8 killed, 11 injured as truck ploughs into New York crowd

Al Jazeera
November 1, 2017

New York, Nov 1: At least eight people in New York City have been killed and 11 injured after a driver ploughed into cyclists and pedestrians before being shot by police, according to US officials.

The incident on Tuesday "was a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians", Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, told a news conference.

Police said a 29-year-old male driver of a rented pick-up truck entered a busy bicycle path on the West Side of Lower Manhattan shortly 3.05pm (19:05 GMT), striking a number of people along the route.

The truck then crashed with a school bus, injuring at least two children and two adults.

After the collision, the driver exited the vehicle brandishing two imitation guns, at which point he was shot by a police officer.

The suspect was wounded in the abdomen and transferred to a local hospital, James O'Neill, police commissioner, told the same press conference.

A paintball gun and a pellet gun were recovered from the scene. There was no information about the suspect's motive.

Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from New York City, said six people were pronounced dead at the scene and two died later after being transported to local hospitals.

He added that according to the city's fire department 11 people sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries.

"All of this happened in Lower Manhattan, just a few blocks north of the World Trade Center where the 9/11, 2001 attacks took place," said Elizondo.

"Tuesday's incident happened on the West Side Highway Bicycle Path - this is significant because that's probably the most well-used bicycle and pedestrian path in all of New York City."

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said there were no indications of a wider plot.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those New Yorkers who we lost today. It reminds us all how precious life is," he told reporters.

Police in New York said they were going to deploy extra officers around the city "out of an abundance of caution".

A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)  described the incident an "apparent act of terrorism".

"We have recently seen attacks like this one throughout the world. DHS and its law enforcement partners remain vigilant and committed to safeguarding the American people," the spokesperson said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump was briefed about the incident, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House press secretary, said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected," she added.

Even though police said the investigation was still pending and there was no claim of responsibility, Trump later tweeted that the US "must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere", referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant armed group, also known as ISIL.

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News Network
June 17,2020

Vienna, Jun 17: Austrian police fined a man 500 euros for loudly breaking wind after officers stopped him earlier this month to check his identity.

The police defended the massive fine saying he had deliberately emitted a "massive flatulence," lifting his backside from the bench where he was sitting.

The accused complained of what he called the disproportionate and unjustified fine when he gave his account of the June 5 events on the O24 news website.

In reply to social media commentaries that followed, the police in the Austrian capital justified their reaction on Twitter.

"Of course, nobody is put on the spot if one slips out by accident," the police said.

However, in this case, the police said, the young man had appeared "provocative and uncooperative" in general.

He then "slightly raised himself from the bench, looked at the officers and patently, in a completely deliberate way, emitted a massive flatulence in their immediate proximity."

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News Network
January 3,2020

New Delhi, Jan 3: US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday warned America's airlines and their pilots that there is risk involved in operating flights in Pakistan airspace due to "extremist or militant activity", according to an official document.

"Exercise caution during flight operations. There is a risk to US civil aviation operating in the territory and airspace of Pakistan due to extremist/militant activity," said the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a notice to airmen (NOTAM) dated December 30, 2019.

The NOTAM is applicable to all US-based airlines and US-based pilots.

The US regulator said in its NOTAM that there continues to be a risk to US civil aviation sector from attacks against airports and aircraft in Pakistan, particularly for aircraft on the ground and aircraft operating at low altitudes, including during the arrival and departure phases of flights.

"The ongoing presence of extremist/militant elements operating in Pakistan poses a continued risk to US civil aviation from small-arms fire, complex attacks against airports, indirect weapons fire, and anti-aircraft fire, any of which could occur with little or no warning," it said.

The FAA said that while, to date, there have been no reports of man-portable air defense systems or Manpads being used against the civil aviation sector in Pakistan, some extremist or terrorist groups operating there are suspected of having access to these Manpads.

"As a result, there is potential risk for extremists/militants to target civil aviation in Pakistan with Manpads," it said.

The regulator added that pilots or airlines must report safety or security incidents - which may happen in Pakistan - to the FAA.

Pakistan on July 16 last year opened its airspace for India after about five months of restrictions imposed in the wake of a standoff with New Delhi.

Following the Balakot airstrikes by the Indian Air Force, Pakistan had closed its airspace on February 26 last year.

Pakistan in October last year had denied India's request to allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's VVIP flight to use its airspace for his visit to Saudi Arabia over the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

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News Network
March 9,2020

New Delhi, Mar 9: Petrol and diesel prices registered a drop across the country on Monday as global oil prices plummeted around 30 per cent after Saudi Arabia slashed prices and set plans for a dramatic increase in crude production in April.

In New Delhi, petrol price fell by 24 paise intra-day and stood at Rs 70.59 per litre. Diesel in the national capital was retailed at Rs 63.26 per litre on Monday as against Rs 63.51 on Sunday.

The retail price of petrol in Kolkata saw a drop of 23 paise to Rs 73.28 per litre. The diesel price fell by 25 paise in the eastern metropolitan city to retail at Rs 65.59 per litre.

In Mumbai, petrol price was Rs 76.29 per litre as against Rs 76.53 a day earlier. Diesel was retailed at Rs 66.24 per litre, 26 paise lower than on Sunday.

In Chennai, petrol was retailed at Rs 73.33 per litre, 25 paise lower than a day earlier. Diesel price saw a fall of 26 paise to retail at Rs 66.75 per litre in the southern metropolitan.

Global crude oil prices fell by as much as a third following Saudi Arabia's move to start a price war with Russia amid worries over the spread of coronavirus.

Brent crude futures were down 13.29 dollars or 29 per cent at 31.98 dollars a barrel by 04:33 hrs GMT after earlier dropping to 31.02 dollars, their lowest since February 12, 2016.

Brent futures were on track for their biggest daily decline since January 17, 1991 at the start of the first Gulf War.

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