Delay in hanging leads to reduced sentences, show rulings

NEW DELHI – The government may be unwittingly entitling condemned prisoners – including parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru – to a lesser life sentence by delaying decisions on their mercy pleas, Supreme Court rulings suggest.

The apex court has repeatedly held that excessive delay in executing the death penalty, leaving the condemned prisoner to suffer …. Source  : Delay in hanging leads to reduced sentences, show rulings.

30 killed as bus falls in ditch in Karnataka, catches fire

BANGALORE – At least 30 people, including 10 children, were burnt to death early Sunday when the state-run bus they were travelling in fell off a bridge into a ditch and caught fire in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district, police said.

The bus was on way to Bangalore from Surpur in Gulbarga district when the accident took [..] Read the original article: here.

17 die in China coal mine blast

BEIJING – Seventeen miners were killed and one was injured in an explosion at a coal mine in central China’s Hunan Province, an official said Sunday.

Dynamite stored at the Shuguang Coal Mine in Rucheng county exploded at about 4 p.m. Saturday, generating huge amounts of toxic gas that killed the miners, said a spokesman with …. Read the original article  : here.

CRPF trooper commits suicide in Kashmir

SRINAGAR – A trooper of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) committed suicide inside his camp in north Kashmir’s Ganderbal district Sunday, police said.

The trooper of the 118 battalion of the CRPF committed suicide inside the camp in Gund village of Ganderbal.
“A case has been registered and we are investigating the matter,” a … Read more »»».

Normal service resumes as death toll from train accident in eastern India rises to 145

Death toll from train accident rises to 145
CALCUTTA, India – Normal railway service resumed across an eastern Indian state on Sunday, two days after a train accident blamed on Maoist rebels that killed 145 people, officials said.
Thirteen cars from a high-speed passenger train derailed and then were hit by an oncoming cargo train …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

BP turns to next attempt to stop gushing oil in Gulf of Mexico after top kill fails

BP turns to next attempt after top kill fails
ROBERT, La. – Yet another mix of risky undersea robot maneuvers, containment devices and longshot odds is being prepared to fight the uncontrolled gusher feeding the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Six weeks after the catastrophe began, oil giant BP PLC is still …. Read the original article  : BP turns to next attempt to stop gushing oil in Gulf of Mexico after top kill fails.

Fire in Delhi building, no casualty

NEW DELHI – A fire broke out early Sunday in a three-storeyed building in north-east Delhi. No one was injured in the incident, officials said.

“A fire started around 3 a.m. on the third floor of a building in Seelampur area. Twenty fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately. The fire was doused within an …. Source  : Fire in Delhi building, no casualty.

Authorities say 17 miners killed in explosion at coal mine in central China

17 miners killed in central China mine blast

BEIJING – Seventeen miners were killed by a dynamite explosion at a coal mine in central China, authorities said Sunday.
Another worker was injured in the explosion Saturday at the coal mine in Chenzhou city in Hunan province, said a duty officer surnamed Zhang at the State Administration of …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Authorities say 17 miners killed in explosion at coal mine in central China.

Chinese premier says tension over Korea ship sinking must be defused, avoids backing UN action

China premier: Korean tensions must be defused
SEOGWIPO, South Korea – China’s premier said Sunday that tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship urgently need to be defused, but did not join other key nations in blaming longtime ally North Korea and gave no indication he would support U.N. sanctions.
Premier Wen Jiabao’s …. Original article  : Chinese premier says tension over Korea ship sinking must be defused, avoids backing UN action.

Four of a family murdered in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD – In a gruesome incident here, four members of a family were murdered by their son-in-law and his relatives early Sunday, police said.

Six assailants hacked to death four people in a house at Premnagar in Amberpet neighbourhood. Another person sustained serious injuries and is battling for life in hospital, police said.
Qamruddin, his wife …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Dalit killed for demanding wages

BHOPAL – A Dalit in a Madhya Pradesh village only wanted payment of wages due to him — but what he got was death. Mason Ramesh Jatav was allegedly killed after he demanded Rs.4,000 for the work he had done for farmer Shriram Lodhi, police Sunday said.

Thirty-eight-year-old Jatav was killed in Shivpuri district Friday night … Original source on Gaea Times at : Dalit killed for demanding wages.

Peru shipwreck toll rises to 21

Lima, May 30 (IANS/EFE) Peruvian authorities have recovered 21 bodies from a ferry that sank in the Amazon River near the border with Colombia, while the number of confirmed survivors stands at 161, an official said.

The Camila, said to have been carrying more than 200 people, sank at around 2.40 a.m. Wednesday near the Indian … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Peru shipwreck toll rises to 21.

Venezuela nabs Colombian drug lord

Caracas, May 30 (IANS/EFE) Colombian Carlos Ojeda Herrera, wanted in the US on heroin-trafficking charges, was arrested in the northern Venezuelan state of Anzoategui, said Interior Minister Tarek El Aissami.

“President Hugo Chavez has issued an order to inform US authorities immediately about this arrest and proceed with his immediate deportation,” El Aissami told state-run VTV …. Original source  : Venezuela nabs Colombian drug lord.

Agatha’s torrential rains pound Guatemala, killing at least 12

Agatha leaves at least 12 dead in Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY – Torrential rains brought by the first tropical storm of the 2010 season pounded Guatemala and southern Mexico, triggering deadly landslides. The death toll stood at 12 early Sunday but authorities said the number could rise.
Agatha made landfall near the border of Guatemala and Mexico on …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Agatha’s torrential rains pound Guatemala, killing at least 12.

Vt. Yankee official: Leak of radioactive water found at nuke plant, fixed, no public threat

Radioactive leak found, fixed at Vt. nuke plant

MONTPELIER, Vt. – A new leak of radioactive material has been found and fixed at the troubled Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, officials said Saturday.
Vapor and water containing 13 different radioactive substances was found late Friday coming from a pipe in a hole workers dug to find the …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Vt. Yankee official: Leak of radioactive water found at nuke plant, fixed, no public threat.

Media reports say more than 30 people killed in bus accident in southern India

Reports say 30 people killed in India bus accident

NEW DELHI – More than 30 people, including 10 children, were killed when a bus hit a police barricade, flipped over and was engulfed in flames in southern India early Sunday, news reports said.
At least 28 others were injured, some seriously, when the vehicle’s fuel tank caught … Original article on : Media reports say more than 30 people killed in bus accident in southern India.

30 killed in Karnataka bus accident

BANGALORE – At least 30 people, including 10 children, were charred to death when the bus they were travelling in fell into a roadside pit and caught fire in the early hours of Sunday in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district, police said.

The bus was on the way to Bangalore from Surpur in Gulbarga district when it hit … Read : 30 killed in Karnataka bus accident.

A reformed convict’s poems give birth to play

SHIMLA – Put behind bars for nine years for rape, Sudhir Sharma underwent the agony of prison life – an emotional journey that found vent in 153 poems. Written on bits of paper and handed over to an NGO each time, the reformed convict’s poems will now be staged as a play in Shimla.

The … Original article on : A reformed convict’s poems give birth to play.

BP’s top kill failed to seal oil gusher

WASHINGTON – British Petroleum (BP) failed to seal off the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico after three days of trying the so-called top kill effort, BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles has said.

The growing ecological disaster – the largest marine oil spill in US history – entered its 40th day Saturday even as …. Original article  : BP’s top kill failed to seal oil gusher.

Chinese premier says avoiding conflict in the Koreas is most urgent

Chinese premier: avoiding Korean conflict urgent
SEOGWIPO, South Korea – China’s premier said Sunday that avoiding conflict between the Koreas over the sinking of a warship is most urgent, but did not express support for a bid by South Korea and Japan to condemn North Korea at the United Nations for allegedly carrying out … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Chinese premier says avoiding conflict in the Koreas is most urgent.