Nirupama’s boyfriend charged with rape, abetting suicide

RANCHI – Police Saturday filed a case of cheating, rape and abetment to suicide against the boyfriend of journalist Nirupama Pathak who was found dead in her Jharkhand home April 29.

A first information report (FIR) has been filed at the Tilaiya police station of Koderma district, around 200 km from here, a police official told … Original article on : Nirupama’s boyfriend charged with rape, abetting suicide.

A first for Twins in 30 years: Rainout at team’s new Target Field

First for Twins in 30 years: rainout
MINNEAPOLIS – For nearly as long as Jake Nyberg has been alive, there had never been a rainout in Minnesota.

The 30-year-old St. Paul resident, along with an entire generation of Twins fans, grew up watching his team play under the dingy roof of the Metrodome, which protected the players …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : A first for Twins in 30 years: Rainout at team’s new Target Field.

Jack White, Third Man staff lend profit, hand to flood relief effort in Nashville

Jack White lending profit, hand to flood relief

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jack White and his staff at Third Man Records are lending a hand to Nashville’s flood victims.
White told The Associated Press on Friday that profits from Saturday’s sales at his downtown record store will go to flood relief.
White, a member of The White Stripes and … Original source on Gaea Times at : Jack White, Third Man staff lend profit, hand to flood relief effort in Nashville.

Woman arrested with tortoises

LUCKNOW – A young woman has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district and 40 tortoises recovered from her, police said Saturday.

Seema Banerjee, 28, was arrested Friday evening from Matlupur area, police officer D.K. Sharma said in Mau, some 300 km from Lucknow. “The tortoises were recovered from two air bags she carried.”
She has …. Original article  : Woman arrested with tortoises.

Feds say “no cause for concern” after inspecting 30 deep water drilling rigs in Gulf of Mexico

Feds check 30 oil rigs, say no “cause for concern”

ROBERT, La. – U.S. Minerals Management Service inspectors say there’s “no urgent cause for concern” regarding 30 deep water drilling rigs they’ve finished inspecting in the Gulf of Mexico.
Spokesman Lars Herbst said Friday that the inspectors’ findings will be available soon in a report. His inspectors …. Source article  : Feds say “no cause for concern” after inspecting 30 deep water drilling rigs in Gulf of Mexico.

APNewsBreak: Bubble of methane gas, series of failures deep underwater, led to oil rig blast

APNewsBreak: Bubble of methane triggered rig blast

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO – The deadly blowout of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals and barriers before exploding, … Read more : APNewsBreak: Bubble of methane gas, series of failures deep underwater, led to oil rig blast.

Sri Lanka trying to deflect probe into war crimes: rights group

NEW YORK – Sri Lanka’s suggestion that a newly announced commission will provide accountability for laws-of-war violations during the armed conflict with the Tamil Tigers is another attempt to deflect an independent international probe, Human Rights Watch said Saturday.

Human Rights Watch urged UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to take steps to ensure accountability through an … Read more »».

APNewsBreak: Series of failures deep underwater led to catastrophic rig blast

APNewsBreak: Series of failures led to rig blast

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO – The deadly blowout of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals and barriers before … Original article on : APNewsBreak: Series of failures deep underwater led to catastrophic rig blast.

11-year-old abducted in Patna

PATNA – A 11-year-old boy has been abducted for ransom here while returning to his hostel from school, police said Saturday.

Ravi Roshan, a Class 6 student of Don Bosco Academy, was kidnapped Friday. His family has got calls demanding ransom.
“After Roshan failed to return till evening, I came to know about it,” said Ravi’s …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : 11-year-old abducted in Patna.

Titans owner gives $200,000 matched by NFL, NFL players union for relief of flood victims

Owner, NFL, union donate $400,000 to flood victims

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The owner of the Tennessee Titans has joined with the NFL and the NFL Players Association in giving $400,000 to the American Red Cross and a Tennessee group to help the state recover from floods that killed at least 31 people in three states.
The Titans … Read more : Titans owner gives $200,000 matched by NFL, NFL players union for relief of flood victims.

Mammoth cloud of volcanic ash blocks North Atlantic air routes, causes long-haul traffic jam

Atlantic ash cloud adds time to US-Europe flights

DUBLIN – A mammoth cloud of volcanic ash stretching 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) across the North Atlantic is forcing most flights between North America and Europe to divert into a sky-high traffic jam, Irish and European air authorities said Friday.
Forecasters warned that the rapidly spreading cloud of ash … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Mammoth cloud of volcanic ash blocks North Atlantic air routes, causes long-haul traffic jam.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. not unhappy after rough Darlington start

Junior wrecks 1 car, bangs up backup at Darlington

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never liked Darlington Raceway and that didn’t change after a pair of bumpy practice sessions Friday.
NASCAR’s most popular driver wrecked his primary Chevrolet on the second lap of practice. His Hendrick Motorsports team then pulled out his backup.
Earnhardt then smacked … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Dale Earnhardt Jr. not unhappy after rough Darlington start.

Researchers report finding oil chunks from Gulf spill 35 miles south of Dauphin Island, Ala.

Ala. researchers find oil chunks approaching coast

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. – Dauphin Island Sea Lab researchers say they believe parts of the oil slick are closer to the northern Gulf coast than previously thought.
Scientist Monty Graham said Friday they found honeycombed chunks of what appear to be crude oil and tar floating in the water about … Read more : Researchers report finding oil chunks from Gulf spill 35 miles south of Dauphin Island, Ala..

Grand Ole Opry House stage flooded by 2 feet of water; death toll, damage estimates rise

Grand Ole Opry stage sat under 2 feet of water

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The iconic Grand Ole Opry House stage sat under 2 feet of water at the peak of deadly floods that ravaged Tennessee last weekend, but there was finally a bit of good news for residents facing a relentless grind of death and destruction.
Even …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Grand Ole Opry House stage flooded by 2 feet of water; death toll, damage estimates rise.

Times Square street vendors who alerted police to car bomb honored at Citi Field

Times Square vendors honored at Citi Field

NEW YORK – Duane Jackson and Lance Orton Jr., the street vendors whose tip led police to discover a car bomb in Times Square last weekend, have been given a standing ovation at Citi Field before the New York Mets played San Francisco.
Frank Formato and Paul Casquarelli, two of … Original source on Gaea Times at : Times Square street vendors who alerted police to car bomb honored at Citi Field.

5.9-magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia

JAKARTA – A 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit central Indonesia Saturday, but there was no immediate report of casualties or material damage, Xinhua reported.

The quake struck at 11:22 a.m. local time (0322 GMT), with the epicentre 68 km northwest of Raba regency of West Nusa Tengara province, at a depth of 10 km below sea bed, said … Read more : 5.9-magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia.

Shiela Dikshit’s security up after threat call

NEW DELHI – Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit’s security has been stepped up after the police control room received a call from an unknown person, claiming that her life was in danger, an official said Saturday.

“We got a call on Thursday night that the chief minister’s life is in danger for the next 72 hours. …. Source article  : Shiela Dikshit’s security up after threat call.

In an increasingly cautious New York, water coolers and lunch bags can disturb the peace

Another day, another scare in a cautious New York

NEW YORK – Police cleared the streets around Times Square on Friday and called in the bomb squad to dismantle what turned out to be a cooler full of water bottles. Earlier in the day, police were called in to check a suspicious package that turned out …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Smuggled goods worth $15 mn seized in Colombia

Bogota, May 8 (IANS/EFE) Colombian authorities have seized 29.35 billion pesos ($14.6 million) worth of smuggled goods from the country’s free-trade zone near Panama, officials said.

The raid took place on a ship in Colombia’s main Pacific port of Buenaventura. Six 20-tonne containers, in which liquor, cigarettes, candies, shoes, perfumes, toys and office equipment and other … Read more : Smuggled goods worth $15 mn seized in Colombia.

Like a video game: Giant box is lowered slowly, slowly over blown-out well in the Gulf

Like a video game: Big box lowered over Gulf well

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO – It was part engineering marvel, part video game challenge Friday as crews painstakingly worked to lower a box the size of a house over the ruptured oil well that has spewed an estimated 3 million gallons of crude into the …. Read the original article  : Like a video game: Giant box is lowered slowly, slowly over blown-out well in the Gulf.