Two LeT militants killed in Rajouri gun battle

JAMMU – Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were Saturday killed in a gun battle with security forces in a mountainous forest area in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Security forces, comprising the army and police, cordoned off the forest near Dharamsal area of Rajouri district, about 120 km from Jammu, following a tip-off about the presence …. Source article  : Two LeT militants killed in Rajouri gun battle.

Pakistan recognises terrorism as shared threat with India: US

WASHINGTON – The United States says it’s encouraged by Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts as it believes that Islamabad now recognises terrorism as a “shared threat” with India and other countries.

Security and counter-terrorism efforts were part of the discussion at the first Pakistan-US strategic dialogue here this week “and we will continue our cooperation”, State Department spokesman … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Pakistan recognises terrorism as shared threat with India: US.

Tongan police charge 3, shipping company over ferry sinking that killed 74

3 charged over Tonga ferry sinking that killed 74

NUKU’ULOFA, Tonga – Tongan police have charged three people with manslaughter in the death of one of 74 passengers who died last year in a ferry sinking that was one of the tiny South Pacific country’s worst disasters.
Police Commander Chris Kelley said Friday that a charge of … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Tongan police charge 3, shipping company over ferry sinking that killed 74.

Pakistani cab driver charged in Chicago with Al Qaeda links

CHICAGO – A Pakistani American taxi driver with alleged ties to Ilyas Kashmiri, a terrorist leader in Pakistan linked with Mumbai terror suspects David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, has been charged with supporting Al Qaeda.

Raja Lahrasib Khan, 56, who became a naturalised US citizen in 1988, was arrested here Friday morning in his … Read more >>.

NCAA: Michigan State scores on first six possessions of second half to take lead

NCAA: Michigan State starts strong
Michigan State has scored on its first six possessions of the second half to edge ahead of Northern Iowa. Neither team has gone on a big run, and the team that does might well be the team that finds itself ahead at the end.

One of the things that the Spartans are …. Source  : NCAA: Michigan State scores on first six possessions of second half to take lead.

Mich. 911 dispatcher asks ‘Are you intoxicated?’, driver who called replies: ‘Absolutely’

Mich. police: Drunken driver called 911 on herself

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Police in Michigan have released a copy of a 911 call where a suspected drunken driver chats with an emergency dispatcher for about 20 minutes before she is pulled over and arrested.
In the first moments of the March 13 call, the dispatcher asks: “Are …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Mich. 911 dispatcher asks ‘Are you intoxicated?’, driver who called replies: ‘Absolutely’.

Maoists blow up police station, block office in Bihar

PATNA – Suspected Maoists blew up a newly-constructed police station and a block office in Bihar’s Rohtas district. They also torched 15 trucks, including eight of a private construction company engaged in road construction, police said Saturday.

More than 100 armed Maoist guerrillas attacked the newly-built police station and a block office at Tilouthu late Friday …. Source  : Maoists blow up police station, block office in Bihar.

NCAA: Duke leads Purdue 24-23 at halftime; teams combine to go 15 of 55 from the field

NCAA: Duke leads Purdue 24-23 at half
Halftime has mercifully come in Houston, where top-seeded Duke leads Purdue 24-23 in a game with about as much finesse as a lumberjack driving a dump truck.

The two teams have combined to go 15 of 55 from the field, including a dreadful 3 for 15 from beyond the arc …. Original source  : NCAA: Duke leads Purdue 24-23 at halftime; teams combine to go 15 of 55 from the field.

NCAA: Purdue takes lead vs. Duke; Blue Devils go more than 8 minutes without field goal

NCAA: Purdue takes lead with 9-2 run
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski might want to remind his club that a loss ends its season.

The Blue Devils have gone more than 8 minutes without a field goal, and the Boilermakers have used a 9-2 run to take a 19-17 lead late in the first half.
It’s not like everything … Read more : NCAA: Purdue takes lead vs. Duke; Blue Devils go more than 8 minutes without field goal.

Police: Suspect in killing of FIU football player turns self in, while school tries to move on

Arrest made in FIU player slaying
The day began with FIU president Mark B. Rosenberg saying his school “will not rest” until the person responsible for the stabbing death of running back Kendall Berry was found.

Ending a frantic search that put an entire university on edge, Miami-Dade police said Friday night that Quentin Rashad Wyche, 22, …. Source article  : Police: Suspect in killing of FIU football player turns self in, while school tries to move on.

NCAA: Northern Iowa leads Michigan State 29-22 at halftime; Farokhmanesh has only 1 field goal

NCAA: Northern Iowa leads 29-22 at halftime

Kwadzo Ahelegbe knocked down an outside jumper just before the halftime buzzer, giving Northern Iowa 29-22 lead over Michigan State at the break.
All the more impressive considering star guard Ali Farokhmanesh has one field goal.
The Panthers are doing it with defense, holding Michigan State to one field goal over … Read more >>.

NCAA: Spartans’ point guard Kalin Lucas on bench in warmups; Purdue’s Bade picks up third foul

NCAA: Spartans’ Lucas watching from bench
Michigan State point guard Kalin Lucas is on the bench in warmups, his left leg in a walking boot. Last year’s Big Ten player of the year ruptured his Achilles’ tendon in the second round against Maryland, a blow made even worse because Northern Iowa has good guards.

Besides sharpshooter Ali … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : NCAA: Spartans’ point guard Kalin Lucas on bench in warmups; Purdue’s Bade picks up third foul.

NCAA: Purdue and Duke have combined to go 5 of 24 from the field in South Regional semifinal

NCAA: Purdue, Duke having trouble scoring
Perhaps the Boilermakers and Blue Devils got together before the game and outlined their own set of rules, a bit like a school yard game. You know, first one to 20 points wins?

Purdue went 6 minutes without making a field goal, Duke has been just as terrible on offense, and …. Read the original article  : here.

NCAA: Purdue has more airballs (3) than field goals (2) in first 5 minutes vs. top-seeded Duke

NCAA: Purdue _ more airballs than field goals

Matt Painter better get back to fundamentals during the first media timeout – as in, shots that don’t hit the iron don’t have much of a chance of going in.
His Boilermakers have more airballs (3) than field goals (2) in the first 5 minutes against top-seeded Duke, and … Read more : NCAA: Purdue has more airballs (3) than field goals (2) in first 5 minutes vs. top-seeded Duke.

NCAA: Northern Iowa’s Adam Koch gets 9 points early as Panthers jump out to quick lead

NCAA: Northern Iowa’s Koch gets 9 early
Ali Farokhmanesh was the guy who hit the key 3-pointer, made the big-time free throws, earned the cover of Sports Illustrated this week.

His running mate Adam Koch must have been a little bit jealous.
The Northern Iowa guard started 4 for 4 from the field and has nine early points, …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : NCAA: Northern Iowa’s Adam Koch gets 9 points early as Panthers jump out to quick lead.

NCAA: Duke looks to beat Purdue, return to round of eight for first time since 2004

NCAA: Duke looks to break slump
Here’s what qualifies as a slump for a program like Duke: It hasn’t been to the round of eight in the NCAA tournament since 2004.

Talk about great expectations.
The school with the best all-time winning percentage in the NCAA tournament will try to break its slide against fourth-seeded Purdue, a team …. Original source  : NCAA: Duke looks to beat Purdue, return to round of eight for first time since 2004.

NCAA: Michigan State goes the first 3-plus minutes without scoring as UNI takes early lead

NCAA: Michigan State starts slow
Northern Iowa’s linebacker of a sixth man Lucas O’Rear has a black brace on his left wrist that looks like the tape underneath a boxing glove.

The way he plays, don’t be surprised if it isn’t.
The physical Panthers defense is already causing problems for Michigan State, which went the first 3-plus minutes … Read : NCAA: Michigan State goes the first 3-plus minutes without scoring as UNI takes early lead.

NCAA: Michigan State plays Missouri Valley team 31 years after beating Indiana State for title

NCAA: It’s fate _ Northern Iowa-Michigan State

How about this for a cosmic joke: Thirty-one years to the day after Magic Johnson and Michigan State beat Larry Bird and Indiana State for the national championship, the Spartans are playing another Missouri Valley team in a regional semifinal.
Oh, and Johnson is on hand to see the game.
Rather …. Read the original article  : here.

Venezuela’s Chavez defends arrests of government opponents, criticizes Hillary Clinton

Chavez criticizes US as arrests stir concern

QUITO, Ecuador – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday defended the arrest of a major TV channel owner, calling him a criminal and denying the government is carrying out an assault on press freedom.
The back-to-back arrests this week of two government opponents – including the owner of Venezuela’s only … Original source on Gaea Times at : Venezuela’s Chavez defends arrests of government opponents, criticizes Hillary Clinton.

NCAA: Baylor routs Saint Mary’s 72-49, earns shot vs. Duke or Purdue in South Regional final

NCAA: Baylor routs Saint Mary’s 72-49
Baylor’s road to redemption is rolling right through Houston, and the Bears will now have the chance to see whether it ends in Indianapolis.

The school that just seven years ago was embroiled in controversy has knocked off 10th-seeded Saint Mary’s 72-49, earning a shot against top-seeded Duke or Purdue in … Original source on Gaea Times at : NCAA: Baylor routs Saint Mary’s 72-49, earns shot vs. Duke or Purdue in South Regional final.