Prince Harry’s 10K pounds champagne treat to strangers

LONDON – Prince Harry is one generous Royal-he recently treated complete strangers to bottles of vintage champagne worth 10,000 pounds.

The young prince splashed out the small fortune in the VIP section of his favourite Boujis nightspot.
In … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Prince Harry’s 10K pounds champagne treat to strangers.

Polish plane crash: Russian investigators rule out technical fault

LONDON – Russian investigators have ruled out technical faults as the cause of the air crash which killed 96 people, including the Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

They appeared to blame the Polish pilots for the tragedy, The Telegraph reports.
The investigators said that Captain Arkadiusz Protasiuk, …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Polish plane crash: Russian investigators rule out technical fault.

Indonesia, Israel and India rated least favourable by Australians

MELBOURNE – Australians have rated Indonesia, Israel and India as least favourable in a poll testing attitudes of 10 countries.

Australians rated New Zealand, Britain and Germany as top three countries, with the United States in fourth place in the UMR Research poll.
People were … Original article on : Indonesia, Israel and India rated least favourable by Australians.

Notorious criminal shot dead in Noida

NOIDA – A notorious criminal carrying a bounty of Rs 50,000 on his head, was shot dead in an encounter by the Noida Police.

Farooq ‘Langda’ was killed in an exchange of fire with the police.
Acting on a tip off, the police … Read : Notorious criminal shot dead in Noida.

Beatles forgiven by Vatican for ‘bigger than Jesus’ comment

LONDON – Former rock band The Beatles has received absolution from the Vatican for their infamous comment that they were ‘bigger than Jesus’.

Their enthusiastic pursuit of sex, drugs and the rock and roll lifestyle at the height of their fame had done little to convince …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Beatles forgiven by Vatican for ‘bigger than Jesus’ comment.

Meerut paint factory engulfed by fire

MEERUT – A paint factory in the Meerut- Partapur industrial area was completely gutted in a fire on Sunday.

At least 12 fire tenders were used to douse out the flames, but material worth millions of rupees was destroyed in the process.
“According to the information we have received, drums of … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Meerut paint factory engulfed by fire.

Sitaram Yechury in verbal spat with Chidambaram over Maoist attack

KOLKATA – Communist Party of India-Marxist senior leader Sitaram Yechury has criticised Home Minister P. Chidambaram over his statements on tackling of the Maoist movement.

Chidambaram had earlier said, “The buck should stop at the … Original article on : Sitaram Yechury in verbal spat with Chidambaram over Maoist attack.

Oz police says Indian man’s death in Sydney not suspicious

SYDNEY – The death of an Indian man, who was found on a footpath in Sydney, does not appear to be suspicious, the police has said.

Dharmendar Singh was found dead early Sunday morning.
Indian media reporting the death mentioned several alleged racial assaults in Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
A police …. Original article  : Oz police says Indian man’s death in Sydney not suspicious.

Oil rises above $85 in Asia as European countries offer massive bailout loan to Greece

Oil rises to $85 as Europe offers Greece bailout

SINGAPORE – Oil prices rose above $85 a barrel Monday in Asia after European countries offered a massive loan to debt-ridden Greece.
Benchmark crude for May delivery was up 35 cents to $85.27 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile … Original source on Gaea Times at : Oil rises above $85 in Asia as European countries offer massive bailout loan to Greece.

Beat police protect NYC subway tunnels from terror, including one in a Brooklyn brownstone

Beneath NYC, police protect tunnels from terror

NEW YORK – In a city considered the nation’s No. 1 terror target, few sites worry police more than the New York City subways – a sprawling, 24-hour-a-day system with 5 million riders.
The NYPD has been vigilant about defending the subways against terror since the recent bombing in Moscow, …. Source article  : Beat police protect NYC subway tunnels from terror, including one in a Brooklyn brownstone.

Gordon Brown loses ‘kissable’ British leader poll

LONDON – Gordon Brown is the British party leader women least want to snog, a survey has found.

In the poll, just 3 percent of 20 to 30-year-olds said they wanted to kiss the Prime Minster, compared to 14.9 percent for David Cameron and 16.9 percent for …. Original source  : Gordon Brown loses ‘kissable’ British leader poll.

Heavy snowfall at Khardungla in Ladakh

LADAKH – Heavy snowfall on the world’s highest motorable road in Khardungla Pass in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, poses threat to motorists.

The first stretch of 24 kilometres up till South Pullu checkpoint is metalled; however, the next stretch, which lies about 15 km beyond … Original source on Gaea Times at : Heavy snowfall at Khardungla in Ladakh.

Assam gears up for “Bihu” festival

GUWAHATI – Assam is getting dressed up to greet “Bihu”, a weeklong annual festival that marks the onset of Assamese New Year.

In Guwahati, locals are thronging market to buy the traditional articles, particularly those associated with Bihu.
The merry making festival Bihu is associated … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Assam gears up for “Bihu” festival.

Haggis flavoured chocolates give Scotland’s national dish the sweet treatment

LONDON – One can now experience the flavour of Scotland’s national dish, haggis, in a chocolate, thanks to Nadia Ellingham, who has launched the world’s first haggis chocolates.

Ellingham, an artisan chocolate maker from Edinburgh, originally created the chocolates for a Burns supper.
And the chocolate proved so popular among guests that she …. Original article  : Haggis flavoured chocolates give Scotland’s national dish the sweet treatment.

Kullu residents protest against mini hydropower project

KULLU – Residents of Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district are protesting against the construction of a mini hydel power project, saying it would hit the region’s famous trout fish farming.

Angry villagers said that the construction of the 1.5 Megawatt project would affect their livelihood.
“We are not against development. … Read more : Kullu residents protest against mini hydropower project.

Terrorists may attack foreign nationals in Lahore, Islamabad: Pak CID

ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Crime Investigation Department has said that an unknown militant group, Fidain Jihad, is planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Lahore and Islamabad.

A circular issued by the department in Punjab said the militant group …. Source article  : Terrorists may attack foreign nationals in Lahore, Islamabad: Pak CID.

Nepal Govt revokes passport printing deal with India

KATHMANDU – The Nepal Government has revoked its decision to give the contract of printing Machine-Readable Passports (MRPs) to India.

A cabinet meeting held on Sunday evening at the Prime Minister’s residence, decided to revoke the decision.
Speaking to reporters here, …. Read the original article  : here.

Rare display of Shroud of Turin attracts tourists to Italy

LONDON – The weekend saw thousands of pilgrims and tourists flocking Italy for a rare chance to see the Shroud of Turin- the mysterious yellowing linen which some Christians believe was Christ’s burial cloth.

The Turin Shroud is due to go on display for … Original article on : Rare display of Shroud of Turin attracts tourists to Italy.

Jharkhand Police being trained to counter Maoist attacks

RANCHI – In the wake of Maoist massacre in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada District, the Jharkhand police personnel at the BARIATU firing range here are being given special arms-training exercise to counter the attacks by the rebels in …. Original source  : Jharkhand Police being trained to counter Maoist attacks.

Study: Airlines did a better job getting passengers and their bags to destinations in 2009

Airlines did a better job for passengers in 2009

WASHINGTON – Fewer passengers boarded planes last year, but those who did were generally treated better than in the past.
A new report finds that overall in 2009 flights were more likely to land on time and bags less likely to get lost.
Passengers, as a result, reported fewer …. Read the original article  : here.