Contraband cough syrup seized from Delhi plane

AGARTALA – Tripura Police Wednesday seized from an aircraft from New Delhi a huge amount of contraband cough syrup that was to be smuggled to Bangladesh.

“We have seized 20 big trunks containing 4,000 bottles of Phensidyl worth Rs.400,000 from a private passenger airliner. The passenger plane arrived in Agartala from New Delhi via Guwahati,” said … Read more >>>.

Clean chit to two IAS officers in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL – Two Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in Madhya Pradesh facing charges of misusing their official positions have been given clean chits.

“Madhya Pradesh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has given a clean chit to G.P. Singhal and T. Dharmarao Tuesday as complaints filed against them were found baseless,” an EOW official told IANS … Read more »».

Using math, science to help solve crimes

WASHINGTON – Sophisticated math and science can be used to understand urban crime patterns, research says. Anthropologist Jeffrey Brantingham works with the Los Angeles Police Department to analyse crime patterns by studying hunter-gatherers in Northern Tibet.

“Criminal offenders are essentially hunter-gatherers; they forage for opportunities to commit crimes,” said Brantingham, associate professor of anthropology at …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Illegal Internet pharmacies thriving in India: UN

NEW DELHI – Illegal Internet pharmacies are thriving in India and they are increasingly becoming a source of pharmaceutical drug abuse across the globe, a report released by the United Nations office of Drugs and Crime said Wednesday.

India has emerged as one of the main sources of drugs sold through illegal Internet pharmacies, where orders … Original article on : Illegal Internet pharmacies thriving in India: UN.

Teenager may have seen Indian’s murder: Australian police

MELBOURNE – A teenager may be a key witness in the murder of Indian Nitin Garg here as he saw a number of men fighting in a park where Garg was fatally stabbed last month, the police said Wednesday.

Garg was viciously stabbed Jan 2 as he walked to work. He staggered to Hungry Jack’s, where …. Read the original article  : Teenager may have seen Indian’s murder: Australian police.

Alleged Saudi terrorism financier stands trial in Indonesia’s deadly twin hotel bombings

Saudi stands trial over Jakarta hotel bombings

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A retired Saudi Arabian school teacher went on trial Wednesday charged with financing suicide bombings at two Jakarta hotels that killed seven and wounded more than 50.
Al Khelaiw Ali Abdullah, 55, denied any involvement in the July 17, 2009, attacks on the downtown J.W. Marriott and …. Original article  : Alleged Saudi terrorism financier stands trial in Indonesia’s deadly twin hotel bombings.

Fire-hit Bangalore towers sealed; cases booked against owners

BANGALORE – The charred Carlton Towers in Bangalore were sealed a day after a major fire broke out Tuesday claiming nine lives and injuring about 50 people, a fire brigade official said Wednesday.

“We have sealed the entire premises to investigate the cause of the fire and ascertain whether the seven-storey building had fire safety systems [..] Read the original article: here.

Police say landslide at Indonesian tea plantation kills at least 15 workers, scores buried

Police: 15 dead, 57 buried by Indonesian landslide

CIWIDEY, Indonesia – Rescuers used heavy digging equipment Wednesday to clear a muddy landslide that killed at least 15 people and left 57 buried on Indonesia’s main island of Java, an official said.
Days of heavy rain prompted the landslide Tuesday afternoon at a mountainous tea plantation near the …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Just like the movies _ in Afghanistan, US bomb disposal unit gets close to danger for a living

Afghan: US bomb squad on the frontlines
BADULA QULP, Afghanistan – Staff. Sgt. Joshua Rickert hasn’t just seen “The Hurt Locker,” the award-winning film about an American bomb disposal squad in Iraq. He’s living it – in Afghanistan.

Rickert and his team work for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD, unit of the U.S. Air Force. Soldiers …. Original article  : Just like the movies _ in Afghanistan, US bomb disposal unit gets close to danger for a living.

Turkish government lowers death toll in mine collapse to 13

Turkey lowers death toll in mine collapse to 13

ANKARA, Turkey – The government on Wednesday said 13 workers were killed in a coal mine collapse in northwestern Turkey, not 17 as previously reported.
Labor Minister Omer Dincer explained the revised death toll by saying four bodies had previously been counted twice after the methane gas explosion …. Read the original article  : here.

Teacher recruitment scam hits Chandigarh again

CHANDIGARH – Irregularities in teacher recruitment for government schools have rocked Chandigarh for the second time in five months. The latest controversy is about last-minute changes in criteria for selecting over 500 teachers.

Sources in the administration say education department officials, particularly the office of the Director of Public Instruction (DPI, Schools), had “goofed up” in … Read : Teacher recruitment scam hits Chandigarh again.

Colombian politician sentenced to 40 years for massacre

Bogota, Feb 24 (IANS/EFE) Colombia’s Supreme Court has imposed a 40-year prison term on former senator Alvaro Garcia Romero for his role in a massacre carried out by right-wing militias.

The sentence, imposed Tuesday, is the harshest handed down so far in what is known here as the “parapolitica” scandal.
Garcia was “instigator and accomplice” of … Read more >>>.

Charity official, engineer kidnapped in Haiti

Dajabon (Dominican Republic), Feb 24 (IANS/EFE) An official with the Catholic charity Caritas and a chemical engineer have been kidnapped in eastern Haiti, the organisation Solidaridad Fronteriza and a Jesuit group that aids migrants said here.

They said the incident occurred Saturday in Ouanaminthe, near the Dominican border, and the perpetrators are demanding a ransom of …. Original source  : Charity official, engineer kidnapped in Haiti.

Goa businessmen want life imprisonment for illegal mining

PANAJI – Worried over rising incidents of illegal mining in the state, the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has demanded life imprisonment for those found guilty.

In its annual pre-budget suggestion to Goa Chief Minister and Finance Minister Digambar Kamat, GCCI president Cesar Menezes said: Illegal mining is creating huge and irreparable damage to [..] Read the original article: here.

Police say landslide at Indonesian tea plantation kills at least 6 workers, scores buried

Police: 6 dead, 66 buried by Indonesian landslide

CIWIDEY, Indonesia – Rescuers used heavy digging equipment Wednesday to clear a muddy landslide that killed at least six people and left 66 buried on Indonesia’ main island of Java, an official said.
Days of heavy rain prompted the landslide Tuesday afternoon at a mountainous tea plantation near the [..] Read the original article: here.

Widow of IRS worker killed in Texas plane attack sues pilot’s wife, seeks to determine assets

IRS worker’s widow sues Texas suicide pilot’s wife

AUSTIN, Texas – The widow of the Internal Revenue Service employee killed when a Texas man crashed his plane into the agency’s Austin office is suing the pilot’s widow.
Attorney Daniel Ross says the lawsuit against Sheryl Stack seeks to determine if the pilot left behind insurance policies or …. Original source  : Widow of IRS worker killed in Texas plane attack sues pilot’s wife, seeks to determine assets.

Back-to-back severe snowstorms with high, dangerous winds expected to slam Northeast

Back-to-back severe storms headed for Northeast

ALBANY, N.Y. – After being spared the brunt of early February snowstorms that buried the Atlantic coast, the Northeast is bracing for a double whammy of winter.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning Tuesday evening for central New York through New England. It predicts heavy, wet snow with …. Original source  : Back-to-back severe snowstorms with high, dangerous winds expected to slam Northeast.

Police: NYC terror plotter Zazi planned with at least 2 bombers to kill rush-hour commuters

NYPD: Zazi planned to kill commuters at rush hour

NEW YORK – A man who admitted plotting to bomb the city’s subway system wanted to do so with the help of at least two other bombers during rush hour, when the most people could be killed, police said Tuesday.
“This was particularly disturbing,” police Commissioner Raymond Kelly … Read more >>>.

Fire at famed Philadelphia International Records is ruled an arson; producers vow to rebuild

Fire at famed Philly music company is ruled arson

PHILADELPHIA – A two-alarm fire that damaged the building where the “Sound of Philadelphia” was born has been ruled an arson.
Fire officials say the Sunday morning blaze on the third floor of the Philadelphia International Records building has been determined to be “incendiary.” One man has been …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Fire at famed Philadelphia International Records is ruled an arson; producers vow to rebuild.

Tussles over foreign adoptions mirror quake-ravaged Haiti…s dire needs, deep-seated fears

Haiti adoption fights mirror desperation
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Foreigners detained, Haitians enraged, children caught in the middle: The scenario that played out this week echoed the case of 10 Americans caught trying to spirit youngsters out of this earthquake-ravaged nation.

This time it turned out differently. Six U.S.-bound orphans seized by Haitian police Saturday as they were … Read more »»».