Laila Cyclone Drawing Near Coast

CHENNAI, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com)- The coastal regions of north Tamil Nadu were battered with heavy showers as Cyclone Laila intensified and moved across the eastern coast of India on Wednesday. It is expected to hit and lash Andhra Pradesh with rainfall today night or tomorrow morning. As a measure of precaution, the met office …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Laila Cyclone Drawing Near Coast.

Outta the way! Vietnam attempts to lasso anything-goes traffic with hefty fines

Beep! Beep! Vietnam launches war on deadly traffic

HANOI, Vietnam – Beep! Beep! A motorcyclist without a helmet snakes through a crush of oncoming traffic – going the wrong way on a one-way street while texting with one hand on the phone, the other on the throttle.
Like a school of fish, the other bikes casually wiggle … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Outta the way! Vietnam attempts to lasso anything-goes traffic with hefty fines.

Times Square car bomb suspect’s says 1 word _ ‘Yes’ _ in 1st NY court appearance since arrest

Times Square car bomb suspect has day in court

NEW YORK – The man accused of plotting to kill Americans with a car bomb in Times Square appeared relaxed and obedient in his first appearance in a Manhattan courtroom, where he was told by a magistrate judge that he had the right to remain silent.
Authorities say … Original source on Gaea Times at : Times Square car bomb suspect’s says 1 word _ ‘Yes’ _ in 1st NY court appearance since arrest.

9 arrest warrants issued for deadly coal mine flood in northern China

9 charged for coal mine flood in China
BEIJING – Chinese prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for nine technicians and engineers in connection with a mine flooding two months ago that killed 38 people but also riveted the country because 115 were rescued after more than a week trapped underground.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday …. Original article  : 9 arrest warrants issued for deadly coal mine flood in northern China.

Four of poverty-stricken family commit suicide

MUMBAI – Acute financial problems has driven four members of a family in Mumbai to commit suicide, police said Wednesday.

Bharat Ovale, 35, his wife Pushpa, 33, and two children – daughter Sakshi, 7, and son Sumit, 5, were found hanging at their home in a chawl in a government housing complex.
…. Original source  : Four of poverty-stricken family commit suicide.

Man kills three children, then commits suicide

LUCKNOW – Unable to pay back loans to money lenders, a desperate daily wage labourer in Uttar Pradesh Wednesday killed his three children by giving them poison before committing suicide, police said.

Sagir, a resident of Lakhipura area in Meerut, about 400 km from Lucknow, had taken a loan for his wife’s treatment. His children were …. Read the original article  : here.

Brown pelican’s plight illustrates perils confronting troubled Gulf species as oil spill grows

La.’s state bird, brown pelican, imperiled by oil

CALIFORNIA BAY, La. – Hounded by hunters and fishermen, driven to near-extinction by chemical pollution, the brown pelican has survived a century of human abuse – only to face another challenge from the giant oil spill threatening to devastate the Gulf of Mexico marine environment.
The odd-looking seabird with … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Brown pelican’s plight illustrates perils confronting troubled Gulf species as oil spill grows.

5 key Red Shirt protest leaders surrender, led away by Thai police in central Bangkok

Thai protest leaders surrender, call end to sit-in

BANGKOK – Seven leaders of Thailand’s Red Shirt protesters have surrendered to authorities after a deadly army assault on their fortified encampment.
They have been led away by police in central Bangkok. Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd described them as “terrorist leaders” and said the “overall situation is under …. Read the original article  : 5 key Red Shirt protest leaders surrender, led away by Thai police in central Bangkok.

Interior secretary admits regulatory lapse in oil oversight office; scientists watch spill

Scientists watching where oil spill headed next

WASHINGTON – Scientists are anxiously awaiting signals about where a massive oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico may be heading, while containment of the looming environmental catastrophe proves elusive.
With fears growing that the gushing well could spread damage from Louisiana to Florida, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told a …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Interior secretary admits regulatory lapse in oil oversight office; scientists watch spill.

SKorean foreign minister says it’s ‘obvious’ North Korea behind deadly sinking of naval ship

SKorea’s top diplomat: ‘Obvious’ NKorea sank ship
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s foreign minister said Wednesday it was “obvious” that North Korea fired a torpedo that sank one of the South’s warships in March, killing 46 sailors.
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters that investigators have enough evidence of North Korean involvement …. Original source  : SKorean foreign minister says it’s ‘obvious’ North Korea behind deadly sinking of naval ship.

Team of UK scientists works round the clock to predict where volcanic ash will strike next

Team of UK scientists track Europe’s ash cloud

LONDON – When ash spews from an Icelandic volcano, 10 British scientists using laser sensors, satellite pictures and a specially equipped jet must tell the world where it’s going.
The grit can block flight paths and shut airports, so the fate of millions of travelers, and billions in revenue, … Original source on Gaea Times at : Team of UK scientists works round the clock to predict where volcanic ash will strike next.

Saudi woman attacks cop who stopped her for walking with man

LONDON – A Saudi religious policeman who stopped a young woman for walking with a man in an amusement park in Saudi Arabia received a rude shock – the woman repeatedly hit him, a British daily reported.

The policeman was from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The incident took place …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Saudi woman attacks cop who stopped her for walking with man.

Jail for man who set ablaze student dressed as sheep

LONDON – A Briton who set fire to a student dressed a sheep as he was “trying to get a laugh” has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Jason Whatley, 39, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court after he admitted that he set ablaze Stuart Mitchell, 19, in October last year, The Telegraph reported Wednesday. … Read more >>.

Saudi woman hits cop who stopped her for walking with man

LONDON – A Saudi religious policeman who stopped a young woman for walking with a man in an amusement park received a rude shock – the woman lost her cool and repeatedly punched him.

The policeman was from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The incident took place in the …. Source article  : Saudi woman hits cop who stopped her for walking with man.

Canadian Tamils in black mourn victims of ‘war crimes’

TORONTO – In their biggest gathering in Canada after the end of the ethnic war in Sri Lanka last year, thousands of Tamils held a memorial service for war victims at the Ontario provincial assembly here.

More than 12,000 people wearing black clothes and head bands marked the first anniversary of the annihilation of the Liberation … Read : Canadian Tamils in black mourn victims of ‘war crimes’.

South Korean foreign minister says ‘obvious’ NKorea sank navy ship

SKorean offcial says ‘obvious’ NKorea sank ship
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s foreign minister said Wednesday it was “obvious” that North Korea sank one of the South’s warships in March, killing 46 sailors.
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters that investigators have enough evidence of North Korean involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan … Read : South Korean foreign minister says ‘obvious’ NKorea sank navy ship.

FEMA chief: Agency videographer wrong to ask Miss. tornado volunteers not to show faith logo

FEMA: Sorry photog asked faith shirts be removed

JACKSON, Miss. – The top officer for FEMA said one of the agency’s videographers was “absolutely wrong” to ask Mississippi church volunteers not to wear religious T-shirts for a video about tornado cleanup.
Angelia Lott and Pamela Wedgeworth, who are sisters, told The Associated Press that the FEMA worker … Read more »».

Magnitude-4.5 quake hits seismically active California border; downgraded from 5.1

4.5 quake hits seismically active Calif. border

EL CENTRO, Calif. – The seismically active California-Mexico border was rattled Tuesday by a magnitude-4.5 aftershock of the major earthquake that hit the region April 4. No damage was immediately reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 5:38 p.m. and was centered 18 miles west-southwest of El … Read more : Magnitude-4.5 quake hits seismically active California border; downgraded from 5.1.

China coalmine blast kills 10

YUXIAN – At least 10 people were killed and one missing following a coalmine gas blast in China’s northern Shanxi province, an official said Wednesday.

The accident occurred around 4.50 p.m. Tuesday when 41 miners were working in the shaft of Chentong Coal Industry Co. Ltd. in Yuxian county, Xinhua reported citing Liu Xianyun of the …. Source  : China coalmine blast kills 10.

US: Insurgents launch complex attack on Bagram Air Field

US: Insurgents attack Bagram Air Field
KABUL, Afghanistan – Insurgents launched a brazen pre-dawn assault Wednesday against the giant U.S.-run Bagram Air Field, the second Taliban strike at NATO forces in and around the capital in as many days.

At least 10 insurgents were killed and seven U.S. service members wounded in the attack on Bagram, which …. Source  : US: Insurgents launch complex attack on Bagram Air Field.