Kermadec quake fails to raise a ripple

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake today struck near New Zealand's Kermacec islands, but scientists in the islands were unaware of the tremor.

There were no reports of damage or risk of tsunami, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

A spokeswoman for Auckland Museum said she had been in contact with a research group on the islands since the quake.

"They had to be informed by us that there had been an earthquake," she said.

The team of 19 people, which includes experts from the Department of Conservation, Te Papa, NIWA and Australian Museum, have recorded a number of new marine species during their trip.

Many of the research team were aboard a boat by Macauley Island, a small island in the Kermadec Islands group, when the 6.1 earthquake struck.

"Everybody was unaffected by it."

New Zealand's subtropical Kermadec Islands group lies 1000km north east of the North Island.

A small US religious group had predicted that Judgement Day would begin a day earlier, on Saturday, with an earthquake in New Zealand.

5 injured in Canoga Park crash

CANOGA PARK - Five people were injured today, one critically, in a traffic collision in Canoga Park, a city fire official said. 

The crash in the 21000 block of Saticoy Street was reported at 5:24 p.m., said Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

"It was a two-car collision,'' Scott said. "One (person) is critically injured. The other four suffered non-life threatening injuries.'' 

Scott said all five people were taken to local hospitals. The cause of the crash was not immediately determined.