BP says mud pumped into blown-out well in Gulf of Mexico is holding down the oil

BP: Mud pumped into well is holding back the oil

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO – In a significant step toward stopping the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, BP said Wednesday mud that was forced down its blown-out well was holding back the flow of crude in the Gulf of Mexico and it was … Original source on Gaea Times at : BP says mud pumped into blown-out well in Gulf of Mexico is holding down the oil.

Chinese author to publish book critical of premier despite police threats

Chinese author to publish book critical of premier
BEIJING – The author of a book unusually critical of China’s premier said Wednesday it will be published this month in Hong Kong despite police threats that he could be put in prison.
Yu Jie said the book, titled “China’s Best Actor: Wen Jiabao,” is meant to …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Army soldier arrested on molestation charge

KOLKATA – An army soldier has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman green police volunteer here, police said Wednesday.

Lance Naik Pradeep Jagdale, attached to the Eastern Command headquarters at Fort William, was nabbed redhanded when the victim raised an alarm after he tried to grab her in the central part of the city Tuesday … Read : Army soldier arrested on molestation charge.

BP claims ‘desired outcome’ reached in static kill procedure, mud holding oil down

BP says ‘desired outcome’ reached in static kill

LONDON – BP says it has reached the “desired outcome” in a procedure in which it pumped mud down the throat of the blown-out well that is leaking in the Gulf of Mexico.
BP spokeswoman Sheila Williams says the mud is holding the oil down.
BP PLC began pumping Tuesday … Read more »»».

Four dead in knife attack at China kindergarten

BEIJING – At least four children died and 12 stabbed in an attack at a kindergarten in eastern China’s Shandong province, reports said Wednesday.

The attacker, who was armed with a knife, burst into the unnamed kindergarten in Shandong’s Zibo city Tuesday afternoon, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy quoted a local …. Source article  : Four dead in knife attack at China kindergarten.

61 killed in Karachi violence

ISLAMABAD – The toll in the violence that broke out in the Pakistani port city of Karachi following the murder of a MQM legislator rose to 61 Wednesday with four more people being killed and shootouts continuing through the night.

Sixty-one people have been gunned down and over 150 injured so far as violent incidents …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : 61 killed in Karachi violence.

Floods swallow Pakistani villages in heartland, kill dozens more as they threaten south

Floods kill dozens more in Pakistani heartland

KOT ADDU, Pakistan – Floodwaters ravaged hundreds of villages in Pakistan’s heartland Wednesday, destroying homes, soaking crops, and threatening more lives. Aid workers warned that bloated rivers would soon surge into the country’s south, prompting more evacuations.
This year’s monsoon season has prompted the worst flooding in Pakistan in living … Read more >>>.

22-year-old man saved teen, couldn’t get to 6 others who drowned in Louisiana’s Red River

La. man saved teen, couldn’t stop 6 from drowning

SHREVEPORT, La. – Christopher Patlan was hanging out with friends on the Red River when he heard the desperate screams coming from seven teenagers. One minute they were wading in shallow water, the next they plunged into a dropoff 25 feet deep.
Patlan bolted the three yards to … Read more : 22-year-old man saved teen, couldn’t get to 6 others who drowned in Louisiana’s Red River.

As ’static kill’ begins in Gulf, officials caution it’s not quite a cure-all to plug well

Seafloor gusher requires attack from 2 directions

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO – The mud being forced down a broken wellhead to permanently plug the gusher at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico is only half the story.
To call the mission a success, crews working on a flotilla of vessels on a desolate patch of …. Source article  : As ’static kill’ begins in Gulf, officials caution it’s not quite a cure-all to plug well.

Officials: Russian wildfires death toll hits 48 as Moscow disappears under blanket of smog

Officials: Russian wildfires death toll hits 48

MOSCOW – Officials say the death toll from weeks of wildfires that have wiped out forests and villages in western Russia has reached 48.
The Emergency Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that 403 new fires were spotted in the last 24 hours, but 293 were extinguished.
Russia is suffering its … Read : Officials: Russian wildfires death toll hits 48 as Moscow disappears under blanket of smog.

CBI demand for Shah remand rejected

AHMEDABAD – A CBI court Wednesday rejected the agency’s demand for a seven-day custody of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, arrested for the 2005 killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special judge A.I. Raval’s ruling stunned the agency. “The CBI may challenge the decision. The CBI may go to the high court,” a …. Read the original article  : CBI demand for Shah remand rejected.

Himachal forest guards to get weapons

SHIMLA – Buoyed by the success of its forest police stations or ‘van thanas’ in checking illegal felling of timber, the Himachal Pradesh government has now decided to equip forest guards with weapons.

The government in May last year decided to open forest police stations on the pattern of Madhya Pradesh to combat organised forest crimes. … Original source on Gaea Times at : Himachal forest guards to get weapons.

Court rejects CBI demand for remand of Amit Shah

AHMEDABAD – A special CBI court Wednesday rejected the investigating agency’s demand for seven-day custody of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, arrested in connection with the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a staged shootout in 2005.

The plea was rejected by Central Bureau of Investigation Special Judge A.I. Raval, an official said.
CBI had July 23 …. Read the original article  : here.

‘Indian appearance’ man wanted in Australia for sex assault

MELBOURNE – Australian police are hunting for a man of “Indian appearance” for sexually assaulting a teenager in this city almost a year ago.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said they had released pictures of a man who could be responsible for the sexual assault of a teenage girl as she walked along a street in Melbourne … Read : ‘Indian appearance’ man wanted in Australia for sex assault.

Trooper held for killing villagers in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW – A trooper of the paramilitary Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has been arrested on charges of killing two villagers during a clash in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur district, police said Wednesday.

Sher Singh was arrested late Tuesday after investigations revealed that the Trikolia villagers were killed by the bullets he had fired from his service rifle. … Read : Trooper held for killing villagers in Uttar Pradesh.

Wyclef’s brother says family stands behind expected Haiti presidential candidate

Wyclef bro: Haiti presidential bid ‘very serious’

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Wyclef Jean’s planned run for Haiti’s presidency is bound to make entertainment headlines, but the hip-hop artist’s brother knows trying to take charge of this earthquake-devastated and politically unstable country is a deadly serious affair.
Schoolhouse charts of past leaders are crowded with monthslong presidencies and group …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Wyclef’s brother says family stands behind expected Haiti presidential candidate.

Cameron friend’s son commits suicide

LONDON – The school-going son of a Tory leader, who is a friend of British Prime Minister David Cameron, committed suicide after a lover’s tiff even as police tried to talk to him.

Alexander Codrington, 16, had been speaking to policemen on his girlfriend’s mobile for an hour when a loud noise was heard on the [..] Read the original article: here.

British girl’s kick sends thief packing

LONDON – A 12-year-old British girl sent a thief packing by giving him a solid kick right between his legs. The burglar groaned before running out of the house.

Georgia Bulis-Gray found the thief in her kitchen.
“He smiled at me and I thought, ‘I do not want him thinking I am just a helpless …. Source  : British girl’s kick sends thief packing.

Rajdhani Express engine catches fire, passengers safe

LUCKNOW – A fire broke out in the engine of a Rajdhani Express on the outskirts of this Uttar Pradesh capital Wednesday, disrupting the busy Sultanpur-Lucknow rail route, officials said. No injury or casualty was reported.

The engine of the New Delhi-bound Guwahati Rajdhani Express caught fire near the Rehmatnagar railway station, about 40 km from …. Original article  : Rajdhani Express engine catches fire, passengers safe.

Three prisoners flee Goa jail

PANAJI – In a dramatic jail break, two convicts and an undertrial escaped from a prison in Goa by drilling a passage through the cell toilet in the early hours of Wednesday, jail authorities said.

Undertrial Abhijit Patil and convicts Hitler Fernandes and Seby Ferrao escaped from Sada prison located at Vasco, about 35 km from … Read more »».