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Widespread devastation after 7.0 quake in New Zealand
09/04 | 10:29 GMT
©AFP/File / Iain Mcgregor
People driving front loaders work on moving rubble blocking Victoria Street in Christchurch on September 4, 2010 after a powerful 7.0 earthquake struck New Zealand's second largest city, causing widespread damage.
©AFP/File / Iain Mcgregor
People driving front loaders work on moving rubble blocking Victoria Street in Christchurch
CHRISTCHURCH (AFP) - New Zealand's most destructive earthquake in nearly 80 years caused two billion dollars' worth of damage Saturday, felling buildings, tearing up roads and sending terrified residents fleeing into the streets.
Officials said it was "extremely lucky" no one was killed when the 7.0 magnitude quake shook the island nation's second-largest city of Christchurch just before dawn.
Frightened residents fled from their homes to find streets covered in rubble and glass, but despite the extent of the damage only two people were seriously injured in the city of 340,000 people.
Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said he was "horrified by the amount of damage" which daylight showed was considerably worse than first thought.
"There would not be a house, there would not be a family in our city that has not in some way have damage done to their person, to their property," Parker said on national radio.
"I think it's like an iceberg; there is... below the visible line, significant structural damage."
Few people were on the streets as the quake hit but building facades crashed to the ground, crushing parked cars and showering the roads with shattered glass, while gas and water electricity supplies were cut.
Facts:Quake among New Zealand's worst
©AFP/Graphic
The location of a strong earthquake which hit New Zealand
A state of emergency was declared in Christchurch and a 7:00 pm to 7:00 am curfew imposed in the city centre as initial estimates put the damage at up to two billion dollars (1.44 billion US).
Residents were warned to stay away from damaged buildings for fear of further collapses as severe aftershocks continued to rock the city.
"I think we've been extremely lucky as a nation that there's been no fatalities... we're blessed actually," Civil Defence Minister John Carter said after being briefed on the impact of the quake he described as a "significant disaster".
Prime Minister John Key flew to the city to survey the scene and support residents, many of whom described the quake as a terrifying experience.
"We are not going to let Christchurch suffer this great tragedy on its own," Key said.
The quake, initially recorded at a magnitude of 7.4, struck at 4:35 am (1635 GMT Friday) at a depth of five kilometres (three miles) some 45 kilometres west of Christchurch, the US Geological Survey said.
"Oh my God. There is a row of shops completely demolished right in front of me," resident Colleen Simpson told the Stuff website, adding that many people had run out onto the streets in fear.
Christchurch Hospital spokeswoman Michele Hider said two men in their 50s were seriously injured -- one was hit by a falling chimney and the other was cut by falling glass.
©AFP/File / Carys Monteath
Two women, still in their pyjamas, stand beside a damaged building after a powerful 7.0 earthquake struck Christchurch
Police closed the centre of the city as looters targeted damaged shops, police Inspector Mike Coleman said.
"There's considerable damage there, and we've already had reports of looting. Shop windows are broken and obviously it's easy pickings for displays and things."
In the hours immediately after the quake, roads in the seaside suburbs were packed with cars as residents moved inland, but there was no tsunami.
Kevin O'Hanlon, from the Mairehau area of Christchurch, said: "Just unbelievable. I was awake to go to work and then just heard this massive noise and, boom, it was like the house got hit. It just started shaking. I've never felt anything like it."
Related article:City 'wobbles like jelly' in powerful quake
Mayor Parker said he was in bed when the quake struck and he was "absolutely scared. I've never felt anything like it and I've experienced, like most Kiwis, a number of good shakes."
The quake, felt throughout the South Island and the lower North Island, was the most destructive in New Zealand since the 1931 tremor in Hawke's Bay that killed 256 people.
It caused the temporary shutdown of Christchurch International Airport, forcing the diversion of inbound international flights to Auckland and Wellington until the airport reopened Saturday afternoon.
New Zealand sits on the so-called "Ring of Fire", the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year. It averages at least one a day that is magnitude 4.0 or stronger.
Meanwhile, as residents took stock of the quake damage they also had an eye on looming bad weather with destructive gale-force winds up to 130 kilometres (80 miles) an hour predicted to arrive on Sunday.
"Winds of that speed can be damaging and with many buildings extensively damaged (by the earthquake) it could cause a major headache for emergency services," a weather service spokesman said.
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Pakistan try to focus after police grill trio
09/04 | 09:03 GMT
©AFP/File / Adrian Dennis
Pakistan's one-day captain Shahid Afridi (2nd R) and his team-mates arrive ahead of a match against Somerset in Taunton, south-west England, on September 2. Pakistan's scandal-hit cricket team is seeking to focus on the next stage of its England tour after British police questioned three of its star players over an alleged betting scam.
©AFP/File / Adrian Dennis
The team is due in Cardiff ahead of their first Twenty20 fixture
CARDIFF (AFP) - Pakistan's scandal-hit cricket team sought to focus on looming tour matches against England after British police questioned three of its star players over an alleged betting scam.
Bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif and Test captain Salman Butt were all released without charge Friday after the interviews at a police station near the "home of cricket", Lord's in north London.
But the trio -- who protest their innocence -- are still battling charges under the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption code and have been barred from playing any further matches pending the outcome of their case.
Aamer, at 18 one of the game's hottest talents, Asif, 27, and Butt, 25, had already withdrawn from the England tour claiming "mental torture", missing Pakistan's eight-run win over county side Somerset on Thursday.
The allegations all relate to the fourth and final Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's, which finished with an England win last week, in which a tabloid newspaper said deliberate no-balls had been bowled.
©AFPTV
VIDEO: Charged Pakistan trio have 'case to answer': ICC. Duration: 01:08
Following the report, Mazhar Majeed, an agent for several Pakistan players, was arrested but later released on police bail.
Team manager Yawar Saeed said Friday he was "not happy" about the situation but was trying to focus on his duties ahead of the forthcoming two Twenty20 internationals and five one-day games against England.
The team was due to train in Cardiff on Saturday ahead of their first Twenty20 fixture in the Welsh capital on Sunday.
Detectives questioned the accused trio Friday at Kilburn police station in what their lawyer Elizabeth Robertson stressed were voluntary interviews.
"At no time were they placed under arrest, they were free to leave at any time and they have answered all of the questions that were put to them and have been released without charge or conditions," she told reporters afterwards.
©AFP / Carl Court
The three, including Aamer, have withdrawn from the tour
The head of the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit had earlier defended its decision to charge the players.
"The conclusion that we have come to is that there is a really arguable case to answer," Ronnie Flanagan told a press conference at the Lord's ground.
He said the players had been charged under Article 2 of the ICC code, which relates to offences including corruption, betting and misuse of inside information, but declined to go into details.
Calling it a complex investigation, he said that if the players were found guilty they could face a life ban.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the case could be the worst example of corruption in cricket since former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje was revealed a decade ago to have accepted money from bookmakers in a bid to influence games, as well as trying to entice his team-mates to do the same.
The sanctions have infuriated the Pakistani authorities, in particular Pakistani High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan, who has said he believes the players are innocent and has suggested they may have been set up.
©AFP/File / Adrian Dennis
Pakistan's fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar
"I met the cricketers for two hours, cross-questioned them, got to the bottom of it and concluded that they were innocent," Hasan told the BBC Friday.
"The ICC had no business to take this action. The ICC is just playing to the public gallery."
Hasan suggested that Indian bookmakers had a part to play in the affair.
ICC chief Lorgat said there was "no truth that there is a conspiracy against Pakistani cricket."
He expressed his "extreme disappointment and sadness" at the situation, but repeated that "we will not tolerate any sort of corruption in the sport."
The accused players have 14 days to request a tribunal hearing at which they can challenge the charges.
Meanwhile an ICC spokesman told AFP the trio had been dropped from its annual awards list, where Aamer was in the running for the best emerging player award and Asif was listed in the best cricketer category.
©AFP / Adrian Dennis
Pakistan's Kamran Akmal
The News of the World newspaper alleged that it paid Mazhar Majeed, an agent for several Pakistan players, 150,000 pounds (185,000 euros, 230,000 dollars) in return for advance knowledge of pre-arranged no-balls -- normally accidental -- which could then be bet upon.
The 35-year-old has since been arrested and bailed by British police.
Sports
Pakistan try to focus after police grill ...American Film Festival opens with Gilliam screening
09/04 | 14:31 GMT
©afp.com
VIDEO: Stars gather for Gilliam screening as American Film Festival opens. Duration: 01:05
©afp.com
Stars including French actress Emmanuelle Beart turned out on Friday evening for the screening of the movie "Brazil Director's cut" directed by American born British director Terry Gilliam, on the first day of the 36th American Film Festival, in Deauville, northern France.
Video Gallery
American Film Festival opens with Gilliam ...Hong Kong's Woo accepts career award at Venice filmfest
09/03 | 21:47 GMT
©AFP / Alberto Pizzoli
Hong Kong film director John Woo celebrates after receiving the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement during the award ceremony at the 67th Venice Film Festival.
©AFP / Alberto Pizzoli
Hong Kong film director John Woo
VENICE, Italy (AFP) - Veteran Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo accepted a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice film festival on Friday, dedicating the honour to his "dear mother".
"When I was a younger man, when becoming a filmmaker was a crazy dream, I learned that the impossible could become possible," said the 63-year-old Woo, who has known success in both Asia and Hollywood, which first took notice when he came up with "The Killer" in 1989.
"I dedicate this award to a person who first brought me into the cinema, and set a course for my life, who said 'If you set your mind to something then you should do it,' and that's my dear mother."
Friday also saw the premier of Woo's new action-packed "Reign of Assassins", co-directed with Su Chao-Pin, pitting Chinese megastar Michelle Yeoh against ruthless killers.
The "Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger" star is herself an assassin in the film, tasked with protecting the remains of a mystical Buddhist monk said to be the repository of an ancient power-wielding secret.
Festival director Marco Mueller, flanking Woo at a news conference earlier Friday, said that in his films "you have the perfect union of Chinese tradition and avant-garde films."
©AFPTV
VIDEO: "Somewhere" in Venice for Sofia Coppola. Duration: 00:52
Woo, who recently returned to China after 16 years in Hollywood, notably directing John Travolta in "Broken Arrow" and Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible 2", said: "I am starting a new chapter with new dreams."
Sharing the limelight with Woo on Friday was Sofia Coppola, presenting "Somewhere," about A-list actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) and his daughter Clio (Elle Fanning), who are adrift in the lonely world of Hollywood moviemaking.
Going into the gala screening, the 39-year-old Coppola told Italian television that Clio's character was based on the daughter of a Hollywood friend.
Elle Fanning, 12, taking to the red carpet in a strapless blue and green A-line dress, said of Johnny Marco: "He sort of wakes up and becomes a better father."
©AFP / Alberto Pizzoli
From L: Marina Fois, Roschdy Zem, director Antony Cordier, Nicolas Dechauvelle and Elodie Bouchez
Coppola, who won an Oscar for "Lost in Translation," said earlier that she had won her own dad's seal of approval for "Somewhere".
Multiple Oscar winner Francis Ford Coppola "thought it could only be made by me, and we should all make the movies that only we can make," the daughter said.
Also Friday, French director Antony Cordier unspooled "Happy Few", a vehicle for multiple sex scenes about a wife-swapping foursome that asks the question, "Can one love two people at once?"
"The ultimate perversion in the film, the painful moment, is when they feel conjugal desire for the lover," Cordier said.
©AFP / Vincenzo Pinto
L-R: Stephen Dorff, Sofia Coppola and Elle Fanning
In the end, "they're characters who try to live a utopia, but they are like everyone else: they're jealous, they suffer, and so on," said 37-year-old Cordier, one of a horde of young directors showcased at this year's Mostra.
The three films are among 24 competing for the coveted top prize Golden Lion to be announced on September 11 at the world's oldest film festival, now in its 67th edition.
On Saturday the Mostra presents the much anticipated comedy "Potiche" by Francois Ozon, 43, starring veteran French actors Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu.
People
Hong Kong's Woo accepts career award at Venice ...Uneasy calm returns in Mozambique after food riots
09/04 | 14:59 GMT
©AFP/File / Sergio Costa
A young Mozambican protester stands near a burning car on a street of Maputo on September 2. Mozambique police kept a close watch over the capital Maputo after three days of riots over food and fuel price hikes that left ten people dead.
©AFP/File / Sergio Costa
It was the worst violence in Mozambique since 2008
MAPUTO (AFP) - Mozambique police kept a close watch over the capital Maputo on Saturday after three days of riots over food and fuel price hikes that left ten people dead.
No new cases of unrest had been reported since last night, when three police officers were injured in clashes with demonstrators, police officials said. "Three police were injured when protesters threw stones at them. When we tried to stop them some people threw stones and other objects at police," said police spokesman Arnaldo Chefo.
Ten people were killed and more than 440 injured in violence since Wednesday sparked by spiralling food prices. Police fired rubber bullets and live ammunition to control demonstrators.
The Red Cross, which has been monitoring the demonstrations since they started, said no fresh incidents of unrest had been reported.
Related article: Mozambique's deadly riots linked to poverty
"We have no incidents reported since yesterday," said Americo Ubisse, the organisation's spokesman in Maputo.
"Everything is fine, the situation is still under control," he added.
The Red Cross also said Chomoio in the centre part of the country was quiet, following fresh skirmishes on Friday night.
In markets around the city people went about their usual business, with shops re-opened and buzzing with customers.
But the impact of the riots was still evident everywhere in the city, with charred debris scattered across the streets and blockades being removed by the police.
©AFP/File / Arthur Frayer
Ten people have died so far
The unrest interrupted fuel supplies in Maputo and long lines formed outside fuel stations, as people scrambled to fill up their cars.
Price hikes for several essential foodstuffs including bread were implemented on September 1 and the government said this week the increases were "irreversible."
"It is not just bread. So many things have got too expensive here in Mozambique. Electricity went up, water and rice," said Joao Francisco Chirindze, a carpenter.
Chirindze said the cost of living was too high for many people. He said his household expenses amounted to between 5,000 and 7,000 meticals (140 and 190 dollars, 100 and 150 euros) a month, more than twice his salary.
He said he supplemented his wages by doing odd jobs on the side, helped by the money brought in by his wife from selling potatoes.
"The metical is down right now, it doesn't have the same value it used to. The dollar and the South African rand have gone up a lot. Everything is difficult to buy," he lamented.
According to the United Nations, more than half the 22 million Mozambican population survives on less than one dollar a day.
"The customers are complaining, they do not want to accept the price of six meticals for bread. They say it is very expensive," said Alcido Manjate, a bread vendor from Benfica, a poor neighbourhood outside Maputo.
The violence was the worst in Mozambique since 2008, when six people were killed in protests against a public transport fare increase.
The southern African country which lies on the Indian Ocean coast relies on neighbouring South Africa for many goods, while a large number of Mozambicans work in South African mines.
