IAF flights from Chandigarh to Ladakh hit

CHANDIGARH – The Indian Air Force (IAF) suspended flights to Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir Friday after the Leh runway was inundated by floodwaters following a massive cloudburst, defence officials said here.

“No flight has taken off from Chandigarh to Ladakh as floodwaters submerged the runway,” an IAF official said here.
A cloudburst hit … Original article on : IAF flights from Chandigarh to Ladakh hit.

Man, 62, jailed for raping friend’s drugged wife

WELLINGTON – In a shocking case, a New Zealand court Friday sentenced a 62-year-old man to nine years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in tandem with her husband when she was unconscious.

For the victim, the discovery that a friend had sexually violated and raped her in tandem with her husband was the ultimate …. Read the original article  : Man, 62, jailed for raping friend’s drugged wife.

Emirates says Japanese tanker was attacked in Persian Gulf, days after al-Qaida group’s claim

UAE: Japanese tanker attacked in Persian Gulf

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – An explosive-laden dinghy had struck a Japanese oil tanker in the Persian Gulf last month, the Emirati state news agency said Friday, in the first official confirmation that the incident was an attack.
The report came after an obscure al-Qaida-linked group said Wednesday one of … Original source on Gaea Times at : Emirates says Japanese tanker was attacked in Persian Gulf, days after al-Qaida group’s claim.

PM announces Rs.1 lakh for kin of Leh cloudburst victims

NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday condoled the deaths caused by the cloudburst in Leh town of Jammu and Kashmir and announced a compensation of Rs.1 lakh each for the families of those dead.

“The prime minister has sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs.1 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : PM announces Rs.1 lakh for kin of Leh cloudburst victims.

Worst smog yet hits Moscow airport, seeps into buildings as Russia’s wildfires rage

Worst smog yet hits Moscow, seeps into homes

MOSCOW – The city of Moscow was shrouded Friday by a dense smog that grounded flights at international airports and seeped into homes and offices, as wildfires that have killed 50 people nationwide continued to burn.
The fires have torn through forests and villages over the last two weeks … Read more >>.

Exact death toll not known in Leh tragedy: Azad

NEW DELHI – Union Health Minister and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Friday said the exact number of casualties due to the flash floods in Leh was not known officially because all communication links in the Ladakh town have been snapped.

“We are trying to contact a minister from Ladakh (Nuwang Rigzin …. Read the original article  : Exact death toll not known in Leh tragedy: Azad.

Crude still coats marshes and wetlands along Gulf, complicating cleanup efforts

Crude still coats marshes and wetlands along Gulf

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO – Much of the crude still in the Gulf and coastal areas more than three months after BP’s blowout has permeated deep into marshes and wetlands, complicating cleanup.
Crews are still finding plenty of crude in those interior areas, even as government officials say …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

AP Exclusive: FBI says new al-Qaida leader who is planning attacks on America lived in US

AP Exclusive: New al-Qaida leader knows US well

MIAMI – A suspected al-Qaida operative who lived for more than 15 years in the U.S. has become chief of the terror network’s global operations, the FBI says, marking the first time a leader so intimately familiar with American society has been placed in charge of planning attacks.
Adnan … Original source on Gaea Times at : AP Exclusive: FBI says new al-Qaida leader who is planning attacks on America lived in US.

Court frees Australian caretaker who had sex with teenager

MELBOURNE – An Australian court Friday freed a 22-year-old man after convicting him of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl in a care facility two years ago.

County Court judge Ross Howie said Victoria Giddens was an immature and untrained university student at the time of his offence.
Giddens had pleaded guilty and …. Read the original article  : Court frees Australian caretaker who had sex with teenager.

Day of fun turns into day of tragedy for Mo. high schoolers involved in fatal highway wreck

Mo. families grieve 2 slain in school buses wreck

GRAY SUMMIT, Mo. – What was supposed to have been a day of fun for a high school marching band turned into a day of chaos and tragedy, when the two buses taking them to an amusement park slammed into a highway wreck, killing a 15-year-old student … Read : Day of fun turns into day of tragedy for Mo. high schoolers involved in fatal highway wreck.

Bad weather grounds relief helicopters in flood-ravaged northwestern Pakistan

Flood relief flights grounded in Pakistan
SUKKUR, Pakistan – Bad weather grounded helicopters carrying emergency supplies to Pakistan’s flood-ravaged northwest Friday amid warnings the worst monsoon rains in decades would bring more destruction to a nation already reeling from Islamist violence.
U.S. military personnel waiting to fly Chinooks to the upper reaches of the hard-hit …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Bad weather grounds relief helicopters in flood-ravaged northwestern Pakistan.

Three kanwarias killed in Uttarakhand

DEHRADUN – Three kanwarias, devotees of Lord Shiva, were killed when a truck in which they were travelling from Haridwar to Rishikesh fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district Friday morning, police said.

Eighteen people were injured, six critically, in the accident.
There were 34 people, including the driver, in the truck when the … Read more >>>.

Former general in army custody for court martial

JALANDHAR – Army authorities at the 11 Corps here Friday took a top retired army officer in custody ahead of his court martial over corruption charges in a ration scam.

Lt. Gen. Surendra K. Sahni, who retired in 2006, is the most senior army officer to be facing a General Court Martial (GCM).
The proceedings against … Read more >>>.

Flash floods kill at least 59, injure 200 in remote part of Indian Kashmir

Flash floods kill dozens in Indian Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India – A sudden overnight downpour and flash floods killed at least 59 people and injured 200 in the remote and mountainous Ladakh region of Indian-controlled Kashmir, police and army officials said Friday.
Police and paramilitary soldiers had pulled 59 bodies from flood-hit areas around Leh, the main town …. Original article  : Flash floods kill at least 59, injure 200 in remote part of Indian Kashmir.

59 dead, over 300 injured in Leh flash floods (Second Lead)

SRINAGAR – At least 59 people have been killed and over 300 injured in flash floods triggered by a massive cloudburst that hit Leh town in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh region, washing away several government buildings and homes, police said Friday.

A huge cloudburst struck the town around midnight Thursday, triggering flash floods and mud slides, … Read : 59 dead, over 300 injured in Leh flash floods (Second Lead).

Flash floods kill at least 59, injure scores in remote part of Indian Kashmir

Flash floods kill at least 59 in Indian Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India – A sudden overnight downpour and flash floods killed at least 59 people and injured 200 in the remote and mountainous Ladakh region of Indian-controlled Kashmir, police and army officials said Friday.
Police and paramilitary soldiers had pulled 59 bodies from flood-hit areas around Leh, the …. Original source  : Flash floods kill at least 59, injure scores in remote part of Indian Kashmir.

Australian cops alert as Facebook chatter hints racial brawl

MELBOURNE – Police intensified patrolling in this Australian city following chatter on social network site Facebook about possible racial violence involving teenagers.

Facebook is buzzing with talk that a wild brawl involving gangs of high-school students and up to 100 onlookers Thursday was only the precursor to a larger fight. The website claimed the violence, thought …. Read the original article  : Australian cops alert as Facebook chatter hints racial brawl.

School Bus Crash in Missouri Leaves 2 Dead, 40 injured

MISSOURI (Gaeatimes.com) — The Thursday morning at Missouri started with a dreadful accident. A school bus crashed with a Tractor Trailer and a pickup. Two school buses loaded with John F. Hodge High School band members was heading for Six Flags when the crashed against the vehicles.
The accident occurred at 10:15 a.m. sharp, on …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : School Bus Crash in Missouri Leaves 2 Dead, 40 injured.

Tropical Storm Colin weakens slightly in Atlantic with 50 mph winds as it heads to Bermuda

Tropical Storm Colin weakens slightly
MIAMI – Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say Tropical Storm Colin has weakened as it heads toward Bermuda.

The center of the storm is located about 410 miles (660 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda and is moving northwest around 14 mph (22 kph). Its maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Tropical Storm Colin weakens slightly in Atlantic with 50 mph winds as it heads to Bermuda.

US, nuclear powers join Hiroshima memorial for first time, on 65th anniversary

US, nuclear powers join Hiroshima memorial
HIROSHIMA, Japan – The U.S., Britain and France participated for the first time Friday in the annual commemoration of the A-bomb attack on Hiroshima, in a 65th anniversary event that organizers hope will bolster global efforts toward nuclear disarmament.
Hiroshima’s mayor strongly welcomed the Washington’s decision to …. Source  : Gaea News Network.