At least six children aged between two to five years were burnt alive in a devastating fire in Bihar, officials said today.

Magnitude-4.5 earthquake part of swarm of seismic activity shaking California-Mexico border

Andhra girl dies in acid attack by jilted lover

HYDERABAD - A 16-year-old girl died Sunday following an acid attack by a jilted lover in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district, police said.

Engineering student drowns in Himachal

SHIMLA - The body of a student of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) was found Sunday in Himachal Pradesh, police said. The student reportedly drowned in the Beas river Saturday.

US captures suspected pirates after attack

WASHINGTON - The US Navy captured six suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden Saturday off the coast of Djibouti, the military said.

Man’s body hair shaved for magic after abduction in Congo

LONDON/MADRID - The body hair of a Spanish doctor, who was kidnapped in Congo, was shaved by abductors as they believe in “magical fetishes made with hair of whites”, a minister said.

‘Godman’ creates bomb scare on Khajuraho flight

LUCKNOW - A self-styled ‘godman’ was arrested Sunday for allegedly threatening to blow up a Khajuraho-bound Jet Airways flight from Delhi after he got into a scuffle with a foreigner, police said.

Death toll from Brazil mudslides climbs to 223

Rio de Janeiro, April 11 (IANS/EFE) The number of deaths from mudslides in Rio de Janeiro state has climbed to 223, even as emergency workers continued to search for more bodies buried under mud and rocks.

Submarine rams into ship as navigator listens to iPod

LONDON/WASHINGTON - A US nuclear submarine rammed into a ship causing damage worth nearly 60 million pounds as its navigator was listening to his iPod - a portable media player, a media report said Sunday.

UN expresses shock over Polish president’s death

Moscow, April 11 (IANS/RIA Novosti) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was shocked over the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski in a plane crash in western Russia that also killed 96 others on board Saturday.

Most of goods destroyed in Tughlakabad fire not insured

NEW DELHI - A day after goods worth crores of rupees were destroyed in a fire in a container depot in the capital, an exporter\’s group Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for compensation as the majority of goods were not insured.

Experts study Polish president’s plane records

Moscow, April 11 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Experts are studying records of talks between the pilots of the crashed plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski and ground air controllers, an official said Sunday.

Man held for selling IPL tickets in black market

NEW DELHI - A 36-year-old man has been arrested in the national capital for selling in black market the tickets for the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab, police said Sunday.

Michael Jackson’s death, a conspiracy: LaToya Jackson

VALLETTA - Michael Jackson’s death was a conspiracy and his doctor is not the only one who should be held responsible, the singer’s sister, LaToya Jackson, claimed Saturday.

Atomic department scientist commits suicide

INDORE - A scientist of the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) here under the atomic energy department, reportedly committed suicide at his house, police said Sunday.

School student splashes acid on 18 classmates

BEIJING - A student of a middle school in China splashed sulphuric acid on 18 of his classmates after he was involved in a quarrel with them, a media report said.

Major fire at Delhi plastic scrap market

NEW DELHI - A major fire engulfed a plastic scrap market in west Delhi early Sunday. No one was injured, an official said.

‘How can they bear a child after snatching someone’s son?’

HOSHIARPUR - “How can they think of bearing a child after snatching someone else’s son?” This is the question the angry and weeping mother of 16-year-old Abhi Verma is asking about the couple who killed her son and have now approached court for conjugal rights to bear a child.

Putin promises swift probe into Kaczynski plane crash

MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has promised a swift probe into the cause of the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and at least 96 others Saturday.

Leopard shot dead after it mauls 13 in West Bengal

SILIGURI - A police team shot dead a leopard after it attacked and injured 13 people, including a constable and a forest department official, in two villages of Jalpaiguri district Sunday.

Child killer couple want to have own baby

HOSHIARPUR - It seems life has come full circle for this couple in Punjab. Jasbir Singh, who is on death row, and his wife Sonia, who is serving life imprisonment, now want conjugal rights to bear a child.

Maid confined, raped by domestic help

NEW DELHI - A 20-year-old maid was raped by a domestic help in the servants quarters of a building complex in Barakhamba area, police said Sunday.

Magnitude 7.1 quake hits Solomon Islands (Lead, changing dateline)

SYDNEY - A magnitude 7.1 undersea quake struck Solomon Islands Sunday, but no tsunami alert was issued, Xinhua said.

Polish president’s ill mother unaware of his death

WARSAW - Eighty-three-year-old Jadwiga Kaczynska is still unaware of the horrific tragedy that caused the death of one of her twin sons, Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski, media reports said Sunday.

Somali pirates seize ship with 23 Chinese crew

NAIROBI - Somali pirates Sunday hijacked a St. Vincent and Grenadines flagged cargo ship with 23 Chinese crewmembers on board in the Indian Ocean near Seychelles, Xinhua reported.

Fire alarms could have averted container depot fire: Exporters

NEW DELHI - The fire which damaged goods worth around Rs.100 crore at a container depot at Tughlakabad Saturday could have been averted if the authorities had taken safety precautions like installing fire alarms, said exporters Sunday.

Five Myanmarese nationals held in Tripura

AGARTALA - Five Myanmarese nationals were arrested in this Tripura capital after they sneaked into the northeastern state from Bangladesh, police said Sunday.

Man convicted for defaming ex-girlfriend on internet

BEIJING - A Chinese man has been convicted for conducting a slander campaign on the internet, accusing his former girlfriend of being raped, working as a prostitute and spreading AIDS, a report said.

Delhi cops have no clue to radioactive material source

NEW DELHI - The police were Sunday still clueless about the source of the radioactive material found in a Delhi scrap market that left six people in critical condition after being exposed to radiation.

CRPF trooper killed, 14 injured as bus overturns

RAIPUR - A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was killed and at least 14 others injured Sunday when their bus met with an accident in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, police said.

Woman found dead in hotel sauna

INDORE - A 26-year-old woman from Rajasthan was Sunday found dead in a hotel here in mysterious circumstances, police said.

Delhi Metro slaps case against agency for fake jobs

NEW DELHI - The Delhi Metro has filed a police complaint against an agency which allegedly advertised 2,000 jobs in the capital’s metro rail service, officials Sunday said. Delhi Police have been asked to crack down on such agencies that dupe job aspirants.

US announces probe into mine blast; toll reaches 29

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama vowed the government would conduct a thorough investigation of the country’s worst mining accident in decades after the bodies of four missing US miners were found early Saturday.

Dhaka opposition in quandary over ‘war crimes’ trial

DHAKA - The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is in a quandary over whether to support or oppose the “war crimes” trial launched against those who killed unarmed civilians during the freedom struggle in 1971, says a media report.

Mild quake hits Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA - An earthquake of light intensity has struck areas of Himachal Pradesh adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, an official said here Sunday.

Four of a family murdered in Indore

INDORE - Four of a family, including two children, were found murdered here Sunday, police said.

Powerful quake jolts Solomon Islands

HONG KONG - An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale jolted the Solomon Islands Sunday, Xinhua reported.

Chicago’s large Polish community mourns crash deaths of Chicago sculptor and Polish president

First Haitian families moved to new camps as rains loom and aid groups criticize government

Bomb blast breaks windows at US consulate in northern Mexico border city, but no injuries

Moderate earthquake strikes south San Diego County; no reports of damages or injuries

Karate, swimming, farming among interests of West Virginia coal mine blast victims

3 moderate earthquakes strike south San Diego County; no damages or injuries reported