Dozens injured as truck ploughs into crowd in New Orleans
A man has been arrested following the crash in New Orleans, and police suspect he was driving while intoxicated.
Image Caption:One person is in custody following the crash in New Orleans
police say 28 people have been hurt after a pickup truck ploughed into crowds attending a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans.
Of the 21 people taken to hospital following the crash, five victims are said to be seriously hurt.
The incident happened during the Krewe of Endymion parade in the state of Louisiana at about 6.45pm local time.
One person has been taken into custody following the crash on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
Children as young as three years old are among those injured - as well as a New Orleans police officer.
Image Caption:More than 20 people have been taken to nearby hospitals
Investigators have stressed they do not believe it was a terrorist incident.
"We send a strong message about not drinking and driving, and about making smart decisions," New Orleans police superintendent Michael Harrison said.
Kourtney McKinnis told the New Orleans Advocate that the driver seemed almost unaware of what he had done in the aftermath of the crash.
"He was just kind of out of it," the 20-year-old said.
The incident happened on one of the busiest nights of Mardi Gras, with thousands of people descending on the city to watch elaborate floats and catch beads and trinkets thrown by performers.
Donations top $500,000 for Indian man shot dead in Kansas hate crime'
There are claims an atmosphere brought about by Donald Trump's hard-line views on immigration may have played a part.
e Caption:Srinivas Kuchibhotla was working for US firm Garmin. Pic: Kavipriya Muthuramalingam/GoFundMe
ore than half a million dollars has been raised in a day for the family of an Indian man shot dead in a suspected hate crime at a Kansas bar.
The killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, an engineer originally from Hyderabad, has made headlines in his home country.
Some people on social media have blamed it on intolerance and distrust sparked by President Donald Trump's tough stance on immigration.
Adam Purinton, 51, a US Navy veteran has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated murder.
The gunman shouted "get out of my country" before opening fire, according to at least one witness who spoke to the Kansas City Star.
age Caption:Adam Purinton has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder
While briefly on the run he also reportedly told a restaurant worker that he had killed two Middle Eastern men.
The FBI is investigating if it can officially be classed a hate crime, motivated by prejudice.
Mr Kuchibhotla's colleague, Alok Madsani, 32, was also shot during the incident at Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe on Wednesday evening.
Ian Grillot, 24, who tried to tackle the gunman, was injured when a bullet when through his hand and into his chest.
Mr Kuchibhotla had earned a master's degree in electronics from the University of Texas in 2007 and was working at the Kansas office of GPS specialist Garmin.
Flags at its office were at half-mast on Friday and later around 400 people attended a candlelight vigil at a church across from the bar.
Image Caption:A bullet passed through Ian Grillot's hand and into his body
The GoFundMe page for Mr Kuchibhotla describes him as the "kindest person you would meet, full of love, care and compassion for everyone".
His wife, Sunayana Dumala, said she had been concerned about shootings in America but her husband had reassured her "only good things happen to good people".
The campaign to take his body to India and support his family with funeral costs has smashed its original $150,000 target, with more than 13,000 people having do far made donations.
More than $70,000 has also been raised for Mr Madsani, who has now been discharged from hospital.
A campaign by Ian Grillot's sisters to help him cover his medical bills has notched up$270,000.
Mr Grillot said he tried to go after the gunman when he mistakenly thought his weapon was empty.
Speaking from his hospital bed, he said: "(I) thought I heard nine shots. Expected his magazine to be empty. So I got up and proceeded to chase him down ... And I guess I miscounted with everything going on."
Image Caption:Sunayana Dumala said her husband had reassured her they would be safe in the US
"I was just doing what anyone should have done for any other human being," added Mr Grillot.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer has dismissed any link between the killing and President Trump's policies, but others have taken a different view.
"Don't be shocked! Be angry! Trump is spreading hate. This is a hate crime! RIP #SrinivasKuchibhotla," tweeted Indian actor Siddharth to his 2.6 million followers.
A spokesman for the Indian embassy in Washington said it had expressed "our deep concern over the incident" and urged a "thorough and speedy investigation".
Suspect Adam Purinton is being held on a $2m bail and is due back in court on Monday.
Police did not say whether he had faced charges in the past.
In a statement to local media his niece, Adele Mathews, said: "I don't want people to think of him as a monster or racist man because that's not who he is."
Uri attack LIVE: Pakistan is a terrorist state and must be isolated, says HM Rajnath Singh
Uri terror attack: All terrorists have been neutralised. 17 army jawans lost their lives in the attack
Militants have attacked an army base in Kashmir, killing at least 17
soldiers, the army says. Four of the attackers were killed. Express
Photo By Shuaib Masoodi
In one of the worst casualties suffered by the Indian Army in recent
times, a fidayeen attack left at least 17 soldiers dead at the rear base
of an infantry regiment in Uri. The early morning attack was carried
out by four terrorists, all of who have been neutralised.
The 12th brigade headquarters at Uri is located close to the Line of
Control (LoC). The rear office is where army battalion’s logistic
equipment is kept. Para Commandos of the Army from Baramulla were
dropped at the site and the injured air lifted soon after daybreak.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh
had called an emergency meeting to study the situation and cancelled a
scheduled foreign trip for the same. Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag
arrived in Srinagar to meet the injured soldiers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter and condemned the attack. He said that those responsible for it will not go unpunished.
AN-32 missing | All 29 persons on board have been 'presumed' dead: Sources
The AN-32 carrying 29 people was on its way to Port Blair when it disappeared from radar on July 22.
All 29 persons on board the missing IAF plane AN 32 have been 'presumed' dead, sources told dna. The families will be informed of the same.
However, sources said that the search operations have not been
called off yet. "Search for missing AN32 is still in progress. Efforts
by Indian Navy, Coast guard and IAF plus general alert for mariners in
the area to lookout for any debris have not been called off yet," said
an official source.
Here is the letter, dated August 24, 2016, sent to the families of the victims:
The AN-32 carrying, 29 people, including 21 military personnel, six
crew members and two civilians, was on its way to Port Blair when it
disappeared from radar on July 22. In one of its largest search and
rescue operations in recent years, India deployed ships, planes and a
submarine to trace the missing aircraft. The initial search ops were
also hampered by rough weather over the Bay of Bengal.
The Air Force has 101 of the AN-32s that entered service in 1984 and
have gone through mid-life upgrades and life extensions since then.
Guided missile destroyer 'Mormugao' launched in Mumbai
The second ship of the Project 15B, a guided missile destroyer
christened 'Mormugao' for Indian Navy, was launched in Mumbai on
Saturday. During launching ceremony the hull of the ship which is
constructed on dry area is floated on water for the first time. It is a
milestone event for any vessel.
Mazgaon Dockyard priest Shri Puranik performed the mandatory pooja
and blessed the ship. The launch ceremony was attended by Admiral S
Lanba CNS and Mrs Reena Lanba along with other dignitaries. Mrs Reena
Lanba christened Mormugao.
Vice
Admiral G S Pabby, Controller Warship Production and Acquisition, said
the navy has the target of having 212 ships in its fleet by 2027 and it
will be a "real challenge" and there is a need to work "very hard" for
it. Noting that in last one year the Indian navy has inducted five
ships, which includes three warships, Pabby said this is the first time
the naval forces have built so many ships of a class, - 10 ships of 15, A
and B class - and this process has helped in indigenisation.
In
2011, the government had sanctioned four 15B ships at the cost of Rs
29,700 crores. The first ship of the project, guided-missile destroyer
'Visakhapatnam', was launched on April 20 last year.
"The last six years can be called the golden years of Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders. Since 2010, the yard has delivered one major warship
platform to Indian Navy almost every year. Commencing with the high-end
stealth frigate INS Shivalik, delivered in 2010, the yard dedicated to
the nation INS Satpura and INS Sahyadri in the same class. This was
followed by the highly acclaimed stealth destroyer INS Kolkata sporting a
unique silhouette afforded by MF STAR antenna and INS Kochi in
subsequent years. The third and last destroyer in this series, Chennai
was delivered to the Navy in August 2016 and will be commissioned
shortly," it said.
MDL is also constructing six Scorpene class submarines for the
Indian Navy under a transfer of technology from DCNS of France. The
first boat in this class, Kalvari, will be commissioned into the fleet
soon. The launch of the second boat is slated later this year. The yard
is now ready with the augmented facility created recently for a second
line of submarines.
For the first time in its history, Mazagon Dock in 2015-16 achieved a
value of production (VOP) above Rs 4,000 crore with an operating profit
of Rs 218 crore.
Scorpene data leak: Preliminary investigation reveals leak happened in DCNS office in France, says Navy chief
Admiral Lanba also said that a high-level committee was inquiring into the data leak.
The Indian Navy has constituted a high-level committee to look into
the Scorpene data leak, Navy Chief Sunil Lanba said on Saturday. Admiral
Lanba was attending the launch of the guided missile destroyer
'Mormugao' at the Mazgaon Dockyard in Mumbai.
"There is a high level committee which is inquiring into the
Scorpene leak on our side. Similarly, in France, DCNS and the French
government have launched an enquiry. Based on this inquiry, we will see
what needs to be done."
Lanba said that depending on the result of the inquiry, it will be
decided whether mitigation measures are required or not. "Based on the
inquiry we will see what needs to be done, whether any mitigation
measures are required or not," he said.
Lanba also revealed, "In preliminary investigation, it has been
found that leak did not happen in India but in DCNS office in France."
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised with
French President Francois Hollande the leak of confidential data on the
Indian Scorpene Class submarines being built in Mumbai in collaboration
with French defence company DCNS on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
Over 22,000 pages of secret data on the capabilities of six
highly-advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in
collaboration with French defence company DCNS were leaked. The data
leak reportedly happened overseas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his mother Hiraba Modi.
It’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 66th birthday and he is celebrating
it in his home State where he arrived late Friday evening.
After arriving at Ahmedabad, the Prime Minister was felicitated with
thousands of his fans and BJP workers gathered outside the airport.
Thanking the party workers for their wishes and blessings, Mr. Modi proceeded for Raj Bhavan where he will be staying.
In the morning, Mr.Modi went to his younger brother Pankaj’s residence
in Gandhinagar and met his mother Hiraba to seek her blessings.
Gujarat Governor O.P. Kohli also wished the Prime Minister at Raj Bhavan.
Interestingly, Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur, who too is on two day
visit to Gujarat, personally offered birthday wishes to the Prime
Minister.
Mr. Modi has a packed schedule in the State with an event in Limkheda, a
tribal area in central Gujarat, where he would announce a couple of
irrigation projects.
Subsequently, he will fly to Navsari in South Gujarat to attend a
function where he will distribute kits and other benefits to the
differently-abled.
Jignesh Mevani detained
Meanwhile, as part of preventive detention, Ahmedabad police detained Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani and others.
This is a second visit of the Prime Minister to Gujarat in less than
three weeks. He had come to inaugurate an irrigation project in
Saurashtra region on August 30, where he had said in his speech that he
would visit the State more often.
With Gujarat going for the crucial Assembly polls in December next year,
the Mr. Modi’s frequency of visit to the State is also expected to go
up.
Exclude Hungary from EU, says Luxembourg's Asselborn
Image caption
Ten thousand police and soldiers have been deployed along Hungary's border to keep migrants out
Luxembourg Foreign
Minister Jean Asselborn has called for Hungary to be suspended or even
expelled from the European Union because of its "massive violation" of
EU fundamental values.
He cited the Budapest government's treatment of refugees, independence of the judiciary and freedom of the press.
"Hungary is not far away from issuing orders to open fire on refugees," he suggested.
Hungary said Mr Asselborn "could not be taken seriously".
EU leaders meet in Slovakia on Friday to discuss the union's future.
Mr Asselborn's interview with German daily Die Welt is likely to inflame passions ahead of the summit.
The
EU could not tolerate "such inappropriate behaviour", he said, and any
state that violated such basic values "should be excluded temporarily,
or if necessary for ever, from the EU''. It was "the only possibility
to protect the cohesion and values of the European Union,'' he said.
Hungarian
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto hit back, saying that his Luxembourg
counterpart had "long left the ranks of politicians who could be taken
seriously". Mr Asselborn was a "frivolous character", he said, adding
that he was "patronising, arrogant and frustrated".
Mr Asselborn's remarks also drew condemnation from Latvia's foreign minister, who spoke of "megaphone diplomacy".
And
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a personal friend of
the Luxembourg minister, said while he could understand some in Europe
were "becoming impatient, it is not my personal approach to show a
member state the door".
Hungary joined the EU in 2004 and while the European Union can
reject or delay a candidate from joining, it is not thought to have the
power to expel an existing member state.
When the far-right
Freedom Party joined Austria's government in 2000, EU member states
responded by freezing bilateral diplomatic relations with Austria. Later
that year the EU ended Austria's diplomatic isolation. Image copyrightEPAImage caption
Mr Asselborn said Hungary was not far away from issuing orders to shoot at refugees
Image caption
Hungary is boosting the number of forces on its
borders, but the number of asylum seekers trying to get in has fallen
Hungary was caught up in an enormous influx of
migrants and refugees a year ago as more than a million people headed
through central Europe from the shores of Greece towards Germany and
other Western European countries.
Eventually, it sealed its
borders with Serbia and Croatia and built a 175km (110-mile) razor-wire
fence to stop people crossing on their way to Austria. Some 10,000
police and soldiers have been deployed to guard the frontier.
A Cure For AIDS? HIV Vaccine Eyed With 'Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies' In Human-Like Mice
Scientists may have
discovered a way to spur the human body to create antibodies capable of
blocking the HIV virus. Researchers at institutions around the United
States said in five studies published Thursday in the journals Cell,
Immunity and Science that they had made an important early step toward
developing a vaccine for the disease.
“It's early work, but we're
trying to rewrite some rules of vaccine development to overcome the
extraordinary challenges of HIV,” William Schief, director of vaccine
design for the Neutralizing Antibody Center at the Scripps Research
Institute’s International AIDs Vaccine Initiative, said.
"In a collaborative effort we have reached critical milestones,
including the first proof ever that immunization with designer proteins
can produce broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV. The new results
strongly support further developing these approaches toward testing in
clinical studies."
There are still some major challenges before
clinical studies on humans can begin. To put it simply, HIV is difficult
to combat because it attacks the very immune cells sent out to fight
it. When the body is successful in fighting it (usually with the help of
drugs) the virus is really good at hiding dormant until the next
opportunity to stage a comeback. Traditional vaccines haven’t worked to
fight HIV but this new research shows that so-called “broadly
neutralizing antibodies” are capable of controlling or preventing
infection from a range of HIV strains and researchers think these
special antibodies are the key to formulating a vaccine.
Related Stories
But for
it to be effective the vaccine would have to be much better than
nature. Only about 10 to 20 percent of people infected with HIV develop
the antibodies on their own and it can take years for them to develop.
This new vaccine would have to coax the human immune system to act
differently. The researchers were able to spur this kind of reaction in
mice whose immune systems mimicked components of the human immune
system.
Vaccines aren’t the only way scientists hope to address
the HIV problem around the world. Other approaches — including one that
resulted in the only known case of HIV being cured, stem cell transplants — are being looked at.
North Korea nuclear test: South would reduce Pyongyang 'to ashes'
Image caption
Tensions are high between South and North Korea
South Korea has a
plan to annihilate the North Korean capital if it shows any signs of
mounting a nuclear attack, according to reports from Seoul.
A
military source told the Yonhap news agency every part of Pyongyang
"will be completely destroyed by ballistic missiles and high-explosives
shells".
Yonhap has close ties to South Korea's government and is publicly funded.
On Friday North Korea carried out what it said was its fifth, and largest, nuclear test.
The international community is considering its response.
The US says it is considering its own sanctions, in addition to any imposed by the UN Security Council, Japan and South Korea.
Pyongyang responded on Sunday by calling the threats of "meaningless sanctions... highly laughable".
The South Korean military official told Yonhap that Pyongyang
districts thought to be hiding the North's leadership would be
particularly targeted in any attack. The city, the source said, "will be
reduced to ashes and removed from the map".
The
BBC's Korea correspondent Steve Evans says the South is using the same
bloodcurdling rhetoric that the North frequently uses about the South
Korean government in Seoul.
He says there has been rising
criticism within South Korea of the government as its attempts to
isolate the North have failed to deter leader Kim Jong-un's nuclear
ambitions.
News of South Korea's attack plan for the North is believed to have been revealed to parliament following Friday's nuclear test. Image caption
South Korea's military said the test appeared to be the North's biggest yet
Meanwhile, the US's special envoy for North Korea says Washington is considering taking unilateral action against Pyongyang.
"North
Korea continues to present a growing threat to the region, to our
allies, to ourselves, and we will do everything possible to defend
against that growing threat," Sung Kim said.
"In addition to
sanctions in the Security Council, both the US and Japan, together with
[South Korea], will be looking at any unilateral measures as well as
bilateral measures as well as possible trilateral cooperation." North Korea is banned by the UN from any tests of
nuclear or missile technology and has been hit by five sets of UN
sanctions since its first test in 2006.
The North said Friday's
test had been of a "nuclear warhead that has been standardised to be
able to be mounted on strategic ballistic rockets".
Estimates of
the explosive yield of the latest blast have varied. South Korea's
military said it was about 10 kilotonnes, enough to make it the North's
"strongest nuclear test ever". Other experts say initial indications
suggest 20 kilotonnes or more.
The nuclear bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima in 1945 had a yield of about 15 kilotonnes.