Small plane crashes in northern Nevada, 5 killed

[CASPER]

Small plane crashes in northern Nevada, 5 killed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Martin Griffith, The Associated Press

RENO, Nev. - A small plane has crashed in a pasture in northern Nevada, killing all five people aboard.
Douglas County sheriff's Sgt. Jim Halsey says the twin-engine Beechcraft BE95 went down at 4:10 p.m. Saturday near the town of Gardnerville, about 10 minutes after taking off from nearby Minden Tahoe Airport.
The four men and one woman aboard were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names were not immediately released.
Witnesses told authorities that the plane appeared to be flying normally before it nose-dived into the ground. They said they didn't hear any unusual noises or see any parts separate from the plane before the crash.
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the pilot didn't file a flight plan and it was uncertain where the plane was heading. It crashed about 20 kilometres from the airport.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.
The crash occurred in the rural Carson Valley along the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, about 80 kilometres south of Reno.

 

[CASPER]

German jailed for 'savage' murder of student

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LONDON (AFP) - A German office worker was jailed for life after being found guilty on Monday of brutally murdering a British student after he became infatuated with his girlfriend.

David Heiss, 21, stabbed Matthew Pyke 86 times in the attack after Joanna Witton, whom the German had met through a computer games website, indicated she was not interested in his advances.
Heiss forced his way into the flat Pyke shared with Witton in Nottingham, central England, and repeatedly stabbed him last September, the crown court in the city heard.
As he was dying, Pyke, 20, used his own blood to write the first three letters of Heiss's name on the side of his computer to alert police to his killer's identity.

 

[CASPER]

Duck gets early Mother's Day gift in NH

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By The Associated Press

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Just in time for Mother's Day, a mother duck has been reunited with two of her babies who fell into a storm drain in Manchester, N.H.
The mother was crossing the street with 11 ducklings parading behind her Thursday when two of the little ones tumbled through a grate. Workers at a nearby hair salon called police, who sent a crew from the city water works department. While salon workers corralled the upset mother duck and other ducklings in a box, the city workers opened the grate, climbed into the drain and rescued the two ducklings.
The salon owner told the New Hampshire Sunday News that when all 12 were taken to the Merrimack River, they were met by a male duck who led the family into the water.

 

[CASPER]

Speeding racers push woman off road in fatal N.L. crash: RCMP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CALGARY (CBC) - Two young men are in custody in central Newfoundland after an elderly woman was killed when her car was forced from a highway by racing drivers.

The woman, 71, was found in a partially submerged car by the Reach Run Causeway, near Boyd's Cove. RCMP said two racing drivers forced her vehicle into the water.
Ryan Selby Watkins, 20, of Summerford and Richard William Glibbery, also 20, of Boyd's Cove have been charged with criminal negligence causing death, dangerous driving and failure to remain at the scene.
Watkins and Glibbery, who were arrested on Saturday, appeared briefly in provincial court in Gander on Sunday. They were remanded in custody and are expected to make another court appearance on Monday.
Watkins has also been charged with breaching a court order.
An autopsy is planned to determine the exact cause of death of the woman, a Boyd's Cove resident.
The RCMP said its investigation is continuing.

 

[CASPER]

Lift accident closes Tower Bridge

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LONDON (AFP) - The Tower Bridge was closed on Monday after an accident in one of its lifts left six people injured, including three who were taken to hospital, emergency services said.

Police said a number of people had become trapped in the lift in the bridge's north tower, although media reports and a staff member suggested that the lift had dropped some distance.
"Six patients are being treated, all of whom are conscious, and three have been taken to the Royal London Hospital," said a London Ambulance spokeswoman, adding: "We understand at the moment that there are just six patients."
The famous swing-bridge, which was immediately shut after the accident was first reported, has facilities for tourists and receptions in the top of the north tower, as well as walkways.
Television pictures showed at least one person being stretchered out, while Sky News television said 10 people in all had been involved in the incident, and reported that the lift had dropped, possibly after a cable snapped.
A staff member who answered the phone at the tourist attraction said he understood that no-one had been trapped in the lift. "It dropped with people inside," said the person, who was not authorised to talk about the incident.
A City of London police spokesman said: "There were a number of people trapped in the lift but they have now been released."
Asked if the lift had fallen, he told AFP: "We cannot say, that is subject to investigation," adding that the Health and Safety Executive have been informed.

 

[CASPER]

U.S. soldier kills 5 fellow troops at Baghdad base

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier opened fire on fellow troops at one of the main U.S. bases in Baghdad on Monday, killing five, the U.S. military said..

"The shooter is a U.S. soldier and he is in custody," said Marine Corps Lieutenant Tom Garnett, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq.
U.S. officials plan to charge the shooter later today.
The shooting took place around 2 p.m. local time (8:00 a.m. EDT) at Camp Liberty, a sprawling, dusty base located next to the Baghdad airport.
"This is certainly an unexpected and tragic event," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.
"Any time we lose one of our own, it affects us all," said Colonel John Robinson, a U.S. spokesman in Baghdad.
The number of U.S. soldiers killed in the shooting matched the death toll from a truck bomb in northern Iraq last month, which was the single deadliest incident for U.S. troops in more than a year.
Violence has dropped sharply in Iraq, but insurgent attacks continue and a rash of major bombings has raised questions about security less than two months before U.S. forces are due to withdraw combat troops from urban bases.
That transition is one major milestone ahead of an end to U.S. combat operations in August 2010 and a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. There are currently about 134,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
Thirteen U.S. soldiers were killed in combat in April.
An attack this month underscored some officials' concerns about violence against U.S. forces by militants who have infiltrated Iraqi security forces.
On May 2, two U.S. soldiers were killed by a man wearing an Iraqi Army uniform at an Iraqi military training center in northern Iraq.
(Additional reporting by David Morgan in Washington; editing by Jon Boyle)