Firing incident not an attack on Ravi Shankar: Police chief

BANGALORE – The Karnataka police is not treating the firing incident at Art of Living complex here late Sunday as a bid on its founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s life, Director General of Police Ajay Kumar Singh said Monday.

“From the evidence we got, we are treating it as an incident and not as an attack … Original article on : Firing incident not an attack on Ravi Shankar: Police chief.

Mangalore air crash victims should get $145,000: Chandy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM – Victims of the Mangalore air tragedy should get at least $145,000 in compensation apart from the amount sanctioned by the state and central governments, Kerala’s Leader of Opposition Oommen Chandy said Monday. At least 158 people died in the tragedy May 22 of which 49 were Malayalis.

“According to the international aviation rules the …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

High court defers hearing in Rathore’s case till Tuesday

CHANDIGARH – The Punjab and Haryana High Court Monday deferred till Tuesday the hearing on the bail petition of former Haryana police chief S.P.S. Rathore, who has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra in 1990.

After hearing the arguments, the vacation bench of Justice Ajay Tiwari deferred the case and directed … Read more >>.

Memorial Day has personal tone in Afghanistan as troops remember friends and colleages

US troops in Afghanistan mark Memorial Day

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan remembered friends and colleagues Monday in solemn Memorial Day ceremonies to commemorate all of their nation’s war dead.
The 9-year-old war raged on, meanwhile, with NATO forces launching airstrikes against Taliban militants who had forced government forces to abandon the …. Source  : Memorial Day has personal tone in Afghanistan as troops remember friends and colleages.

Eight killed in Orissa accidents

BHUBANESWAR – At least eight people were killed and 11 injured in three separate road accidents in Orissa Monday, police said.

Four people died and seven were injured, three critically, when the vehicle in which they were travelling hit a parked truck on the outskirts of Deogarh, about 290 km from here, police said.
Two people …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Poppy husk racket busted

BHOPAL – Five people have been arrested in Madhya Pradesh with 450 kg of poppy straw hidden inside air conditioners being transported in a container truck, police said Monday.

The seizure took place on the Mandsaur-Ratlam highway, about 400 km from here. The truck was on its way to Ahmednagar in Maharashtra.
“Twenty bags of poppy …. Read the original article  : Poppy husk racket busted.

Beneath the surface: Today’s oil disaster in the Gulf feels so ‘yesterday’ for most of us

Oil disaster shows a divide from physical world
WASHINGTON – It’s all so last millennium, that filthy business in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico.
It reeks of yesterday’s fuel, yesterday’s sweaty labor – a hands-on way of life from another time. Today’s Americans don’t care to know how the gas comes to the … Read more >>.

Apex court notice to Haryana over Dalit arson attack

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the Haryana government on the plight of 150 Dalit families who were driven out of their village in Hisar district after an arson attack on their homes last month.

A 70-year-old man and his 18-year-old physically challenged daughter were killed and at least 18 houses were …. Original article  : Apex court notice to Haryana over Dalit arson attack.

As oil washes through mysterious depths, scientists warn of unseen calamity

Deepwater mystery: Oil loose in the Gulf
NEW ORLEANS – Streaming video of oil pouring from the seafloor and images of dead, crude-soaked birds serve as visual bookends to the natural calamity unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

But independent scientists and government officials say another disaster is playing out in slow motion – and out of … Read this article on Gaea Times at : As oil washes through mysterious depths, scientists warn of unseen calamity.

Toll in storm Agatha rises to 100 (Third Lead)

GUATEMALA CITY/TEGUCIGALPA – Heavy rain caused by tropical storm Agatha has killed almost 100 people in Central America, where tens of thousands of people had to be evacuated over the weekend because of flooding.

In Guatemala, which has been worst affected by the rains, 82 people had died, President Alvaro Colom was quoted as saying Sunday …. Original article  : Toll in storm Agatha rises to 100 (Third Lead).

NATO bombs eastern Afghanistan region taken by Taliban; commander says militants train in Iran

NATO bombs Taliban in eastern Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan – NATO launched airstrikes Monday against Taliban insurgents who had forced government forces to abandon a district in eastern Afghanistan. The NATO commander, meanwhile, said there is “clear evidence” that some Afghan militants have trained in Iran.

NATO reported its 50th death this month, according to a tally by [..] Read the original article: here.

Russian experts arrive in Seoul to review results of probe on warship sinking blamed on NKorea

Russians to study warship sinking probe
SEOUL, South Korea – Russian experts arrived in Seoul on Monday to review findings of an investigation that blamed North Korea for the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship, as the South sought to build support for U.N. punishment of the North.
If Russia endorses the multinational …. Read the original article  : here.

Road rage in Shimla: BJP leader’s son killed

SHIMLA – The 20-year-old son of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was stabbed to death by three men, one day after a road chase following an argument on overtaking, police here said Monday.

Two youths, Rohan Bhandari and Vikram, both in their early 20s, were arrested late Sunday while police is hunting for the third …. Original article  : Road rage in Shimla: BJP leader’s son killed.

Indian jailed in Australia for sexually abusing children

MELBOURNE – An Indian salesman in Australia was sentenced to jail Monday after being convicted of sexually assaulting children and possessing child pornography.

Mujahed Ur-Rahman, 29, pleaded guilty to sexually penetrating a child aged under 16 and two other charges relating to separate incidences on another victim, committing an indecent act on a child aged under …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Indian jailed in Australia for sexually abusing children.

Four arrested with antique Buddha idol

LUCKNOW – Four men involved in a Nepal-based smuggling racket have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district with an antique Buddha idol worth $21 million in the international market, police said Monday.

The four, residents of different Uttar Pradesh districts bordering Nepal, were arrested Sunday evening from Mehdewa area, some 300 km from here.
“The … Read more : Four arrested with antique Buddha idol.

Travel agency dupes 90 youths of Rs.2.5 crore, two held

AMBALA – Two people have been arrested for allegedly duping 90 youths of nearly Rs.2.5 crore on the pretext of sending them abroad on work permits, police said here Monday.

Rupesh Kumar and Manmohan Singh, who were running a travel agency called Capital Emigration and Education Services in this Haryana town, some 35 km from Chandigarh, …. Source  : Travel agency dupes 90 youths of Rs.2.5 crore, two held.

Ravishankar unafraid, says he forgives attacker

BANGALORE – Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravishankar, who was fired at but escaped unhurt, said Monday that there were people who wanted to attack him but he was not afraid and would continue to spread the message of anti-terrorism and peace.

An unidentified gunman opened fire at Ravishankar’s convoy here late Sunday. An Indian [..] Read the original article: here.

Goa minister under cloud after alleged partner dies

PANAJI – Goa’s Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco, who faces charges of bigamy, has been dragged into controversy again after a 28-year-old woman, allegedly his third partner, died at a Chennai hospital.

Women activists and the opposition have demanded a thorough probe into the death of Nadia Torreado in Chennai Sunday, 15 days after she … Original article on : Goa minister under cloud after alleged partner dies.

5 passengers suffer minor injuries when Amtrak train derails in southern Illinois

5 passengers injured when trail derails in Ill.

GRANITE CITY, Ill. – Amtrak says five people suffered minor injuries when a passenger train derailed in suburban St. Louis.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says the last two coaches on the train left the tracks Sunday evening in Granite City, Ill. The train was headed from St. Louis to … Read more »»».

Tropical Storm Agatha’s torrential rains, landslides kill 99 in 3 Central American countries

Tropical storm kills 99 in Central America

GUATEMALA CITY – The death toll in Central America from landslides and flooding triggered by the year’s first tropical storm surged to 99 on Sunday, as authorities struggled to clear roads of debris and reach cut-off communities.
Rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Agatha have pounded an area stretching …. Source  : Gaea News Network.