One dead, 400 slum dwellings gutted in Delhi fires

NEW DELHI – A person was burnt to death and 400 slum dwellings gutted in two fire incidents in the slum areas of the capital early Sunday, a fire official said.

In a fire that broke out in a slum area near Patparganj in east Delhi, a person died and two were injured.
“We got … Read more : One dead, 400 slum dwellings gutted in Delhi fires.

Indian youths jailed in Bangladesh now missing

AGARTALA – Two Indian youths from Tripura, arrested for illegally entering Bangladesh in November last year, have been missing for nearly four months now, officials said here Sunday.

“The two youths from southern Tripura — Sanjoy Bhowmik, 20 and Pintu Debnath, 21 — were arrested in Bangladesh by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) for illegal entry …. Read the original article  : Indian youths jailed in Bangladesh now missing.

KLM says no damage to plane that flew through volcanic ash, wants to resume flights

KLM pushes to resume passenger flights after tests

AMSTERDAM – KLM, the Dutch subsidiary of Air France, said Sunday it wants to resume passenger flights in Europe as soon as possible after it flew a plane through the cloud of volcanic ash covering much of the continent without suffering any damage.
KLM carried out the test flight … Read this article on Gaea Times at : KLM says no damage to plane that flew through volcanic ash, wants to resume flights.

China quake toll rises to 1,706

BEIJING – The death toll in the 7.1-magnitude quake in China’s Qinghai province has risen to 1,706, it was announced Sunday.

At least 256 people were still missing, Xinhua quoted the rescue headquarters as saying.
The devastating quake, which struck Yushu prefecture Wednesday morning, injured over 12,000 people. Of this, 1,424 were in critical condition, the …. Source  : China quake toll rises to 1,706.

Australian dies in rubbish bin prank

SYDNEY – A 22-year-old Australian died when the wheelie bin he and a friend were riding down a hill crashed into a tree at high speed, New South Wales police said Sunday.

The deceased, who was in the rubbish bin with a 19-year-old friend, sustained head injuries.
“They travelled a distance of about 300 …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Australian dies in rubbish bin prank.

Inspector commits suicide inside police station

MUMBAI – A police inspector committed suicide early Sunday by shooting himself with his service revolver inside the suburban Borivli Police Station here, authorities said.

P.I. Shivaji Patil shot himself in his cabin. “Patil was on night duty. He was found dead when other policemen came to the station in the morning,” Additional Commissioner of Police …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Inspector commits suicide inside police station.

Bodies of Polish president, wife, flown to Krakow for traditional-laden burial

Polish leader, wife flown to Krakow for burial
KRAKOW, Poland – The bodies of President Lech Kaczynski and his wife were flown from Warsaw to Krakow early Sunday for burial among Polish kings and poets at a tradition-laden ceremony that will be bereft of many world leaders whose travel plans were paralyzed by a …. Original source  : Bodies of Polish president, wife, flown to Krakow for traditional-laden burial.

Woman commits suicide after kids fail in exams

AGRA – A 32-year-old woman committed suicide by jumping before a train in this Uttar Pradesh district after three of her school-going children failed in their exams, police said Sunday.

Anjana, a resident of Arjun Nagar, killed herself Saturday afternoon near Madia Katra close to Raja ki Mandi station here.
“Anjana had gone to collect the …. Read the original article  : Woman commits suicide after kids fail in exams.

Government official gang raped in Pune, four men held

PUNE – A senior government official from Pune was allegedly raped by four men while she was returning from a pilgrimage with her family. The accused have been arrested, police said Sunday.

The woman, a resident of Pune, was returning with her husband and son from the Vaidyanath temple in Parli village of Maharashtra’s Beed district …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Government official gang raped in Pune, four men held.

Suicide bomber rams truck at Pakistani police station, killing 7 passersby

Suicide bomb at police station kills 7 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – A suicide bomber rammed a truck loaded with explosives into a police station in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing a child and six other civilians, police said.
The attack on the Saddar police station in the Kohat region wounded 26 people, said Abdullah Khan, the deputy …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Suicide bomber rams truck at Pakistani police station, killing 7 passersby.

6.3 magnitude quake hits Papua New Guinea

MELBOURNE – A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck Papua New Guinea Sunday, US geologists said, but there was no tsunami warning.

The quake struck at 9.15 a.m. local time, with its epicentre located 28 km east of Lae town, and at a depth of 66 km, the Australian reported quoting the US …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

One more booked for illegal mining in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR – Police in Orissa Sunday charged one more person under the National Security Act (NSA) in the mineral-rich Keonjhar district over crimes related to mining, taking the number of people booked under the act in the region to four, an official said.

Kashinath Behera, 38, was arrested last month from Joda area for his involvement …. Source  : One more booked for illegal mining in Orissa.

Qinghai quake: China should now directly engage Dalai Lama (Comment)

The deadly earthquake in the Qinghai Province in northwestern China, which killed 1400, mostly Tibetan people, on April 14, offers an extraordinary opportunity to Beijing to allow the Dalai Lama to make his first visit home in over 50 years.

While the Dalai Lama has been quick to request that he be allowed to visit the …. Original article  : Qinghai quake: China should now directly engage Dalai Lama (Comment).

Poisonous gas kills 18 in Bihar

At least 18 people have been killed after leakage of a poisonous gas from a house led to devastating fire and polluted the air in Bihar.

The incident occured at Jaitipur village under Islampur block of Nalanda district, home district of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Police said Arjun Swarnkar was engaged in making duplicate petroleum by …. Read the original article  : Poisonous gas kills 18 in Bihar.

Chinese President Hu flies to devastated earthquake zone as flow of aid increases

Chinese president Hu flies to Tibetan quake zone
JIEGU, China – Chinese President Hu Jintao met with earthquake survivors Sunday in a remote, mountainous Tibetan region where rescue supplies were arriving at a faster pace.
Hu cut short an official trip to South America to deal with the disaster, which killed more than 1,700 … Original article on : Chinese President Hu flies to devastated earthquake zone as flow of aid increases.

Rescuers save 17,000 lives in China quake

BEIJING – Rescuers have saved 17,000 people from the rubble of the collapsed buildings following a devastating earthquake in northwest China, Xinhua reported Sunday.

The magnitude 7.1 quake Wednesday left more than 1,400 people dead.
The epicentre of the temblor was in the Yushu prefecture of China’s Qinghai province.
More than 15,000 rescuers, including 11,000 personnel …. Source  : Rescuers save 17,000 lives in China quake.

Ash spreads south as Europe air shutdown causes havoc

REYKJAVIK/LONDON/WARSAW – The closures of European airspace were moving southward with the rolling cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano, which continued to wreak havoc Sunday with tens of thousands of stranded airline passengers.

Flight bans were imposed in Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and northern Italy and northern Serbia, after similar action across the British Isles and … Read more >>>.

South Africa sets up team to tackle wildlife poaching

CAPE TOWN – The South African government has allocated two million rands (about $270,000) to set up a unit to tackle wildlife crimes, mainly rhino poaching in the country.

Water and Environment Minister Buyelwa Sonjica made the announcement to the media after her budget vote speech, BuaNews reported Saturday.
She said 55 rhinos had been …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : South Africa sets up team to tackle wildlife poaching.

Border agents shoot man who speeds from gate, rams pickup at San Diego County crossing

Man shot, hurt at San Diego County border crossing

SAN DIEGO – Federal officers shot and injured a man at the nation’s busiest border crossing Saturday after he sped away from a gate agent and rammed a pickup while crossing into San Diego County from Mexico, authorities said.
The shooting by two U.S. Customs and Border Protection …. Original source  : Border agents shoot man who speeds from gate, rams pickup at San Diego County crossing.

Jailed militia member says he was unaware of any specific plans to wage war against government

Militia member says he wasn’t aware of any plot

DETROIT – An Ohio man charged in what federal prosecutors say was a Christian militia’s plot to wage war against the government said Saturday that he wasn’t aware of any such specific plans and regrets not severing ties with the group.
Kristopher Sickles, 27, of Sandusky, told The … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Jailed militia member says he was unaware of any specific plans to wage war against government.