Christchurch cordons relaxed

Police cordons around the most devastated section of New Zealand’s earthquake-struck city of Christchurch were relaxed today, allowing businesspeople and residents to salvage their valuables nearly two weeks after the quake that killed at least 166 people.

Meanwhile, the government forecast that last month’s quake, combined with a larger but less destructive one that hit the Christchurch region in September, will almost halve New Zealand’s economic growth this year.