London snarls at Washington over unpaid traffic fines

September 3rd, 2009 LONDON - Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson is said to have been taken to court by three firms over 21,539 pounds in unpaid bills. According to reports, firm bosses were so fed up chasing after 49-year-old Ferguson over debts that they each were forced to start proceedings.

August 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The capital Monday continued to reel under the effects of Friday's two-hour downpour -- trees and branches blown down during the storm were still lying on the roads and traffic lights were non-functional, leading to traffic snarls and accidents. While the civic agency claimed to have cleared out the mess from the storm, the scene Monday morning showed a different story.

August 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Flights out of the national capital were either rescheduled or cancelled Friday evening following torrential rains that also damaged a portion of the new domestic terminal building, airport officials said. "The sudden downpour required us to first divert all incoming flights," said an official at the Air Traffic Control.

July 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The nightmare of Monday's deluge spilled over to the morning Tuesday with massive traffic jams in the national capital as many places continued to be waterlogged and commuters faced a harrowing time getting to work. Traffic lights were not working in several key areas and long power cuts seemed to be the order of the day, the morning after 126 mm of rainfall Monday evening almost submerged the city and its suburbs.

July 24th, 2009 UK agency fines EDF Energy Networks 2 mln poundsLONDON — A British regulator said Friday that it has fined EDF Energy Networks 2 million pounds ($3.3 million) for failing to meet mandatory targets for connecting customers to its electricity network. EDF is a monopoly provider of certain connection services in London, southeast England and eastern England.

July 1st, 2009 MUMBAI - It was houseful on India's first open sea bridge Wednesday - celebrities and commoners came out in droves to drive up and down the newly opened engineering marvel on the sea, leading to hour-long traffic snarls at both ends. When the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) was thrown open at midnight Tuesday, there were very few vehicles, but by dawn the numbers increased, said an official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

July 1st, 2009 Panel set to rule on Quecreek Mine finesWASHINGTON — A federal panel is deciding whether a judge fairly assessed $110,000 in fines against two companies cited for negligence in an accident at Pennsylvania's Quecreek Mine that trapped nine coal miners underground for 77 hours before their dramatic rescue. The Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission's decision is expected Wednesday on challenges to the fines from PBS Coals Inc.

June 18th, 2009 Diplomats owe UK millions in finesLONDON — Diplomats posted in Britain owe more than 27 million pounds ($44 million) in unpaid parking tickets, traffic fines and fees for driving in London's so-called congestion zone, the government said Thursday. Foreign Secretary David Miliband issued the figures in a written statement to lawmakers.

April 23rd, 2009 Basel bans burgers on buses: Swiss fine munchersBASEL, Switzerland — Cleanliness, order and more ways to take your money: authorities in the Swiss city of Basel may have found a perfect recipe. Tired of sticky, greasy and strong-smelling leftovers on buses and trams, authorities say they will start handing out fines up to 40 francs ($34) for soiling public transport with food and drinks.

April 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Guess when the traffic police are looking the other way? When politicians are campaigning. New Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Vijay Goel was campaigning with a large number of his supporters who were in cars, open jeeps and motorbikes.

April 1st, 2009 LONDON - Hollywood actress Queen Latifah has been sued by both her make-up artist and stylist for unpaid fees. According to legal suit, Latifah owes them a whopping 1 million dollars, reports the Daily Express.

March 19th, 2009 LONDON - Rock star Rod Stewart's son Sean Stewart humiliated him on a US television show by calling him cheap. Sean said his father, who is worth about 100 million pounds ($150 million), is not very generous.

February 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Delhiites were taken by surprise Thursday morning as a thick fog engulfed the capital, causing several flight delays and traffic snarls on roads. The visibility dropped below 50 metres late Wednesday night and continued to be low till around 6 a.m.

January 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The funeral processions of former president R. Venkataraman and former Delhi Congress chief Ram Babu Sharma Wednesday threw traffic in the national capital out of gear, leading to jams and snarls for many hours at various points.

January 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Chaos took over the capital's roads Friday morning, with serpentine queues outside the few petrol pumps that had not run dry spilling over on to roads and creating major traffic snarls that forced every motorist to waste more fuel. With no end in sight to the strike by officials in public sector oil companies for more pay and by truck operators for cheaper diesel and tyres, panicky residents scrambled to stock up on fuel and vegetables.