Tech breakthroughs take a backseat in upcoming Apple iPhone launch

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1620FP Thu Feb 23, 2017 | 6:55 AM EST 17h ago | 01:27 Apple aims for maximum impact with next iPhone Tech breakthroughs take a backseat in upcoming... X By Stephen Nellis | SAN FRANCISCO When Apple Inc (AAPL.O) launches its much-anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone this fall, it will offer an unwitting lesson in how much the smartphone industry it pioneered has matured. The new iPhone is expected to include new features such as high-resolution displays, wireless charging and 3-D sensors. Rather than representing major breakthroughs, however, most of the innovations have been available in competing phones for several years. Apple's relatively slow adoption of new features both reflects and reinforces the fact smartphone customers are holding onto their phones longer. Timothy Arcuri, an analyst at Cowen & Co, believes upwards of 40 percent of iPhones on the market are more than two years old, a historical high. That is a big reason why investors have driven Apple shares to an all-time high. There is pent-up demand for a new iPhone, even if it does not offer breakthrough technologies. It is not clear whether Apple deliberately held off on packing some of the new features into the current iPhone 7, which has been criticized for a lack of differentiation from its predecessor. Apple declined to comment on the upcoming product. Still, the development and roll-out of the anniversary iPhone suggest Apple’s product strategy is driven less by technological innovation than by consumer upgrade cycles and Apple’s own business and marketing needs. "When a market gets saturated, the growth is all about refresh," said Bob O’Donnell of Technalysis Research. "This is exactly what happened to PCs. It's exactly what happened to tablets. It's starting to happen to smartphones." ADVERTISEMENT . Apple is close-mouthed about upcoming product features, but analysts and reports from Asian component suppliers and others indicate that high-resolution displays based on OLED technology -- possibly with curved edges -- are likely to be part of the anniversary phone. A radical new design is not expected, according to analysts. Some of the anticipated new technologies, notably wireless charging, remain messy. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) phones, for example, feature wireless charging but support two different sets of standards, one called Qi and the other AirFuel. Apple recently joined the group backing Qi. But there are still at least five different groups working on wireless charging technology within Apple, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. As to 3-D sensors, there is already one hiding in the iPhone 7. The front camera features what is known as a time-of-flight sensor, which helps it autofocus and is used in numerous phones including the Blackberry, according to TechInsights, a firm that examines the chips inside tech devices. ‹ 3/3 FILE PHOTO - A customer buys the new iPhone 7 smartphone inside an Apple Inc. store in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on September 16, 2016. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo 1/3 FILE PHOTO - An Apple iPhone 7 and the company logo are seen in this illustration picture taken in Bordeaux, France on February 1, 2017. Reuters/Regis Duvignau/File Photo 2/3 FILE PHOTO - A customer buys the new iPhone 7 smartphone inside an Apple Inc. store in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on September 16, 2016. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo 3/3 FILE PHOTO - A customer buys the new iPhone 7 smartphone inside an Apple Inc. store in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on September 16, 2016. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo 1/3 FILE PHOTO - An Apple iPhone 7 and the company logo are seen in this illustration picture taken in Bordeaux, France on February 1, 2017. Reuters/Regis Duvignau/File Photo › That sensor could be upgraded to a higher-resolution version that could handle 3-D mapping for facial recognition, said Jim Morrison, vice president at TechInsights. Some analysts also speculate the company could remove the phone's home button, placing it and a fingerprint sensor beneath the front display glass, based on patents the company has filed. SLOW GROWTH Global smartphone sales were up only 2.3 percent to 1.47 billion units in 2016, according to IDC. Many carriers in the United States have stopped subsidizing phones, causing phone buyers to think harder about their next purchase. Apple will likely make a heavy marketing push around the phone’s 10th anniversary. “IPhone set the standard for mobile computing in its first decade and we are just getting started. The best is yet to come,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in a statement Jan. 8, the date the iPhone was announced by then-CEO Steve Jobs in 2007. In 2015, the last year it disclosed the figure, Apple spent $1.8 billion on advertising, up 50 percent from the year before and nearly four times the $467 million it spent in 2007 when it first released the iPhone. And the company continues to excel at selling higher-priced phones. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri attributed the most recent quarter's record-setting 78.3 million iPhones sold to the iPhone 7 Plus, which for the first time included a new dual camera feature not found in other models. The iPhone 7 Plus tops out at $969 with memory upgrades and a jet black finish. O'Donnell of Technalysis Research believes that with the next iPhone, Apple might even introduce a $1,000-plus “ultra-premium device for the real Apple-crazed folks out there who want to stand out." (Reporting by Stephen Nellis; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Lisa Shumaker)

Brisbane’s Redbank shopping centre sells for $160m

February 3, 2017 Matthew Cranston Property Editor Redbank Plains retail centre, south of Brisbane, services an area estimated at more than 50,600 residents with robust forecast population growth in the next decade. Photo: Supplied Alceon and Brisbane-based developer Capital Transactions have sold their sub-regional shopping centre development at Redbank Plains, south of the city, for $160 million to Singapore’s Rockworth Capital Partners. Rockworth already has more than $700 million in assets under management comprising primarily retail properties in Australia. Rockworth Asset Management executive director Lim Su Kiat was unable to give details on the deal, which was struck on a yield of about 6 per cent through JLL’s Simon Rooney and Sam Hatcher. “I can’t go into specifics,” Mr Lim said, ” but we are always looking for different retail assets.” The 27,000-square-metre centre is anchored by a Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Target and Daiso and is currently 95 per cent leased following a 20,000-square-metre expansion by Alceon and Capital Transactions. Alceon and Capital Transactions snapped up the Redbank Plains Shopping Village and adjoining land from Queensland coal entrepreneur Paul Darrouzet in 2013 before undertaking the major expansion. The centre serves a trade area estimated at more than 50,600 residents with robust forecast population growth of nearly 65,200 people in the next decade. Yields squeezed Alceon proceeded to appoint JLL to sell the asset in 2015 at a time when demand for sub-regional centres was increasing rapidly. With a shortage of sub-regional malls available to transact, yields have been squeezed in the sector over the past 12 months by about 40 basis points. The average yield on such malls now stands at less than 6.61 per cent nationally. Major recent transactions include Charter Hall Retail REIT’s purchase of Arana Hills Plaza in Brisbane and an adjoining Shell petrol station from super fund investor ISPT for $67.1 million, sold also through JLL. In December British investment giant M&G Real Estate bought Scentre Group’s Casey Central Shopping Centre in the far south of Melbourne for more than $220 million and set a new record for yields on sub-regional shopping centres. M&G Real Estate, one of the world’s largest property investors, purchased the centre on a fully leased yield of about 5.5 per cent. The closest yields for sub-regionals over $100 million include Runaway Bay in Queensland, on 5.91 per cent fully leased, and The Shops at Ellenbrook in Western Australia on 5.75 per cent.

Trump says he will bring down the price of wall on Mexico's border

Sat Feb 11, 2017 | 11:26 AM EST Trump says he will bring down the price of wall on Mexico's border A U.S. flag is seen next to a section of the wall separating Mexico and the United States, in Tijuana, Mexico, January 28, 2017. Reuters/Jorge Duenes Trump says he will bring down the price of wall on... X President Donald Trump pushed back early on Saturday on assertions that the wall he wants built on the U.S. border with Mexico would cost more than anticipated and said he would reduce the price. Trump made his comments in two Twitter posts but did not say how he would bring down the cost of the wall. Reuters on Thursday published details of an internal report by the Department of Homeland Security that estimated the price of a wall along the entire border at $21.6 billion. During his presidential campaign Trump had cited a $12 billion figure. "I am reading that the great border WALL will cost more than the government originally thought, but I have not gotten involved in the ... design or negotiations yet," Trump tweeted from his Florida resort, where he is hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "When I do, just like with the F-35 FighterJet or the Air Force One Program, price will come WAY DOWN!" ADVERTISING Trump, who took office on Jan. 20, said in late January that his administration had been able to cut some $600 million from a deal to buy about 90 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from Lockheed Martin. Defense analysts and sources downplayed news of those cuts, saying the discount hailed by Trump was in line with what had been flagged by Lockheed for months and would apply to other countries committed to the program. A border wall to stem illegal immigration was one of Trump's main campaign promises. He has vowed to make Mexico reimburse the United States for its cost but Mexico has repeatedly said it will not do so. Trump also tweeted on Saturday about another aspect of his immigration policy - the legal battle over the presidential order banning entry to the United States by refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries. "Our legal system is broken! '77% of refugees allowed into U.S. since travel reprieve hail from seven suspect countries.' (WT) SO DANGEROUS!" he said. The tweet was in apparent reaction to a Washington Times story saying 77 percent of the 1,100 refugees who have entered the United States since Feb. 3 are from the countries covered by Trump's ban. A federal judge in Seattle blocked Trump's executive order on Feb. 3, lifting the ban while litigation proceeds. Trump has been steadily critical of the ruling from Seattle and a subsequent appeals court ruling upholding it. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Bill Trott)

Rolling blackouts ordered as Adelaide swelters in heatwave

SES advice on SA heatwave SA News Rolling blackouts ordered as Adelaide swelters in heatwave Ben Harvy, Tory Shepherd, The Advertiser February 9, 2017 10:59am No guarantee power won’t be cut again today Adelaide hits 42C — and Moomba’s over 46C Meanwhile, Sydney has a storm and it keeps running Turnbull calls SA a socialist paradise, says it needs home generators Shipyards get backup power generators SA POWER Networks was ordered on Wednesday night to restore electricity to about 40,000 households and businesses after supplies were deliberately cut amid soaring temperatures. Power to customers across the state was switched off from 6.33pm under “rotational load shedding’’ orders from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) “due to lack of available generation supply in SA”, SA Power Networks said. About 45 minutes later electricity was restored after SA Power Networks announced that AEMO had ordered it to return supply. “AEMO has called an end to load shedding, we are restoring power,’’ the supplier said. As customers reacted with outrage, the blame game immediately began. State Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said: “Every South Australian has a right to be angry. We had spare capacity in the SA generation market and the market didn’t turn that generation on.” “The second unit at Pelican Point (power station) could’ve been turned on last night, it had gas, was ready to go and it wasn’t turned on. The national market isn’t working,” he said. “We (the State Government) have been taking advice from the market operator and others but after last night we have to reassess. We will do what’s necessary to make sure SA has sufficient generation,” Mr Koutsantonis said. “It’s my understanding that AEMO (Australian Energy Market Operator) was made aware more generation was available and chose not to turn that generation on. Serious questions have to be asked about why we had generation available that wasn’t used.” The SA Power Network outages map at 7.23pm. The temperature was still above 40C when the rolling blackouts began at 6.33pm to conserve power supplies as homeowners used airconditioners for relief from the heat. SA’s power reliability will again be under scrutiny given a series of major blackouts, including a statewide failure in September. An SA Power Networks spokesman said they were acting on instructions from AEMO in response to insufficient generation supply in SA. “We don’t generate,” he said. “This is not an SA Power Networks issue — we are the muggins in the middle between the customer and generation supply.” SA Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham said it was “yet another example that the South Australian Government can’t keep the lights on”. “It’s a chronic failing that can only hurt investment confidence in the state,” Mr Birmingham said. “It’s a demonstration that ad hoc state-based renewable energy targets have gone too far — when reliability can’t be maintained on a day the likes of which SA faces numerous times every single summer.” Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the blackout “is yet another example of Jay Weatherill’s failed experiment”. The Pelican Point power station, which the Government said could have been turned on. . “Because of the lack of base load generation there literally wasn’t enough electricity being produced to power the state,” he said. “It’s time Labor both federally and at a state level recognised its high renewable energy targets are putting at risk energy security and affordability.” The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) issued a statement, saying at 6.33pm on Wednesday “approximately 100 megawatts (MW) of local load shedding was instructed in South Australia to maintain the security of the power system.” It said “load shedding” — affecting about 40,000 homes and businesses — was “instructed by AEMO to avoid damage to network equipment due to potential overloading.” At 7pm AEMO gave permission to restore the 100 MW of load, and at about 7.10pm electricity supply had been restored. The Advertiser’s front page for February 9, 2017 Mr Koutsantonis said it was “my understanding that AEMO (Australian Energy Market Operator) was made aware more generation was available and chose not to turn that generation on.” “There were issues during the September blackout where AEMO wasn’t aware of the severe winds but you just needed to turn the TV on to find out how hot it was.” He rejected suggestions that repeated blackouts had turned SA into a national joke, saying: “It makes the National Energy Market look like a joke. We (the State Government) have been taking advice from the market operator and others but after last night we have to reassess. We (the Government) will do what’s necessary to make sure SA has sufficient generation.” Jane Govey, 43, owner of The Bridge Hotel at Langhorne Creek, said she once again had to turn away paying customers, describing the latest blackout as totally “ridiculous”. “We had 20 in for dinner and probably turned another 15, or 20 away. If this had been the only power outage I’d probably not be quite so upset but this is the fourth one in three months that we’ve had,” she said. A Portuguese tourist copes with a hot Adelaide night with the help of the Victoria Square fountain at 10pm, when the temperature in the city was above 32C. Picture: Bernard Humphreys “We’re now looking at upgrading our switchboards to put generators in. “It costs a small fortune but hotels that put generators in don’t have the problems. “It’s a pretty sad state of affairs in a first-world country ... we lived in the UK for 16 years and came back three years ago. I never experienced a power outage like this in the UK.” Angry customers who lost power on dinner time took to social media to express their outrage with the electricity system. They also noted that, yet again, businesses were losing money due to uncertain electricity supplies. “Henley Beach Pizza shop usually packed at 8:30pm ... tonight closed due to blackouts,” Tim Yeatman tweeted. The public also took full advantage of Premier Jay Weatherill’s “Q & Jay” life Facebook session on Wednesday night, with critical comments pouring in. Among them Anthony Hunter wrote: “Here’s a question, why are we having load-shedding power cuts right at this moment, when it’s only one day of hot weather. “Surely the hottest state in Australia can handle one day of heat?” How South Australians are beating the heat Skyelah with friends keeping their cool during the heatwave in the “Fun Bowl” at Roxby Downs. 1 of 16 Sam, 3, chilling out in his tub during the 41C heat at Roxby Downs. 2 of 16 Plant operator Troy Holt remembers to hydrate in the shade after a day working in the Moomba Plant. Picture: Marko Draca. 3 of 16 Skyelah Petty keeps her cool during the heat wave in Roxby Downs. Picture: Supplied 4 of 16 Oz Minerals workers Tammy Jackson-Rothe and Andrew Graziani keep cool in the Far North. Picture: Chris Warrior 5 of 16 German Shepherd Kaiser wades through the water at Yellow Rock. Picture: Mellissa Nilsen. 6 of 16 Marguerita Barone enjoys the water with her son Julian, 1, at Henley Beach. Picture: Keryn Stevens 7 of 16 Terina Cornwall, Judy Perrett and Karen Taubers pull up a pew at the Chimney Hole. 8 of 16 Lucy Pedersen is chilling out in Andamooka. 9 of 16 Elly and Zara Fitzgerald liloing around near the Andamooka Opal fields. 10 of 16 Meanwhile, Adelaide’s searing temperatures this week have been made even more uncomfortable by Darwin-like humidity levels. Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Matt Collopy said a wet couple of days at the start of the week has contributed to the humidity, along with a monsoon over the northern parts of Australia that is currently active. “We’ve seen that continued drawing down of that almost tropical moisture across parts of SA and that is also contributing to the high humidity we’re seeing during this heat event,” he said. At 6am on Tuesday both Adelaide and Darwin had a relative humidity level of 84 per cent. They also reached the same relative humidity level three times on Sunday. Mr Collopy said although Darwin, which is in its wet season, still had a higher relative humidity on average — the conditions were unusual for summer in South Australia. “There was one day in (the last week of January) where we were basically 100 per cent humidity at 9am,” Mr Collopy said. Player Information About Brightcove Heatwave warning for SA residents The humidity is a result of high rainfall and tropical moisture, as the Indian Ocean Dipole breaks down and ocean temperatures off the north west coast of WA remain warmer than average. “We haven’t really got a strong climate driver but still have a very strong wet signal,” he said. It has kept fire conditions out of the severe range, however surgeries at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital could be moved to the Royal Adelaide Hospital if the humidity creates airconditioning issues. SA Health chief medical officer Paddy Phillips said humidity reduces the body’s ability to cool down. He said people should put their health first, before attempting to save a couple of dollars on electricity, by not running fans and airconditioners to keep cool. On Wednesday the mercury soared from 27.5C at 6am in Adelaide to 42.4C by 5pm, while Moomba — the hottest town in SA — reached 46.6C just after 4pm. Ceduna, also recorded 45.3C — 17 degrees above average for February. Roxby Downs mother Lianne Crowther, 30, is a member of the pony club where they have also been trying to keep the horses cool. Beating the heat in Roxby Downs is Grace, 3, with pony Strady and Oivia-Lei, 2, with Poppy. Lianne Crowther She put her daughter Olivia-Lei, 2, and friend Grace Moore, 3, in buckets of water to keep them cool while they tended to the animals. “It’s just so hot out there and it's the only way to keep the girls occupied,” she said. “Grace loved it. We also put them in another trough as well.” Mr Collopy said very hot and very humid conditions were expected until Saturday. Thursday in Adelaide is still forecast to be 41C, Friday is expected to be 39C, and Saturday 37C — with minimum overnight temperatures between 23-24C. A southerly wind will reach the state’s southern coastal towns on Thursday, however Adelaide will not feel that change until Saturday evening. “Temperatures will be dropping back into the mid-20s by the time you get through to Sunday and Monday,” Mr Collopy said. — with Jade Gailberger Hottest SA towns up to 5pm on Wednesday Moomba, 46.6C Tarcoola, 46.3C Roxby Downs, 46C Woomera, 46.1C Ceduna, 46.1C Marree Airport, 45.9C Oodnaddatta, 45.1C Coober Pedy 45.9C Leigh Creek, 45C Adelaide, 42.4C Moomba, 46.6C Coles Point, 43.6C at 1.20pm Comments Show Comments More stories Sister loses legal fight over ex-Lord Mayor’s $58.5m estate Sister loses legal fight over ex-Lord Mayor’s $58.5m estate News Geoffrey Edelsten: ‘I want her jailed’ Geoffrey Edelsten: ‘I want her jailed’ News From around the web This Tennis Superstar’s Australia Home Sold at a Huge Loss This Tennis Superstar’s Australia Home Sold at a Huge Loss realestate.com.au Australians Urged To Review Their Health Insurance Australians Urged To Review Their Health Insurance iSelect Woman kicked off flight over cleavage speaks: ‘I can’t sleep’ Woman kicked off flight over cleavage speaks: ‘I can’t sleep’ news.com.au Small business has 21,500% growth in three years Small business has 21,500% growth in three years SPONSORED CONTENT ‘Hell on Earth’ heat is coming ‘Hell on Earth’ heat is coming news.com.au Got Private Health Insurance? You Should Read This Now! Got Private Health Insurance? You Should Read This Now! Health Insurance Comparison Now you can have a mini power station on your roof. Now you can have a mini power station on your roof. AGL MAFS’ runaway bride ‘moves on’ MAFS’ runaway bride ‘moves on’ Entertainment Woman ‘owed no duty of care’ to dying, starving mother Woman ‘owed no duty of care’ to dying, starving mother News Older Aussies overpaying on health insurance big time... Older Aussies overpaying on health insurance big time... Health Insurance Comparison A home hidden under a shed A home hidden under a shed realestate.com.au RECOMMENDED BY Most viewed Mum gives McDonald’s a spray over water Mum gives McDonald’s a spray over water Mum gives McDonald’s a spray over water Driver dies after colliding with truck in South East Driver dies after colliding with truck in South East Driver dies after colliding with truck in South East Another small quake shakes Adelaide Another small quake shakes Adelaide Another small quake shakes Adelaide Grid operator rejects blackout blame Grid operator rejects blackout blame Grid operator rejects blackout blame More SA News Ways to wow your Valentine Ways to wow your Valentine Ways to wow your Valentine Sex assault charge in abduction case Sex assault charge in abduction case Sex assault charge in abduction case

Iran says U.S. sanctions stop American oil firms taking part in projects

Iran has imposed no restrictions on U.S. oil firms willing to participate in energy projects in the country but American sanctions make such cooperation impossible, Iran's deputy oil minister said on Monday. "Iran has not imposed any restrictions on the U.S. companies, but they cannot participate in our (oil and gas) tenders due to the U.S. laws," Amir Hossein Zamaninia, deputy oil minister for trade and international affairs, was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. "Based on the U.S. Congress sanctions, the American oil companies cannot work in Iran," he added. ADVERTISING Iran said on Saturday that it will hold the country's first tender in mid-February since the lifting of international sanctions to develop oil and natural gas fields. OPEC's No. 3 oil producer hopes to draw foreign companies to invest in Iran and boost output after years of under-investment. However, foreign firms have so far made little inroads into the country despite the lifting of sanctions. President Donald Trump's new U.S. administration on Friday imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, which it said were just initial steps. It said Washington would no longer turn a "blind eye" to Iran's hostile actions. Dismissing the new sanctions, Zamaninia said "such actions have had no effect, and international companies are still keen to do business with Iran." Also In Commodities Mining stocks upstage oil as investors scour for reflation trades Oil extends losses as gasoline weighs down prices Anglo-Dutch oil firm Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) signed a provisional deal in December to develop Iranian oil and gas fields South Azadegan, Yadavaran and Kish. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Adrian Croft)

Most affordable suburbs to invest: TOP TEN SUBURBS by compound annual growth

These are the most affordable suburbs close to capital cities for investors to look out for in 2016 January 21, 20164:14pm Mansfield Park was listed by realestate.com.au as an investment spot to look out for in 2016. This home at 2A Kent St, is listed for $430,000 to $440,000. Picture: realestate.com.au Michelle Hele Network online real estate editor News Corp Australia Network TWO states dominate the list of suburbs for investors to keep an eye on in 2016. Suburbs in Western Australia and South Australia have been labelled by realestate.com.au as the best affordable suburbs to invest based on their strong compound annual growth in 2015. South Australia’s Mansfield Park topped the list of suburbs for three-bedroom homes less than $400,000 and within 20km of the CBD. It had a median house price of $375,000 and had a compound annual growth of 6.8 per cent last year. There were seven Western Australia suburbs on the list, with Maddington the most prominent. It had a median house price of $366,500 and recorded compound annual growth of 4.1 per cent last year. Dahlia Rechichi of LJ Hooker Thornlie who grew up in Maddington said the suburb was a real mixed bag of property types. She said the newer product tended to sell fairly quickly, although anything older which needed a bit of work did not sell so fast. 20 Lancaster Place, Maddington is listed for offers from $409,000. Picture: realestate.com.auSource:Supplied “It has been an area that has been a little left behind, but it is a good investment area,’’ she said. “A lot of land is starting to get rezoned and there are a lot of apartments underway.’’ Ms Rechichi said the price bracket for the suburb was one in which first home buyers and investors generally bought, but with banks cracking down on investor lending, that side of the market had quietened down a little. TOP TEN SUBURBS by compound annual growth Mansfield Park, SA - 6.8 per cent Maddington, WA - 4.1 per cent Salisbury Heights, SA - 4 per cent Langford, WA - 3.4 per cent Midvale, WA - 2.9 per cent Kenwick, WA - 2.8 per cent Middle Swan, WA - 2.8 per cent Gosnells, WA - 2.7 per cent Huntingdale, WA - 2.6 per cent Queenstown, SA - 2.6 per cent Originally published as Most affordable suburbs to invest ============ What to do if your tenants go AWOL Nicola McDougall Home / What to do if your tenants go AWOL Sometimes no matter how stringent your property management systems, tenants go AWOL. And often when they do, they leave a lot of their possessions behind. So, when faced with tenants who’ve done a runner, what rules, regulations and best practice do property managers have to follow? Across the country, there are clear legal guidelines about what to do with goods that have been abandoned on the premises by tenants. The rules outline what, when and how the goods should be stored and then disposed of if the tenant cannot be located. Sometimes, the relevant tribunal needs to be involved, especially if the lease had not ended when the tenants disappeared. Real Estate Institute of NSW president John Cunningham said best practice can help to prevent tenants abandoning a property – but it can still catch property managers unawares. “Clearly one of the first indicators is really getting behind in the rent … if they keep promising to fix it up but they don’t it’s a pretty clear indicator,” he said. “You can try to predict it through your own periodic inspections three to four times a year to see if there’s anything looking unusual. “If there’s any likelihood of (abandoning the property) happening it’s going to be a pretty observant agent to notice anything strange going on. In most cases you’re just caught short. You find out too late and they’re gone.” According to NSW Fair Trading, goods of value need to be kept for at least 14 days from the day of notification to the tenant. Personal documents need to be kept in a safe place for at least 90 days. In Queensland, according to the Residential Tenancies Authority, after a 30-day storage period has expired – depending on the type of goods left behind – they must be disposed of by auction unless the tribunal orders another method. Real Estate Institute of Queensland CEO Antonia Mercorella said tenants abandoning a rental property caused a problem for all parties. “Unfortunately, despite the utmost diligence as a property manager, sometimes a tenant will abandon the property and abandon their belongings, which presents a huge headache for everyone,” she said. “It’s quite complicated and any property manager facing this situation needs to be well armed with information before they take any action. “This includes when they can – and can’t – sell the abandoned goods, how long they are required to store goods for, and exactly how to inventory all the goods correctly and what to do with that inventory.” In Victoria, according to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV), goods of monetary value can be disposed if the total estimated cost of removal, storage and sale of all those goods is greater than its combined monetary value. Abandoned goods that cannot be disposed of must be stored for 28 days and the former tenant notified within seven days by sending notice to a forwarding address or, if not known, by publishing a notice in a newspaper. “The Victorian Residential Tenancies Act is currently being reviewed, and this issue is being considered at present,” REIV chief executive officer Geoff White said. “The REIV would like to see the act amended so that landlords can claim these expenses from a tenant’s bond after they vacate, which would help to offset the cost of storage.” So what’s the rules for your state? NSW If unsure whether the premises have been abandoned (if lease is still ongoing), apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Tenants must be notified in writing (mailed to a forwarding address if known or to the property in case the tenant is having their mail redirected), in person or over the telephone. After two days, a notice can also be left in a prominent position somewhere on the premises (e.g. stuck to the front door) Goods of value need to be kept for at least 14 days from the day of notification. Personal documents need to be kept in a safe place for at least 90 days from the day of notification. Unclaimed goods can be disposed of by donating to charity, taken to the tip, or sold for a fair value with proceeds going to the tenant. After six years, unclaimed monies should be sent to the Office of State Revenue. Victoria Abandoned personal documents must for stored for at least 90 days and reasonable steps taken to notify the tenant. Goods of monetary value can be disposed if the total estimated cost of removal, storage and sale of all those goods is greater than combined monetary value of all those goods. Abandoned goods which cannot be disposed of must be stored for 28 days and the former tenant notified within seven days (by sending notice to forwarding address or, if not known, by publishing notice in newspaper). If not reclaimed within 28 days, goods can be sold at public auction as soon as possible but the auction must be advertised in the newspaper at least 14 days beforehand. Queensland After the tenancy agreement has ended, goods left behind by the tenant can be disposed where: the total market value of the goods is less than $1500, or; storage of the goods would be unhealthy or unsafe, or; storage of the goods would cause their market value to be completely or substantially reduced, or; the cost of removing, storing and selling the goods would be greater than the amount raised in the sale of the goods. If the goods do not fall into one of the above categories, the goods must be stored for one month. After the storage period has expired, the goods must be disposed of by auction unless the tribunal orders their disposal by another method. A notice of the auction must be placed in a newspaper circulating in the area where the goods were abandoned. Any money remaining from the proceeds of the sale must be paid to the Public Trustee within 10 days of the sale. Sources: NSW Fair Trading, Real Estate Institute of Victoria, Residential Tenancies Authority Queensland

Pence defends Trump's criticism of judge who blocked travel

Wed Feb 8, 2017 | 5:36 PM EST Legal battle over travel ban pits Trump's powers against his own words The James R. Browning U.S. Court of Appeals Building, home of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is pictured in San Francisco, California February 7, 2017. Reuters/Noah Berger Legal battle over travel ban pits Trump's powers By Mica Rosenberg | NEW YORK A U.S. appeals court is weighing arguments for and against President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban, but its decision this week may not yet answer the underlying legal questions being raised in the fast-moving case. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is expected to rule only on the narrow question of whether a lower court's emergency halt to an executive order by Trump was justified. Trump signed the order on Jan. 27 barring citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and halted all refugee entries for four months. The appeals court has several options. It could kick the case back to lower court judge James Robart in Seattle, saying it is premature for them to make a ruling before he has had a chance to consider all the evidence. Robart stopped Trump's order just a week after he issued it and before all the arguments had been developed on both sides. Or the panel of three appellate judges could side with the government and find halting the order was harmful to national security, reinstating it while the case continues. Their decision is "one step in what will be a long, historic case," Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor at Cornell University Law School who specializes in immigration. Ultimately, the case is likely to end up in the U.S. Supreme Court, legal experts said. The case is the first serious test of executive authority since Trump became president on Jan. 20, and legal experts said there were three main issues at play for the judiciary. The broad questions in the case are whether the states have the right to challenge federal immigration laws, how much power the court has to question the president's national security decisions, and if the order discriminates against Muslims. Washington state filed the original lawsuit, claiming it was hurt by the ban when students and faculty from state-run universities and corporate employees were stranded overseas. Trump administration lawyer August Flentje argued at an appeals court hearing on Tuesday that the states lack "standing" to sue the federal government over immigration law, but his arguments were questioned by the judges.   NATIONAL SECURITY If the court decides the states are allowed to bring the case, the next major question is about the limits of the president's power. "Historically courts have been exceedingly deferential to governmental actions in the immigration area," said Jonathan Adler, a Case Western Reserve University School of Law professor. Though, he added, "the way they carried it out understandably makes some people, and perhaps some courts, uneasy with applying the traditional rules." Trump issued the order late on a Friday and caused chaos at airports as officials struggled to quickly change procedures. At Tuesday's hearing, Judge Richard Clifton, an appointee of Republican president George W. Bush and Judge William Canby, an appointee of Democratic president Jimmy Carter, pushed the government to explain what would happen if Trump simply decided to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. "Would anybody be able to challenge that?" Canby asked. Flentje emphasized that the order did not ban Muslims. He said the president made a determination about immigration policy based on a legitimate assessment of risk. The government has said its order is grounded in a law passed by congress that allows the president to suspend the entry of "any class of aliens" that he deems "would be detrimental to the interests of the United States." When asked by the third judge - Michelle Friedland, appointed by Democrat Barack Obama - if that meant the president's decisions are "unreviewable" Flentje, after a pause, answered "yes." When pressed, Flentje acknowledged, however, that constitutional concerns had been raised about the order.   RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION One of the main concerns is allegations by the states, civil rights groups, some lawmakers and citizens that the order discriminates in violation of the constitution's First Amendment, which prohibits favoring one religion over another. The judges will have to decide whether to look exclusively at the actual text of the president's order, which does not mention any particular religion, or consider outside comments by Trump and his team to discern their intent. Washington state's attorney Noah Purcell told the hearing that even though the lawsuit is at an early stage, the amount of evidence that Trump intended to discriminate against Muslims is "remarkable." It cited Trump's campaign promises of a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." In a tweet on Monday night, Trump said "the threat from radical Islamic terrorism is very real" urging the courts to act quickly. Government lawyer Flentje countered Purcell by saying there was danger in second guessing Trump's decision-making about U.S. security "based on some newspaper articles." Clifton asked about statements on Fox News by Trump adviser Rudolph Giuliani, former New York mayor and former prosecutor, that Trump had asked him to figure out how to make a Muslim ban legal. "Do you deny that in fact the statements attributed to then candidate Trump and to his political advisers and most recently Mr. Giuliani?" Clifton asked. "Either those types of statements were made or not," said Clifton. "If they were made it is potential evidence." (Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York; Additional reporting by Lawrence Hurley in Washington and Nathan Layne in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Grant McCool)  Brief opposition Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed one of the first lawsuits seeking to block President Trump's executive order enacting a travel ban from seven Muslim-majority countries. Minnesota signed on as co-plaintiff and attorneys general from 17 other states and the District of Columbia signed an amicus brief against the order. Five states that Trump won in the presidential election -- North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Mississippi and Kentucky -- have elected Democratic attorneys general, though only the first three signed the brief. Two states that went for Clinton, Colorado and Nevada, have elected Republican attorneys general but have not signed the brief. Voted for Trump Voted for Clinton Opposed travel ban Wis. N.J. Mich. N.Y. Kan. Iowa W.Va. Alaska Utah Tenn. Md. Penn. Ky. Neb. S.D. Wyo. Colo. Conn. S.C. N.C. La. Ind. Ill. Ariz. Calif. Miss. Nev. Del. Mass. Maine Vt. N.H. R.I. Hawaii N.D. Minn. Wash. Mont. Ore. N.M. Ark. Idaho Ohio Ga. Ala. Mo. Fla. Va. Texas Okla. D.C. NOTE: Hawaii filed its own suit and a brief supporting Washington. Source: Reuters By Travis Hartman | REUTERS GRAPHICS ============================================== Sun Feb 5, 2017 | 2:47 PM EST ban 7h ago | 01:30 Court rejects Trump appeal to restore travel ban Pence defends Trump's criticism of judge who block... X By Ayesha Rascoe and Yeganeh Torbati | WASHINGTON U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday defended President Donald Trump's attack on a federal judge who blocked a travel ban on citizens of seven mainly Muslim nations, as the first major legal battle of the Trump administration intensified. Trump blasted Judge James Robart as a "so-called judge" on Saturday, a day after the Seattle jurist issued a temporary restraining order on the ban. A U.S. appeals court later on Saturday denied the government's request for an immediate stay of the ruling. "The president of the United States has every right to criticize the other two branches of government," Pence said on the NBC program "Meet the Press." It is unusual for a sitting president to attack a member of the judiciary, which the U.S. Constitution designates as a check on the power of the executive branch and Congress. Senator Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Trump seems intent on precipitating a constitutional crisis. Some Republicans also expressed discomfort with the situation. "I think it is best not to single out judges for criticism," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on CNN's "State of the Union" program. "We all get disappointed from time to time at the outcome in courts on things that we care about. But I think it is best to avoid criticizing judges individually." Republican Senator Ben Sasse, a vocal critic of Trump, was less restrained. "We don't have so-called judges ... we don't have so-called presidents, we have people from three different branches of government who take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution," he said on ABC News program "This Week." The ruling by Robart, appointed by former Republican President George W. Bush, along with the decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to deny the government's request for an immediate stay dealt a blow to Trump barely two weeks into his presidency. It could also be the precursor to months of legal challenges to Trump's push to clamp down on immigration, including through the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. The businessman-turned-politician, who during his presidential campaign called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, has vowed to reinstate the travel ban on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and a 120-day bar on all refugees. He says the measures are needed to protect the United States from Islamist militants. Critics say they are unjustified and discriminatory. ADVERTISEMENT LEGAL UNCERTAINTY The legal limbo will prevail at least until the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules on the government's application for a stay of Robart's ruling. The court is now awaiting further submissions from the states of Washington and Minnesota on Sunday, and from the government on Monday. The final filing is due at 1700 PST on Monday (0100 GMT on Tuesday). The uncertainty has created what may be a short-lived opportunity for travelers from the seven affected countries to get into the United States. "This is the first time I try to travel to America. We were booked to travel next week but decided to bring it forward after we heard," said a Yemeni woman, recently married to a U.S. citizen, who boarded a plane from Cairo to Turkey on Sunday to connect with a U.S.-bound flight. She declined to be named for fear it could complicate her entry to the United States. Reacting to the latest court ruling, Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said: "It is a move in the right direction to solve the problems that it caused." ‹ 14/14 Protesters demonstrate against U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration, in Hong Kong, China February 5, 2017. Reuters/Bobby Yip 1/14 Demonstrators in support of the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, rally at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu 2/14 Demonstrators in support of the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, rally at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu 3/14 A demonstrator against the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, protests at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu 4/14 Demonstrators in support of the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, rally at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu - RTX2ZNMO 5/14 Demonstrators against the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, rally at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu 6/14 Demonstrators in support of the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, rally at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu 7/14 A demonstrator against the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, protests at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu 8/14 Mandy Adams, 70, of Los Angeles, holds a U.S. flag in support of the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu 9/14 Demonstrators in support of the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, rally at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu 10/14 Police officers stand guard as demonstrators in support of and against the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, rally at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu 11/14 Passengers arrive at O'Hare airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. February 4, 2017. Reuters/Kamil Krzaczynski 12/14 Lindley Hamlon, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, greets International travelers as they arrive at John F. Kennedy international airport in New York City, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Brendan McDermid 13/14 A demonstrator holds a sign to protest against U.S President Donald Trump's executive order banning refugees and immigrants from seven primarily Muslim countries from entering the United States during a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. February 4, 2017 Reuters/Tom Mihalek 14/14 Protesters demonstrate against U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration, in Hong Kong, China February 5, 2017. Reuters/Bobby Yip 1/14 Demonstrators in support of the immigration rules implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, rally at Los Angeles international airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ringo Chiu › Trump's Jan. 27 travel restrictions have drawn protests in the United States, provoked criticism from U.S. allies and created chaos for thousands of people who have, in some cases, spent years seeking asylum. In his ruling on Friday, Robart questioned the use of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States as a justification for the ban, saying no attacks had been carried out on U.S. soil by individuals from the seven affected countries since then. For Trump's order to be constitutional, Robart said, it had to be "based in fact, as opposed to fiction". The 9/11 attacks were carried out by hijackers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon, whose nationals were not affected by the order. In a series of tweets on Saturday, Trump attacked "the opinion of this so-called judge" as ridiculous. "What is our country coming to when a judge can halt a Homeland Security travel ban and anyone, even with bad intentions, can come into U.S.?" he asked. Trump told reporters at his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida late on Saturday: "We'll win. For the safety of the country we'll win." Related Coverage VIDEOIraqi family flies to New York after blow to Trump ban VIDEOHong Kong holds anti-Trump protest Iraq says ruling against Trump travel ban is move in right direction The Justice Department appeal criticized Robart's legal reasoning, saying it violated the separation of powers and stepped on the president's authority as commander-in-chief. The appeal said the state of Washington lacked standing to challenge the order and denied that the order "favors Christians at the expense of Muslims." INFLUX EXPECTED The U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security said they were complying with Robart's order and many visitors are expected to start arriving on Sunday, while the government said it expects to begin admitting refugees again onMonday. A spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, Leonard Doyle, confirmed on Sunday that about 2,000 refugees are ready to travel to the United States. "We expect a small number of refugees to arrive in the U.S. on Monday, Feb. 6th. They are mainly from Jordan and include people fleeing war and persecution in Syria," he said in an email. Iraqi Fuad Sharef, his wife and three children spent two years obtaining U.S. visas. They had packed up to move to America last week, but were turned back to Iraq after a failed attempt to board a U.S.-bound flight from Cairo. On Sunday, the family checked in for a Turkish Airlines flight to New York from Istanbul. "Yeah, we are very excited. We are very happy," Sharef told Reuters TV. "Finally, we have been cleared. We are allowed to enter the United States." Rana Shamasha, 32, an Iraqi refugee in Lebanon, was due to travel to the United States with her two sisters and mother on Feb. 1 to join relatives in Detroit until the trip was canceled as a result of the travel ban. She is now waiting to hear from U.N. officials overseeing their case. "If they tell me there is a plane tomorrow morning, I will go. If they tell me there is one in an hour, I will go," she told Reuters by telephone in Beirut. "I no longer have a house here, work, or anything," she said. (Additional reporting by Chris Michaud, Lin Noueihed, David Shepardson and Reuters TV; Writing by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Paul Simao and Mary Milliken)

Trump: U.S. will win appeal of judge's travel ban order

Sat Feb 4, 2017 | 10:16 PM EST Reuters Dept. of Homeland Security suspends immigration ban (01:38) Replay 10h ago | 01:38 Dept. of Homeland Security suspends immigration ban Trump: U.S. will win appeal of judge's travel ban... X By Yeganeh Torbati and Steve Holland | WASHINGTON/PALM BEACH, Fla U.S. President Donald Trump said the Justice Department will win an appeal filed late Saturday of a judge's order lifting a travel ban he had imposed on citizens of seven mainly Muslim countries. "We'll win. For the safety of the country, we'll win," he told reporters at his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida shortly after the Justice Department filed a notice that it intends to appeal the order. Trump's personal attack on U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle went too far for some, who said the president was undermining an institution designed to check the power of the White House and Congress. As the ban lifted, refugees and thousands of travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who had been stopped in their tracks last weekend by Trump's executive order scrambled to get flights to quickly enter the United States. The Justice Department did not say when it would file its appeal with the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals of the ruling made by Robart late on Friday that also lifted Trump's temporary ban imposed on refugee admissions. The judge appointed by former Republican President George W. Bush questioned the constitutionality of Trump's order. The three-judge panel that will decide whether to immediately block the ruling includes appointees of George W. Bush and two former Democratic presidents, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. "The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!" Trump said on Twitter early on Saturday. Trump has said "extreme vetting" of refugees and immigrants is needed to prevent terrorist attacks. Throughout the day, Trump continued to criticize the decision in tweets. Late Saturday, Trump showed no signs of backing down. "The judge opens up our country to potential terrorists and others that do not have our best interests at heart. Bad people are very happy!" he tweeted. Trump’s tweets criticizing the judge’s decision could make it tougher for Justice Department attorneys as they seek to defend the executive order in Washington state and other courts, said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, adding that presidents are usually circumspect about commenting on government litigation. "It’s hard for the President to demand that courts respect his inherent authority when he is disrespecting the inherent authority of the judiciary. That certainly tends to poison the well for litigation," Turley said. SEPARATION OF POWERS It is unusual for a president to attack a member of the judiciary, which the U.S. Constitution designates as a check to the power of the executive branch and Congress. Related Coverage VIDEOMore than 2,000 protesters in Paris denounce Trump's immigration policies VIDEOINSIGHT: Global protests erupt over Trump's ban VIDEOMigrants undeterred by Trump as they travel north for a better life Reached by email Saturday, Robart declined comment on Trump's tweets. Democratic U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont said in a statement Saturday that Trump's "hostility toward the rule of law is not just embarrassing, it is dangerous. He seems intent on precipitating a constitutional crisis." "Read the 'so-called' Constitution," tweeted Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence committee. In an interview with ABC scheduled to air on Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence said he did not think that Trump's criticisms of the judge undermined the separation of powers. "I think the American people are very accustomed to this president speaking his mind and speaking very straight with them," Pence said, according to an excerpt of the interview. The court ruling was the first move in what could be months of legal challenges to Trump's push to clamp down on immigration. His order set off chaos last week at airports across the United States where travelers were stranded and thousands of people gathered to protest. Americans are divided over Trump's order. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed 49 percent favored it while 41 percent did not. ‹ 13/13 Men stand in silhouette during the Jummah prayer of an interfaith event outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 1/13 Iraqi refugee Nizar Kassab and his family pose for pictures with their passports in their temporary home in Beirut, Lebanon February 4, 2017. Reuters/ Jamal Saidi 2/13 Iraqi refugee Nizar Kassab poses for a picture with his family in their temporary home in Beirut, Lebanon February 4, 2017. Reuters/ Jamal Saidi 3/13 Opponents of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban greet international travelers at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. Reuters/Brian Snyder 4/13 People wait outside a Cairo airport terminal, Egypt February 4, 2017. Reuters/Ahmed Fahmy 5/13 Laura Atlas Kravitz, an opponent of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban, hands a flower to an arriving international traveler at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. Reuters/Brian Snyder 6/13 An opponent of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban hands flowers to a member of a Lufthansa flight crew at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. The Lufthansa flight carried several Boston area college students who had previously been denied travel under the travel ban. Reuters/Brian Snyder 7/13 International travelers arrive at Logan airport following U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. Reuters/Brian Snyder 8/13 Men participate in prayers during an interfaith event and the Jummah prayer outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 9/13 People participate in prayers during an interfaith event and the Jummah prayer outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 10/13 People participate in prayers during an interfaith event and the Jummah prayer outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 11/13 People participate in prayers during an interfaith event and the Jummah prayer outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 12/13 Demonstrators pray as they participate in a protest by the Yemeni community against U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., February 2, 2017. Reuters/Lucas Jackson 13/13 Men stand in silhouette during the Jummah prayer of an interfaith event outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 1/13 Iraqi refugee Nizar Kassab and his family pose for pictures with their passports in their temporary home in Beirut, Lebanon February 4, 2017. Reuters/ Jamal Saidi › Wes Parker, a retiree from Long Beach, California, held a sign saying "Trump is love" at the Los Angeles International Airport, and said he supported the tighter measures. "We just have to support the travel pause," said Parker, 62. "If you were a new president coming in, wouldn't you want what you feel safe with?" Rights groups, Democrats and U.S. allies have condemned the travel ban as discriminatory. On Saturday, there were protests against the immigrant curb in Washington, New York, Los Angeles and other cities. At the White House, hundreds of protesters chanted "Donald, Donald can't you see? You're not welcome in D.C." TRAVELERS MOVE WITH HASTE The sudden reversal of the ban catapulted would-be immigrants back to airports, with uncertainty over how long the window to enter the United States will remain open. Related Coverage VIDEOProtesters dance through D.C. against Trump VIDEOSeattle judge blocks Trump immigration order VIDEOProtesters in Australia rally against Trump's refugee ban U.S. moves to resume admitting refugees, including Syrians U.S. immigration advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union on Saturday urged those with now valid visas from the seven nations "to consider rebooking travel to the United States immediately" because the ruling could be overturned or put on hold, while a U.S. State Department official said the department planned to admit refugees on Monday. In Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, Fuad Sharef and his family prepared to fly on Saturday to Istanbul and then New York before starting a new life in Nashville, Tennessee. "I am very happy that we are going to travel today. Finally, we made it," said Sharef, who was stopped from boarding a New York-bound flight last week. The Department of Homeland Security said on Saturday it would return to its normal procedures for screening travelers but that the Justice Department would file for an emergency stay of the order "at the earliest possible time." Some travelers told Reuters they were cautious about the sudden change. "I will not say if I have hope or not. I wait, watch and then I build my hopes," said Josephine Abu Assaleh, 60, who was stopped from entering the United States after landing in Philadelphia last week with five members of her family. "We left the matter with the lawyers. When they tell us the decision has been canceled, we will decide whether to go back or not," she told Reuters in Damascus, speaking by telephone. Virtually all refugees also were barred by Trump's order, upending the lives of thousands of people who have spent years seeking asylum in the United States. Friday night's court decision sent refugee advocacy and resettlement agencies scrambling to help people in the pipeline. Iraqi refugee Nizar al-Qassab, 52, told Reuters in Lebanon that his family had been due to travel to the United States for resettlement on Jan. 31. The trip was canceled two days before that and he was now waiting for a phone call from U.N. officials overseeing their case. "It's in God's hands," he said. (Additional reporting by Issam Abdullah in Beirut, Dan Levine in Seattle, Alana Wise in New York, Robert Chiarito and Nathan Layne in Chicago, Daina Beth Solomon in Los Angeles, and Julia Edwards Ainsley in Washington; Writing by Roberta Rampton and David Shepardson; Editing by Bill Trott,Mary Milliken and Diane Craft) Sat Feb 4, 2017 | 12:02 AM EST Seattle judge blocks Trump immigration order; government to appeal 2h ago | 01:38 Seattle judge blocks Trump immigration order Seattle judge blocks Trump immigration order;... X By Dan Levine and Scott Malone | SEATTLE/BOSTON A federal judge on Friday put a nationwide block on U.S. President Donald Trump's week-old executive order temporarily barring refugees and nationals from seven countries from entering the United States. The Seattle judge's temporary restraining order represents a major setback for Trump's action, although his administration could still have the policy put back into effect with an appeal. The White House said late on Friday it believed the ban to be "lawful and appropriate" and said the U.S. Department of Justice would file an emergency motion to stop the judge's order taking effect. Judge James Robart, a George W. Bush appointee, made his ruling effective immediately on Friday, suggesting that travel restrictions could be lifted straight away. Shortly after the ruling, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told airlines to board travelers affected by the ban. The U.S. State Department is working with the Department of Homeland Security to work out how Friday's ruling affects its operations, a spokesman told Reuters, and will announce any changes affecting travelers as soon as information is available. Robart's ruling followed an earlier decision by a federal judge in Boston declining to extend a temporary restraining order allowing some immigrants into the United States from countries affected by Trump's three-month ban. The Seattle judge's ruling takes effect because it considered the broad constitutionality of Trump’s order. Robart also explicitly made his ruling apply across the country, while other judges facing similar cases have so far issued orders concerning only specific individuals. Washington Governor Jay Inslee celebrated the decision as a victory for the state, adding: "no person - not even the president - is above the law." The state's attorney general, Bob Ferguson, said: "This decision shuts down the executive order right now." He said he expected the federal government to honor the ruling. ADVERTISEMENT . The challenge in Seattle court was brought by the state of Washington and later joined by the state of Minnesota. The judge ruled that the states have legal standing to sue, which could help Democratic attorneys general take on Trump in court on issues beyond immigration. Washington's case was based on claims that the state had suffered harm from the travel ban, for example students and faculty at state-funded universities being stranded overseas. Trump's Jan. 27 order caused chaos at airports across the United States last week as some citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen were denied entry. Judge Robart probed a Justice Department lawyer on the "litany of harms” suffered by Washington state’s universities, and also questioned the administration's use of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States as a justification for the ban. Robart said no attacks had been carried out on U.S. soil by individuals from the seven countries affected by the travel ban since that assault. For Trump’s order to be constitutional, Robart said, it had to be “based in fact, as opposed to fiction.” ‹ 10/10 Men stand in silhouette during the Jummah prayer of an interfaith event outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 1/10 Opponents of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban greet international travelers at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. Reuters/Brian Snyder 2/10 Laura Atlas Kravitz, an opponent of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban, hands a flower to an arriving international traveler at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. Reuters/Brian Snyder 3/10 An opponent of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban hands flowers to a member of a Lufthansa flight crew at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. The Lufthansa flight carried several Boston area college students who had previously been denied travel under the travel ban. Reuters/Brian Snyder 4/10 International travelers arrive at Logan airport following U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. Reuters/Brian Snyder 5/10 Men participate in prayers during an interfaith event and the Jummah prayer outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 6/10 People participate in prayers during an interfaith event and the Jummah prayer outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 7/10 People participate in prayers during an interfaith event and the Jummah prayer outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 8/10 People participate in prayers during an interfaith event and the Jummah prayer outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 9/10 Demonstrators pray as they participate in a protest by the Yemeni community against U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., February 2, 2017. Reuters/Lucas Jackson 10/10 Men stand in silhouette during the Jummah prayer of an interfaith event outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, U.S., February 3, 2017. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton 1/10 Opponents of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban greet international travelers at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. Reuters/Brian Snyder › The judge's decision was welcomed by groups protesting the ban. “This order demonstrates that federal judges throughout the country are seeing the serious constitutional problems with this order,” said Nicholas Espiritu, a staff attorney at the National Immigration Law Center. Eric Ferrero, Amnesty International USA spokesman, lauded the short-term relief provided by the order but added: "Congress must step in and block this unlawful ban for good." FOUR STATES IN COURT The decision came on a day that attorneys from four states were in courts challenging Trump's executive order. The Trump administration justified the action on national security grounds, but opponents labeled it an unconstitutional order targeting people based on religious beliefs. In Boston, U.S. District Judge Nathan Gorton expressed skepticism during oral arguments about a civil rights group's claim that Trump's order represented religious discrimination, before declining to extend the restraining order. The State Department said on Friday that fewer than 60,000 visas previously issued to citizens of the seven affected countries had been invalidated as a result of the order. That disclosure followed media reports that government lawyers were citing a figure of 100,000. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia ordered the federal government to give the state a list by Thursday of "all persons who have been denied entry to or removed from the United States." The state of Hawaii on Friday also filed a lawsuit alleging that the order is unconstitutional and asking the court to block the order across the country. Trump's directive also temporarily stopped the entry of all refugees into the country and indefinitely halted the settlement of Syrian refugees. (Additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York, Brian Snyder in Boston and Lawrence Hurley, Lesley Wroughton and Susan Heavey in Washington; Writing by Jonathan Weber and Kristina Cooke; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Bill Rigby)

Adelaide’s worst rental properties, and the new way to name and shame lousy landlords

TT Adelaide | Bad Landlords

Catch Up: Adelaide’s worst rental properties, and the new way to name and shame lousy landlords. Rodney Lohse reports. https://www.facebook.com/eva.sherriff?fref=ufi&rc=p More info: www.dontrentme.com #TTAdelaide

Posted by Today Tonight Adelaide on Thursday, 2 February 2017

Catch Up: Adelaide’s worst rental properties, and the new way to name and shame lousy landlords. Rodney Lohse reports. More info: www.dontrentme.com #TTAdelaide 3.6k Views Like Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry CommentShare Top comments 17 Residential & Commercial Real Estate Investment, South Australia, Chloe Lee, Kristal Bain and 14 others 27 shares Comments Write a comment... Eva Sherriff Interesting to read that most of the properties were being rented by the landlord, not agencies HOWEVER, steer clear of The Professionals Christies Beach! I rented 11 Elgin Ave from them & maintenance issues were ignored by them & the owner - until one of those maintenance issues cost my son his life 😪 Unlike · Reply · 2 · 14 hrs Rod Lee That's terrible Eva, I hope you made them pay for this. Like · Reply · 14 hrs Eva Sherriff Rod, my solicitor is chasing me atm, says we would win but money won't bring my son back & fighting in court will just open up memories that we've fought to put out of our minds. Unlike · Reply · 2 · 9 hrs Rod Lee I understand completely Eva, I am so sorry to hear about this darlin. Unlike · Reply · 1 · 9 hrs Keven Gray Terrible neglect Unlike · Reply · 1 · 4 hrs Residential & Commercial Real Estate Investment, South Australia That's so terrible news being in this industry, our utmost care is to focus on any emergencies, we are managing a huge portfolio and this kind of accident never happens. I feel sorry for loss of life. Should you need any help , don't hesitate to call me. Like · Reply · 13 mins Write a reply... Danny John McAuley All I can say if it's a dump don't rent it Unlike · Reply · 3 · Yesterday at 20:56 · Edited Anthony Ziebell Or "Don't Rent Me" 😉 Unlike · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 21:29 Kateland Troon Sometimes you dont know till you live it Unlike · Reply · 3 · 6 hrs Kateland Troon Speaking from experience also, house looked fantastic for us until winter came. We thankfully moved out and regained our health. Brett Wheatland You going to run a story for the tenants whom are or have shafted their landlords for thousands of dollars. Let me know if you need some examples, I can easily scrape up a few hundred examples currently on offer ;) Unlike · Reply · 15 · 1 February at 21:18 Vanessa Dunstall Yes👏🏻 Unlike · Reply · 2 · 1 February at 21:29 Selena Brown so can I... Unlike · Reply · 2 · 1 February at 21:33 Kirsty Marie Exactly Brett!!! I can give you plenty!! Unlike · Reply · 1 · 1 February at 23:29 Rhian Non There's already blacklists through bond authorities etc for dodgy renters. Nothing policing crappy landlords or real estate agents yet though. Stop cracking the sads. Tenants should have the right to know dodgy landlords and knock them black just as much as they can knock a tenant back based on whatever criteria they can come up with. Unlike · Reply · 3 · Yesterday at 07:13 Brett Wheatland Your wrong, there is no blacklist through bonds, and there are FREE services and advice through CBS for renters to deal with ALL such matters appropriately. If you OWN it, then its your investment to decide who you want to trust to look after it. A teeny tiny 6 week bond, wont replace a $350,000 house. Unlike · Reply · 3 · Yesterday at 20:21 · Edited Lisa Alderson Now for some education .....the new laws coming into action this year for agents will on the surface make tenants happy....but only agents are accountable not private landlords who really have the poorest history with invasion of tenants privacy ...do ...See more Unlike · Reply · 5 · Yesterday at 20:25 Catherine Grant Too true Lisa Alderson Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 22:11 Catherine Grant Too true Lisa Alderson Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 22:11 Write a reply... Dicky Jayne Surely this can be two way & Today Tonight can name & shame Adelaide worse tenants too- Wait- those tenants cannot even be placed on Tenant Check lists without their authority ! Fair - Not! Unlike · Reply · 4 · Yesterday at 07:19 Lynda Manning Yes they have already on 3 occasions recently that i have watched . Good and bad on both sides , you dont watch today tonite regularly or you would have seen the stories lol Unlike · Reply · 3 · 1 February at 22:46 Teresa Heron Lee Woods maybe justin should name and shame his crappy landlord Unlike · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 15:30 Carol Pieterse Any beat 3 years for maintenance. Been waiting for laundry window to be repaired. 1 slatt. Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 09:12 Residential & Commercial Real Estate Investment, South Australia Keep all records which you might need one day. Like · Reply · 3 mins Write a reply... Dora Dechellis Like · Reply · 1 February at 21:16 Carol Pieterse Section 68 form repairs to be done. Dept housing govt website.housingimprovement@sa.gov.au Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 09:18 · Edited

LJ Hooker chief executive Grant Harrod has resigned after the decision to float the company was put on hold.

LJ Hooker CEO Grant Harrod resigns Jan 18, 2017 facebook twitter pinterest linkedin email print LJ Hooker chief executive Grant Harrod has resigned after almost three years at the helm of one of the country’s biggest real estate companies. The decision comes following plans to float the 700-office-strong company on the Australian Stock Exchange were put on hold. Mr Harrod told The Australian Financial Review the company wanted to list when he joined in 2014 and the decision to not proceed had made his role redundant. LJ Hooker branches have closed down. Photo: Glenn Hunt “My skills are not going to be utilised,” he said. The float was reportedly worth $400 million, but was shelved over concerns about falling listings numbers and the threat of technology disrupters entering the real estate space. Close rival real estate group McGrath, which launched on the stock exchange in 2015, has seen its share price continually suffer, dropping from its initial stock price of $2.10 to 88¢ on Wednesday afternoon. Under Mr Harrod’s leadership, the company has grown its national market share from 6 per cent to 7 per cent, securing itself second position behind Ray White. Established in 1928, LJ Hooker employees more than 8000 people, with offices across Australia, as well as New Zealand, the Pacific and Asia. Mr Harrod told the AFR he would work with the board for up to six months to help with the transition.   The company has reportedly hired a global talent acquisition company to help look for a replacement. 

Brisbane property manager stole from own agency to pay her rent

The former property manager was fined $10,000 and banned from practising for 10 years. domain.com.au Brisbane property manager fined, banned for diverting money to pay her own rent Jan 22, 2017 Jim Malo Property reporter The Director-General of the Queensland Justice Department said Sarah Ford showed no remorse. Photo: Jim Rice facebook twitter pinterest linkedin email print A former Springwood property manager has been fined $10,000 and banned from practising for 10 years for diverting rental payments to pay her own rent. Sarah Ford, 33, stole the money while working for her brother’s agency, Progress Properties, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal recently heard. There were 17 tenants and their respective landlords caught up in the theft, but the payments were diverted and reversed in a way that only financially affected Progress Properties. Ms Ford stole $10,695.48 from January 2013 to February 2014. The tribunal, headed by Jeremy Gordon, also heard Ms Ford had made no attempt to repay the money. Mr Gordon said Ms Ford diverted money from clients 26 times and made attempts to cover up her thefts by splitting the money into smaller amounts before using it to credit her account. Ms Ford’s brother discovered the fraudulent payments when a tenant raised the alarm by arguing about their rent position. When questioned, Ms Ford denied the allegations and said that she made an honest mistake. Days later, he discovered a second discrepancy and launched a full investigation. Mr Gordon said Ms Ford was well aware that she was stealing. “The division of the payments made … seems to have been done to keep the fraudulent transactions concealed for as long as possible,” he said. Ms Ford, who received her real estate salesperson certificate just six months before the first theft, did not show up to the hearing and did respond to any correspondence from the Department of Justice. Mr Gordon described the thefts as a breach of trust and said the hefty fine and ban imposed on Ford would “protect the public and to maintain public confidence in the industry”. “There has been no money repaid by Ms Ford and there is nothing to show that she is remorseful in any way,” he said. In determining his penalty, Mr Gordon said he needed to have regard to the fact that real estate agencies were entrusted with people’s money, and “utmost confidence” in the industry needed to be maintained. Ms Ford has not faced any criminal proceedings. ================ 30 Comments12 Shares 73 Residential & Commercial Real Estate Investment, South Australia, Quoc Anh Nguyen Duc, Zed Nasheet and 70 others Chronological LikeCommentShare Comments Who can see this? Tay Sharna Emma Line Unlike · Reply · 1 · 25 January at 01:23 Steph Davie Chanel McNeight 🤦🏼‍♀️ Unlike · Reply · 1 · 25 January at 06:22 Iolanthe Gattuso Emma Like · Reply · 25 January at 13:17 Dominic Truter Far too soft. She's still ended up ahead financially and temporarily banned from an industry she more than likely never intended returning to. Huge reform needed in governance of this shonky industry. Unlike · Reply · 4 · 25 January at 13:19 Karen 'Abby' Mowatt David Frangiosa Mick Heasman Unlike · Reply · 2 · 25 January at 22:58 Hayden Freier Amy Wilkosz Unlike · Reply · 1 · 26 January at 07:13 Amy Wilkosz Dodgy! Unlike · Reply · 1 · 26 January at 08:31 Write a reply... Dave Hooper Owen Unlike · Reply · 1 · 26 January at 07:17 Bec Cook Kylie Walton Unlike · Reply · 1 · 26 January at 10:52 1 Reply Bec Cook Shirley Shirls sound formula Unlike · Reply · 2 · 26 January at 10:52 1 Reply Kathleen Tamminen I do not understand why there are no criminal charges? She was embezzling and committing fraud for over a year. Future employers deserve to be warned of her sticky fingers - from her own brother no less! - and not put her anywhere near their money. Unlike · Reply · 3 · 26 January at 11:31 David Melatti Undoubtedly She should be banned for life. Put it this way, she will never be employed by any decent agency, and if she opens her own, who would In their right Mind trust her with their biggest investment. Unlike · Reply · 1 · 26 January at 16:31 Dean Efrossynis Scott Martel Unlike · Reply · 1 · 27 January at 12:58 Tuan Nguyen Elly Fatouros dis you??? Unlike · Reply · 2 · 28 January at 00:13 Elly Fatouros Sillly woman Unlike · Reply · 1 · 28 January at 08:34 Residential & Commercial Real Estate Investment, South Australia I am sure she is all set to join another career. Like · Reply · 9 mins Write a reply... Danielle Wood Bryce Greig Like · Reply · 28 January at 01:28 Renee McArthur Wandah Heaydon Maddi Campbell wouldn't be surprised if our real estate was doing this hah Property manager gets sacked then our rent is mysteriously missing Kkkkkkkkkk Unlike · Reply · 2 · 28 January at 11:08 Maddi Campbell Hahaha jeez Unlike · Reply · 2 · 28 January at 11:12 Wandah Heaydon Omg HAHAHAHA imagine it Unlike · Reply · 2 · 28 January at 11:20 Write a reply... Ammie-Louise Wicks Megan Amber McCarthy Phoebe Kelleher Unlike · Reply · 2 · 28 January at 19:22 Megan Amber McCarthy 😳 whyyy! From family too 😒 Like · Reply · 28 January at 19:27 Write a reply... Sarah Nguyen Sally Le Steven Wei ahahaha Unlike · Reply · 3 · 29 January at 21:29 Sally Le Struggles Like · Reply · 29 January at 22:00 Write a reply... Kristy Morton Not good enough stealing hurts every one very bad. It causes so much stress Unlike · Reply · 1 · 29 January at 22:06 Jesse Carter No conviction Unlike · Reply · 1 · 30 January at 10:06 Leanne Son Alex DaNobrega Like · Reply · 30 January at 16:47 Wei Hon Ho Make an example out of her... Unlike · Reply · 1 · 30 January at 21:18 Mia Jecsak 🤔 "hefty fine" ?? Ha. She stole more than she was fined for Pete's sake. Showed no remorse or intention to repay and yet in ten years time she can do it all again... Way to instil confidence back in the industry 👍🏼🤦🏼‍♀️ Unlike · Reply · 1 · 30 January at 22:10 Residential & Commercial Real Estate Investment, South Australia Exactly, in the mean she can join TAFE to teach new realtors how to manage Trust Accounts. Like · Reply · 6 mins Write a reply... Anthony Lang Jail wil send a very clear message to agents - slow learners. They do it because the law is soft Unlike · Reply · 1 · 31 January at 15:49 Julian Lebdeh Alessandra Knez Unlike · Reply · 1 · 1 February at 14:11 Julian Lebdeh Tiana Rubeidis Unlike · Reply · 1 · 1 February at 14:11 Tiana Rubeidis Jesus !! Unlike · Reply · 1 · 1 February at 14:28 Write a reply... Matthew Scott Kylie Samson Unlike · Reply · 2 · 1 February at 20:11 Write a reply... Sarah Long Love it how they do something against an agent when it's wronging the agency. If its wronging a tenant nothing happens. Unlike · Reply · 1 · 19 hrs Residential & Commercial Real Estate Investment, South Australia Exactly, but good tenants are suffering due to bad history tenants Like · Reply · 4 mins Write a reply... Thor Luke Thieves everywhere Unlike · Reply · 1 · 12 hrs Residential & Commercial Real Estate Investment, South Australia Don't hire anyone before thorough Police Report. Recover all lost money by selling her properties. Like · Reply ·

Adelaide and surrounding areas shaken by magnitude 3.7 earthquake

Jade Gailberger, Environment reporter, The Advertiser February 2, 2017 2:29pm ‘I thought it was my husband’s snoring!’ How we reacted to the quake Adelaide’s last tremor: The Hills were jolted in 2014 The city was also shaken in April 2010 Adelaide’s 1954 earthquake: Where the faults lie Bigger quake to come, says expert SOUTH Australia was rattled by a shallow earthquake in the early hours of Thursday morning. The magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck at a depth of 8km near Murray Bridge at around 12.07am on Wednesday, according to automated data from Geoscience Australia. Countless people across South Australia felt the quake or were jolted awake, but only minor cracking damage was reported and the Murray Bridge SES did not receive any calls for assistance. Geoscience Australia seismologist Hugh Glanville said the impact of the earthquake was felt over a length of 100km, from Victor Harbor through Adelaide to just north of Kapunda. In the past decade there have been 28 earthquakes reported within the same 100km stretch, while more than 895 have been felt across South Australia. “It’s one of the more active areas in Australia, and SA has had some of the more recent big earthquakes,” Mr Glanville said. TELL US: Did the earth move for you? Tell us if you felt the quake in the comments box below, and send any damage pics to us via advertiserpics@adv.newsltd.com.au A large earthquake is defined as anything over a magnitude 5. The last of this size was near the SA and Northern Territory border in 2012, measuring magnitude 5.4. This earthquake was medium-sized (magnitude 3 to 5) — enough to wake people but not big enough to cause serious damage to buildings. “It is rare for a small to medium earthquake to cause damage,” Mr Glanville said. “You can have cracks that are then made bigger by the earthquake. “Sometimes you might be the unlucky person whose house or farm house is directly on top of the fault line ... even then it’s generally minor.” The epicentre of the 3.7 magnitude earthquake on Thursday morning. Picture: Geoscience Australia Some South Australians reported feeling a swaying and rocking motion. Mr Glanville said this feeling was common when the primary and follow-up waves from the quake move in opposite directions, creating a compressional wave like a spring moving back and forth. He said Australia generally experiences “shallow” earthquakes because of its position on the plate boundaries. South Australia and the area around Murray Bridge are deemed quite “active” quake areas, and several small earthquakes — under magnitude 3 — have been recorded across the state since January 2. Play 1:01 / 1:25   Fullscreen Autoplay UK tourist dies on the Great Barrier Reef 1:52 Stabbing death in St Albans 1:16 Police hunt a sexual preditor 1:02 Dylan Voller to be released early 0:26 Students, teacher stabbed at NSW school 1:30 Trump and Turnbull's Special Relationship 1:17 Route of Commonwealth Games cycling courses 2:29 Angelo Gargasoulas attends court 1:32 Turnbull denies Trump 'hang up' 2:08 Dr Chris Brown treats a two week old Impala after it was bitten by a Black Mamba 2:56 USA: Student protests cause Breitbart editor to cancel Berkeley speech 0:31 UFC star Luke Rockhold spars with 'John' Wayne Parr 1:39 Trump slams 'dumb' refugee deal 2:08 One day old baby saltwater crocodile 0:17 Blue ribbon weaner sale 0:40 NSW police commissioner steps down early 3:57 Ruth McLeod's emotional account of the Gillies Range bus crash tragedy that took her sister Judith Frerichs 4:35 AU QLD: Frog Rescued From Fangs of Snake January 19 0:39 Adelaide's Lunchtime Newsbyte — February 2 Mr Glanville said small aftershocks could be expected in the coming days. “It also generates a sound as it passes through the earth ... a rumbling or a sound not unlike a truck,” he said. When an earthquake occurred a few years ago, Lisa Lemon, 39, from Modbury found the tremors caused cracks right through her concrete. After Wednesday night’s quake, Ms Lemon found the gap in the concrete had expanded by a centimetre. “I thought it might have been possums in the roof, and then it started going a bit more rumbly ... and then the whole wall just shook,” she said. “My lounge is next to it and the lounge started to shake as well.” The quake cracked this wall in Andrew Green’s Bull Creek cottage. Andrew Green was in bed at his 150-year-old cottage at Bull Creek, between Meadows and Strathalbyn, when he “thought people were running across the roof”. “The rumbling and shaking rattled the whole place, going from one end of the house to the other,” he said. The front wall of his house was cracked, a column from his pergola shifted and the slate floor was cracked. The quake also triggered a massive reaction on Advertiser.com.au and our Facebook page. Our two Facebook posts — the first at 12.27am and a follow-up at 6.06am — reached a combined total of nearly 300,000 people by midday on Thursday, with thousands of reactions and comments. Another minor earthquakes — bring on the humorous memes. Angela Moro in Banksia Park wrote, “felt like a roller coaster went through the house”. “Thought it was an explosion, woke us both up,” Yvonne Marshall wrote. “Had it here in Nairne frightened the you know what out of me,” wrote Maureen Watkins. “Felt it in Andrews Farm. Shook me from left to right about 5 times. Woke my 2 yr old up as well!” said Emily Pollock. Rhonda Charman wrote: “My daughter was texting me when the earthquake hit Salisbury East at 12:15am. She thought someone was on the roof.” Yvonne Butters said: “I thought I was having a vertigo episode at first, but then realised what it was. Wouldn’t want anything bigger thank you!” But at least some people found the funnier side of getting shaken awake. Becky Boots wrote on Facebook: “I believe it happened due to Adelaide watching the premiere of “fifty shades of grey” and acting out scenes in the film causing the earthquake.” Small earthquakes are common in South Australia. On January 6, 2014, the Adelaide Hills and parts of the plains were shaken by a magnitude 2.6 earthquake with an epicentre near Aberfoyle Park and Happy Valley just before 8.30am, with reports of another tremor shortly after. But despite the ground shaking and windows rattling there were no reports of damage. In October 19, 2011, a 3.4 magnitude quake with an epicentre near Blackwood shook the city. And a magnitude 3.8 quake with an epicentre near Mount Barker rattled Adelaide on April 16, 2010. The most significant earthquake to hit South Australia was in 1954, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale.