Kurla psycho killer arrested

MUMBAI – A psycho-killer wanted in the rape and murder of three minor girls in Kurla suburb of north-east Mumbai was arrested Thursday, police said.

“We arrested 19-year-old Javed Shaikh and presented him in the Vikhroli Court. He has been remanded to police custody for 14 days,” said zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police Dilip Sawant. … Read more : Kurla psycho killer arrested.

Maoists mutilated bodies of slain securitymen

RAIPUR – Doctors, who performed autopsies of the 26 security personnel killed in a Maoist ambush in Chhattisgargh Tuesday, were stunned to find that at least 10 men had their hands and legs chopped off and throats slit.

“All the 26 bodies were bullet-ridden, but we found some 10 bodies with heads smashed, legs and hands … Read more >>>.

Hearing adjourned on Rathore plea till Friday

CHANDIGARH – The Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday adjourned till Friday the hearing on the bail plea and revision petition of disgraced former Haryana police chief S.P.S. Rathore, convicted for molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra who later committed suicide.

Rathore was sentenced to 18 months rigorous imprisonment by the district and sessions court of Chandigarh. He …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Hearing adjourned on Rathore plea till Friday.

BP oil spill, gushing more than 2 months, nears somber record as Gulf of Mexico’s biggest ever

BP spill nears a somber record as Gulf’s biggest

NEW ORLEANS – BP’s massive oil spill will become the largest ever in the Gulf of Mexico by Thursday based on the highest of the federal government’s estimates, an ominous record that underscores the oil giant’s dire need to halt the gusher.
The oil that’s spewed for two …. Read the original article  : BP oil spill, gushing more than 2 months, nears somber record as Gulf of Mexico’s biggest ever.

Controlled release of water from swollen Iowa lake to test vulnerable Des Moines levee

Flood-wary Iowa residents plan for water release

DES MOINES, Iowa – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to slowly lower an inflatable dam Thursday to release some of the water that’s been building in a lake threatening to overflow and flood a Des Moines neighborhood.
The dam was installed as a temporary fix for the rapidly … Original source on Gaea Times at : Controlled release of water from swollen Iowa lake to test vulnerable Des Moines levee.

Scientist studying Indonesia’s last glacier says it will disappear in years, not decades

Indonesia’s last glacier will melt within years

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Lonnie Thompson spent years preparing for his expedition to the remote, mist-shrouded mountains of eastern Indonesia, hoping to chronicle the affect of global warming on the last remaining glacier in the Pacific. He’s worried he got there too late.
Even as he pitched his tent on top … Read more »»».

National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Alex weakens to Category 1 storm over Mexico

Hurricane Alex downgraded to Category 1 storm

MIAMI – The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Alex has weakened from a Category 2 to a Category 1 storm as it moves inland over northeastern Mexico.
The hurricane center reported early Thursday that the storm had sustained winds of 85 mph (137 kph). It says Alex is expected to … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Alex weakens to Category 1 storm over Mexico.

Former Goa minister denied anticipatory bail

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Thursday rejected a petition by former Goa tourism minister Mickky Pacheco seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the death of his alleged lover, 28-year-old Nadia Torrado.

Nadia died at a Chennai hospital May 30, 15 days after she allegedly consumed rat poison.
The vacation bench of the apex …. Source article  : Former Goa minister denied anticipatory bail.

Hurricane Alex drenches northern Mexico as it pushes inland; largely spares nearby Texas

Hurricane Alex drenches Mexico’s northern coast
SAN FERNANDO, Mexico – Hurricane Alex ripped off roofs, flooded streets and forced thousands of people to flee coastal fishing villages as it pushed into northern Mexico.
The Atlantic season’s first hurricane largely spared nearby Texas, which had prepared for a possible direct hit. While …. Source  : Hurricane Alex drenches northern Mexico as it pushes inland; largely spares nearby Texas.

Jail for man who threw shoe at Turkish PM

Seville (Spain), July 1 (IANS/EFE) The Kurdish man who threw a shoe at Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after an event in this southern Spanish city has been sentenced to three years in prison, the prosecutor’s office said.

The court “has not agreed to the … expulsion requested by the prosecutor, in view of his …. Original article  : Jail for man who threw shoe at Turkish PM.

Private tutor held for raping student

MUMBAI – A private tutor, who had been absconding for over a month, has been arrested for allegedly raping his minor student, police said Thursday.

Rajendra Nadar, 52, had been absconding since the victim’s family lodged a complaint against him with Khar Police, investigating officer B. Mukhedkar told IANS.
“According to the complaint, the accused had … Read : Private tutor held for raping student.

Punjab does a reality check as a ‘drugged’ state

CHANDIGARH – With Punjab emerging as a major transit and destination point for drugs coming from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the state government has begun a new campaign against drugs to check addiction and abuse among youth.

The state’s health department has commissioned a study on drug abuse in the border districts of Punjab to know …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Punjab does a reality check as a ‘drugged’ state.

Alex, Atlantic’s 1st hurricane of season, pounds Mexico’s Gulf coast as Category 2 storm

Alex hits Mexico’s Gulf coast as Cat 2 hurricane
SAN FERNANDO, Mexico – Hurricane Alex made landfall on Mexico’s Gulf coast as a powerful Category 2 storm Wednesday, spawning tornadoes in nearby Texas, forcing evacuations in both countries and whipping up high waves that frustrated oil-spill cleanup efforts and pushed …. Read the original article  : Alex, Atlantic’s 1st hurricane of season, pounds Mexico’s Gulf coast as Category 2 storm.

Forecasters: Hurricane Alex makes landfall in northeastern Mexico; winds about 105 mph.

Hurricane Alex makes landfall along Mexican coast
MIAMI – Forecasters say the first Atlantic hurricane of the season has made landfall in northeastern Mexico.
The Category 2 storm churning in the Gulf of Mexico has sustained winds of near 105 mph (155 kph). The National Hurricane Center says it made landfall about 10 p.m. EDT … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Forecasters: Hurricane Alex makes landfall in northeastern Mexico; winds about 105 mph..

Calif. man arrested in 1989 NH arson that killed family of 4, including 2 kids, in apartment

Calif. man arrested in 1989 NH fire that killed 4

CONCORD, N.H. – A recently created Cold Case Unit has brought criminal charges against a California man in the 1989 deaths of four family members in a New Hampshire apartment house arson, authorities said.
David McLeod was arrested Wednesday in California on four counts of second-degree murder …. Source article  : Calif. man arrested in 1989 NH arson that killed family of 4, including 2 kids, in apartment.

Alex, Atlantic’s 1st hurricane of season, nears Mexico, Texas coasts as Category 2 storm

Powerful hurricane Alex nears Mexico, Texas coasts
SAN FERNANDO, Mexico – Powerful Hurricane Alex neared landfall on Mexico’s northern Gulf coast Wednesday, spawning tornados in Texas, forcing evacuations in both countries and whipping up high waves that frustrated oil-spill cleanup efforts and pushed globs of crude onto beaches.
Alex strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Wildfire burning north of Flagstaff, Ariz., now fully contained after charring 15,000+ acres

Wildfire near Flagstaff, Ariz., fully contained

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – A wildfire burning four miles north of Flagstaff is fully contained after charring more than 15,000 acres.
U.S. Forest Service officials say the so-called Schultz Fire has burned an estimated 15,075 acres, or more than 23 square miles of scenic northern Arizona forest. It has cost more than … Read : Wildfire burning north of Flagstaff, Ariz., now fully contained after charring 15,000+ acres.

Jimmy Buffett puts on free show at sister’s restaurant on Ala. coast; hundreds show up

Free show by Jimmy Buffett along Alabama coast

GULF SHORES, Ala. – Oil weary residents on Alabama’s coast got a boost from Jimmy Buffett, who put on an impromptu free show at his sister’s restaurant Wednesday evening, bringing in hundreds of fans.
He sang crowd favorites including “Fins,” ”Pascagoula Run” and “Volcano” during a more than two-hour … Read : Jimmy Buffett puts on free show at sister’s restaurant on Ala. coast; hundreds show up.

New set of key straps were supplied before NYC crane collapse, witness says at rigger’s trial

Witness: New straps supplied before NYC crane fell

NEW YORK – The criminal trial surrounding one of the nation’s deadliest construction-crane collapses has honed in on claims that a worn polyester strap was used and broke at a key point in securing the towering crane. But the crane rigger had been provided with brand-new straps, a … Original source on Gaea Times at : New set of key straps were supplied before NYC crane collapse, witness says at rigger’s trial.

Searchers find 4 bodies inside wreckage of plane missing since Sunday in northwestern Montana

4 bodies found inside wreckage of missing plane

MOIESE, Mont. – Authorities found four bodies inside the wreckage of a small plane Wednesday on a rugged hillside in northwestern Montana, bringing a tragic end to a 2??-day search for a group of friends who went out for an afternoon sightseeing trip and never returned.
Family members awaiting … Original article on : Searchers find 4 bodies inside wreckage of plane missing since Sunday in northwestern Montana.