Accidents & Disasters – Newsletter for November 28, 2010

New Zealand to use pepper spray to tackle prison inmates

AUCKLAND – Police officials in 10 prisons in New Zealand have been trained to use pepper sprays to tackle rowdy inmates.

Over 300 staff from the 10 prisons were trained for a period of 12 months on how to use two types of sprays, the New Zealand Herald reported Sunday.
This was part of a … Original source on Gaea Times at : New Zealand to use pepper spray to tackle prison inmates.

Man stabbed to death while playing game

LONDON – A “test of nerve” game in Britain ended in tragedy after a man stabbed his friend to death thinking he was wearing a pierce-proof vest. The attacker was jailed.

Thirtyone-year-old David Baxter knifed his friend Christopher Baker through the heart as he thought the latter was wearing a pierce-proof vest, The Sun reported. …. Original article  : Man stabbed to death while playing game.

Two arrested for honour killing in Haryana

FATEHABAD – In a case of honour killing over caste, a young man in Haryana’s Jind district was murdered by his wife’s brother and an accomplice for belonging to a different caste, police said Sunday.

Sukhbir Singh, in his early 20s and a resident of Rajgarh village in Jind district, was killed by his wife’s … Read more : Two arrested for honour killing in Haryana.

Three cheats held in Punjab

JALANDHAR – Three people have been arrested in Punjab for running a bogus finance company that duped scores of people here, police said Sunday.

Those arrested were identified as Shakti Arora, Rakesh Arora and Sunny Mahindru, all from Punjab. Two other accused, Dharmender Singh and Vishal, were still at large, police said.
According to …. Source article  : Three cheats held in Punjab.

Thai police charged with gang raping colleague

BANGKOK – A Thai policeman and two of his female colleagues have been charged with conspiring in the gang rape of a woman officer, media reports said Sunday.

The victim accused her fellow officers of getting her drunk Nov 14 in Yala city, 700 km south of Bangkok, and then luring her to an apartment …. Original article  : Thai police charged with gang raping colleague.

Growing crime leaves Chandigarh jittery (Letter from Chandigarh)

CHANDIGARH – It is one of the most well-planned and prosperous cities of the country, but a soaring crime graph is spoiling Chandigarh’s reputation as a safe city. Residents have been shaken by a spate of murders, road rage incidents, ATM frauds and now even an assault on a Kashmiri politician.

Chandigarh Police claim to …. Read the original article  : Growing crime leaves Chandigarh jittery (Letter from Chandigarh).

Recovery of miners’ bodies in New Zealand to take weeks

WELLINGTON – It will be weeks before the bodies of the 29 men who died in a New Zealand coal mine disaster can be returned to their grieving families, a spokesman for an organisation with a key role in the recovery process said Sunday.

Paul Healy, of New South Wales Mine Rescue, said a … Original source on Gaea Times at : Recovery of miners’ bodies in New Zealand to take weeks.

Runway blackout causes air travel chaos in New Zealand

WELLINGTON – An electrical fault which blacked out the runway lights caused nearly 20 flights to be diverted from Auckland International Airport, disrupting hundreds of passengers over the weekend.

The lights went out 90 minutes before midnight Saturday and incoming flights were diverted to Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch, while a flight from Chile turned back …. Read the original article  : here.

6.0-magnitude quake hits Indonesia

JAKARTA – A moderate quake with magnitude 6.0 on the Richter scale struck off eastern Indonesia early Sunday, officials said.

The quake occurred at 01:11 a.m. with epicentre at 246 km southeast Melonguane area of North Sulawesi province and with the depth at 10 km under sea bed, Xinhua reported quoting an official of the …. Source  : 6.0-magnitude quake hits Indonesia.

Cargo plane crashes in Karachi, eight dead (Second Lead)

KARACHI – A cargo plane crashed near Pakistan’s Karachi airport early Sunday, killing all eight crew members on board, Geo TV reported.

The Russian-made plane IL-76 crashed around 1:45 a.m. and immediately caught fire. The aircraft crashed near Dalmiya road in Gulshan-i-Jamal area which is close to a naval colony and the southern command of …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Eight killed in Pakistan plane crash

KARACHI – At least eight people were killed early Sunday when a cargo plane crashed near Pakistan’s Karachi airport, Geo TV reported.

The plane crashed in Dalmia area, destroying two under-construction buildings, residents said.
The nationalities of the deceased passengers were not known.
Reports said eight people were on board the Russian-made plane which was …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Cargo plane crashes in Pakistan

KARACHI – A cargo plane was crashed near Pakistan’s Karachi airport early Sunday, media reports said.

The plane crashed near Dalmia area, according to Geo TV.
At least one body was recovered from the site, Xinhua reported quoting Express TV.
Witnesses said the right engine of the plane caught fire. They said fire and … Read : Cargo plane crashes in Pakistan.

Kidnappers free top Mexican politician: Report

MEXICO CITY – A former Mexican presidential candidate kidnapped half a year ago has been freed, the El Universal newspaper reported Saturday on its website.

The family of Diego Fernandez de Cevallos had paid a large ransom, they told the paper.
According to a local radio station, the negotiators had at first denied reports that … Original article on : Kidnappers free top Mexican politician: Report.

Asaram ashram encroachment demolished in Gujarat

GANDHINAGAR – Revenue authorities Saturday demolished certain encroachments of the ashram of spiritual leader Asaram Bapu in Bhairavi village of Navsari district in south Gujarat.

The ashram was officially allocated 10 acres of land but it later encroached on another six acres of adjoining land and went on to construct a hall and a … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Asaram ashram encroachment demolished in Gujarat.

Book Geelani, Arundhati, says Delhi court (Second Lead)

NEW DELHI – Rejecting a Delhi Police clean chit, a city court Saturday ordered registration of an FIR against Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, writer-activist Arundhati Roy and five others for alleged anti-India speeches at a seminar here Oct 21.

“The Delhi Police are hereby directed to lodge an FIR (first information report) under … Original article on : Book Geelani, Arundhati, says Delhi court (Second Lead).

Assaulted engineer was corrupt, says Ghaziabad mayor

GHAZIABAD – An executive engineer of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation who was assaulted Friday was employed illegally on the behest of Mayawati government, city mayor Damyanti Goel said Saturday.

A.K. Singh was never appointed as executive engineer. He was only appointed as assistant engineer and that too as an incharge for traffic for Commonwealth Games … Read : Assaulted engineer was corrupt, says Ghaziabad mayor.

Gang of cyber hackers busted in capital

NEW DELHI – Three people, including two foreign nationals, were arrested Saturday for duping people into giving their bank account related information and then making unauthorised financial transactions through them, police said.

The accused have been identified as Praveen Gupta, 27, a Nepali national, Promise Eke, 27, a Nigerian, and Tashi Wangchuk, 21, hailing from … Read more : Gang of cyber hackers busted in capital.

Fire at Kanshi Ram memorial in Lucknow

LUCKNOW – A fire broke out inside the Kanshi Ram memorial building here Saturday evening.

While officials were tight-lipped about the incident and the Rs.750-crore sprawling memorial was completely shut to the media, a thick cloud of smoke around the giant sized dome of the memorial gave the game away.
“It was a small fire …. Read the original article  : Fire at Kanshi Ram memorial in Lucknow.

Man held after trying to hijack plane with Iranian MPs

Moscow, Nov 27 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A passenger who tried to hijack an airplane en route from Tehran to Damascus Saturday was detained in-flight by the airline’s security guards, a media report said.

The man armed with a “cold weapon” claimed he had placed bombs on the aircraft and had hijacked the plane.
The Iranian Fars … Original source on Gaea Times at : Man held after trying to hijack plane with Iranian MPs.

Tripura trooper gets life for killing three colleagues

AGARTALA – After a seven-year trial, a Tripura court Saturday sentenced to life imprisonment a Tripura State Rifles (TSR) trooper for killing three colleagues and looting arms from a security camp, police said.

Additional District and Sessions Judge, North Tripura District, Bamdeb Majumder sentenced Rohit Mia, 43, to life imprisonment for looting weapons after killing … Read more : Tripura trooper gets life for killing three colleagues.