Strong quake hits Christchurch

Strong quake hits Christchurch

WELLINGTON, New Zealand

A strong earthquake struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch today, rattling buildings, sending goods tumbling from shelves and prompting terrified holiday shoppers to flee into the streets. There was no tsunami alert issued, and the city appeared to have been spared major damage.

One person was injured at a city mall and was taken to a hospital, Christchurch police said in a statement. But there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or widespread damage in the city, which is still recovering from a devastating February earthquake that killed 182 people and destroyed much of the downtown area.

The 5.8-magnitude quake struck today, 16 miles north of Christchurch at a depth of 2.5 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Despite observers, crackdown grows

BEIRUT

Bashar Assad’s regime would appear to be setting itself on a collision course: It let in outside observers for the first time Thursday to monitor his commitment to halting the crackdown on dissent, even as his security forces unleashed a fiercer onslaught this week, killing more than 200 in two days.

But the Syrian president and his inner circle are veterans at playing for time, maneuvering and denying realities on the ground, and they seem confident they can deflect pressure from Arab neighbors without easing their campaign to crush the uprising.

As an advance team for the Arab League observers flew into Damascus on Thursday, activists said the regime already was acting to prevent the mission from seeing protesters arrested in the crackdown, which is supposed to be part of its mandate.

John Edwards asks to delay trial

RALEIGH, N.C.

Former presidential candidate John Edwards says he has been diagnosed with a medical condition that would make it difficult for him to attend his approaching criminal trial over campaign finances and is asking for it to be delayed.

In a motion filed Thursday, Edwards’ lawyers asked a federal judge to delay the start of the Jan. 30 trial for at least two months. They did not disclose his illness and filed sealed records with the court.

“The Defendant has a medical issue ... that will prevent a trial of this matter during the January 2012 Criminal Term,” the motion says. “The failure to grant a continuance would be likely to result in a miscarriage of justice.”

Meter reader sues Casey Anthony

ORLANDO, Fla.

The meter reader who discovered the remains of Casey Anthony’s 2-year-old daughter in 2008 is suing her for defamation.

Roy Kronk’s suit was filed Wednesday. His attorney says Anthony’s defense team made multiple false statements, including that Kronk killed 2-year-old Caylee, that he was a child snatcher and that he moved the remains, according to a story in The Orlando Sentinel.

Anthony initially reported that her daughter had been abducted, but her attorney, Jose Baez, said during trial she knew her daughter had drowned in the family pool.

Anthony also faces lawsuits from Texas Equu-Search and Zenaida Gonzalez, whose name Anthony initially gave authorities as a possible abductor.

Associated Press