Eight shot dead at Mexican birthday party

Mexico City, March 14 (IANS/EFE) Eight people were killed by a group of gunmen during a birthday party at a ranch in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, media reports said.

Northeast storm leaves 500,000 without power, 500 passengers stuck on NJ train for 5 hours

Northeast storm leaves half-million without power

Pounding rain, blustery wind knock out power to 500,000 homes, businesses in Northeast

Northeast storm darkens 500,000 homes, businesses

500 passengers stranded 5 hours on NY-bound NJ Transit train after storm floods tracks

500 stranded on NJ Transit train for 5 hours

7-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia

JAKARTA - An earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale struck the eastern Indonesian islands Sunday morning in North Maluku province, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, meteorologists said.

Strong wind, rain in Northeast knock out power for 450,000, diverts flights from NY to Mass.

Wind, rain knock out power to 450K in Northeast

Strong wind, rain in Northeast knocks out power for 450,000, diverts flights from NY to Mass.

Wind, rain knocks out power to 450K in Northeast

Strong wind, rain in Northeast knock out power for 400,000, diverts flights from NY to Mass.

Wind, rain knock out power to 400,000 in Northeast

Strong wind, rain in Northeast knocks out power for 400,000, diverts flights from NY to Mass.

Wind, rain knocks out power to 400K in Northeast

Report: Probe opens questions about driver’s description of runaway Prius on Calif. freeway

Report: Probe questions account of runaway Prius

Coastal rainstorm in Northeast knocks out power to 300,000, diverts flights from NY to Mass.

Wind, rain knocks out power to 300K in Northeast

Strong winds, heavy rains in Northeast knocks out power, topples crane, diverts flights

High winds, rain in Northeast topples crane in NJ

Taiwan immigration official charged with molestation

TAIPEI - A Taiwan immigration official has been indicted for sexually molesting four foreign women, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Strong winds collapse homes, topple construction crane at NJ casino site; AC officer injured

High winds topple houses, construction crane in NJ

Iran busts US-linked internet spy gang

TEHRAN - Iran claimed to have busted a spy racket allegedly linked with the US intelligence agency CIA and arrested 30 people for operating an internet network to gather secret data related to Iran’s nuclear scientists.

Suicide attackers strike in southern Afghanistan city; at least 30 reported killed

Suicide attackers hit Afghan city; at least 30 die

‘Our Girls’: A church called to the suburbs find its purpose on a Haitian mountaintop

Called from the suburbs to a Haitian mountaintop

14 killed, 27,000 homeless in Madagascar storm

ANTANANARIVO - A storm in Madagascar left 14 people dead, 27,000 homeless and thousands of houses damaged after ravaging the tropical island, national television reported Saturday.

Woman arrested for jewellery theft

GHAZIABAD - A woman was arrested here Saturday for allegedly stealing jewellery from highend outlets along with her male accomplice, who is still at large, police said.

4 suicide attackers strike in southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar; casualties reported

4 suicide attackers hit southern Afghanistan city

Man arrested for raping three-year-old girl

BHUBANESWAR - A 40-year-old man was arrested Saturday in Orissa’s Balsore district for raping a three-year-old Dalit girl, police said.

Woman foils robbery bid

NEW DELHI - A robbery bid at a financial firm was foiled and two people arrested here Saturday after a woman locked the building’s gates and collected a huge crowd outside, police said.

Two jail wardens sacked for rape

RANCHI - Two jail wardens were sacked and one was suspended after they were arrested for allegedly raping two women and killing one of them at the house of the jail superintendent of Dumka district, an official said Saturday.

‘Modify hospitals to make them disaster resistant’

NEW DELHI - Keeping the mass destruction in the recent Chilean earthquake in mind, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Saturday said that all existing healthcare infrastructure like hospitals should be modified with new technology to make them disaster resistant.

Hours before match, criminal complaint against Kings XI Punjab

MOHALI - Things are certainly not going right for Kings XI Punjab. Their key paceman Brett Lee Friday opted out of the Indian Premier League-III for ten days and Saturday, just hours before their match, an NGO here filed a criminal complaint against them.

Afghan president reverses decision, agrees to allow 2 foreigners on election watchdog

Afghan leader to allow foreign election monitors

Calm returns to Egyptian town after riots

CAIRO - The northern Egyptian town of Marsa Matruh was quiet Saturday, following violent clashes between Muslims and Christians that left 30 people injured the night before, police said.

One month on, cops blame people and cafe for Pune blast

PUNE - A month after a blast in Pune killed 17 people, city Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh Saturday charged the staff of the German Bakery and its customers with “utter negligence” and said the bag with the bomb had been lying unnoticed for over 90 minutes.

Police say suicide bomber at security checkpoint kills 13 in northwest Pakistan

Suicide attack in northwest Pakistan kills 13

Serbia police detain 9 ex-paramilitaries accused of war crimes in Kosovo

Serbian police detain 9 over alleged war crimes

Hospital employee arrested for molesting teen

GURGAON - An employee of a Gurgaon hospital was arrested Saturday for molesting a South Korean schoolgirl, police said.

Haryana discom to file police complaints for power theft

CHANDIGARH - Haryana power utility officials have been directed to register first information reports (FIRs) against consumers found stealing electricity.

Firing in Delhi, three robbers held

NEW DELHI - Three robbers were arrested Saturday after a gunfight with police personnel in east Delhi’s Bhola Nath Nagar, authorities said.

Bareilly remains tense after 12 days of curfew

BAREILLY - Tension continued in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district, parts of which have been under curfew for 12 days, following the fresh outbreak of trouble in which 15 people were injured the day before, police said Saturday.

Roadside bomb kills 6 civilians in central Afghanistan

Roadside bomb kills 6 civilians in Afghanistan

Kazakhstan flooding death toll rises to 30 as recovery efforts pick up pace

Kazakhstan flooding death toll rises to 30

Chile will take years to recover from quake impact: president

SANTIAGO - Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has said the Feb 27 earthquake and the following tsunami had cost the nation tens of billions of dollars and left an impact that would be felt for years.

Police say suicide attack at security checkpoint kills 10 people in northwest Pakistan

Suicide attack in northwest Pakistan kills 10

Fake currency notes of Rs.2.48 crore recovered

LUCKNOW - Fake currency notes of Rs.2.48 crore were recovered from a train in Uttar Pradesh’s Chanduali district, a railway official said Saturday.

Former mayor held for allegedly duping daughter-in-law

AGRA - Former Agra mayor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kishori Lal Mahaur has been arrested following a complaint from his widowed daughter-in-law who accused him of duping her of property, police said Saturday.

Magnitude-6 quake strikes Indonesia’s West Papua

JAKARTA - A magnitude-6 earthquake struck the eastern Indonesian province of West Papua before midday Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage, geophysicists said.

30 hurt in Muslim-Christian clashes in Egypt

CAIRO - Thirty people were injured when clashes broke out between Christians and Muslims in a rural area in northern Egypt, media reports said.

Police say suicide attack at security checkpoint kills at least 7 people in northwest Pakistan

Suicide attack in northwest Pakistan kills 7

Four injured in refrigerator blast

NEW DELHI - Four members of a family, including two children, were injured early Saturday when the compressor of their refrigerator exploded in their home in east Delhi’s Shahdara area.