Obama urges China to free Nobel laureate Liu

LONDON – US President Barack Obama has called on China to free Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, a media report said Saturday.

The 54-year-old activist was sentenced last year to 11 years in prison for subversion.
Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, sparking a furious diplomatic row as China accused the Norwegian awards …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Driver killed as school van falls into canal

LUCKNOW – A driver was killed and 10 students were injured Saturday when a school van they were travelling in overturned and fell into a canal in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad district, police said.

The accident took place in Holagarh town, some 200 km from Lucknow, when the driver of the speeding van of Patanjali Vidya …. Original source  : Driver killed as school van falls into canal.

New Zealand TV anchor’s future uncertain after ‘racial slur’

WELLINGTON – A New Zealand TV station that has been hit by controversies over on-air “racial slur”, said it will consider show host Paul Henry’s future over the weekend as pressure mounts to axe the presenter, a media report said Saturday.

The state broadcaster’s head, Rick Ellis, Friday night suggested Henry’s future was far from …. Original article  : New Zealand TV anchor’s future uncertain after ‘racial slur’.

NATO: 2 senior Taliban among 4 insurgents killed in operation in eastern Afghanistan

NATO: 4 Taliban killed in gunbattle in the east

KABUL, Afghanistan – NATO and Afghan forces killed two senior Taliban leaders and two other fighters after raiding a compound in eastern Afghanistan, the military alliance said Saturday.
Mullah Hezbollah, who operated in Wardak province, died in a gunbattle during an operation Thursday night, NATO said. Another Taliban …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Drill nears escape shaft breakthrough for Chile’s 33 miners as a world awaits their rescue

A way out, at last, for Chile’s 33 trapped miners

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile – Sixty-six agonizing days after their gold and copper mine collapsed above them, 33 miners anxiously awaited a way out early Saturday as a drill carved into the last layers of rock above their underground purgatory.
Outside the mine, relatives staying in the …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Hungarian town of Kolontar being evacuated on fears of new sludge flood from reservoir

Hungary town evacuated, fears of new sludge flood

AJKA, Hungary – The Hungarian town of Kolontar near the toxic red sludge reservoir that flooded the area and killed at least seven people was evacuated Saturday over fears of a new leak of the dangerous heavy metal waste, officials said.
Experts fear the walls of the reservoir may …. Source article  : Hungarian town of Kolontar being evacuated on fears of new sludge flood from reservoir.

20 policemen deployed at Games sites suspended

NEW DELHI – Twenty policemen, who were on duty at various Commonwealth Games sites, have been suspended for alleged indiscipline and non-performance of duties, Delhi Police said Saturday.

“Some policemen have been suspended. Disciplinary action will be taken against them as per the rules for not performing their duties, indiscipline and laxity,” a senior …. Read the original article  : 20 policemen deployed at Games sites suspended.

Racist email scandal hits Australian police

SYDNEY – Police officers in Australia’s Victoria state have been caught joking about the electrocution of a train passenger in India in a racist email, a media report said.

The officers circulated video footage of the man being killed and suggested it could be a way to fix Melbourne’s Indian students’ problem, The Herald … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Racist email scandal hits Australian police.

Floods continue to devastate Vietnam, 62 dead and 100,000 without food

Floods claim 62 in Vietnam, 20 still missing

HANOI, Vietnam – The death toll in devastating floods in central Vietnam rose to 62 as authorities rushed aid to about 100,000 people facing food shortages, officials said Saturday.
Fourteen additional bodies were recovered over two days, and authorities were searching for 20 people still missing, the national floods … Original article on : Floods continue to devastate Vietnam, 62 dead and 100,000 without food.

5.9-magnitude earthquake shakes Costa Rica; no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage

5.9-magnitude earthquake shakes Costa Rica

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Authorities say a 5.9-magnitude earthquake has shaken Costa Rica. There are no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake’s epicenter was 26 miles (41 kilometers) north of the capital, San Jose. Its depth was 61 miles (98 kilometers).
The Costa Rica …. Original article  : 5.9-magnitude earthquake shakes Costa Rica; no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage.

Powerful earthquakes continue in Alaska’s Aleutians; no tsunami alert

Powerful quakes continue in Aleutians
PALMER, Alaska – Strong aftershocks continue to follow a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck a remote area of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

Earthquake monitors said there were no immediate reports of injury or damage from any in the series of quakes that began Thursday night and continued Friday afternoon. No tsunami warnings were …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Powerful earthquakes continue in Alaska’s Aleutians; no tsunami alert.

Ill. police officer’s father says son wasn’t responsible for shootings, couldn’t handle gun

Ill. officer’s father: Son couldn’t handle gun

LYNWOOD, Ill. – An Illinois police officer’s father says his son couldn’t be the person who killed one man and wounded two others this week in shootings on the Illinois-Indiana border.
John Dorian told the Associated Press on Friday that his son Brian “is not going to walk up and … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Ill. police officer’s father says son wasn’t responsible for shootings, couldn’t handle gun.

Chile miners to be evacuated soon

Copiapo (Chile), Oct 9 (IANS/EFE) Euphoria prevailed Friday among relatives of 33 miners trapped for more than two months in northern Chile, after authorities said their evacuation will start Tuesday at the earliest.

Health Minister Jaime Manalich set the date of the rescue for Tuesday, though another government official, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, struck … Read more »».

Ill. couple: Officer’s arrest in shootings brings up memories of accident that killed son

Couple: Officer’s arrest brings up bitter memories

CRETE, Ill. – The parents of a teenager killed in a 2006 traffic accident involving police officer Brian Dorian say the officer’s arrest in another death is dredging up bitter memories.
Dorian was arrested Friday on a murder warrant in connection with a series of apparently random shootings along the …. Original source  : Ill. couple: Officer’s arrest in shootings brings up memories of accident that killed son.

Report: Sochaux striker Charlie Davies caught speeding nearly 1 year after accident

Report: Striker Charlie Davies caught speeding

PARIS – A French newspaper is reporting that American forward Charlie Davies, who nearly died in a car crash last year, was caught speeding at 125 miles per hour last weekend.
The website of Le Progres newspaper reported Friday that Davies was driving an Audi Q7 last Sunday when he was … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Report: Sochaux striker Charlie Davies caught speeding nearly 1 year after accident.

Oil spill lawsuit judge chooses 15 lawyers for lead roles in multibillion-dollar case

Oil lawsuit judge picks 15 lawyers for lead roles

MIAMI – The judge overseeing hundreds of lawsuits arising from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has chosen 15 attorneys for lead roles in the multibillion-dollar case.
Among the chosen is former Agriculture Secretary and U.S. Rep. Mike Espy, now a lawyer in Mississippi. One prominent name omitted …. Read the original article  : Oil spill lawsuit judge chooses 15 lawyers for lead roles in multibillion-dollar case.

Excitement and anxiety in Chile as escape shaft drill nears 33 trapped miners

Escape shaft nearly reaches Chile’s trapped miners

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile – Drillers neared the lower reaches of a gold and copper mine where 33 men have been trapped for more than two months, preparing for a breakthrough Saturday that would unleash a national outpouring of joy.
Engineers had just the last 128 feet (39 meters) of … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Excitement and anxiety in Chile as escape shaft drill nears 33 trapped miners.

Records show Mississippi Gov. Barbour out of state a lot _ often campaigning for GOP

Miss. gov’s frequent travels raise ire back home

JACKSON, Miss. – Where’s Haley? It’s not an easy question to answer these days.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who is head of the Republican Governors Association and considering a 2012 presidential run, was out of state for all or part of 48 days during July, August and September, according …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Records show Mississippi Gov. Barbour out of state a lot _ often campaigning for GOP.

Tests show big drop in toxicity of red sludge reaching Danube in Hungary; Death toll up to 7

Toxicity of Hungary’s red sludge flow drops

KOLONTAR, Hungary – The concentration of toxic heavy metals where Hungary’s massive red sludge spill entered the Danube has dropped to the level allowed in drinking water, authorities said Friday, easing fears that Europe’s second longest river would be significantly polluted.
Monday’s reservoir break at an alumina plant dumped up …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Afghan governor killed in explosion at mosque in northern Afghanistan where violence is up

Afghan governor killed in rising violence in north

KABUL, Afghanistan – A powerful bomb killed an outspoken Afghan governor and 19 other worshippers in a crowded mosque Friday in northern Afghanistan, where insurgents are trying to expand their influence beyond the embattled south.
A wounded survivor said he believed a suicide bomber praying to the right of … Original article on : Afghan governor killed in explosion at mosque in northern Afghanistan where violence is up.