Iran News Khabar اخبار ایران خبرها نشریات Persia World Earthquake زلزله Terremoto землетрясение زلزال Tremblement de terre 地震 Strong earthquakes rattle New Zealand A series of series of strong earthquakes have struck New Zealand's South Island, prompting the evacuation of some public buildings and sending goods toppling from shelves. The US Geological Survey reported that the first quake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale hit 26 kilometers (16 miles) north of Christchurch city on Friday, and was centered at the depth of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles). Minutes later, a 5.3-magnitude aftershock hit, and about an hour after that, the city was shaken by another 5.8-magnitude temblor. The city's airport was evacuated after the first quake, and all shopping centers have been shut down as a precaution. One person was injured at a city mall and was taken to a hospital, and four people were rescued after being trapped by a rock fall. New Zealand is one of the most earthquake-prone nations in the world. The worst of New Zealand's earthquakes in recent years happened on February 22, 2011, when a 6.3-magnitude quake struck the cathedral city of Christchurch on South Island. The natural disaster killed 181 people, destroyed thousands of houses, and left much of Christchurch's central business district in rubble. Shoe-Throwing at Ahmadinejad Suggests Cracks in Iran's Efforts to Limit Public Discourse The man who hurled his shoes at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week was arrested, state-run Mehr news agency reported. The former textile worker's actions are being considered an act of defiance. He tossed the shoes at the Iranian leader's head during a speech he was giving at a factory in the city of Sari. "This is the ultimate irony," said Michael Rubin, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy think tank, "There were reports that other people there were supporting this man, and what happened is a message from the people. What the public is saying to Ahmadinejad is, 'What you said about Bush, you are ten times worse.'" Rubin says that the incident could trigger a change in thought among the citizens of Iran. "Iran is an autocratic society. If people start to lose fear of that autocratic regime, then it collapses," he said. The man, identified only as Rashid S., had recently lost his job at the factory were the event was being held and lobbed his footwear at the president, missing his head but hitting a banner behind him, according to reports on various state-run news agencies in Iran. It was not immediately clear if the man is still in custody. "He might unfortunately be a little bit of a martyr. But Iranians rally around a martyr, which could make him a hero," Rubin said. "The fact that someone doing this in public shows that there is cracks in the regime. Perhaps the Supreme Leader has no clothes." --- By Associated Press, Tuesday, December 20, 4:32 AM TEHRAN, Iran — The Iranian president says his administration will do everything it can to save the national currency from plunging further out of control. The semi-official Mehr news agency is quoting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying this is possible with the "huge reserves" of hard currency that Iran has. The report offered no details. The rial hit a record low on Tuesday, with the U.S. dollar selling for 15,050 rials in foreign currency exchange offices. The dollar sold for about 10,500 rials last December and in 1979 — the year an Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi — it was 70 rials against the dollar. Iran has restricted cash withdrawals and allows banks to sell only $2,000 per year to each person traveling outside the country.

• published: 23 Dec 2011
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