Accidents & Disasters – Newsletter for December 23, 2010

Five-year-old kidnapped in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH – A five-year-old boy was kidnapped from Burail village here two days ago and the abductors have demanded a Rs.10 lakh ransom for his safe release, police said Thursday.

According to the police, Kushpreet Singh had gone missing from outside his house here Tuesday around 12.30 p.m.
Khushi (Kushpreet) went to his fathers … Read : Five-year-old kidnapped in Chandigarh.

Elephant kills three of a family in Bangladesh

DHAKA – A wild elephant crushed a woman and her two children to death in Bangladesh’s southern Bandarban district, police said.

Qamrul Islam, a senior police officer, said the bodies were recovered and sent to hospital for autopsy, according to the Daily Star Thursday.
Locals said the elephant entered the house of one Abul Kashem …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

‘Economic adviser’ to Obama charged with forgery in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH – Police in Cambodia arrested a man claiming to be an adviser to US President Barack Obama and head of an international finance organisation that stores its assets in caves and sunken ships.

Ray Dam and associate Soush Saroeun were charged with forgery Monday after being arrested at Dam’s home in Phnom Penh. … Read this article on Gaea Times at : ‘Economic adviser’ to Obama charged with forgery in Cambodia.

Businessman again gets extortion demand

PATNA – A Bihar businessman who was kidnapped in the 1990s is again being threatened with abduction unless he coughs up Rs.3 crore.

Ganga Prasad, who runs a cloth business at Hajipur in Vaishali district, about 30 km from here, has complained to the police.
“Unidentified men called twice on Ganga Prasad’s mobile phone in … Read more »».

CBI questions RSS leader in Hyderabad bombing

NEW DELHI – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar was questioned by the CBI Thursday in connection with the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderbad that killed nine people.

After arriving at the CBI office in the afternoon, Kumar told reporters that he had full faith in the country’s institutions. “I am sure I [..] Read the original article: here.

BPO employee commits suicide in Delhi

NEW DELHI – A 23-year-old woman call centre employee committed suicide Thursday morning by jumping from the Moti Nagar flyover in west Delhi after SMSing her brother: ‘Sorry’.

Deepti, a resident of Paschim Vihar in west Delhi, drove to the site from her home, parked her car on the flyover and took the fatal plunge … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : BPO employee commits suicide in Delhi.

Son kidnapped to force my surrender, says ULFA commander

GUWAHATI – The elusive commander-in-chief of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Paresh Baruah, Thursday claimed his teenaged son was kidnapped and held hostage to exert mental pressure on his family and to force him to surrender.

“My son has been kidnapped and then held hostage with the sole idea of putting mental … Read more »»».

Four killed as illegal mine in Jharkhand caves in

RANCHI – Four people, including a teenage girl, died when an abandoned mica mine caved in and trapped them while they were illegally mining there in Jharkhands Koderma district, police said Thursday.

According to police, seven people went to extract mica from the abandoned mine located at Domchach of Koderma district, about 160 km … Read more >>.

Mexican judge hands down country’s first life sentence

Ciudad Juarez (Mexico), Dec 23 (IANS/EFE) A judge in the northern state of Chihuahua imposed Mexico’s first sentence of life in prison, the state Attorney General’s Office said.

Alfredo Cruz Guzman, 18, found guilty of kidnapping and auto theft, was sentenced in accordance with recent revisions to the state penal code.
He was a member …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Mexican judge hands down country’s first life sentence.

Mistaken identity gets Chinese teenager 200 days in jail

BEIJING – A teenager in China had to spend over 200 days in prison after he was mistaken for a criminal who had the same name.

The unnamed teenager, a student in Bole city in Xinjiang province, was sentenced to jail two years ago for a robbery committed by his namesake.
Authorities learnt of their … Read more »».

Two Nepali drug peddlers held in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW – Two Nepali drug peddlers in their 40s were arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district and cannabis worth Rs.20 lakh was seized from them, police said Thursday.

The two men were nabbed from the Naugarh-Lumbini route while they were on their way to Delhi to hand over a drug consignment to their client Wednesday …. Source article  : Two Nepali drug peddlers held in Uttar Pradesh.

Chicago Firefighters Killed After Building Collapse

CHICAGO (GaeaTimes.com) – Two firefighters were killed and near about 17 were injured after they were trapped in a building while fighting a warehouse fire. The accident took place in Chicago on Wednesday; the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the deaths. However, the police said that the injured firefighters, who are hospitalized have … Read more >>.

Price tag for 2010 disasters: $222 billion (2010 in Retrospect)

WASHINGTON – The global economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters equalled $222 billion in 2010, more than triple the $63 billion lost in 2009, according to reinsurance company Swiss Re.

The worldwide insurance industry spent $36 billion on disasters this year, an increase of 34 percent from 2009.
The death toll was the …. Read the original article  : Price tag for 2010 disasters: $222 billion (2010 in Retrospect).

4 killed during football game in Mexican city

Ciudad Juarez (Mexico), Dec 23 (IANS/EFE) Four people, including two minors, were shot dead and another was wounded while playing soccer in this Mexican city, authorities said.

The attack was perpetrated Tuesday afternoon by at least two gunmen who arrived at the scene in an SUV, the Chihuahua state Attorney General’s Office said.
The victims, …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

43 hurt in uprising at Chile prison

Santiago, Dec 23 (IANS/EFE) Thirty-six inmates, six guards and one police officer were hurt during an uprising at a prison in the northern Chilean city of Antofagasta, authorities said.

Initial reports said 14 prisoners and six guards suffered injuries in Tuesday’s disturbance.
The updated casualty figures were provided by the regional director of the Gendarmeria … Read more >>>.

Italian politicians held for trading votes with mafia

Rome, Dec 23 (IANS/AKI) Five politicians and seven others were arrested in Italy for trading votes for favours with the members of a notorious Italian crime syndicate.

Of the five politicians arrested Tuesday from southern Italy, Santi Zappala, a member of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s conservative People of Liberty Party and part of the … Original article on : Italian politicians held for trading votes with mafia.

Car Accident in Austin Leaves 3 injured, Cause of Accident still Unknown

AUSTIN (GaeaTimes.com) — In a three-vehicle accident which occurred on Arkansas Highway 367 at about 11.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 3 of the drivers were injured.
According to Austin Chief of Police John Staley, a southbound vehicle crossed the centerline and struck a trailer and then struck another vehicle head-on. One of the injured person was [..] Read the original article: here.

Man Related to Car Accident in Bellmore Arrested

BELLMORE (GaeaTimes.com) — A Baldwin man was arrested after he left the scene of an accident on the Wantagh Parkway in East Meadow at 1:45 p.m. on Monday, according to State Police.
According to detectives, Eddy Napoleon, 20, attempted to illegally pass a Chevrolet while driving his Toyota on the unpaved shoulder at Hempstead Turnpike. …. Original source  : Man Related to Car Accident in Bellmore Arrested.

Victim of Aspen Grove Car Crash Identified

ASPEN GROVE (GaeaTimes.com) — The victim of a fatal single vehicle collision near Aspen Grove has been identified.
Shelly May Unrau, 51, of Vernon died from her injuries after she attempted to pass a van on Highway 97C near the junction with Highway 5A last Friday afternoon.
An investigation revealed Unrau lost control of her car … Original source on Gaea Times at : Victim of Aspen Grove Car Crash Identified.

Corrupt ministers’ list given to Yeddyurappa: Governor

BANGALORE – The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Governor H.R. Bhardwaj Wednesday intensified attack on each other over alleged corruption and land allotment scandals in Karnataka.

Bhardwaj, who has been demanding ‘true picture’ from chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa over his land deals and action against Reddy brothers over their alleged illegal iron ore mining, said …. Read the original article  : Corrupt ministers’ list given to Yeddyurappa: Governor.