Wildfire explodes in rural Los Angeles County hills, forcing hundreds to evacuate

Wildfire explodes in rural LA County hills

PALMDALE, Calif. – Firefighters plan an aggressive air attack at first light Friday against a fast-moving wildfire that exploded in northern Los Angeles County, chewing through more than 7 square miles of dry brush, forcing hundreds of evacuations and burning at least three structures.
There is zero containment, authorities said.
Three …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Wildfire explodes in rural Los Angeles County hills, forcing hundreds to evacuate.

ATM catches fire, Rs.3 lakh burnt

LUCKNOW – Currency notes worth Rs.3 lakh were reduced to ashes after an ATM of a public sector bank caught fire in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district Friday, police said.

The Bank of Baroda ATM installed in the Kaushalpuri area was completely destroyed in the fire.
“Though the fire officials managed to control the fire from spreading …. Read the original article  : ATM catches fire, Rs.3 lakh burnt.

Tokyo’s `oldest’ man dead for 30 years

TOKYO – Police are investigating whether the family of Tokyo’s “oldest man” – who appears to have been dead at home for decades – fraudulently received pension money paid to him, news reports said Friday.

City officials went to see Sogen Kato, listed as Tokyo’s oldest man, to congratulate him on his 111th birthday, but …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Tokyo’s `oldest’ man dead for 30 years.

Cameras to monitor crime in Noida

NOIDA – Cameras mounted at vantage points in crowded areas that will be monitored 24X7 and other technology-based mapping systems and information systems will make this growing city safer for residents and those who come to work and study here, Noida Authority chairman and CEO Mohinder Singh said here.

“Cameras will be mounted at vantage …. Read the original article  : Cameras to monitor crime in Noida.

Bob Dudley to outline BP’s plans to help the Gulf region recover from massive oil spill

Dudley to outline BP plans to help Gulf recover

NEW ORLEANS – Incoming BP CEO Bob Dudley was set to outline his company’s long-term efforts to help the Gulf of Mexico recover from the oil spill Friday morning, and will be getting help from a Clinton administration-era emergency management official.
The oil giant said Dudley would be … Read more >>>.

History of pipeline problems follows Canadian company at center of huge Mich. river oil spill

Company at center of Mich. oil cited for problems

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – A Canadian company at the center of a huge oil spill in southern Michigan has a history of pipeline problems, including leaks, an explosion and dozens of regulatory violations.
Enbridge Inc. or its affiliates have been cited for 30 enforcement actions since 2002 by …. Source  : History of pipeline problems follows Canadian company at center of huge Mich. river oil spill.

US gas stations: Stay BP and its tainted image since Gulf oil spill or change name to Amoco?

US gas stations: Stay BP or change name to Amoco?

NEW ORLEANS – BP gas station owners across the country are divided over whether the oil giant stained by its handling of the Gulf spill should rebrand U.S. outlets as Amoco or another name as part of its effort to repair the company’s badly damaged reputation.
Some …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Unable to cope, mother kills baby in Australia

SYDNEY – A newborn baby in Australia died of head injuries after his mother pushed him out of his cot because she found it “hard to cope” with very little money, a court was told.

The seven-week-old boy died at a hospital in Newcastle May 6, 2006, having suffered a fractured skull, the New South Wales … Original article on : Unable to cope, mother kills baby in Australia.

13 hurt in clash at Bokaro Steel Plant

RANCHI – At least 13 people were injured Friday as residents protesting the expansion plans of the Bokaro Steel Plant in Jharkhand clashed with security personnel, police said.

The Bokaro Steel Plant, under its expansion plan, was constructing a boundary wall and gate to protect its area near Addakyari in Bokaro district, some 130 km from …. Read the original article  : 13 hurt in clash at Bokaro Steel Plant.

3 US troops die, bringing July toll to at least 63 for US in Afghanistan

3 US troops die, deadliest month of Afghan war
KABUL, Afghanistan – Three U.S. service members were killed in blasts in Afghanistan, bringing the toll for July to at least 63 and making it the deadliest month for American forces in the nearly 9-year-war.
A NATO statement Friday said the three died in two separate … Read more : 3 US troops die, bringing July toll to at least 63 for US in Afghanistan.

Prosecutors say Ark. doctor sought revenge, but no forensic evidence, witnesses link him bomb

Prosecutors: Revenge pushed Ark. doctor to bombing

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Prosecutors insist that a doctor accused of masterminding a bombing that disfigured the Arkansas State Medical Board chairman was a weapons fanatic bent on avenging the restriction of his medical license.
That image, built over three weeks of trial testimony, will be challenged Friday as Dr. …. Read the original article  : here.

Rescue and government officials say 3 days of floods have killed 313 people in Pakistan

Officials: Floods kill at least 313 in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – The death toll in three days of flooding in Pakistan reached at least 313 on Friday, rescue and government officials said, as rains bloated rivers, submerged villages, and triggered landslides.
The rising toll from the monsoon rains underscore the poor infrastructure in impoverished Pakistan, where under-equipped …. Read the original article  : here.

Constable held for supplying cartridges to Maoists

LUCKNOW – Police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested a constable from Sonbhadra district for allegedly smuggling cartridges from government armouries and selling them to Maoists, an official said Friday.

Constable Lok Nath, posted at the Churk Police Lines in Sonbhadra, some 350 km from Lucknow, used to operate the racket with the help of some police …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Three Indians freed of drug charge in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR – Three people of Indian origin – two of them brothers – have been acquitted by a high court in Malaysia of drug trafficking charges.

Judicial commissioner Ahmad Nasfy Yasin ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the three, a media report said Friday.
Brothers Tivagar Vadivelu, 35, and …. Read the original article  : here.

Sex-for-immigration lands Canadian judge in jail

TORONTO – In an embarrassing case for the Canadian immigration system, a court here Thursday jailed an immigration judge for demanding sex from a South Korean woman to grant her permanent residence in this country.

Fifty-one-year-old Steve Ellis will spend 18 months in jail for pressuring Ji Hye Kim in 2006 to have sex with him … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Sex-for-immigration lands Canadian judge in jail.

Over 200 die in Pakistan floods

ISLAMABAD – At least 230 people have died while hundreds of others have gone missing in floods triggered by heavy rains in the past three days in Pakistan’s northwestern region bordering Afghanistan.

Thousands of people have been rendered homeless in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province, while many houses, bridges and roads have been completely washed away by floodwater due …. Source  : Over 200 die in Pakistan floods.

Mumbai man nabbed in Chandigarh for duping wannabe actors

CHANDIGARH – A Mumbai man has been arrested here for duping nearly 25 wannabe TV and film actors of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of giving them roles in serials, movies and commercials of leading banners, police said Friday.

Sanjay Misra, who owns Tun-Tun promotions and Coordination Services in Mumbai, gave an advertisement in local … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Mumbai man nabbed in Chandigarh for duping wannabe actors.

Indian American faces 20-year jail for embezzling $34 mn from company

WASHINGTON – A former Indian-American executive, who “engaged in irrational and excessive buying sprees”, faces up to 20 years in jail after pleading guilty to embezzling $34 million from stereo headphone manufacturer Koss Corporation where she worked as vice president, finance.

Sachdeva, 46, pleaded guilty to all the six counts of wire fraud, for … Read more >>.

Rescue and government officials say floods kill 267 people in Pakistan over last 3 days

Officials: Floods kill at least 267 in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – The death toll in three days of flooding in Pakistan reached at least 267 on Friday, rescue and government officials said, as rains bloated rivers, submerged villages, and triggered landslides.
The rising toll from the monsoon rains underscore the poor infrastructure in impoverished Pakistan, where under-equipped …. Original source  : Rescue and government officials say floods kill 267 people in Pakistan over last 3 days.

1,200 homes evacuated in northern hills of LA County; brush fire spreading toward Palmdale

1,200 homes evacuated in LA Co. as fire spreads

PALMDALE, Calif. – A brush fire swept over more than 7 square miles, prompted evacuations and burned structures in rural Los Angeles County Thursday as water-dropping helicopters and crews scrambled to get ahead of the blaze.
Orange flames exploded through dry grasses, jumped roads and sped across the … Original article on : 1,200 homes evacuated in northern hills of LA County; brush fire spreading toward Palmdale.