AUCKLAND - An Indian fruit packer indicted for killing a woman and his two-year-old daughter has been remanded to custody and asked to reappear in a New Zealand court next month.

4 US troops killed in Afghanistan; 11 bodies found in field in south, some beheaded

BHUBANESWAR - Two workers were killed and six critically injured when a boiler at a soft drink manufacturing and bottling plant exploded in Orissa’s Khordha district, police said Saturday.

15 killed in Bihar accident

PATNA - Fifteen people were killed early Saturday when a bus in which they were travelling collided with a truck in Bihar, police said.

Wildfire burning north of Flagstaff now at estimated 15,000 acres but 50 percent contained

Hurricane Darby still Category 3 storm in the Pacific; Celia continues to weaken

Six drug traffickers killed in Mexico

MEXICO CITY - Six drug traffickers were killed and two arrested by the Mexican marine soldiers in a raid in Mexico, media report said.

Small plane with engine problems lands at NY beach near boardwalk, pilot hospitalized

Justice Department urges appeals court to delay judge’s ruling overturning drilling moratorium

Forecasters: Tropical depression forms in Caribbean; unclear if it will hit oiled Gulf

Storms claim over 50 lives in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO - At least 51 people have been killed in storms which hit Brazil’s northeastern region in the past few days, authorities said Friday.

At least 1,052 US military deaths in Afghan region since 2001

BP says Gulf relief well is on target for mid-August; company’s stock tumbles anyway

Labor Secretary Solis says better safety needed for oil spill cleanup crews, mine workers

Wis. investigators: Won’t rush investigation after teen killed by falling 30-ft concrete slab

Murray Energy sued by partner and its insurers for 2007 Crandall Canyon mine collapse in Utah

11 killed in Indonesia cafe fire

JAKARTA - At least 11 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed and several injured after fire broke out in a cafe in Indonesia Friday, officials said.

NH woman who needed oxygen equipment dies after utility cuts power to home; review ordered

House investigations panel chairman says BP refusing to let his panel question some employees

28 hurt in British food factory explosion

LONDON - At least 28 people were injured in an explosion at a food factory in Staffordshire, an ambulance service said.

Giants rookie safety Chad Jones, a former LSU star, hospitalized after morning car wreck

Petraeus to face complaints over Afghan war rules that sometimes leave troops at risk

Letter bomb that killed Greek ministerial aide sent through regular mail, police say

Former supermodel Viveka Babajee commits suicide

MUMBAI - Viveka Babajee, a former Indian supermodel, committed suicide by hanging herself at her Bandra residence late Friday night, a family friend said.

Federal judge who struck down drilling ban sells numerous energy investments

Jindal Steel lodges bribery case against NGO activist

RAIPUR - Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. (JSPL) has lodged a case against an environmental activist in Chhattisgarh for allegedly demanding Rs.5 crore for not protesting at a public hearing on the company’s thermal power project in the state, police said Friday.

Insult to injury: IRS wants taxes from BP payments to oil spill victims for lost wages

Explosive-laden vessel bound for Karachi intercepted

KOLKATA - A Karachi-bound explosive-laden vessel from the Bangladesh port of Chittagong was intercepted by the security agencies on the Hooghly river channel Friday evening, officials said.

Giants rookie safety, former LSU star Chad Jones hospitalized after early morning car wreck

BP says new tests show it’s on target to finish drilling relief well by mid-August

President Barack Obama speaks briefly on Afghanistan

Biden traveling to Gulf Coast on Tuesday to review efforts to halt oil spill

Karachi-bound ship carrying explosives intercepted

KOLKATA - A ship carrying explosives from a Bangladesh port to Karachi was intercepted by security agencies on the Hooghly river channel Friday evening, officials said.

Bridgeport, Conn., surveys damage after tornado shredded buildings, trees but spared lives

Conn. city counts damage, blessings after tornado

Weather officials confirm tornado caused damage in heart of Connecticut’s largest city

Officials: Tornado caused damage in Connecticut

AP source: Biden traveling to Gulf Coast on Tuesday to review efforts to halt oil spill

AP source: Biden heading to Gulf Coast

WASHINGTON — A senior Obama administration official tells The Associated Press that Vice President Joe Biden will travel to the Gulf Coast on Tuesday to review the efforts to combat the massive oil spill.

US couple try to sell baby for $25

LOS ANGELES - An American couple have been arrested for trying to sell their six-month-old baby for $25 outside a department store, police said.

Eight labourers killed in Himachal

SHIMLA - Eight labourers, all belonging to Uttar Pradesh, were killed when a wall of their temporary hutment caved in early Friday due to heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district, officials said.

Hurricane Darby strengthens to Category 3 storm in the Pacific; Celia weakens to Category 4

Hurricane Darby becomes a Category 3 storm

Taiwan boy survives 11-floor fall

TAIPEI - A four-year-old Taiwanese boy survived a fall from the 11th floor with only a broken leg Friday, after landing on a second-floor awning.

500 tonnes of ‘cancer-inducing’ waste seized in Italy

Rome, June 25 (IANS/AKI) Over 500 tonnes of dangerous “cancer-inducing” waste was seized from an oil refinery in Italy’s Taranto city, police said.

Blaze kills 10 at Indonesian cafe

JAKARTA - A fire engulfed a cafe in Indonesia’s second largest city of Surabaya Friday, killing 10 people including two foreigners, police said.

River dikes breached in China, thousands affected

BEIJING - Floods caused by heavy rains for the eleventh consecutive day breached three river dikes in Fuhe river in China’s Jiangxi province, forcing the evacuation of over 100,000 people.

Some oil spill events from Friday, June 25, 2010

Some oil spill events on Friday, June 25, 2010

10 killed when fire rips through crowded Indonesian nightclub; 5 others in critical condition

10 killed when fire breaks out in Indonesian club

Bridgeport, Conn., surveys damage from storm that knocked down buildings, tore off roofs

Bridgeport, Conn., views damage from strong storm

Five arrested for robbing Rs.16 lakhs from Delhi trader

NEW DELHI - A gang of five robbers involved in a daylight robbery earlier this month were arrested Thursday from south Delhi, police said Friday.

Two Dawood Ibrahim aides arrested in Mumbai

MUMBAI - The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Mumbai Police has arrested two aides of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar who were trying to revive the criminal network of the absconding mafia don and his close associate Chhota Shakeel in Mumbai, ATS chief Rakesh Maria said Friday.

377 killed, 368,000 homes destroyed in China floods

BEIJING - Floods in China have killed 377 people in 2010 and left 142 missing, while over 368,000 homes were destroyed, an official statement said Friday.

Probe ordered after prisoners found in jail hospital

LUCKNOW - Seven prisoners were found in a jail hospital rather than their cells in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district. An enquiry has been ordered into the incident, an official said Friday.

National Weather Service to determine if tornado caused storm damage in Connecticut

Weather service to survey storm damage in Conn.