UN says floods in Pakistan have interrupted Afghan food aid, cutting aid to 1 million people

UN: Pakistan floods curb food aid to Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan – Pakistan’s devastating floods have interrupted delivery of food aid to neighboring Afghanistan that would have fed about a million people this winter, the U.N. World Food Program said Monday.
Many people in rural areas of impoverished, war-ravaged Afghanistan risk starvation, and the poorest subsist on bread … Read more >>.

La Martiniere principal, 3 teachers held for boy’s suicide

KOLKATA – The principal and three teachers of Kolkata’s prestigious La Martiniere for Boys school were arrested Monday in connection with the suicide of Class 8 student Rouvanjit Rowla after he was caned and mentally harassed earlier this year, police said.

School principal Sunirmal Chakroborty and three teachers — Gunian, Partho Dutta and David Ryan … Read more >>.

NATO troop killed in bomb blast in southern Afghanistan; 8th coalition death in October

NATO troop killed in south Afghanistan bomb blast

KABUL, Afghanistan – A NATO service member was killed Monday by a bomb in southern Afghanistan, the eighth coalition member to die in the first four days of October.
The NATO statement on the death did not specify where the bombing occurred or the service member’s nationality. A U.S. …. Original source  : NATO troop killed in bomb blast in southern Afghanistan; 8th coalition death in October.

Federal panel looking for information about safety culture, other issues during spill hearings

US investigative panel meets for 5th time on spill

METAIRIE, La. – Federal investigators will be looking for key information about pressure tests, decision making and BP’s safety culture when the next round of hearings begins Monday to determine the cause of the Gulf of Mexico rig explosion and oil spill.
The weeklong hearings near New Orleans …. Source article  : Federal panel looking for information about safety culture, other issues during spill hearings.

NATO soldier killed in bomb blast in southern Afghanistan; 8th coalition death in 4 days

NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan bomb blast

KABUL, Afghanistan – NATO says one of its service members was killed by an improvised explosive device in southern Afghanistan.
An alliance statement says the bomb attack occurred Monday. NATO did not provide further details.
It is the eighth coalition death since the beginning of the month, according to an Associated …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Huge fire in Hyderabad cracker shop

HYDERABAD – A huge fire broke out in a firecracker shop here early Monday, damaging the three-storey building and triggering panic. No casualties were reported.

Police said the fire was put off after five fire tenders battled the blaze for several hours. A short circuit is believed to have caused the fire.
The fire … Read more »»».

Bombing strikes convoy of Iraqi government official, kills 1 guard

Bomb hits convoy of Iraqi official, kills 1

BAGHDAD – Police officials say a roadside bombing has targeted the convoy of a deputy minister in Iraq’s government, killing a bodyguard and injuring seven people.
Baghdad has been hit by a wave of apparent Sunni insurgent attacks against security personnel and government workers.
Police officials say the blast struck …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Bombing strikes convoy of Iraqi government official, kills 1 guard.

La Martiniere principal held over schoolboy’s suicide

KOLKATA – The principal of Kolkata’s prestigious La Martiniere for Boys School was arrested Monday in connection with the suicide of Class 8 student Rouvanjit Rowla after he was caned earlier this year, police said.

Sunirmal Chakroborty, the school principal who had caned Rouvanjit, was arrested in the morning from his home by Kolkata Police.
… Read this article on Gaea Times at : La Martiniere principal held over schoolboy’s suicide.

Pakistani boy dies as kite string slices neck

ISLAMABAD – A Pakistani boy was killed when the string of a kite sliced through his neck in Karachi city.

Three-year-old Abdul Wasil was playing outside his home in Jehangirabad. Suddenly, a kite string cut his neck. He was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital but he was declared dead, the News International reported Monday.
…. Original source  : Pakistani boy dies as kite string slices neck.

Homeless after summer floods, Pakistanis and their precious livestock share life in tents

Flood victims _ human and animal _ share tent life

SUKKUR, Pakistan – The call to prayer echoes through the tent village at dawn.
Muhammad Mosa wakes up and checks on Tikry and Baghee, his buffalo and goat. They are prized possessions, one of the few reminders of the home he fled more than seven weeks ago …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Homeless after summer floods, Pakistanis and their precious livestock share life in tents.

Man stabbed over baseball game debate

NEW YORK – A baseball fan in the US state of Connecticut was stabbed over an argument with another man over a rivalry between two teams, police said.

Police in Branford, 128 km from New York, were investigating the Saturday night stabbing of a man, reportedly sparked off by an argument over the rivalry between … Read : Man stabbed over baseball game debate.

Small plane crashes just after takeoff from California island, injuring 3, sparking fire

Plane crash near Calif. island airport burns 3

AVALON, Calif. – A small plane crashed Sunday near the airport on California’s Santa Catalina Island, sparking a small fire and leaving the three people on board with burn injuries.
The twin-engine Cessna 310 crashed at about 3:40 p.m. near the island’s airfield, Airport in the Sky.
The 54-year-old pilot …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Lightning kills five in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO – At least five people were killed by lightning and many were missing due to floods triggered by torrential rains in different parts of Sri Lanka, officials said.

Pradeep Kodippily, national co-ordinator of the disaster management centre said five people were killed by lightning in Moneragala, Gampaha and Ratnapura districts during the weekend.
The … Original article on : Lightning kills five in Sri Lanka.

3 burned, 2 critically, as small plane crashes near airport on California island

3 burned as Cessna crashes near Calif. airport

AVALON, Calif. – Authorities say a small plane has crashed near the airport on California’s Santa Catalina Island, leaving three people with burn injuries and starting a small grass fire.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the Cessna 310 crashed at about 3:40 p.m. Sunday near the island’s …. Read the original article  : 3 burned, 2 critically, as small plane crashes near airport on California island.

US journalists found growing marijuana

WASHINGTON – Two American journalists have been arrested after police found 11 marijuana plants growing in their yard, a media report said.

CBS Radio News correspondent Howard Arenstein, 60, and his wife Orly Katz alias Orly Azoulay, 57, a Washington correspondent for Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, were charged with possession of marijuana with an intent …. Source  : US journalists found growing marijuana.

Blast in Turkey leather factory

ANKARA – At least three people died and five were injured in a blast at a leather factory in Turkey Sunday, a media report said.

Two workers were killed when the blast occurred in the boiler room of the workshop in Guzelburc town in Hatay province, the Anatolia news agency reported, adding that a truck …. Original source  : Blast in Turkey leather factory.

Blast at plaza in Mexico injures 15, authorities blame drug cartels trying to create ‘chaos’

Explosion at plaza injures 15 in northern Mexico

MONTERREY, Mexico – An explosion at a plaza in northeastern Mexico injured 15 people, an attack authorities blamed Sunday on drug cartels targeting the civilian population to cause chaos.
Police believe the attackers threw a grenade Saturday night at the main square in the town of Guadalupe, but were …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Blast at plaza in Mexico injures 15, authorities blame drug cartels trying to create ‘chaos’.

Police in Nigeria name 2 suspects in the dual car bombings that struck during celebrations

Nigeria: Police name suspects in dual car bombings

ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s federal police force named two men Sunday night as the “masterminds” behind the bombings that struck the West African nation’s capital during its independence celebrations.
Meanwhile, a lawyer in South Africa confirmed that an ex-leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Official: 400 police killed over 5 years in a single Russian southern province

400 police killed in 5 years in Russian province

MOSCOW – More than 400 police officers and other law enforcement agents have been killed by militants over the past five years in just one of Russia’s restive southern provinces, its leader says.
Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the president of the province of Ingushetia west of Chechnya, said at a …. Source  : Official: 400 police killed over 5 years in a single Russian southern province.

Indonesian police arrest engineer of train in crash that killed 36 people

Police arrest engineer in Indonesian train crash

PETARUKAN, Indonesia – Police arrested the engineer of a train that plowed into another at a station, killing 36 people – the latest in a string of accidents in Indonesia blamed on aging infrastructure and poor safety standards.
Halik Rudianto was driving a first-class train as it crashed early Saturday …. Source  : Indonesian police arrest engineer of train in crash that killed 36 people.