had collapsed.
The quake also knocked out telephone service and mobile phone service in the capital.
Firefighters were called to put out a fire in a shopping centre.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said instruments indicated a tsunami was generated and warned it could be a series of waves with intervals running from five minutes to one hour between them, and that the first wave would not necessarily be the largest.
Authorities in Australia said there was no danger to the east coast here.
Geoscience Australia seismologist Clive Collins said although today's quake was large, it would have to have a magnitude in the high eights to travel across the Pacific.
Market recovers slightly after fall By Bridget Carter THE Australian share market plunged as much five per cent in its biggest intraday fall in more than seven years before recovering to finish just over one per cent lower.
The big decline coincided with a halt to trading on the Sydney Futures Exchange (SFE) for more than an hour.
The suspension exaggerated the negative sentiment already in the market, with $21.1 billion wiped from the value of stocks comprising the All Ordinaries index.
Traders were left with nowhere to hedge risk because of the SFE delay, triggering the sale of physical stocks instead.
Futures trading was halted at about 1245 AEST to address an urgent "hardware rectification" before trading recommenced at almost 1400 AEST.
Today's intraday fall, which left the market down more than 5.5 per cent at one stage, was the worst one-day decline since April 2000 when the market fell 5.7 per cent.
But the market came back and the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index ended down 76.5 points or 1.32 per cent to 5711.5 at the close.
The All Ordinaries index was 89.3 points, or 1.54 per cent, lower at 5712.2, shedding $21.1 billion from the value of stocks comprising the index.
The September share price index contract closed 83 points lower at 5,700 after it reached a volume of 59,338 contracts.
ABN Amro Morgans private client adviser Bill Bishop said today's sell-off meant the fall on both major indices amounted to 11 per cent since July 19.
"It started off bad and got worse," Mr Bishop said.
"There was a combination of factors swinging around.
"There was the futures market glitch... large cap stocks got pummelled and small cap stocks always really feel it in a situation like this, and the losses were significant across all sectors.
"We were hopeful we would have a milder day, and those hopes were dashed before lunch."
Mr Bishop said the market was saved by what he described as a "massive afternoon comeback".
"It was a great relief to see the All Ordinaries only down 89 points, given the Asian markets were down today, and the Japanese market was down two per cent."
Major stocks such as Commonwealth Bank were hammered, despite Commonwealth's strong financial results on Wednesday.
The All Ordinaries dropped 311, then came back 222 points by the finish.
The All Ordinaries has fallen 11.52 per cent or 744 points since July 19.
The S&P/ASX 200 has lost 11.07 per cent since July 24 when it was at 6422, and today the index slipped to an intraday low of 5483.3 before bouncing back.
Most of stocks took a battering, including BHP Billiton, which ended down 20 cents to $33.
Rival Rio Tinto dropped 43 cents to $82.57 and Alumina lost seven cents to $6.12.
Banks were all hit, as Commonwealth fell 50 cents to $52.50, National Australia Bank dropped 41 cents to $37.95, Westpac was down 37 cents to $24.77 and ANZ fell 55 cents to $27.05.
Telstra closed down eight cents to $4.27, while its instalment receipts lost seven cents to $2.78.
Media giants gained, except for Publishing and Broadcasting, which was down 90 cents to $16.50.
News Corp ended up 56 cents to $25.96 and its non voting stock finished up 46 cents to $24.31.
Fairfax increased seven cents to $4.55, Seven Network was up three cents to $10.94 and Ten Network rose two cents to $2.50.
Among the retailers, major stocks fell, including Woolworths, down 10 cents to $26.70, Wesfarmers, down 41 cents to $39.09, and Coles was down 40 cents to $13.37.
Energy giant Woodside Petroleum fell 34 cents to $39.80, Santos lost eight cents to $11.30 and Oil Search was steady at $3.25.
The closing price of gold in Sydney was $US665.20, down $US1.30 from yesterday's close of $US666.50.
Gold miner Newcrest Mining fell 60 cents to $24.52, Lihir Gold was down 13 cents to $2.91, while Newmont gained ten cents to end at $4.93.
Overall, today's most traded stock was Empire Oil & Gas, which had 351.2 million shares change hands worth $9 million
The company's shares fell 0.8 cents to 2.5 cents.
Preliminary market turnover was 3.8 billion stocks worth $12.67 billion, with 245 stocks ending higher, 1,284 lower and 196 unchanged.
Lawyer's body found in park from news.com.au POLICE have found the body of West Australian Supreme Court registrar Corryn Rayney in a grave in Perth's Kings Park.
The 44-year-old mother of two has been missing for nine days after failing to return home after a bootscooting class on August 7.
Detective Senior Sergeant Jack Lee said today police had found her body buried beside a bush track in the park, which lies close to the centre of Perth.
"I can confirm that the human remains found in Kings Park are those of Corryn Rayney,'' Det Lee said.
Perth Police and forensic investigators discovered the grave site yesterday and today continued to painstakingly remove soil, layer by layer.
Det Snr Sgt Lee said they had not yet uncovered the body of Ms Rayney, whose husband Lloyd Rayney is a prominent Perth lawyer.
He said she was identified by DNA analysis after probes took samples from the body.
Ms Rayney's body may not be fully uncovered until tomorrow.
Police were led to the grave site after following a leak of fluid from Ms Rayney's vehicle.
Her silver 2005 Ford Fairmont was found in nearby Subiaco on Tuesday.
Witnesses said the car had been sitting there since the day after her disappearance.
Police have told Ms Rayney's family and colleagues of the finding.
Man's BMW shooting 'not a random attack' from news.com.au THE murder of a father-of-five outside his western Sydney home this morning does not appear to be a random shooting, police say.
A family law dispute involving the 37-year-old man will be considered as a possible motive during the homicide investigation, New South Wales police Superintendent Phil Hickman said today.
There was nothing to indicate any links to gang activity, Supt Hickman added.
"We're looking at pretty much everything at the moment. It is the preliminary stage (and) we're looking at absolutely everything that could be a possible factor," he said.
"It doesn't appear to be random."
Supt Hickman said the man was shot just after 6am (AEST) while sitting in his black BMW sedan in the driveway of his Aubrey Street home in Granville.
Supt Hickman refused to confirm witness reports of between three to seven shots being fired, or that the man had been shot in the head.
"He's been murdered and beyond that I don't wish to talk about the specifics," he said.
It is understood a number of shell casings were found at the scene but Supt Hickman would not comment on the type of weapon used.
He said police had canvassed the surrounding streets and were working on "a number of leads".
Police have yet to formally identify the victim and his name has not been released.
Supt Hickman said police had today established Strike Force Keeling to investigate the crime.
He warned people who think they may know who is responsible against taking matters into their own hands.
"Retribution suggests that people know who is responsible, if that's the case I'd ask those people to come forward with information," Supt Hickman said.
"We are still appealing to the public if they have any information concerning any strange behaviour or anything that was witnessed about 6am (AEST), to contact Granville Police Station or Crime Stoppers."
Earthquakes rock capital of Peru
ReplyDeletefrom news.com.au
TWO powerful earthquakes struck within minutes of each other today near Lima, the capital of Peru, killing at least 17 people according to reports.
A potentially destructive tsunami was generated by the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.
It issued a warning for Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica and a tsunami watch advisory for Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, and Honduras.
A tsunami advisory was meanwhile issued for Hawaii in the mid-Pacific.
The first quake, with a magnitude of 7.7, hit about 30km west of Chincha Alta, at a shallow 18km from the earth's surface, the US Geological Survey said.
It said the second had a magnitude of 7.5.
An Associated Press photographer said homes had collapsed in the centre of Lima and that many people had fled into the streets.
The AP said at least 17 people were killed as buildings toppled.
Cable new station Canal N reported that a church collapsed in the city of Ica south of Lima, killing 17 people and injuring 70.
Firefighters quoted in radio reports said lamp posts collapsed and windows shattered in Lima but did not specify if there were any injuries.
Hundreds of workers were evacuated from Lima office buildings after the quake struck and remained outside, fearing aftershocks
Callers to Radioprogramas, Peru's main news radio station, said parts of several cities in southern Peru had been hit with blackouts.
Callers said homes in poor neighbourhoods in Chincha and Cerro Azul had collapsed.
The quake also knocked out telephone service and mobile phone service in the capital.
Firefighters were called to put out a fire in a shopping centre.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said instruments indicated a tsunami was generated and warned it could be a series of waves with intervals running from five minutes to one hour between them, and that the first wave would not necessarily be the largest.
Authorities in Australia said there was no danger to the east coast here.
Geoscience Australia seismologist Clive Collins said although today's quake was large, it would have to have a magnitude in the high eights to travel across the Pacific.
- with Reuters, AFP
Market recovers slightly after fall
ReplyDeleteBy Bridget Carter
THE Australian share market plunged as much five per cent in its biggest intraday fall in more than seven years before recovering to finish just over one per cent lower.
The big decline coincided with a halt to trading on the Sydney Futures Exchange (SFE) for more than an hour.
The suspension exaggerated the negative sentiment already in the market, with $21.1 billion wiped from the value of stocks comprising the All Ordinaries index.
Traders were left with nowhere to hedge risk because of the SFE delay, triggering the sale of physical stocks instead.
Futures trading was halted at about 1245 AEST to address an urgent "hardware rectification" before trading recommenced at almost 1400 AEST.
Today's intraday fall, which left the market down more than 5.5 per cent at one stage, was the worst one-day decline since April 2000 when the market fell 5.7 per cent.
But the market came back and the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index ended down 76.5 points or 1.32 per cent to 5711.5 at the close.
The All Ordinaries index was 89.3 points, or 1.54 per cent, lower at 5712.2, shedding $21.1 billion from the value of stocks comprising the index.
The September share price index contract closed 83 points lower at 5,700 after it reached a volume of 59,338 contracts.
ABN Amro Morgans private client adviser Bill Bishop said today's sell-off meant the fall on both major indices amounted to 11 per cent since July 19.
"It started off bad and got worse," Mr Bishop said.
"There was a combination of factors swinging around.
"There was the futures market glitch... large cap stocks got pummelled and small cap stocks always really feel it in a situation like this, and the losses were significant across all sectors.
"We were hopeful we would have a milder day, and those hopes were dashed before lunch."
Mr Bishop said the market was saved by what he described as a "massive afternoon comeback".
"It was a great relief to see the All Ordinaries only down 89 points, given the Asian markets were down today, and the Japanese market was down two per cent."
Major stocks such as Commonwealth Bank were hammered, despite Commonwealth's strong financial results on Wednesday.
The All Ordinaries dropped 311, then came back 222 points by the finish.
The All Ordinaries has fallen 11.52 per cent or 744 points since July 19.
The S&P/ASX 200 has lost 11.07 per cent since July 24 when it was at 6422, and today the index slipped to an intraday low of 5483.3 before bouncing back.
Most of stocks took a battering, including BHP Billiton, which ended down 20 cents to $33.
Rival Rio Tinto dropped 43 cents to $82.57 and Alumina lost seven cents to $6.12.
Banks were all hit, as Commonwealth fell 50 cents to $52.50, National Australia Bank dropped 41 cents to $37.95, Westpac was down 37 cents to $24.77 and ANZ fell 55 cents to $27.05.
Telstra closed down eight cents to $4.27, while its instalment receipts lost seven cents to $2.78.
Media giants gained, except for Publishing and Broadcasting, which was down 90 cents to $16.50.
News Corp ended up 56 cents to $25.96 and its non voting stock finished up 46 cents to $24.31.
Fairfax increased seven cents to $4.55, Seven Network was up three cents to $10.94 and Ten Network rose two cents to $2.50.
Among the retailers, major stocks fell, including Woolworths, down 10 cents to $26.70, Wesfarmers, down 41 cents to $39.09, and Coles was down 40 cents to $13.37.
Energy giant Woodside Petroleum fell 34 cents to $39.80, Santos lost eight cents to $11.30 and Oil Search was steady at $3.25.
The closing price of gold in Sydney was $US665.20, down $US1.30 from yesterday's close of $US666.50.
Gold miner Newcrest Mining fell 60 cents to $24.52, Lihir Gold was down 13 cents to $2.91, while Newmont gained ten cents to end at $4.93.
Overall, today's most traded stock was Empire Oil & Gas, which had 351.2 million shares change hands worth $9 million
The company's shares fell 0.8 cents to 2.5 cents.
Preliminary market turnover was 3.8 billion stocks worth $12.67 billion, with 245 stocks ending higher, 1,284 lower and 196 unchanged.
Lawyer's body found in park
ReplyDeletefrom news.com.au
POLICE have found the body of West Australian Supreme Court registrar Corryn Rayney in a grave in Perth's Kings Park.
The 44-year-old mother of two has been missing for nine days after failing to return home after a bootscooting class on August 7.
Detective Senior Sergeant Jack Lee said today police had found her body buried beside a bush track in the park, which lies close to the centre of Perth.
"I can confirm that the human remains found in Kings Park are those of Corryn Rayney,'' Det Lee said.
Perth Police and forensic investigators discovered the grave site yesterday and today continued to painstakingly remove soil, layer by layer.
Det Snr Sgt Lee said they had not yet uncovered the body of Ms Rayney, whose husband Lloyd Rayney is a prominent Perth lawyer.
He said she was identified by DNA analysis after probes took samples from the body.
Ms Rayney's body may not be fully uncovered until tomorrow.
Police were led to the grave site after following a leak of fluid from Ms Rayney's vehicle.
Her silver 2005 Ford Fairmont was found in nearby Subiaco on Tuesday.
Witnesses said the car had been sitting there since the day after her disappearance.
Police have told Ms Rayney's family and colleagues of the finding.
Man's BMW shooting 'not a random attack'
ReplyDeletefrom news.com.au
THE murder of a father-of-five outside his western Sydney home this morning does not appear to be a random shooting, police say.
A family law dispute involving the 37-year-old man will be considered as a possible motive during the homicide investigation, New South Wales police Superintendent Phil Hickman said today.
There was nothing to indicate any links to gang activity, Supt Hickman added.
"We're looking at pretty much everything at the moment. It is the preliminary stage (and) we're looking at absolutely everything that could be a possible factor," he said.
"It doesn't appear to be random."
Supt Hickman said the man was shot just after 6am (AEST) while sitting in his black BMW sedan in the driveway of his Aubrey Street home in Granville.
Supt Hickman refused to confirm witness reports of between three to seven shots being fired, or that the man had been shot in the head.
"He's been murdered and beyond that I don't wish to talk about the specifics," he said.
It is understood a number of shell casings were found at the scene but Supt Hickman would not comment on the type of weapon used.
He said police had canvassed the surrounding streets and were working on "a number of leads".
Police have yet to formally identify the victim and his name has not been released.
Supt Hickman said police had today established Strike Force Keeling to investigate the crime.
He warned people who think they may know who is responsible against taking matters into their own hands.
"Retribution suggests that people know who is responsible, if that's the case I'd ask those people to come forward with information," Supt Hickman said.
"We are still appealing to the public if they have any information concerning any strange behaviour or anything that was witnessed about 6am (AEST), to contact Granville Police Station or Crime Stoppers."
The Crime Stoppers number is 1800 333 000.