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The casualty figures are rising in Christchurch, New Zealand following the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit the city of 400,000 people??at lunchtime. ??It was the city’s second strong tremor in five months.??As darkness fell??at least 65 people??were known to have??died,??with up to 200 more??still trapped in collapsed buildings.??“We just don’t know what the likely threat is and so we’d much rather err on the side of caution, so we’ll try and evacuate the town centre if we can, and the police will cordon it off so that people can’t go in or out, and the army will assist them in that regard,” says Civil Defence Minister John Carter.??New Zealand’s second-biggest city is built on silt, sand and gravel above a water table, which rises when an earthquake hits.??This shock was only 4 kilometres below the surface, amplifying its destructive power, and almost??liquifying the solid ground above it.??The city is being described as “like a war zone”, with the cathedral shattered and many buildings??that survived??last year’s quake now feared??damaged beyond repair. It is the country’s deadliest natural disaster in 80 years. If you are in New Zealand, contact us and tell us what you see and witness. witness@euronews.net, twitter@euronews or facebook

Today could be Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates’s last day in power as his minority government faces a crucial parliamentary vote. The main conservative opposition, the Social Democrats have refused to back him and his latest round of austerity measures. They are needed to halve the public deficit in order to avoid a European Union bail-out. But failure to get the bill passed would mean the collapse of the government and trigger snap elections. Public opposition to a long round of cuts has grown in the country; last Saturday thousands marched through the capital complaining of record high unemployment among the young and the impoverishment of Portugal’s pensioners. But failure to agree a new budget plan could mean the country follows Greece and Ireland in going cap-in-hand to Brussels for a financial rescue.

Ireland is voting today in a general election some have billed as the most important in the republic’s history. Economic woes have dominated the campaign, notably the massive multi-billion euro bailout agreed with the EU and IMF. The opposition Fine Gael has promised to re-negotiate the terms of the rescue deal if elected. It looks certain to take power, with voters ready to dump the ruling Fianna Fail party. “No one has any money, you know, you work and work and work, and at the end of the day it’s getting taken back to pay what the politicians and banks have spent,” one woman said. Such sentiments appear widespread, with many voters accusing the government of mishandling the banking crisis which brought the once lauded ‘Celtic Tiger’ to its knees. The big question is whether Fine Gael will win an outright majority or need a coalition partner, most likely to be the Labour party.

Gaddafi appeared on TV as the popular uprising against him spread to Tripoli, assumed to be his last stronghold. Latest reports say the main road between the military airport and the city centre is lined with police and troops who are searching vehicles. Several people are reported to have been shot dead as the revolt headed closer to the heart of the city. Video posted on the internet appeared to capture the sound of heavy gunfire. The anti-Gaddafi movement has been closing in on Tripoli for more than 24-hours. Key cities around the capital like Zawiyah and Misrata are now reported to be free of government forces. Residents in Benghazi celebrated Friday prayers for the first time since the country’s second city broke away from Gaddafi’s regime. It is in the east of Libya which was the first to be taken over by the rebels, helped in no small part by significant defections from the Libyan military.

Foreign workers fleeing the situation in Libya are continuing to arrive on the Mediterranean island of Malta. The country’s prime minister, Lawrence Gonzi, has also approved the use of Malta for humanitarian aid missions to Libya. Read our news file The island has been the departure point for rescue flights by the British Royal Air Force to pick up workers in isolated areas of Libya. “Our approach is not military,” says British High Commissioner Louise Stanton, “however the military do have certain assets that are easier to use in this kind of circumstance, when we do a humanitarian operation.” euronews’ correspondent in Malta, Jos?? Miguel Sardo, says so far around 13,000 foreigners have passed through the port. Most of the people evacuated worked in the oil industry or related businesses. For many there is a clear sense of relief at getting out. “We were attacked and robbed by some godless people,” a worker from Germany said, “not personally but the company gear.” Another man said: “There have been some very difficult days. I was in a camp and we were fortunate to have enough armed security to protect us.” But while allowing the island to be used for rescue missions, the Maltese government is refusing to hand back two fighter jets to Gaddafi. A plane bringing pilots from Libya to fetch the jets was denied landing permission.