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'Self igniting' Iran cars worry police Jan 1, 2006 TEHRAN (AFP) - Hundreds of Iranian-made cars have suddenly caught fire on Iran's roads over the past months, with police pointing to the Peugeot 405 as the main culprit. Since the beginning of the Iranian year in March, there have been 125 incidents of cars catching fire without warning and then killing or injuring the occupants, traffic police chief Mohammad Rooyanian said Monday. "Around 300 people have been killed or wounded and 40 percent of the fatalities were attributed to the Peugeot 405," he told the hardline Kayhan newspaper. "We are...

Americans celebrate Christmas in many different ways but in Bakersfield, California, an apparent secular fanatic observed the holiday by dousing himself with flammable liquid and setting himself ablaze. According to press reports, he meant to show his passionate objection to Thursday night’s decision by the Kern High School Board of Trustees to change the name of the winter break to “Christmas vacation” and the spring break to “Easter Vacation.” The protester (the headline proclaimed, “Name Change Sparks Protest”) first set fire to a Christmas tree and several flags, then lit himself to express his displeasure at the Board’s decision. Fire...

A 31-year-old man is in critical condition after setting himself ablaze in an apparent protest over a school district's decision to call winter and spring break, Christmas and Easter break. The protester, reportedly draped in a flag, ignited a decorated Christmas tree, an American flag and a revolutionary flag replica that read "Don't Tread on Me" before pouring a can of fuel on himself in front of the Kern County Court Building in Bakersfield, Calif., yesterday afternoon. The man, whose name was not released, survived, thanks to the quick action of a sheriff's deputy and several court employees. (Story continues...

Man sets himself aflame to protest religious names for California school district's breaksAP) A man used flammable liquid to light himself on fire, apparently to protest a San Joaquin Valley school district's decision to change the names of winter and spring breaks to Christmas and Easter vacation. The man, who was not immediately identified, on Friday also set fire to a Christmas tree, an American flag and a revolutionary flag replica, said Fire Captain Garth Milam. Seeing the flames, Sheriff's Deputy Lance Ferguson grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to the man. Flames were devouring a Christmas tree next to...

Few details are known tonight about a man who set himself ablaze using flammable liquid, a Christmas tree and an American Flag. The incident occurred on approximately 3:30 today on Truxtun Avenue in downtown Bakersfield. A man carrying a sign reading "___ KHSD" set himself on fire, but was quickly extinguished by court deputies. He was taken to a local hospital for burns to his shoulders and arms. In route to the hospital, the victim allegedly cited destructive effects of religion as the reason for his protest. It remains unclear how Kern County High School District (KHSD) was related. The...

A day after the Kern High School District board of directors voted to rename winter and spring break as Christmas and Easter break, a man set himself on fire in front of the Liberty Bell on Truxtun Avenue in apparentn protest. He carried a sign saying, "(explicative) KHSD," according to a Kern County Sheriff's Deputy at the scene.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A homeless man tried to set himself on fire to protest the city's treatment of the homeless population, but was thwarted by bystanders before he could go through with it, police said. The man was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and placed in protective custody under the state's Baker Act, which allows authorities to commit people for up to 36 hours for psychological evaluations if they appear to be a danger to themselves or others. The suicide attempt Friday happened during Project Homeless Connect, an event that provided food, health care and other social services...

Malachi Ritscher envisioned his death as one full of purpose. He carefully planned the details, mailed a copy of his apartment key to a friend, created to-do lists for his family. On his Web site, the 52-year-old experimental musician who'd fought with depression even penned his obituary. At 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 — four days before an election caused a seismic shift in Washington politics — Ritscher, a frequent anti-war protester, stood by an off-ramp in downtown Chicago near a statue of a giant flame, set up a video camera, doused himself with gasoline and lit himself on fire....