Accidents & Disasters – Newsletter for March 1, 2011

CWG scam: Bhanot, Verma sent to 14 days’ judicial custody

NEW DELHI – A Delhi court Tuesday sent Lalit Bhanot and V.K. Verma, former high ranking officials of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee, to 14 days’ judicial custody in connection with financial lapses in a contract with a Swiss company.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Talwant Singh sent the OC’s former … Read this article on Gaea Times at : CWG scam: Bhanot, Verma sent to 14 days’ judicial custody.

Sri Lanka air force jets crash during air show rehearsal

COLOMBO – Two fighter jets crashed on the outskirts of Sri Lanka’s capital Tuesday after a mid-air collision during rehearsal for an air force celebration, the military said.

One of the pilots was killed in the crash in the Yakkala area, 30 km east of the capital, a spokesman said.
The air force’s …. Read the original article  : Sri Lanka air force jets crash during air show rehearsal.

Woman, child crushed under reversing bus

PANCHKULA – A woman and her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter were killed and her husband and nine-year-old son injured after a reversing bus mowed them down while they were asleep here early Tuesday, said the police.

According to the police, the deceased were identified as Bijli, in her late twenties, and her daughter Anjani.
The woman’s husband, …. Source  : Woman, child crushed under reversing bus.

Four children injured in Patna explosion

PATNA – Four children in this Bihar capital were injured Tuesday when a crude bomb kept in a dustbin exploded, police said.

The incident took place near Gandhi Maidan. The children — who have been admitted to a hospital where their condition was stated to be stable — were playing near the dustbin.
… Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Four children injured in Patna explosion.

Geelani stopped at Delhi airport

NEW DELHI – Hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani was stopped at the Delhi airport Tuesday by Delhi Police personnel who took him for questioning in connection with a money laundering case, police said.

“Geelani was to board a flight to Srinagar when Delhi Police stopped him and took him to a Special …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Geelani stopped at Delhi airport.

Godhra train burning: death for 11, life for 20 (Second Lead)

AHMEDABAD – A special court here Tuesday sent to the gallows 11 people and gave life imprisonment to 20 others for the February 2002 burning of a train coach in Gujarat’s Godhra town, in which 59 people were killed triggering a communal frenzy that claimed an estimated 1,000 lives in the state.

The sentence was …. Source  : Godhra train burning: death for 11, life for 20 (Second Lead).

Absconding major surfaces in US, says Al Qaeda present in Kashmir

SRINAGAR – An ex-army major, wanted for the 1996 disappearance and murder of a lawyer and rights activist, has surfaced in California and reportedly said the Al Qaeda is present in Jammu and Kashmir – a claim strongly denied by the authorities here who are now planning to seek his extradition.

Major Avtar Singh, who … Read more >>.

New Zealand quake toll reaches 155

CHRISTCHURCH – The toll in the devastating earthquake in New Zealand’s second largest city of Christchurch rose to 155, a media report said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the government has launched a probe into why the Canterbury Television (CTV) building collapsed in last Tuesday’s 6.3 magnitude quake where many bodies are still thought be lying buried in …. Source  : New Zealand quake toll reaches 155.

Two air force jets crash in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO – Two fighter jets crashed on the outskirts of Sri Lanka’s capital Tuesday after a mid-air collision during rehearsal for an air force celebration, a military spokesman said.

One of the pilots was ejected safely, but there was no confirmation about the other pilot, the spokesman said.
The crash occurred in the Yakkala …. Original source  : Two air force jets crash in Sri Lanka.

11 get the noose for Godhra train burning, 21 sentenced to life

AHMEDABAD – A special court here Tuesday sent to the gallows 11 people and gave life imprisonment to 20 others for the February 2002 burning of a train coach in Gujarat’s Godhra town that killed 59 people and triggered a communal frenzy, which claimed an estimated 1,000 lives in the state.

The sentence was pronounced … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : 11 get the noose for Godhra train burning, 21 sentenced to life.

11 get death for Godhra train burning, 20 sentenced to life

AHMEDABAD – A special court Tuesday sentenced 11 people to death and 20 to life imprisonment for setting a train coach on fire in Gujarat’s Godhra town in February 2002. The Godhra train burning — which claimed 59 lives — triggered a communal frenzy in the state in which 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.
…. Read the original article  : 11 get death for Godhra train burning, 20 sentenced to life.

Put Ashok Todi to trial in Rizwanur case: Supreme Court (Second Lead)

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Tuesday cleared the deck for the trial of Kolkata-based businessman Ashok Todi in the mysterious death of his son-in-law Rizwanur Rehman.

An apex court bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan upheld the decision of the single judge of the Calcutta High Court directing the Central Bureau of … Original article on : Put Ashok Todi to trial in Rizwanur case: Supreme Court (Second Lead).

Put Todi to trial for Rizwanur death: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Tuesday cleared the deck for the trial of Kolkata-based businessman Ashok Todi in the mysterious death of his son-in-law Rizwanur Rehman.

An apex court bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan upheld the decision of the single judge of the Calcutta High Court directing the Central Bureau of …. Original source  : Put Todi to trial for Rizwanur death: Supreme Court.

Put Ashok Todi to trial for Rizwanur murder: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Tuesday cleared the deck for the trial of Kolkata businessman Ashok Todi in the mysterious death of his son-in-law Rizwanur Rehman.

An apex court bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan upheld the decision of the single judge of the Calcutta High Court directing the Central Bureau of … Read more : Put Ashok Todi to trial for Rizwanur murder: Supreme Court.

Music stars denounce Puerto Rico crime wave

San Juan, March 1 (IANS/EFE) A group of Puerto Rican music stars Monday denounced

the crime wave sweeping the Caribbean island, where this weekend a hail of bullets took the lives of two new victims at a crowded concert.
Merengue singer Elvis Crespo told a press conference of his “pain and sorrow” for the … Read more »»».

Fire in wholesale grain market, no casualties

LUCKNOW – Goods worth around Rs.50 lakh were gutted when a fire broke out in a wholesale grain market governed by the State Agriculture Produce and Marketing Board in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri town, police said. There were no casualties.

The fire engulfed around 28 establishments of the Mainpuri Mandi Samiti in Kotwali Shehar area, following … Read more >>>.

5 Bodies found hanging from bridges in Mexican city

Mexico City, March 1 (IANS/EFE) Five bodies were found hanging from bridges in the Pacific resort city of Mazatlan, authorities said.

Officials have not released any information on the identity of the dead or the circumstances of the killings.
The public display of victims is characteristic of Mexico’s drug cartels and other criminal outfits.
… Original source on Gaea Times at : 5 Bodies found hanging from bridges in Mexican city.

Danish ship taken hostage by Somali pirates

COPENHAGEN – A Danish ship with seven crew members on board has been captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia, Denmark’s foreign ministry said Monday evening.

The captured ship is said to be carrying a family of five, including three children aged 12 to 16, their parents, and two other adult helpers, Xinhua reported … Original source on Gaea Times at : Danish ship taken hostage by Somali pirates.

16 killed as power line falls during Brazil carnival

Rio de Janeiro, March 1 (IANS/EFE) At least 16 people were killed and around 50 were injured when a power line fell during a pre-carnival celebration in Brazil, police said.

The accident occurred Sunday in the main plaza in Bandeira do Sul, a city with 6,000 people in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
The …. Original article  : 16 killed as power line falls during Brazil carnival.

Dubai customs bust credit card racket

Dubai, Feb 28 (IANS/WAM) Dubai customs have arrested two people who were travelling with 51 counterfeit creadit cards worth AED 1 million ($270,000).

The counterfeit cards were recovered Sunday from an Asian passenger who intended to smuggle them for use in the UAE market, Ali Almaghwai, Senior Manager of Airport Passenger Operation Department, said.
… Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Dubai customs bust credit card racket.