Andhra removes Yadav as police chief

HYDERABAD - The Andhra Pradesh government Wednesday removed controversial police officer S.S.P. Yadav as the director general of police and appointed Girish Kumar as the new state police chief.

Maoist leader Kundan Pahan unleashes terror in Jharkhand jungles

RANCHI - Kundan Pahan, a self styled zonal commander of the outlawed Communist Party of India- Maoist (CPI-Maoist), accused of master-minding the killing of Jharkhand police inspector Induwar Francis, has become a synonym for terror in the bordering jungles of three districts of the state, say the police.

Thekkady boat had defects: Shipping expert

THEKKADY - The tourist boat that capsized in a lake here Sep 30, leading to the loss of 45 lives, had defects, a shipping expert confirmed Wednesday. He said more tests would now be conducted on the vessel.

Tropical Storm Henri strengthens slightly in Atlantic, no immediate threat to land

MIAMI — Forecasters say Tropical Storm Henri (awn-’REE) has strengthened somewhat in the Atlantic Ocean but it could be short-lived.

Water, sanitation, grave concerns in southern India’s floods: Oxfam

NEW DELHI - Responding to the unprecedented flood calamity in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Oxfam India Wednesday said there are high chances of epidemics breaking out due to the lack of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities in the affected areas.

Toll in Assam violence rises to 13

GUWAHATI - The toll in the weekend massacre by tribal separatists in an Assam village rose to 13 with a woman succumbing to her injuries at a hospital here Wednesday, government officials said.

This Diwali, a 24-hour helpline for burn injuries

NEW DELHI - Quite often the joyous mood of Diwali is marred by accidental burns while lighting fire crackers. To reach out and help during such mishaps, a helpline number will be launched next week which will be functional until after the festival is over.

Indian’s body found, another ‘Indian’ stabbed in Australia

MELBOURNE - The body of Indian businessman Pardeep Kumar, who went missing two weeks back, has been found in Australia’s Victoria state even as a man of “Indian or Asian appearance” was stabbed Wednesday here after a brawl.

A day after inauguration, underpass still submerged

NEW DELHI - An underpass, which was submerged due to a burst water pipeline minutes after being inaugurated Tuesday in east Delhi, remained flooded a day later as workers tried to repair the damage and pump out water.

Nepal police clueless about India’s ‘most wanted’

KATHMANDU - Nepal says they have no idea about the criminal life led by Abdul Majid Siddiqui - also known as Majid Maniyar - who, according to the Indian police headed a fake Indian currency and arms smuggling network in Nepal and was allegedly an operative of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.

40 killed as late rains spread disaster in Nepal

KATHMANDU - At least 40 people were killed and thousands displaced as late rains continued to lash western Nepal for over 72 hours, spreading a flood-wrought disaster after a meagre monsoon caused drought in the agro-based republic.

Quake relief also brings help to non-victims in poverty-hit Indonesia

PADANG PARIAMAN, Indonesia — Aid workers reached farther into Indonesia’s disaster zone Wednesday, delivering food and water for the first time to villages cut off for a week by earthquake-triggered landslides.

Homes washed away, despair overwhelms Karnataka’s flood victims

BANGALORE - Till a week back, Sreelakshmi had a home of her own where she lived happily with her two sons and husband. Today, with the floods washing away her home in a Karnataka village, all she has in the name of a shelter is a tarpaulin sheet over her head.

Police question Chinese engineers in Balco mishap

RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh police have interrogated several Chinese engineers employed by Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCO) at Korba town to probe the Sep 23 collapse of an under-construction power plant chimney that killed 45 workers.

Over 30 injured in Kashmir road accident

SRINAGAR - More than 30 passengers were injured when a bus they were travelling in turned turtle in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district Wednesday, police said.

Man burns father to death in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR - A 32-year-old drunken man burnt his father to death following a minor argument at their home in Raigarh town of Chhattisgarh, police said Wednesday.

Man of `Indian appearance’ stabbed in Melbourne

MELBOURNE - A man of “Indian or Asian appearance” was stabbed in this Australian city following a brawl involving up to 10 men Wednesday, reports said.

Missing Indian businessman’s body found in Australia

MELBOURNE - The body of Indian businessman Pardeep Kumar, who went missing two weeks back, has been found in Australia’s Victoria state. Police are probing his business connections as they suspect he was murdered.

Gunmen storm Mexican hospital to kill wounded enemies

MEXICO CITY - Assailants armed with assault rifles burst into a hospital in the northern Mexican state of Durango and killed three men being treated for gunshot wounds, the state attorney general’s office said.

Cooler weather helps firefighters contain SoCal mountain blaze

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. — The wildfire burning near the community of Wrightwood in the San Bernardino Mountains was 75 percent contained at 7,128 acres Tuesday night, officials said.

Cooler weather helps crews increase containment of fire near Southern California mountain town

California mountain blaze 75 percent contained

4 men injured when plane flying from Oklahoma to Fort Worth crashes in northern Texas

RHOME, Texas — Authorities say four men are being treated at Texas hospitals after a twin-engine airplane that took off from Oklahoma crashed in Texas.

Federal recovery teams handing out tents, other materials to American Samoa tsunami victims

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — Federal recovery teams were to deliver tents and other shelter materials to 75 American Samoa families from tsunami-ravaged villages who have been staying in emergency shelters, authorities said Tuesday.

Families of 10 killed in Okla. turnpike accident sue truck driver, employer, 5 others

NORMAN, Okla. — Family members of the 10 people killed when a tractor-trailer slammed into stopped cars on a northeastern Oklahoma turnpike have sued the truck’s driver and his employer.

Federal study says winter rains bring high risk of huge debris flows in Calif. wildfire area

PASADENA, Calif. — Rainstorms could send huge flows of water laden with mud, rocks and other debris toward cities below steep slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains stripped bare by a wildfire near Los Angeles this summer, federal scientists said Tuesday.

House that could float on New Orleans’ floods brought to site of Brad Pitt’s rebuilding effort

NEW ORLEANS — A house capable of floating atop rising floodwaters made its debut Tuesday in New Orleans alongside more than a dozen other homes built through actor Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation.

Tropical Storm Henri forms in Atlantic, no immediate threat to land; could be short-lived

MIAMI — Forecasters say Tropical Storm Henri (awn-’REE) is gaining strength in the Atlantic Ocean but it could be short-lived.

Gmail,Yahoo hit by phishing scheme

SAN FRANCISCO - Users of Google’s Gmail and Yahoo Mail were also targeted in the large-scale phishing attack that harvested at least 10,000 passwords from Microsoft’s Live Hotmail, according to reports Tuesday.

Teenage burglar moves on to stealing planes, eludes police on islands north of Seattle

EASTSOUND, Wash. — In the darkness of this sleepy island town, the beam of a deputy’s flashlight caught the back of a lanky teenager wanted in a notorious 18-month burglary spree.

Evacuations lifted as weather aids fight against fire near Southern California mountain town

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. — Thousands of people ordered to flee their homes because of a 7,000-acre wildfire near a Southern California mountain town were allowed to return Tuesday as cool, calm weather aided fire crews, authorities said.