EARTHQUAKE

The death toll from Monday's earthquake has exceeded 19,509 in Sichuan Province, the provincial government said late Thursday.

Copper prices fell on Wednesday as investors fear higher prices may weaken global demand and the dollar was gained, lowering the demand for commodities.

Copper futures rallied on Monday as the dollar fell rising demand of the red metal as a hedge against inflation and a strong earthquake in China made investors speculate whether production may be affected.

Copper prices fell on Thursday, a day after reaching their highest levels in two months, as mining companies resumed production following an earthquake in the Chile, the world's top copper producer.

Emergency teams delivered water and food and set up emergency tents in dusty towns in northern Chile on Thursday as aftershocks shook nerves a day after a powerful earthquake killed two people and injured more than 100.

A powerful quake struck measuring 7.9 struck near Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday triggering tsunami warnings in Indonesia, Malaysia and India, officials said.

Two strong earthquakes rattled Taiwan's capital and the north of the island on Friday, disrupting communications though no casualties or serious damage were reported.

Rescue teams battled through the night to find survivors after a powerful quake ravaged Peru's central coast, killing some 500 people in one of the country's worst natural disasters in the last 100 years.

Powerful aftershocks shook Peru on Thursday as rescuers pulled wounded and dead from collapsed homes and churches a day after a massive earthquake killed hundreds of people.

Officials at the world's biggest nuclear power plant said on Tuesday there had been more minor radiation leaks after an earthquake in Japan that killed nine people and forced thousands from their homes.

More than 10,000 people huddled in evacuation centers in northwest Japan on Tuesday after a strong earthquake the previous day killed nine people and injured more than 1,000.