Approximately 23 million people were under flood watches across parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Friday morning, as extreme rainfall shut off subway lines and flooded streets.
A state of emergency has been declared in New York City and two other surrounding areas after “extreme rainfall” caused widespread flooding in the northeast region.
Up to 13cm (five inches) of rain fell in some areas overnight, and as much as 18cm (seven inches) more was expected throughout the day, New York governor, Kathy Hochul, said.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday morning, she declared a state of emergency in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley, due to the weather.
Earlier on Friday, Ms Hochul said: “This is a dangerous, life-threatening storm. Count on this for the next 20 hours.”
She said her message to New Yorkers is that the “water is deadly”.
Pic: AP
Approximately 23 million people were under flood watches across parts of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut on Friday morning, with flash flood warnings in effect for parts of Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and New Jersey, according to NBC.
Footage posted on social media showed water pouring into underground stations and streets that had been turned into small lakes.
Pic: AP
Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, warned people against attempting to travel in the conditions until it clears.
Chaos during rush hour saw some drivers abandon their cars as traffic came to a standstill on a stretch of FDR Drive – a major road along the east side of Manhattan.
Two students gazing at a giant banner bearing the photos of those who were killed during a 2022 stampede at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia. (Photo: CNA/Wisnu Agung Prasetyo)
135 people were killed and at least 500 more were injured in a stampede at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia on Oct 1, 2022, which was prompted by the firing of tear gas by security officials
Three police officers and two match officials have been found guilty for their roles in the incident. Each was sentenced to between one to two-and-a-half years in prison
There was a time in a not-so-distant past when for a few hours every weekend, the city of Malang in Indonesia would appear deserted.
Virtually everyone in the hilly city of 800,000 people was either at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in the outskirts of Malang or glued to the television sets at home or at cafes and roadside food stalls, rooting for their once beloved football club, Arema FC.
The mood of the city would change depending on the outcome of each match.
Whenever the club won, supporters in Arema jerseys and other attributes would parade the city in their motorcycles and cars to celebrate their victories. Conversely, the mood of the city would turn gloomy and sombre whenever the club lost.
That all changed on Oct 1, 2022, when 135 people were killed in a stampede at the Kanjuruhan Stadium, making it the second deadliest football tragedy in the world.
“I haven’t watched a single (Arema) match since (the tragedy),” plantation owner Devi Athok Yulfitri told CNA, adding that many of his peers have also stopped seeing matches in person or on the small screen.
“It’s just too painful. Whenever we see Arema play, all we can think about are all the loved ones and friends we lost that night.”
IRONIC TWIST OF FATE
Mr Yulfitri used to be an Aremania, a nickname for die-hard Arema fans. Before the tragedy, he would attend almost every home and away match the club played.
So much was his love for the club, he would occasionally get into brawls with rival supporters, without caring if he ended up getting injured, arrested or killed.
“The only reasons I stopped (participating in brawls) were my two daughters,” the 44-year-old said. “Whenever they saw me trying to get into a fight, they would say ‘Daddy don’t, let’s just go home’.”
Haryana Police arrested Monu Manesar for a provocative post on social media, but Rajasthan Police obtained transit remand in Nasir-Junaid murder case
Monu Manesar, from his Facebook page, now made private.
Bajrang Dal member and self-styled cow vigilante, Mohit alias Monu Manesar, was on September 12 arrested by the Nuh Police for an alleged provocative post on a social media platform ahead of a Hindu outfit’s Jalabhishek Yatra on August 28. The court remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody in this case, but the Rajasthan Police also arrested him in connection with the Nasir-Junaid murder case and took him on transit remand.
Nuh Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya told The Hindu that Monu was arrested from Manesar market in Gurugram around 10.30 a.m. and a .45 bore pistol, a gun and three live cartridges were recovered from his possession.
The Asian financial hub of Hong Kong was drenched on Friday by the heaviest rain since records began 140 years ago, with 83 people hurt, three seriously, as unusually wet weather caused by typhoons brought more disruption to southern China.
Videos showed cascades of water surging down steep hillsides in the former British colony, flooding waist-deep in narrow streets, and inundating malls, metro stations and tunnels.
The extreme weather also brought chaos to the nearby Chinese city of Shenzhen, a tech hub of more than 17.7 million people, with business and transport links across the economically important Pearl River Delta severely hit.
The torrential rain was brought by Haikui, a typhoon that made landfall in the Chinese province of Fujian on Tuesday. Although it weakened to a tropical depression its slow-moving clouds have dumped huge volumes of precipitation on areas still soaked by rain from a super typhoon a week earlier.
Hong Kong’s weather bureau issued its highest “black” rainstorm warning, and said more than 200 mm (7.9 inches) of rain was recorded on Hong Kong’s main island, the Kowloon district and the northeastern part of the city’s New Territories from late on Thursday.
The city’s leader, John Lee, said he was very concerned about the severe flooding in most parts of the territory and had instructed all departments to respond with “all-out efforts”.
Hong Kong authorities shut schools on Friday and told workers to stay at home. The stock exchange did not open for morning trade and would remain shut in the afternoon if the “black” rainstorm warning remained in place at noon.
MTR Corp (0066.HK), which operates the city’s rail network, said at least one line was shut while others were operating with delays. One video clip showed metro workers wading waist-deep in a station.
The city’s cross-harbour tunnel, one of main arteries connecting Hong Kong island to Kowloon, was inundated and a shopping mall in the Chai Wan district was half-submerged.
Some passenger and cargo clearance operations at two border points between Hong Kong and Shenzhen were suspended due to flooding.
Macau ferry operators in Hong Kong said several sailings would be suspended to the gambling hub.
People make their way through a flooded area after heavy rains, in Hong Kong, China, September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
GUANGDONG SWAMPED
The China Meteorological Administration said heavy rain would fall until early Saturday on the central and southwestern areas of Guangdong province.
All schools, some subway stations and offices in the Guangdong city of Shenzhen were shut on Friday.
Residents holding onto safety lines stepped gingerly through knee-deep water in the metropolis of 17.7 million people, videos from state media showed.
Rescuers cordoned off overflowing manholes, carried a child from a stranded vehicle and guided motorcyclists through the murky flows.
A rainfall log showed 465.5 mm (1.5 ft) of rain fell in Shenzhen over a 12-hour period, the highest since records began in 1952.
Daily rainfall in the city in the Pearl River Delta linking Hong Kong to China’s mainland was expected to exceed 500 mm, Shenzhen media said.
Videos showed both the exit and entry areas of the Shenzhen railway station were flooded, with trains connecting the city and the provincial capital of Guangzhou suspended. About 100 people were stranded at the station.
Janmashtami 2023: Maharashtra government to host Dahi Handi competition. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken measures to address potential injuries during these pyramid formations.
Janmashtami 2023: Maharashtra government to host ‘Pro Govinda’ competition with cash prizes for Dahi Handi celebrations. (Hindustan Times)
Janmashtami 2023: The Hindu festival of Janmashtami, also known as Krishna Janmashtami, Gokulashtami, Krishnasthami, or Srijayanti, commemorates the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. Occurring on the Ashtami Tithi of Krishna Paksha during the Bhadrapad month, Krishna Janmashtami falls on September 6th this year. The celebration of Dahi Handi will take place today.
What is Dahi Handi?
Janmashtami is a widely celebrated festival in Maharashtra, during Dahi Handi celebrations, participants known as ‘Govindas’ form human pyramids to break open a suspended earthen pot filled with curd. This tradition symbolises Lord Krishna’s love for butter and his mischievous nature as a child.
‘Pro Govinda’ competition
The Maharashtra government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is set to host a “Pro Govinda” competition featuring cash prizes as part of this year’s ‘Dahi Handi’ celebrations, reported ANI. State Industries Minister Uday Samant on September 2 said, “Pro Govinda is an event that has been demanded for many years, and it is now being organised under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.”
The Pro Govinda competition will be held at the NSCI dome in Worli, Mumbai, with the pot suspended at a height of 40 feet. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners, with the first prize being ₹11 lakh, followed by second, third, and fourth prizes of ₹7 lakh, 5 lakh, and 3 lakh, respectively.
The Allahabad High Court has taken suo moto cognizance of the brutal attack on a woman cop (‘X’) while she was on-duty on the Saryu Express on the intervening night of 30-31 August. Based on a WhatsApp message received by Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker on Sunday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker and Justice Ashutosh Srivastava was convened at the residence…
The site has been turned into a mud bath and now roads into and out of Burning Man have been closed. Tens of thousands of people have been left stranded and urged to take shelter.
Chris Rock and Diplo escape Burning Man festival.
A death at Burning Man is under investigation as rain lashes the festival and tens of thousands of people remain stranded.
Roads into and out of the event in the Nevada desert have been closed due to flooding and festivalgoers have been urged to conserve food and water and take shelter. No toilets were working.
Police said a person has died “during this rain event” but did not provide further information. Their family has been informed.
The US Bureau of Land Management, the agency that manages the land on which the event takes place, said in a statement: “Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa.
“More rain is expected over the next few days and conditions are not expected to improve enough to allow vehicles to enter the playa.”
The White House said on Sunday that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation.
Paul Reder, who has been attending the festival for 22 years, said: “Fortunately we’re in a fairly big camp with a lot of supplies.
“As a community, everybody’s sharing with each other.”
Mr Reder said he expected it would take at least two days for the area to dry out.
With the G20 Summit scheduled to take place in Delhi on September 9 and 10, there have been speculations about the possibility of a lockdown in the national capital. However, Delhi Police has officially clarified that there will be no lockdown during the G20 Summit, which will be held at Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre (Pragati Maidan).
Delhi Police suggested residents of the New Delhi area use the Delhi Metro during the summit. According to Delhi Police, which is the nodal agency for security arrangements for the G20 Summit, New Delhi will be a controlled zone, but there will be no lockdown.
“Will there be a lockdown in Delhi during the #G20Summit? NO. New Delhi District will be a ‘Controlled Zone’, but bona fide residents of the area will be allowed passage. Metro and essential services will operate normally” tweeted Delhi Police.
Will there be a lockdown in Delhi during the #G20Summit ?
NO. New Delhi District will be a 'Controlled Zone', but bonafide residents of the area will be allowed passage. Metro and essential services will operate normally.@ssyips#G20SummitDelhiFAQspic.twitter.com/8d0fu9afXp
Those wounded, including Kurds, Arabs and three members of the security forces, were hit by gunfire, stones or glass, said Khalaf.
Iraqi protesters block a road following protests in the multi-ethnic Iraqi city of Kirkuk on September 2.(AFP)
At least three Kurds were killed and 16 people wounded Saturday during protests in the multi-ethnic Iraqi city of Kirkuk, as authorities imposed a curfew after days of tensions.
Two people were shot in the chest and a third in the head, Ziad Khalaf, director of the local health authority, told AFP.
The victims were a 21-year-old man and two people aged 37, he added.
Those wounded, including Kurds, Arabs and three members of the security forces, were hit by gunfire, stones or glass, said Khalaf.
The curfew was imposed in the evening after rival protests — between Kurdish residents on one side and Turkmen and Arabs on the other — descended into violence despite a security presence.
Earlier in the day, police in the northern city had been deployed to act as a buffer and keep the rival groups apart.
Warning shots were fired to force Kurdish demonstrators to disperse. An AFP correspondent said vehicles on a main avenue were set on fire.
Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani called for a commission of inquiry into the incident, and a press release from his office pledged that those responsible would be “held accountable”.
Tensions have been brewing for nearly a week in Kirkuk, which has historically been disputed between the federal government in Baghdad and authorities in the autonomous Kurdistan region in the north.
Arab and Turkmen demonstrators staged a sit-in near the headquarters of the Iraqi security forces in Kirkuk province on Monday, after reports that Sudani had ordered the site to be handed over to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which used to occupy it.
Kurdish protesters tried to reach the headquarters on Saturday, an AFP correspondent said.
‘Dangerous situation’
After the violence, Sudani ordered a curfew in Kirkuk and “extensive security operations in the areas affected by the riots”, a statement from his office said.
He called on all parties to “play their part in preventing strife and preserving security, stability, and order in Kirkuk Governorate”.
Sudani, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, ordered security forces in the province “to fulfil their responsibilities in maintaining security and upholding the rule of law”.
Late Saturday, Turkmen and Arab demonstrators continued their sit-in outside the security building.
In another part of the city, local police chief General Kawa Gharib was trying to calm Kurdish protesters.
In 2014, the KDP and the peshmerga, the security forces of the Kurdistan region, took control of Kirkuk, an oil-producing region of northern Iraq.
However, federal troops expelled them in autumn 2017 following an abortive referendum on Kurdish independence.
Despite a history of rocky relations and tensions, Sudani’s government has generally managed to maintain cordial relations between Baghdad and Arbil, the Kurdish capital.
A senior official of the Western Railway stated, “A lookout notice has been circulated to all RPF and Government Railway Police posts.”
Courtesy: X
A shocking video capturing a youth allegedly consuming drugs on a local train in Mumbai went viral on social media on Saturday, raising concerns about the safety and security of passengers in the public transport system
The incident was brought to light by an X user, formerly known as Twitter, who tagged the Mumbai police in a tweet.
In the four-second video, a man can be seen smoking something while another person, also on the same train, appears to assist him in the act.
The tweet read, “@Mumbai_police_ In Local train Guys Taking drugs they have Many drugs in pocket and they have Group of 6 guys and 1 girl also In there. They all Are Get AWAY in Nalasopara station date 1/09/2023 time 1:25 AM night.”
@Mumbai_police_ In Local train Guys Taking drugs they have Many drugs in pocket and they have Group of 6 guy and 1 Girls also In there They all Are Get AWAY in nalasopara station date 1/09/2023 time 1:25AM night 🌉 pic.twitter.com/9QjJS6LMsW
Promptly responding to the tweet, railway authorities and concerned citizens expressed their worries. Railway authorities acknowledged the issue and tagging with Divisional Railway Manager of Western Railway, Mumbai Central Division, tweeted back, “For necessary action, escalated to the concerned official.”
Further action was swiftly initiated as the Divisional Railway Manager directed the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to investigate the matter.
Authorities are now actively pursuing the matter to identify and take appropriate action against those involved in the alleged drug consumption.
He was arrested for robbery. It looks like the store in the background is "147 Amsterdam Cleaners" on W 147th Street in Harlem. Originally uploaded yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ggOBgZV9LY
A masked man desperate to evade police sucker-punched a cop in Harlem Thursday — but didn’t make it far before he was cuffed again.
Startling footage showed the moment a repeat offender straddling a Citi Bike dealt a vicious blow to an NYPD officer in the crosswalk at Amsterdam Avenue and West 147 Street just past 4 p.m.
The man — identified by police as 45-year-old Evan Guerrero of Harlem — was apparently complying with the two officers and had his hands placed behind his head after he was stopped for a possible crime in progress.
Evan Guerrero was identified as the man who was caught on camera punching an NYPD officer in Harlem. Crime in NYC/X
The balaclava-wearing Guerrero can be seen looking over his shoulder before spontaneously delivering a blow to the male officer’s face and running off down West 147th Street.
He only made it to the curb, however.
The two cops immediately pounced on Guerrero, dragging him to the ground in front of a corner store, the video shows.
Guerrero can be seen continuing to escape — even losing a shoe in the process — but was ultimately subdued with the help of seven other officers who arrived as backup.
Guerrero can be seen looking over his shoulder before delivering the vicious blow. Crime in NYC/X
The unnamed cop whom Guerrero allegedly punched could be seen wiping his face where he was struck and checking for blood while holding down his assailant.
Police said the officer sustained “pain, bruising and a fracture.”
Guerrero was charged with assaulting a police officer.
The 85-year-old victim, who was staying alone in a slum, alleged that a man barged into her living area around 4 am and raped her, the panel said.
The DCW has sought an action-taken report on the matter by September 5.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Friday issued a notice to the city police in connection with the alleged rape of an elderly woman in Shakurpur area here.
The 85-year-old victim, who was staying alone in a slum, alleged that a man barged into her living area around 4 am and raped her, the panel said.
“She has also informed that the accused punched her face, cut her lip with a blade and tried to strangulate her. There are injuries all over her body and private parts as well,” the panel said in its notice to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) district.
The panel has sought a copy of the FIR registered in the matter along with the fact whether the police have a list of all the elderly people living alone in the district.
Residents walk past a shopping centre with its glass doors taped as a precaution against the approaching Super Typhoon Saola, early in the morning, in Hong Kong, on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. The Hong Kong Observatory raised a No. 8 typhoon signal, the third-highest warning under the city’s weather system, early Friday, and schools are suspended. (AP Photo/Daniel Ceng) (AP Photo/Daniel Ceng)
Super Typhoon Saola is poised to strike Hong Kong with its formidable force, as authorities have elevated the strong wind signal to No.8, prompting the closure of schools, businesses, and even the stock exchange.
This impending natural juggernaut, boasting wind speeds exceeding 200 kmph, is predicted to chart a course towards eastern Guangdong, the adjacent Chinese mainland province.
The impending typhoon has triggered the issuance of the highest typhoon alert by Chinese authorities, marking the potential for one of the most potent typhoons to hit Guangdong since 1949.
The Hong Kong Weather Observatory anticipates that Saola will pass within 100 km of the city on Friday (September 1) night and Saturday ((September 2) morning, ushering in a swift deterioration of weather conditions. With this in mind, there is a likelihood that higher cyclone warning signals may be deemed necessary as the day progresses.
Hong Kong’s typhoon warning system employs a five-tier scale, with rankings of 1, 3, 8, 9, and 10 indicating the strength of the hurricane signal. In preparation for Saola’s arrival, all schools will be closed on Friday, causing disruption to the start of the term for many students.
Citizens have flocked to fresh food markets and supermarkets in anticipation of the typhoon’s arrival, leading to depleted stocks of vegetables and long queues at supermarkets. As the city braces itself, the Hong Kong Observatory has projected heavy rainfall and fierce winds. The water level within the city is expected to surge considerably until Saturday, raising concerns about potential flooding.
Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flagship airline, has cancelled all flights between 2 pm on Friday and 10 am on Saturday, with the possibility of further disruptions contingent on the typhoon’s trajectory on Saturday morning.
The incident took place at 5.25 am in the shop located in Pooja Heights building at Purna Nagar in Chikhli area of Pimpri Chinchwad, officials said.
Credit: PTI Videograb
Four members of a family, including two minors, were killed after a fire broke out at an electric hardware shop in Pimpri Chinchwad town of Maharashtra’s Pune district on Wednesday morning, fire officials said.
VIDEO | Several people dead in a fire that broke out due to short circuit in an electronics and hardware store in Pune in the wee hours of Wednesday. More details are awaited.
The incident took place at 5.25 am in the shop located in Pooja Heights building at Purna Nagar in Chikhli area of Pimpri Chinchwad, they said.
“So far, bodies of four people, who were sleeping on the mezzanine of the hardware shop located on the building’s ground floor, have been recovered,” a fire official from the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation said.
The blaze has been extinguished and cooling process is on, he said.
Officials said a short-circuit may have caused the fire. However, an investigation is on, they added The deceased have been identified as Chimnaram Chowdhary (48), Namrata Chimnaram Chowdhary (40), Bhavesh Chowdhary (15) and Sachin Choudhary (13), the officials said.
A lion that escaped from a private vehicle amidst heavy traffic is captured in this video screengrab, in Karachi, Pakistan, August 29, 2023. REUTERS TV via REUTERS
An adult lion escaped from a private vehicle amidst heavy traffic in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Tuesday, causing panic for two hours before it was recaptured, police said.
The lion was being transported by its owner when it escaped on the main road of the bustling port city during peak traffic hours, the police statement said.
“Our teams rushed here immediately. Praise be to Allah, it is with us safely and no one is in danger now,” Wildlife Inspector Mukhtyar Soomro told Reuters at the site of the lion’s capture.
The escaped lion had made its way into the basement of a nearby building after roaming on the road for some time.
The area saw a massive traffic jam with media vehicles arriving at the scene to cover the incident and crowds gathering to try to catch a glimpse of the escaped lion, a Reuters witness said.
The Wildlife Department said the lion had been taken to its compound, as keeping lions in residential areas was banned.
“The owner of the lion has been detained and a case will be registered against him,” Senior Superintendent of Police Shiraz Nazir said in a statement.
Keeping wild cats as pets is not uncommon in Pakistan, where wealthy businessmen have been known to operate private zoos and sometimes parade the animals for the public.
In 2017, police in Pakistan arrested a man who took his pet lion for a night-time drive through the streets of Karachi.
A fire broke out in a tourist coach of a train that was en route from Lucknow to Rameshwaram near Madurai railway station, leaving nine people dead and 20 others injured.
Four dead in train fire accident near Madurai railway station.
At least nine people died and 20 others sustained injuries after a major fire erupted on a train at Tamil Nadu’s Madurai railway station on Saturday. The Railways has announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the families of deceased. The blaze was reported at nearly 5:15 am inside a private party coach, while the train was parked at the Madurai yard.
The adjacent coaches of the train did not suffer any damage as the fire tenders were immediately called in and the flames were doused by nearly 7 am.
According to the details, as many as 65 passengers from Lucknow were onboard the coach, which was engulfed in flames.
While the coach was parked at the yard, some passengers reportedly used illegally smuggled cooking gas cylinders to prepare tea and snacks, thus, giving way to the fire.
Commenting on the incident, Madurai District Collector MS Sangeetha said, “Around 5.30 am today, there was a fire in a coach halted here at Madurai railway station. There were pilgrims travelling from Uttar Pradesh in it. When they lit the gas stove to make coffee, the gas cylinder blasted. As of now, we have retrieved nine bodies.”
The private party coach had begun its journey from Lucknow on August 17 and was scheduled to reach Chennai by Sunday.
Helpline numbers (9360552608, 8015681915) were provided to share information related to the fire incident and causalities.
As per reports, around eight people have lost their lives and around 20 people are reported injured in the incident.
Train Catches Fire In Madurai | Twitter
In a shocking incident, a massive fire broke out in a tourist train that was parked near the station in Madurai on Saturday. As per reports, around eight people have lost their lives and around 20 people are reported injured in the incident. The injured have been taken to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai. A firefighting and rescue operation was carried out after the blaze erupted. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning when the Bharat Gaurav tourist train from Lucknow was halted a few kilometres before the Madurai Railway Station. An ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh has been announced to the next to kin of the deceased.
The fire has been doused and rescue operation underway
The horrific videos of the train engulfed by a massive blaze are doing rounds on social media. As per reports, the train stopped a few kilometres before the railway station in Madurai and was parked at the spot when the fire broke out in one of the coaches of the train which further spread to another coach of the train. The fire has been doused by the fire fighting department. It can be seen in the video that the rescue operators are trying to enter the train compartment after dousing the blaze.
Gas cylinders smuggled inside train
The reason of the cause of the fire is not known yet. However, the authorities claim after conducting initial investigations that few passengers in the train were using gas cylinder to cook food inside the train. The fire then spread from one coach to the other. Most of the passengers managed to flee the compartments that caught fire. However, the passengers who were elderly could not escape the train on time and died after being burnt inside the coach.
#TrainAccident Train fire accident in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
The shooting happened as patrons gathered for spaghetti night at Cook’s Corner bar
Four people have been killed and six others hurt in a shooting incident at a biker bar in southern California.
The gunman, identified on Thursday as a retired police officer, was among the four who died at Cook’s Corner in Orange County.
Two of the six who were injured are in critical condition, county fire chief Brian Fennessy said.
There have been more than 400 mass shootings in 2023 alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The shooting took place at 19:00 local time (02:00 GMT) as the bar was offering an $8 (£6.30) spaghetti night and a rock music show, which were advertised on the bar’s Facebook page.
It is thought the incident may have started as a domestic incident between the gunman and his wife, CBS News reported citing a police source.
On Thursday, authorities named the suspect as John Snowling, a retired sergeant who worked with the Ventura Police Department in California until 2014.
At least one weapon was recovered from the scene, police said.
Orange County supervisor Katrina Foley said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she was “heartbroken to hear of another senseless mass shooting, this time in our own backyard”.
Delhi Woman stabs delivery boy: After the delivery boy managed to escape, the accused woman picked up a brick and broke the headlight of the victim’s two-wheeler, police said. She also attacked a few other residents and some cops at a society
In a shocking incident at southwest Delhi’s Dwarka society, a 42-year-old woman attacked multiple people including a delivery person who asked her about directions to an address. After first stabbing a delivery person multiple times, she attacked a few other residents and some cops at a society. The incident took place on August 18. Police have filed a case has been filed and the woman has been arrested.
The incident was caught on CCTV cameras in the society and the footage shows the woman in an argument with the delivery executive and then flinging his scooter’s keys into the bushes.
The accused, identified as Sarita Bhatia, was produced in a court and was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, police said on Thursday. Bhatia, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, lived alone in a single-room flat in the society. The residents reported she often exhibited aggression toward neighbours.
The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) separately confirmed its statutory boards received a bomb threat related to the Environment Building at Scotts Road.
Singapore’s Environment Building at 40 Scotts Road, pictured on Aug 23, 2023 after an “emergency situation” that led to a “building lockdown”. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
Police were alerted to alleged bomb threats at 18 locations around Singapore on Wednesday morning (Aug 23), including government buildings, embassies and other places of interest.
Security checks were conducted and no items of security concern were found, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF), adding that it was alerted to the case at about 9.10am.
SPF did not provide further details of the threats or where the 18 locations are, but the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) separately confirmed that there was a bomb threat related to the Environment Building.
The police also said they are aware of similar reports of email bomb threats in South Korea recently – seemingly sent by the same person – which turned out to be a hoax.
“The police are investigating this case of communicating false information of a harmful thing under Section 268A of the Penal Code 1871,” SPF added. The offence carries a jail term of up to seven years, a maximum fine of S$50,000 (US$36,800), or both.
“The police take all security threats seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those who intentionally communicate false information on bomb threats.”
Yonhap news agency reported on Aug 17 that South Korean authorities were looking into a series of bomb threats made via email in recent weeks. No explosives linked to the threats have been found.
Five such emails, which identified targets like schools and government offices, appeared to have been sent from Japan and are suspected of being related to phishing scams, the report said.
A recent email, sent in the name of a Japanese law firm, claimed that “high-powered bombs with needles” had been planted at the Japanese embassy, the Supreme Court and city halls across the country, said the report.
“SECURITY SITUATION”
News of a potential situation at the Environment Building at 40 Scotts Road emerged at around 9am when multiple sources told CNA that people were allowed to leave but not enter.
The building houses MSE and its statutory boards the National Environment Agency (NEA) and water agency PUB.
An email sent to employees at about 10am said there was an “emergency situation” and that the building was “under lockdown” but people could leave if they wanted to.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu later wrote on Facebook that she was informed of a “security situation” but that no threat items were found following preliminary checks by the police and security officers.
A sign next to ground floor turnstiles at Singapore’s Environment Building at 40 Scotts Road, informing workers of an “emergency situation” and “building lockdown” on Aug 23, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
The ministry said on Wednesday night, in response to CNA’s queries, that it has stepped up security and restricted access to the Environment Building.
“The safety of all staff and stakeholders of the Environment Building is our priority,” it added. “MSE will cooperate fully with the Singapore Police Force in police investigations.”
Employees at the Environment Building were informed in an email at about 12.10pm that the building would be closed for the rest of the week.
In the event that similar threats are received at building premises, the police said security officers or auxiliary police officers should conduct a search for suspicious items.
A mother was beaten to death with a hammer and her young son and daughter were left fighting for their lives Wednesday in a “horrific and senseless act of violence” at their Brooklyn rooming house, police officials said.
The 43-year-old woman and her battered children — a 5-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl — were found inside their cramped room on the second floor of the Sunset Park building shortly before 2 p.m. by cops responding to a 911 call about an assault in progress, the NYPD said.
The officers arrested a 47-year-old man who was trying to walk out of the building, at 52nd Street near 5th Avenue, when they arrived, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said at a news briefing.
The 43-year-old woman and her battered children — a 5-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl — were found inside their cramped room on the second floor of the Sunset Park building shortly before 2 p.m. William Miller
The suspect — who had blood on him — lives in another room of the small three-bedroom apartment with his 9-year-old son, Chell said. Another person rents the third room.
“The incident I’m about to describe to you is a horrific and senseless act of violence which took the life of a married mother of two,” Chell told reporters.
“I think I can speak for all New Yorkers when I say our community, all our prayers are with this family at this time.”
A mother is dead and her young children are fighting for life at a local hospital after a hammer attack in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, sources tell The Post. Peter GerberA person of interest is in custody. Peter GerberPolice recovered this hammer at the scene. NYPD
Harrowing video obtained by The Post showed police officers carrying the bloodied kids out of the apartment.
The mom and her two kids were taken to NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn, where she was pronounced dead and the two youngsters were in critical condition, according to cops.
A bloodied hammer was recovered by cops in the building.
Alan Walsh – who took part in the Ironman event in Co Cork on Sunday – says he witnessed “an awful lot of people getting into difficulty” and helped one man who called for help and went underwater.
The Ironman event had been postponed because of Storm Betty
An experienced triathlete who took part in an Ironman event where two people died says “swimmers were being knocked around like skittles” in bad weather conditions.
Alan Walsh told Sky News there are serious questions about safety to be asked – and the swim in Co Cork on Sunday should have been cancelled in the wake of Storm Betty.
Two men, in their 40s and 60s, got into difficulty in Youghal Bay – with Triathlon Ireland saying it did not sanction the swimming race.
Ironman claims this was only communicated to its officials “several hours” after the swim had concluded – but Triathlon Ireland has denied this, and said organisers were warned before the race began.
Mr Walsh said he witnessed “an awful lot of people getting into difficulty”, and it was hard for competitors to see safety boats because of the swell.
During the swim, one man started calling for help and went underwater.
“He was obviously drowning,” Mr Walsh said. “It felt like forever and it was only a second or two, but I went over to him and picked him up over my shoulder.
“I’m just struggling to keep us up and I’m roaring at him to relax and lie back and then a canoeist sees us.”
Mr Walsh said he managed to get the swimmer onto a canoe – and carried on with the race after making sure he was okay.
Once he was out of the water, he saw stewards resuscitating someone on the pier.
“I would say it was 100% the worst conditions I’ve seen a triathlon swim go ahead in,” Mr Walsh told Sky’s Lisa McNally.
The triathlete warned there is a “huge amount of risk” in these races and anything can happen – but at the very least, the swim course should have been altered sooner.
“They changed the route of the swim mid-race – someone was announcing it on loudspeaker,” Mr Walsh said. “How the hell are you meant to hear that if you’re in the water?
“We wear earplugs and I only found out because someone tapped me and told me as I was getting in the water. I would expect these errors from someone organising their first triathlon, but not Ironman.”
Child gun deaths in the United States have hit a record high, according to a new study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mortality database, the study published on Monday in the AAP’s journal Pediatrics found that 4,752 children died from gun-related injuries in 2021, the latest year for which data was available, up from 4,368 in 2020 and 3,390 in 2019.
Gun violence has been the number one cause of death for children in the United States since 2020.
The study was published as Tennessee lawmakers opened a special session on public safety after a Nashville school shooting earlier this year that killed three children and three teachers.
Annie Andrews, a South Carolina pediatrician and gun violence prevention researcher who was not involved in the study, said that when she became a doctor, “I never imagined I would take care of so many children with bullet holes in them.
Students of Oxford High School and other schools in the area, along with community members, gather for a candlelight prayer vigil at Bridgewood Church to pray for the community, a day after a deadly shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, in Clarkston, Michigan, U.S., December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Seth Herald/File Photo
“But the fact of the matter is, in every children’s hospital across this country, there are children in the pediatric intensive care units suffering from firearm injuries.”
The study further showed that Black children accounted for around 67% of firearm homicides while white children made up about 78% of gun-assisted suicides.
Iman Omer, a junior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and an anti-gun violence advocate with Students Demand Action, said the study’s findings were devastating but unsurprising.
“Every year, I know that 128 children and teens in Tennessee die by guns,” Omer said as she headed to the state’s capitol Tuesday to join protesters who have been demanding tougher gun laws.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who knew two of the teachers killed in the Nashville shooting, had asked lawmakers in the special session to bolster so called red flag laws aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of people deemed to be a threat. He has faced resistance from his fellow Republicans, who control the statehouse.
The daring rescue began with a helicopter plucking two children to safety after almost 12 hours in the air as daylight faded, but the chopper was forced back to base in the dark.
Military helicopters and zipline experts on Tuesday rescued eight people, including six school children, trapped for hours in a stricken cable car high above a remote Pakistan valley.
The daring rescue began with a helicopter plucking two children to safety after almost 12 hours in the air as daylight faded, but the chopper was forced back to base in the dark.
Then rescuers used the cable keeping the gondola from plunging into the valley as a zipline to rescue the rest of those stranded late into Tuesday night.
“The rescue operation has been completed. The two adults were the last to be rescued,” Bilal Faizi, from the Pakistan emergency service Rescue 1122.
The military confirmed the rescue efforts had successfully concluded.
A video of the first rescue showed a teenager in a harness hanging at the bottom of a swinging rope under a helicopter as crowds cheered with relief.
Rescuers set up a temporary camp on a mountaintop and were providing first aid, Faizi said.
The six children had been on their way to school when the chairlift broke down at around 7:00 am (0200 GMT) midway through its journey, hanging above the lush green Allai valley.
Residents used mosque loudspeakers to alert neighbourhood officials of the emergency and hundreds of people gathered on both sides of the ravine — hours away from any sizeable town — to watch the drama unfold.
Several military helicopters had earlier in the day flown sorties and an airman was lowered by a harness to deliver food, water and medicine, Rehman, the official, told AFP.
“Great team work by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people,” caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar posted on X.
He earlier issued a directive for all chairlifts in mountainous areas to be inspected and for those that are not safe to be immediately closed.
“What can they do?”
Earlier in the day, as the rescue operation unfolded, headmaster Ali Asghar Khan told AFP by phone that the children were teenage boys and students at his government high school Battangi Pashto.
“The school is located in a mountainous area and there are no safe crossings, so it’s common to use the chairlift,” Khan said.
“The parents are gathered at the site of the chairlift. What can they do? They are waiting for the rescue officials to get their children out. We are all worried.”
Abid Ur Rehman, a teacher from another school in the area, said around 500 people had gathered to watch the rescue mission.
Heavy to very heavy rain is likely in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from August 22-24, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Meanwhile, four people died in a fresh landslide in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district.
SDRF carries out rescue work following a landslide in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district. (India Today)
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange alert’ for heavy to very heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from August 22-24.
The weather body also warned of a moderate risk of flash floods in catchment areas of the Chamba and Mandi districts, predicting a wet spell till August 26.
Heavy rain can result in landslides, flash floods and increased water levels in rivers and drains, besides causing damage to standing crops, fruit plants and young seedlings, the weather office said.
The hill states have seen extensive devastation and deaths in the last few months due to incessant rainfall.
4 KILLED IN UTTARAKHAND LANDSLIDE, ROAD BLOCKED
Four people, including two women and a 4-month-old baby, were killed after being hit by a landslide in Chamba in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district on Monday, police said.
Four bodies have been recovered so far and a search is underway for another missing person, senior police official Navneet Singh Bhullaraid said.
Some more vehicles could also be trapped as the landslide hit a taxi stand near the Chamba police station, he added.
As of Monday, India has 1,475 active coronavirus cases. The maximum number of active cases is in Kerala (1,010), followed by West Bengal (182) and Maharashtra (116).
New Delhi: The Centre on Monday reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the country and asked all states to maintain a close watch on the new global variants. PK Mishra, the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chaired a high-level meeting with NITI Aayog member Vinod Paul, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, and other top officials, and called for ramping up the whole genome sequencing.
In the meeting that was also attended by PMO Advisor Amit Khare, and DG ICMR Rajiv Bahl, an overview of the global Covid-19 situation was given by Secretary (Health) including certain newer variants of coronavirus like BA.2.86 (Pirola) and EG.5 (Eris), which have been reported globally. He underlined that as per World Health Organization (WHO), while Eris has been reported from over 50 countries, the Pirola variant is in four countries.
EXPLOSIONS rocked Moscow this morning after Russia attempted to stop a suspected kamikaze Ukrainian drone attack that almost hit a top Putin pundit.
The aerial assault strike wreaked havoc in the capital as flight travel was paralysed only hours after Volodymyr Zelenksy vowed revenge following a deadly Russian missile strike.
Russian claims that two Ukrainian drones were shot down over Moscow’s suburbsCredit: East2WestThe aftermath of a Ukrainian drone that was hit and fell close to pro-war fanatic and Putin’s ‘Iron Doll’Credit: East2WestThe UAV attack caused chaos at Moscow’s main airports and disrupted hundreds of flightsCredit: East2West
Russia claimed to have foiled two attacks by Ukrainian drones this morning, which caused chaos at all of Moscow’s major airports and disruptions to hundreds of flights.
The reports stated that Russian air defences had jammed one of the drones in the Ruzsky district west of the capital and later destroyed another one in the Istrinsky district nearby.
At least two were injured when one of the downed drones fell on a house in the Istrinsky suburb, a regional governor said.
The UAV reportedly exploded close to the sprawling mansion of the Russian propagandist and pro-war fanatic Margarita Simonyan.
The head of the RT state media empire – also known as Putin’s “iron Doll” – complained on Telegram that the drone was shot down “on the street next to us” in her wealthy Moscow suburb.
Pictures showed the trail of air defence missiles, while video captured the moment a drone exploded as it was struck by an air defence strike.
Moscow major airports – Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky – were closed for two hours as air space around the capital was shut under the “Carpet regime”, an emergency plan for incoming drones.
One pilot told passengers: “All airports in Moscow are closed.”
At least four planes bound for Domodedovo were diverted as far as Kazan, some 500 miles to the east.
It comes after Ukrainian president Zelensky promised retaliation for Saturday’s Russian missile strike on the city centre of Chernihiv that killed seven, including a 6-year-old girl.
He vowed that his soldiers would give a “notable response” to the “terrorist attack”, which claimed the life of little Sofia and other victims.
At least 15 children were also among the 148 wounded and at least 25 civilians had been treated in hospital after the strike that the UN deplored as “heinous”.
Drone air strikes deep inside Russia, and often targeted at the capital, have increased since two drones were destroyed over the Kremlin in early May.
As August began, two drone strikes hit government buildings in the heart of Moscow in a devastating blow to Putin.
A week later, the capital was enveloped in further chaos as Ukrainian aerial assaults wreaked havoc above Moscow once again.
Only last week, another huge explosion lit up the capital’s skies after a drone blasted through a building only three miles from the Kremlin.
The attack trailed in the short wake of a Ukrainian naval kamikaze drone strike on Putin’s beloved £3billion bridge that connects annexed Crimea to Russia.
Over the weekend, a daring drone attack deep inside Russia destroyed one of Putin’s prized Tu-22 supersonic bombers at Soltsy airbase.
The police spokesperson said that the bomb exploded in a van in North Waziristan.
As many as 11 labourers were killed and two sustained injured in a bomb blast in the Gulmir Kot area in Pakistan’s North Waziristan(Representational image)
As many as 11 labourers were killed and two sustained injured in a bomb blast in the Gulmir Kot area in Pakistan’s North Waziristan, ARY News reported on Saturday.
The police spokesperson said that the bomb exploded in a van in North Waziristan.
Further details are awaited in the matter.
Notably, this attack comes weeks after the massive suicide blast in Bajaur, in which at least 63 people including 23 children were killed and over 200 people sustained injuries.
The responsibility for the blast was claimed by the Islamic State group, according to Al Jazeera.
The bombing targeted an election rally in Pakistan’s border district of Bajaur.
A bomber detonated an explosives-packed vest near the platform as some 400 members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party, a significant government coalition partner led by hardline politician Fazlur Rehman, awaited the start of the speeches.
The suicide bomber detonated explosives when JUI-F members and supporters gathered in the town of Khar, near the border with Afghanistan. The convention started at 2 pm, and the explosion happened at 4:10 pm, according to the officials.
A total of seven persons — all from Gujarat — were killed after a bus carrying over 30 passengers fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand on Sunday, an official said. The accident happened near Gangnani on the Gangotri national highway in Uttarakhand. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the police personnel engaged in the rescue work managed to pull 27 people alive from the wreckage.
About 30,000 households have been ordered to evacuate in Canada’s British Columbia province, where nearly 400 wildfires are raging.
Two huge fires in the Shuswap region merged overnight, destroying blocks of houses and other buildings.
To the south, travel to the waterside city of Kelowna has been restricted, and smoke from nearby fires hangs over Lake Okanagan.
Fires have charred homes in West Kelowna, a nearby city of 36,000.
The travel restriction around Kelowna is designed to ensure enough accommodation for evacuees and emergency workers. It also applies to the towns of Kamloops, Oliver, Penticton and Vernon and Osoyoos.
Hundreds of miles north, a huge fire continues to edge towards the city of Yellowknife.
An official deadline to evacuate the city – the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories – lapsed on Friday. A local official said later that day that nearly all residents had left, either by car or plane.
About 19,000 of the city’s 20,000 inhabitants had evacuated. Authorities said 39 patients were moved out of a hospital to alternative facilities on Friday evening, making them the last people to be evacuated from the city.
Environment and communities minister Shane Thompson said some people had chosen “to shelter in place”, but urged locals to leave.
In British Columbia, evacuation orders grew from covering 15,000 homes on Friday to at least 30,000 by Saturday evening. Another 36,000 homes are under evacuation alert.
The province’s emergency management minister said officials “cannot stress strongly enough how critical it is to follow evacuation orders”.
Bowinn Ma added: “They are a matter of life and death not only for the people in those properties, but also for the first responders who will often go back to try to implore people to leave.”
Premier of the province, David Eby, put the total number of people ordered to leave at 35,000, with 30,000 told to be prepared to evacuate.
One Kelowna resident told the BBC the fires came over the mountainside like an “ominous cloud of destruction”Smoke from wildfires is hanging over Lake Okanagan, on which Kelowna sits
Canada is having its worst wildfire season on record, with at least 1,000 fires burning across the country, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).
Experts say climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
Extreme and long-lasting heat draws more and more moisture out of the ground – which can provide fuel for fires that can spread at an incredible speed, particularly if winds are strong.
Although no deaths have been reported in the latest fires, at least four firefighters have lost their lives during this record-breaking season.
Vibrio vulnificus infections are rare but can cause severe skin breakdown and ulcers
Five people are confirmed dead in the Tampa Bay area because of a flesh-eating bacterium known to lurk at beaches, Florida officials reported.
According to Florida Health, the vibrio vulnificus bacterium’s natural habitat is in warm, brackish seawater because it requires salt to live. The bacteria typically grow more quickly in warmer months.
Infections are rare, but health officials say those with open wounds, cuts or scrapes should stay out of the water.
Five people have died this year from reported bacterial infections, including two in Hilsborough County and one each in Pasco, Polk and Sarasota counties. There have been 26 reported cases of vibrio vulnificus infections in Florida since January, officials said.
Vibriosis causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
In 2022, there were 74 total cases and 17 deaths. Those numbers were abnormally high that year because Hurricane Ian spilled sewage into the ocean, increasing bacteria levels.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some Vibrio vulnificus infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies. Necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by more than one type of bacteria.
People with open wounds, cuts or scratches can be exposed to the bacterium through direct contact with the mixture of fresh and seawater.
Vibrio vulnificus can cause an infection of the skin which may lead to skin breakdown and ulcers.
Five people in the Tampa Bay area have died from confirmed vibrio vulnificus infections since January, Florida health officials said. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
While anyone can get a Vibrio vulnificus infection, the infections can be more severe for people with weakened immune systems.
The bacterium can invade the bloodstream, causing a severe life-threatening illness with symptoms including fever, chills, decreased blood pressure and blistering skin lesions.
It has the potential to cause severe illness or death; the CDC says about one in five people die sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.
Vibrio vulnificus can also cause disease in people who eat raw or undercooked oysters and shellfish.
Hurricane Hilary is moving towards Mexico’s Baja California peninsula
Hurricane Hilary, heading to Mexico’s Pacific coast, has weakened but can still cause “life-threatening” flooding, US meteorologists warn.
With winds up to 100mph (175km/h), it is now a Category 2 storm, the National Hurricane Center says. Hillary is due to make landfall later on Saturday.
The NHC is already reporting heavy rain in parts of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and the south-western US.
Hilary will weaken to a tropical storm before it reaches southern California.
It would be the first tropical storm to hit the US state in more than 80 years.
In its latest update at 21:00 GMT on Saturday, the NHC says the hurricane is now roughly 285 miles (459km) south-east of Baja California’s westernmost point of Punta Eugenia.
“Hilary appears to be weakening quickly,” John Cangialosi, a senior hurricane specialist at the NHC, is quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency on Saturday.
“The eye is filling and the cloud tops in the eyewall and rainbands have been warming during the past several hours,” he adds.
Hilary was earlier a powerful Category 3 storm with winds up to 130mph.
Rainfall could reach 10in (25cm) in some areas of southern California and southern Nevada, the NHC says. “Dangerous to catastrophic flooding is expected,” it adds.
In San Diego, the National Weather Service (NWS) earlier issued a warning for the “high potential” of flash flooding. Nearly 26 million people in the south-western US were under flood watch.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) had “pre-positioned personnel and supplies in the region.
“I urge everyone in the path of the storm to take precautions and listen to the guidance from state and local officials,” he said.
Parts of Mexico are under a tropical storm watch and its government has placed 18,000 soldiers on standby to assist in rescue efforts.
As the storm bears down, Major League Baseball has rescheduled three games in southern California, while SpaceX has delayed the launch of a rocket from its base on the central California coast until at least Monday.
The National Park Service also closed Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve, both in California, to prevent visitors from being stranded in the event of flooding.
Forest fires in Canada’s western province of British Columbia intensified on Saturday, with the number of people under evacuation orders doubling from a day earlier, as authorities warned of difficult days ahead.
The province declared a state of emergency on Friday to access temporary authoritative powers to tackle fire-related risks, as out-of-control fires ripped through interior British Columbia, partially shutting some sections of a key highway between the Pacific coast and the rest of western Canada, and destroying many properties.
“The current situation is grim,” Premier Daniel Eby told reporters on Saturday, saying some 35,000 people were under an evacuation order, and a further 30,000 were under an evacuation alert.
Eby said the province is in dire need of shelter for evacuees and firefighters and ordered a ban on non-essential travel to make more temporary accommodation available. Officials also urged residents to avoid operating drones in the fire zone, saying it could impede firefighting efforts.
The fire is centered around Kelowna, a city some 300 kilometres (180 miles) east of Vancouver, with a population of about 150,000.
Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada, but the spread of blazes and disruption underscore the severity of its worst wildfire season yet.
About 140,000 square km (54,054 square miles) of land, roughly the size of New York state, have already burned, and government officials project the fire season could stretch into autumn due to widespread drought-like conditions in Canada.
B.C. had experienced strong winds and dry lightning in the past few days due to a cold mass of air interacting with hot air built-up in the sultry summer. That intensified existing forest fires and ignited new ones.
“We are still in some critically dry conditions, and are still expecting difficult days ahead,” said Jerrad Schroeder, deputy fire centre manager at the Kamloops Fire Centre.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened a meeting of key ministers and senior officials on Saturday to discuss wildfires. The Incident Response Group, which met for the second time this week, agreed to make “additional resources available” to both British Columbia and the Northwest Territories (NWT).
MAIN EAST-WEST ROAD UNDER THREAT
The McDougall Creek wildfire burns next to houses in the Okanagan community of West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren
A wildfire burning out of control in Yellowknife, the capital city of NWT, had triggered evacuations of almost all of its 20,000 residents this week. One patient died when he was being transferred out of Yellowknife, an NWT minister said on Saturday.
Currently, the fire is not expected to reach city limits by the end of the weekend, officials said, with some rain and cooler temperatures helping to slow its progress.
The TransCanada highway was closed near Chase, around 400 km northeast of Vancouver, and between Hope, 150 km east of Vancouver, and the village of Lytton.
The highway is the main east-west artery used by thousands of motorists and truckers heading to Vancouver, the country’s busiest port.
Kip Lumquist, who works at a gift shop in Craigellachie, British Columbia, a tourist spot on the highway, said she saw a lot of devastation over the past week.
“It was crazy, we couldn’t see the hills, the mountains, the trees, anything, probably (for) two and a half days,” said Lumquist. “I drive a white vehicle, and when I walked out to get in my car… it’s just black… It’s devastating to the community.”
If you’re in Italy and wanted to go out drinking but are worried about your ride home, we have some good news for you. Italy doesn’t want you to worry about finding a designated driver anymore for your drunken nights. The city is starting a free cab ride service for those who are too intoxicated to drive back home, to avoid accidents and promote road safety.
Italy To Start Free Taxi Rides For Drunk Party Goers
«Scattano i taxi gratis anti-incidente. I ragazzi approvano: "È un'iniziativa giusta e sicura perché riduce il rischio di incidenti stradali"». Bene così, ogni potenziale incidente evitato e ogni vita salvata sono una vittoria. pic.twitter.com/5Vcb64TowE
Italy is testing a program that offers free taxi rides to party-goers, reported Hindustan Times. The goal is to reduce drunk driving and prevent fatal accidents. The trial project will operate until mid-September in six nightclubs across the nation – from Puglia to Tuscany and Veneto, stated the report.
The idea is to assess visibly intoxicated individuals leaving the venues such as bars and clubs, stated the report. Those who surpass the alcohol limit in a test will have a taxi summoned for their journey home.
Italy’s transport ministry will reportedly fund the scheme, driven by Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister and leader of the hard-Right League party, stated Hindustan Times. In a tweet, Salvini wrote that free taxis will be provided at the end of the night for those who have had too much to drink.
As per Hindustan Times’s reports, he also stated that the initiative aims to prevent road dangers and tragedies. He emphasized that fines and laws alone can’t halt road fatalities. And that a prevention plan involving everyone is crucial. A 2020 report from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) highlighted Italy’s significant issue with drunk driving.
What Does The Survey Say?
Surveys reveal a higher tolerance for drunk driving in Italy compared to other EU nations, reported Hindustan Times. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Samuele Bucciol, a nightclub owner, reported that taxis transported 21 individuals on the scheme’s debut night. He expressed his satisfaction with the government’s consideration for their sector.
As per the report, Bucciol praised the intelligent initiative, highlighting that people visit to enjoy and sometimes indulge, making safe taxi rides home crucial. While this is good news for party animals in Italy, it is important to realise the need for safe driving.
The 65-year-old woman was bitten on her left leg, authorities said. Lifeguards cleared the beach after the attack as police in a helicopter searched unsuccessfully for the shark.
A red flag warning swimmers not to enter the water at Rockaway beach. Pic: AP
A woman has been left in a critical condition after she was attacked by a shark off one of New York City’s most popular beaches.
The victim was swimming at Rockaway Beach in New York City at around 6pm on Monday when the deadly sea creature attacked her left leg.
The shark bite removed a chunk of the woman’s flesh, leaving a gaping wound several inches wide and deep.
Pic: AP
It was the most serious shark attack in New York waters since at least the 1950s, said Gavin Naylor, the programme director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.
The woman, who has not been named, remained in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, spokesperson Michael Hinck said, according to NBC News, Sky News’ US partner network.
New York has seen an increase in such attacks in recent years, but most bites involve smaller sharks mistaking a person’s ankle or lower leg for a fish, resulting in minor grazes or puncture wounds.
In the past two summers, at least 13 swimmers have reported being bitten in the state – more than the total number of bites in New York history before 2022.
‘Unlike anything we’ve seen’
But Mr Naylor said: “This is something qualitatively different.”
He said the bite mark was most consistent with a juvenile white shark, though he said it may have also been a bull shark or sandbar shark.
“This is a very severe injury from something that’s powerful and unambiguous,” he said.
“It’s very deliberate.”
Christopher Paparo, the manager of Stony Brook University’s Marine Sciences Centre, agreed the wound was “unlike anything we’ve been seeing”.
Authorities banned swimming at the beach on Tuesday as police searched for sharks but none were spotted.
But a beach around 25 miles away on Long Island was closed on Tuesday after officials spotted multiple sharks near the shoreline.
Russian service members march in columns before a rehearsal for a military parade, which marks the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)
Russia stages its annual Victory Day parade on Red Square on Tuesday (May 9) amid particularly tight security after a series of drone attacks, including on the Kremlin citadel, symbolic heart of the Russian state, that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.
Victory Day is a key anniversary for President Vladimir Putin, who often evokes the spirit and sacrifice that helped the Soviet Union defeat Nazi Germany in 1945 to kindle Russians’ sense of patriotism, especially since launching what he calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022.
But several Russian regions have already scaled back events, citing concerns that they could be targeted by pro-Ukrainian saboteurs. And in Moscow, there appeared to be fewer military personnel and less military hardware involved in rehearsals for the parade, though residents wanted it to go ahead as always.
“I think we need to hold (the parade) to boost patriotism among people as it is fluctuating due to the special military operation,” said Andrei Kucheryavykh, a resident of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border, visiting Moscow with his son.
“People have to know what our great-grandfathers, our grandfathers and grandmothers went through … as many are beginning to forget what May 9 is and what it stands for.”
The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War Two, more than any other country.
A Russian service member erects a flag on a Bumerang (Boomerang) wheeled armoured personnel carrier parked in Tverskaya Street before a rehearsal for a military parade, which marks the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World…see more
DRONE ATTACKS
Russians’ security concerns have grown over the past week following drone attacks targeting fuel depots and freight trains, while media on Sunday also reported overnight multiple blasts across Russian-occupied Crimea.
Putin’s office linked what it called the “terrorist” drone attack on the Kremlin in the early hours of May 3 to the Victory Day parade, which takes place below the walls of the ancient citadel. It branded the attack as an attempt to assassinate Putin, an allegation rejected by Ukraine and its Western allies.
Moscow also blamed Kyiv and the West for a car bombing on Saturday that wounded a prominent Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin, in a village about 400km east of Moscow. His driver was killed in the blast.
This year’s anniversary comes as Russian casualties continue to mount in the Ukraine war, now in its 15th month, ahead of a planned counter-offensive by Ukraine to recapture occupied land.
Kyiv has said it expects increased efforts by Russian forces to take the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut ahead of Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations.
Alberta has declared a state of emergency after wildfires spread across the western Canadian province, driving nearly 25,000 people from their homes.
Faced with more than 100 wildfires, Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith called the situation “unprecedented”.
Residents of Edson, a town of more than 8,000, were told to leave immediately.
Ms Smith said a hot, dry spring had created “so much kindling” and some 122,000 hectares (301,000 acres) had burned so far.
Many of the fires are burning out of control, fanned by strong winds.
The worst-hit areas include Drayton Valley, about 140km (87 miles) west of the provincial capital Edmonton, and Fox Lake, some 550km north of the city, where 20 homes were consumed by fire.
A spate of fatal accidents has also highlighted the dangers of vehicles that can currently be hired by children as young as 12.
Around 100,000 journeys are completed each day in France on rented e-scooters.
Paris voted overwhelmingly Sunday to banish for-hire electric scooters from the streets of the French capital, delivering a blow to operators and a victory for road safety campaigners.
The referendum means the City of Light, once a pioneer in embracing e-scooter services, is set to become the only major European capital to outlaw the widespread devices booked on apps such as Lime.
The city’s residents were asked to weigh in for or against them in a public consultation organised by mayor Anne Hidalgo, with nearly 90 percent of the votes cast against, official results showed.
“We’re happy. It’s what we’ve been fighting for over four years,” said Arnaud Kielbasa, co-founder of the Apacauvi charity, which represents victims of e-scooter accidents.
“All Parisians say they are nervous on the pavements, nervous when they cross the roads. You need to look everywhere,” Kielbasa, whose wife and infant daughter were hit by an e-scooter driver, told AFP. “That’s why they’ve voted against them.”
‘Not sustainable’
Operators say they are being unfairly singled out as responsable for the often chaotic nature of Paris streets, where mayor Hidalgo has championed bikes and other forms of non-emitting transport since coming to power in 2014.
Her administration welcomed e-scooter operators with open arms in 2018, but it has progressively tightened regulations since, creating designated parking zones, limiting the top speed and restricting the number of operators.
But such measures have failed to convince residents, who often complain about reckless and drunken driving, as well as clutter on pavements.
A spate of fatal accidents has also highlighted the dangers of vehicles that can currently be hired by children as young as 12.
“I’m committed to respecting the choice of voters, purely and simply,” Hidalgo told reporters as she voted on Sunday.
The 63-year-old is now expected not to renew operating contracts for the city’s three operators — California-based Lime, Amsterdam-based Dott and Berlin-based Tier — from August 31.
She said on Sunday that their business model was “very expensive — five euros for 10 minutes — it’s not very sustainable, and above all, it’s the cause of a lot of accidents.”
The consultation will not affect privately owned electric scooters, of which 700,000 were sold nationwide last year, according to transport ministry figures.
Around 100,000 journeys are completed each day in France on rented e-scooters in around 200 towns and cities.
‘Against the current’?
The ban represents a significant financial and reputational blow for the multinational operators and could encourage other cities to follow suit.
Montreal outlawed all electric scooters for rental or private use in 2020, while Copenhagen banned rental versions in 2020 before bringing them back a year later with stricter conditions.
E-scooter companies have backed tighter regulations in France, unveiled by the government last week, which would increase the minimum age to 14 and increase fines for offences such as driving with a passenger.
