Fire at Paragon footwear factory: Bangalore

Paragon footwear factory at Peenya here was engulfed in a massive fire on Friday September 30.

As per reports, 13 fire engines have been rushed to the spot. The incident occured at around 3 pm.

Firefighters are struggling to douse the fire, and even after three hours, the fire is yet to be brought under control, it is learnt.

The factory had several stocks of PVC materials used in footwear.

No casualty has been reported as yet.

Peenya is an industrial area in Bangalore which houses factories of several well-known companies.

Fire Accident Near Bandra Railway Station

Bandra blaze leaves over 2,000 homeless, 21 injured.

A child star of Oscar-winning movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' lost everything she had as her family home was destroyed in a huge fire in Mumbai.

At least 21 people were injured and over 2,000 people, including ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ child actor Rubina Ali, rendered homeless in the big fire which was controlled in the wee hours of Saturday at suburban Bandra in Mumbai.

“A total of 21 persons including 4 firemen were injured while fighting the flames which broke out last night. They have been admitted to the Bhabha hospital here,” a fire official said.

However, no death has been reported so far. But over 2,000 people have lost their homes as hundreds of shanties were destroyed in the blaze, he said.

The family of Rubina, who played the role of young Latika in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, watched helplessly as their dwelling unit in the crowded slum went up in flames.

“We all were at home watching TV, when a neighbour came to alert us about the fire. We all rushed out. We spent the entire night at the railway station. I have lost everything including books and precious belongings like photographs, newspaper clippings and memorabilia of the film,” the 12-year-old child artiste said.

“So far nobody has come to help us,” she said.

Rubina’s father Rafiq said, “We feel relieved to see that all our family members are safe. But all the good memories of my daughter’s fame have been reduced to ashes. We have lost everything.”

The fire broke out in Garibnagar slums near Bandra (East) railway station at around 8.20 pm on Friday after which 34 fire engines and 16 jumbo water tankers were rushed to the spot.

The flames were doused around 12.30 a.m. The exact cause of the fire has not been established but initial reports say five gas cylinders exploded in the slums due to which the fire spread quickly, the official said.

In June 2009, a similar fire broke out in the vicinity of Behrampada, claiming several lives.

Godhra Sabarmati Express train fire accident

Godhra train burning case: Prosecution to seek death for 31 convicts

A designated court trying the 2002 Godhra Train Carnage Case, today awarded death penalty to 11 persons while awarding life imprisonment to 20 others.

Special designated court judge (additional sessions judge) PR Patel awarded the sentence to the convicts of Sabarmati Express train carnage incident that happened on February 27, 2002.

The court awarded capital punishment to the 11 accused by considering the incident in 'rarest of the rare' category and their active role of hatching conspiracy and it's execution that resulted in to death of 59 karsevaks who were returning from Ayodhya.

"Court has awarded death penalty to 11 and life imprisonment to rest 20 out of 31 accused, who were held guilty on February 22 last," said special public prosecutor JM Panchal. "The court has awarded death penalty to the accused looking to their 'active role' in the hatching conspiracy and execution by setting S6 coach of the Sabarmati Express train on fire", Panchal added.

When asked about observation of the court while awarding the capital punishment, he said, "I cannot say anything at this juncture as the full text of the order is yet to come, which is expected on March 3."

The 31 accused have been punished under 23 charges including murder, conspiracy, assault, unlawful assembly. The 20 accused have to to undergo life imprisonment for 20 years excluding the period that they were already lodged in the jail. Regarding the life sentence, Panchal said, "according to the criminal procedure code the life sentence is of 20 years, but according to state and jail authority can limit the sentence for 14 years."

The case of the 11 convicts, who are given the death penalty, will be sent to the Gujarat High Court for reference as per the statutory provisions that the death penalty has to be confirmed by the High Court.

Defense Lawyer IM Munshi told media here that the judgment is probably the first of it's kind wherein the death penalty to these many persons have been awarded. He said, "It's very difficult to swallow the judgment. We are going to appeal against the judgment in the High Court."

He added that that the conviction was awarded for not fewer than 23 various sections of IPC, Railways Act, Bombay Police Act, etc.

The 11 persons who have been awarded death penalty are:
Bilal Ismail Abdul Majid Sujela alias Haji Bilal
Abdul Razak Mohammed Kurkur
Ramjani Binyamin Behra
Hasan Ahmed charkha alias Lalu
Jabir Binyamin Bahera
Mehbub Chanda
Salim alias Salman Yusuf Sattar Jarda
Siraj Mohammed Abdul Meda alias Bala
Irfan Abdul Majid Ghanchi Kalandar alias Irfan Bhopo
Irfan Abul Hanif Abdulgani Pataliya
Mehbub Ahmed Yusuf Hasan Alias Latiko

Dave Lindahl

Fire at Bombay House Near Fort Area

3 dead in a fire at Bombay House: The main office of the Tata Group in Mumbai's Fort Area.

Three people have died in a fire at Bombay House, which houses the main office of the Tata Group in Mumbai's Fort Area.

The fire was located in the building's basement, which was evacuated by 11.20 am. The fire broke out at around 9.20 am.

Unconfirmed reports say three people were rescued and have been taken to St George's hospital nearby.

Ten fire engines, five water tankers and ambulances helped bring the fire under control by 11.30 am.

"Three men died at the St George Hospital after they were admitted with severe burn injuries," a fire brigade official said, adding the injured person is recuperating.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the official added.

Statement from Bombay House

A fire broke out this morning, before office hours, in Bombay House, headquarters of Tata Group.

The fire has been brought under control and the building evacuated.

Out of the people evacuated, there were three casualties; Farad Wadia, Eashwar Patel and Shashank Pawar.

A Tata Sons spokesperson said, the Group offers deepest condolences to the bereaved families and relief is being organised.

The authorities are investigating the cause of the incident. The Tata group is fully cooperating in the investigations. (With PTI Inputs)

Dave Lindahl Scam

Guatemala Bus Fire

5 killed, 10 injured in Guatemala bus fire.

Five people are dead and 10 others injured from a fire inside a Guatemalan passenger bus that police say may have been caused by an arson attack.

National police spokesman Donald Gonzalez says investigators have not ruled out mechanical causes. But he acknowledges that some witnesses say the bus was attacked.

Firefighter Carlos Hernandez told a local radio station Monday that someone tossed a fire bomb at the bus in the capital, Guatemala City.

Street gangs have demanded protection money from bus drivers on the route in the past and killed drivers who refused to pay. Rights activists say 60 drivers were killed in 2010.

North Korea fired on South Korea

High alert as North Korea artillery hits South Korea island.

News Updates! North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells onto a South Korean island on Tuesday, killing one person and triggering an exchange of fire as southern armed forces went on their highest state of alert.

In what appeared to be one of the most serious border incidents since the 1950-53 war, South Korean troops fired back with cannon, the government convened in an underground war room, and "multiple" air force jets scrambled.

The firing came after North Korea's disclosure of an apparently operational uranium enrichment programme -- a second potential way of building a nuclear bomb -- which is causing serious alarm for the United States and its allies.

Some 50 North Korean shells landed on the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong near the tense Yellow Sea border, damaging dozens of houses and sending plumes of thick smoke into the air, YTN television reported.

One South Korean marine -- part of a contingent based permanently on Yeonpyeong -- was killed and 13 other marines were wounded, the military said. YTN said two civilians were also hurt.

"A North Korean artillery unit staged an illegal firing provocation at 2:34 pm (0534 GMT) and South Korean troops fired back immediately in self-defence," a ministry spokesman told AFP.

"A Class-A military alert issued for battle situations has been imposed immediately," the spokesman said.

One island resident, Lee Jong-Sik, told YTN: "At least 10 houses are burning. I can't see clearly for the smoke. The hillsides are also on fire.

"We were told by loudspeakers to flee our homes."

Another resident recounted a "thunderous sound outside".

"When I walked out, the whole village was on fire," the villager was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying. "I'm at the evacuation site with other villagers and I am scared to death."

Yeonpyeong lies just south of the border declared by United Nations forces after the inconclusive war six decades ago, but north of the sea border declared by Pyongyang.

The Yellow Sea border was the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and last November.

Tensions have been acute since the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, which Seoul says was the result of a North Korean torpedo attack. Pyongyang has angrily rejected the charge.

In late October, North and South Korean troops exchanged gunfire across their Cold War border, stoking tensions in the buildup to the G20 summit of world leaders in Seoul earlier this month.

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak convened an emergency security meeting in response to the latest incident, a presidential spokesman said.

"He is now in an underground war room to discuss possible responses with ministers of related agencies and national security advisers," the spokesman told AFP, adding that he urged the officials "to prevent further escalation".

The firing comes after Kim Jong-Un, the little-known youngest son of Kim Jong-Il, was officially recognised as number two in North Korea's political system, clouding outsiders' view of its military and nuclear intentions.

A US special envoy headed to China Tuesday to seek its help in curbing North Korea's new nuclear project, revealed to US experts who described a sophisticated programme to enrich uranium.

Stephen Bosworth has also visited South Korea and Japan this week to discuss the disclosure, which US officials say would allow the isolated North to build new atomic bombs.

Bosworth, speaking in Tokyo, ruled out a resumption of stalled six-nation talks -- aimed at disarming the North of nuclear weaponry in return for aid and other concessions -- while work continues on the enrichment drive.

China chairs the talks and is also the North's sole major ally and economic prop. It has come under pressure to play a leading role in resolving the latest nuclear dispute.

China appealed for the six-party talks to resume after the new revelations, and expressed concern over Tuesday's cross-border firing.

"We have taken note of the relevant report and we express concern over the situation," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.

"We hope the relevant parties do more to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," he said. Russia also warned against an escalation of tensions on the peninsula.

Mumbai Bandra highrise Fire

News Updates! A major fire broke out on Thursday afternoon in a highrise in suburban Bandra, fire officials said.

"A fire broke out in the 10-storeyed Aarma Fort building on Anant Kanekar Marg near Bandra skywalk at 1340 hours," a fire official said.

No casualties have been reported, the official said, adding, the cause of fire is yet to be ascertained.

Altogether 16 fire engines and six water tankers have been rushed to the spot, officials said, adding, the fire brigade is trying to douse the fire.

NATO airstrikes

NATO airstrikes kill 14 insurgents in Afghanistan after joint patrol ambushed crossing river.

A series of NATO airstrikes killed 14 insurgents in central Afghanistan after a joint patrol with Afghan soldiers came under fire, the Western military alliance said Monday.

The clash happened Sunday while the patrol was crossing a river in Uruzgan province, NATO said in a statement.

NATO troops requested air support after receiving small-arms fire and concluding there was no danger of civilian casualties, it said.

Initial reports indicated no civilian casualties occurred, and members of the joint patrol were unhurt in the attack, NATO said.

The number of attacks and clashes are rising amid an allied offensive aimed at suppressing the stubborn Taliban insurgency.

In a separate incident late Sunday, a rocket was fired by militants toward an Afghan army supply base in Jalalabad city, in eastern Nangarhar province, police spokesman Ghafor Khan said.

The rocket missed its target and slammed into a house, wounding nine civilians — including four children — all members of one family, Khan said.

According to initial reports, the injuries were not life threatening, Khan said.

The attacks coincide with rising tensions ahead of Saturday's parliamentary elections. The insurgents seek to topple the pro-Western government in Kabul and drive foreign troops from the country.

Deadly fire at Russian nursing home

Nine dead in Russian nursing home blaze.

Nine people dead in apparent suicide attempt by elderly resident of a facility 170km outside of Moscow.

An early morning fire at a Russian nursing home that killed nine people may have been started by a resident setting himself on fire, emergency officials say.

The fire, in a small town in the Tver region about 170km northwest of Moscow, the capital, forced nearly 500 residents to be evacuated on Monday, officials said.

Russia's Interfax news agency reported that the fire took hold after a male patient set himself on fire in an apparent suicide attempt, subsequently killing himself and eight others.

Investigators found a canister of flammable liquid in the room where the fire started, leading to speculation that the resident set himself ablaze, Daria Korovina, a spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry, said.

Two people were injured in the fire, officials said.

Russia suffers frequent fires at schools, hospitals and other state-run facilities.

Many has been blamed on official negligence, violations of fire safety rules and crumbling infrastructure.

Frequent fires

Russia records nearly 18,000 fire deaths a year, several times the per capita rate of the US and other Western countries.

In January 2009, 23 nursing home residents died in a blaze at their retirement home in the Komi region of Russia's northwest.

A November 2007 fire caused by a short circuit killed 32 patients in a nursing home in the Tula region south of Moscow.

In March 2007, 62 people died in a fire in another nursing home in southern Russia.

A nearby fire station had been shut, and it took firefighters almost an hour to get to the site from a larger town after a night watchman ignored two fire alarms before reporting the blaze, authorities said.

Another nursing home fire the same year killed 10 people in Siberia.

The fire-alarm system functioned properly, but a nurse on duty was away at the time and failed to immediately alert patients and call firefighters.