Born in Christchurch, Tim Hume returned to find people's spirits as devastated as their city. Is it even possible to rebuild their lives on such shaky ground?

The earthquake that devastated Christchurch is the product of a newly discovered fault line in the Earth's crust.

Perched on the border of two continental plates, New Zealand's position in the Pacific Ring of Fire is precisely what gives the country much of its astonishing natural beauty. Its mountains, volcanoes and geothermal springs are all the product of intense tectonic activity. But geological beauty can be a double-edged sword.

West Ham defender Winston Reid has spoken of his sadness at the deadly earthquake that rocked his native New Zealand.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says at least 65 people have died following a large earthquake.

Hundreds of people have fled their homes in central Philippines after a volcano spewed a 1.2-mile-high column of ash, blanketing several villages.

As around a million and a half people camp out in squalor, rape is a daily occurrence, food is stolen, and most of the rubble from 330,000 wrecked homes is still piled high

An earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale rumbled across northern England last night. The quake, with an epicentre near Ripon, was felt in North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria just after 9pm.

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake shook southern Chile, prompting tens of thousands to flee the coast for higher ground amid fears it could generate a tsunami like the one that ravaged the area last year.

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake shook southern Chile yesterday, frightening hundreds of people who fled for higher ground, fearing it could generate a tsunami.

An Acehnese boy holds paper flowers provided by Japanese people from Kobe as part of the sixth tsunami anniversary in Banda, Aceh, on Christmas Day. About 3,000 paper flowers were placed outside the Baiturrahman mosque to commemorate the victims of the tsunami.

No injuries or damage have been reported following an earthquake in Cumbria measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale, emergency services said today.

Cumbria was shaken by a 20-second earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale last night with an epicentre at Coniston. It is the sixth earthquake to have taken place within a 31-mile radius in the last 40 years.

Plans to shake up the electricity market and ensure £110bn of infrastructure investment by 2020 were unveiled by the Government yesterday.