Eurotunnel profit almost wiped out last year after fire, Eurostar shutdown hammer earnings

Eurotunnel net profit slumps in 2009
PARIS – Eurotunnel SA, the operator of the English Channel tunnel, on Tuesday blamed a fire in the undersea route between France and Britain for nearly wiping out its profit in 2009.

Eurotunnel said its net profit sank to ???1.4 million ($1.9 million) from ???40 million a year earlier, when a … Read more »».

US military: 2 American soldiers die in vehicle accident in Iraq

US military: 2 soldiers die in Iraq in accident

BAGHDAD – The U.S. military says two American soldiers have died in a vehicle accident in Iraq.
A statement says the soldiers died Monday. It says two other soldiers were injured in the same accident, which is under investigation.
The names of the soldiers are being withheld pending notification …. Source  : US military: 2 American soldiers die in vehicle accident in Iraq.

5 CSX train cars derail in Philly but remain upright; none hurt, no hazardous materials leak

5 freight train cars derail in Philly; none hurt

PHILADELPHIA – Authorities say five cars on a freight train derailed in downtown Philadelphia, but none tipped over and there were no injuries or hazardous materials involved.
CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan says the 123-car train was heading from outside Albany, N.Y., to Hamlet, N.C., when it derailed about …. Source  : 5 CSX train cars derail in Philly but remain upright; none hurt, no hazardous materials leak.

Okla. authorities say baby died after being attacked by a dog on Iowa Tribe land

Official: Baby fatally attacked by dog in Okla.

PERKINS, Okla. – Authorities in Oklahoma say an infant has died after being attacked by a dog on tribal land near Perkins.
Stillwater firefighters dispatched an ambulance to Iowa Tribe land about 11:20 a.m. Monday after receiving a call that a child had been bitten by a dog. Fire …. Read the original article  : here.

Tornado touches down in western Oklahoma, damaging several homes; no injuries reported

Tornado hits Okla.; no injuries reported
HAMMON, Okla. – Authorities say at least five homes and a barn owned by the county government were destroyed in a tornado in western Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Michelann Ooten says no injuries were reported with Monday’s tornado.
Ooten says that besides the five homes and barn that were … Original source on Gaea Times at : Tornado touches down in western Oklahoma, damaging several homes; no injuries reported.

CHP aids Prius with stuck accelerator coast to a stop after reaching 94 mph in San Diego

Prius with stuck accelerator glides to safe stop

EL CAJON, Calif. – A California Highway Patrol officer helped slow a runaway Toyota Prius from 94 mph to a safe stop on Monday after the car’s accelerator became stuck on a San Diego County freeway, the CHP said.
Prius driver James Sikes called 911 about 1:30 p.m. after …. Original source  : CHP aids Prius with stuck accelerator coast to a stop after reaching 94 mph in San Diego.

1985 Air India terrorist bombing perjury trial halted after Canadian jury dismissed

Air India terrorist bombing perjury trial halted

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The perjury trial of a man who gave key testimony at the trial of the 1985 Air India terrorist bombings that killed 331 people has been delayed because the jury has been dismissed.
Inderjit Singh Reyat is charged with lying 27 times under oath in the [..] Read the original article: here.

Haiti president to meet with Obama, give thanks for US aid and discuss next steps in recovery

Haiti’s president heads to Washington to talk aid
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haitian President Rene Preval is heading to the U.S. to discuss what is needed to rebuild his shattered country.
Preval says he plans to personally thank President Barack Obama on Wednesday for the private and public U.S. aid that flooded into the country after … Read more : Haiti president to meet with Obama, give thanks for US aid and discuss next steps in recovery.

Freed missionary arrives in US after release from Haiti jail

Freed missionary arrives in US from Haiti jail

BOISE, Idaho – One of two Baptist missionaries still held on kidnapping charges in Haiti has arrived in the U.S. after being released after more than a month in custody.
The father of 24-year-old Charisa Coulter says she went straight to a hotel after flying into Miami late Monday, …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Freed missionary arrives in US after release from Haiti jail.

Rock slide punches holes in bridge, dots Colo. highway with boulders; gov declares emergency

Colo. rock slide rains boulders on bridge, highway

DENVER – A rock slide punched gaping holes in a bridge and left huge boulders on Interstate 70, closing a 17-mile stretch in western Colorado and prompting Gov. Bill Ritter to declare a disaster emergency Monday.
The slide struck around midnight Sunday near Hanging Lake Tunnel in Glenwood Canyon, … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Rock slide punches holes in bridge, dots Colo. highway with boulders; gov declares emergency.

Worsening quake problem not below ground, but above; more people, poor buildings, more deaths

Not more quakes, just more people in quake zones

First the ground shook in Haiti, then Chile and now Turkey. The earthquakes keep coming hard and fast this year, causing people to wonder if something sinister is happening underfoot.
It’s not.
While it may seem as if there are more earthquakes occurring, there really aren’t. The problem is …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

United Airlines says last month’s storms on the East Coast cost it $40 million

United Airlines says storms cost it $40 million

CHICAGO – United Airlines says last month’s back-to-back winter storms along the East Coast cost it $40 million in revenue, trumping smaller weather-related revenue losses reported by other U.S. carriers.
United’s disclosure Monday came after US Airways reported losing $30 million, Continental $25 million and Southwest $15 million. Delta …. Read the original article  : United Airlines says last month’s storms on the East Coast cost it $40 million.

Chile’s quake-dealyed school year begins, but may be April 1 before all kids are back in class

Chile’s earthquake-delayed school year begins

SANTIAGO, Chile – Chile’s earthquake-delayed school year began Monday, but education officials said it may take until April 1 before all students are back in classrooms.
About half of the schools in the disaster zone have some damage from the 8.8-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, and others are being used as staging areas …. Original source  : Chile’s quake-dealyed school year begins, but may be April 1 before all kids are back in class.

Human rights group calls on US and Yemen to avoid civilian deaths in fight against al-Qaida

Watchdog: US, Yemen must avoid civilian casualties

SAN’A, Yemen – A human rights group has called on the U.S. and Yemen to take all possible precautions to ensure civilians are not harmed during operations against al-Qaida.
Monday’s appeal from Human Rights Watch comes after Yemen’s government acknowledged last week that 42 civilians were killed in an airstrike …. Original article  : Human rights group calls on US and Yemen to avoid civilian deaths in fight against al-Qaida.

Earthquake kills 51 in eastern Turkey as mud-brick homes collapse; survivors shiver in cold

Survivors shiver in Turkey after quake kills 51

OKCULAR, Turkey – Hundreds of earthquake survivors huddled in aid tents and around bonfires Monday in eastern Turkey, seeking relief from the winter cold after a strong temblor knocked down stone and mud-brick houses in five villages, killing 51 people.
The damage appeared worst in the Kurdish village of …. Read the original article  : Earthquake kills 51 in eastern Turkey as mud-brick homes collapse; survivors shiver in cold.

Rock slide closes I-70 in western Colorado; huge boulders litter road, leave holes in bridge

Major rock slide closes I-70 in western Colorado

DENVER – A rock slide punched gaping holes in a bridge and left huge boulders on Interstate 70, closing a 17-mile stretch of the highway in western Colorado.
The slide struck around midnight Sunday near Hanging Lake Tunnel in Glenwood Canyon, a deep, narrow chasm about 110 miles west … Read : Rock slide closes I-70 in western Colorado; huge boulders litter road, leave holes in bridge.

US general pledges to take symbolic Kandahar, Taliban stronghold, limit civilian casualties

US general pledges to secure symbolic Kandahar

KABUL – The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan pledged Monday to retake the symbolic Taliban home ground of Kandahar in a campaign that builds on early signs of progress from the huge infusion of American and foreign forces.
“We’re absolutely going to secure Kandahar,” Gen. Stanley McChrystal told … Read : US general pledges to take symbolic Kandahar, Taliban stronghold, limit civilian casualties.

Summary Box: Winter storms cut into AirTran Airways’ sales; Other carriers also affected

Summary Box: Winter storms hurt AirTran
BOTTOM LINE: The winter storms forced AirTran to cancel over 1,400 flights. Revenue was reduced by $5 million to $6 million.

OTHER PLAYERS: US Airways and Continental Airlines have said the storms cost them a combined $55 million in lost revenue. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines haven’t released figures yet.
WHAT’S … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Summary Box: Winter storms cut into AirTran Airways’ sales; Other carriers also affected.

Series of deadly earthquakes rattle nerves, but scientists say they’re a coincidence

Deadly quakes are coincidence, scientists say

LONDON – Experts say there is nothing unusual about the latest spate of earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and now Turkey, but their devastation illustrates how growing construction along the world’s fault lines can lead to massive casualties.
Seismologists say that although one powerful quake can conceivably raise the risk for others [..] Read the original article: here.

Crane company owner indicted on manslaughter, other charges in NYC collapse that killed 2

Co. owner indicted in deadly NYC crane collapse

NEW YORK – A construction crane owner got a bargain-basement repair job on a giant rig, which fell apart and killed two workers when the fix failed, prosecutors said Monday in announcing manslaughter charges against the owner and a former mechanic.
The owner, James Lomma, and mechanic Tibor Varganyi …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Crane company owner indicted on manslaughter, other charges in NYC collapse that killed 2.