At least 12 killed in Bronx apartment fire
New York Fire Department ladder trucks deploy at a building fire in the Bronx borough of New York City, New York, U.S. December 28, 2017. © NYFD / Reuters
Over 160 New York firefighters are battling a 5-alarm blaze inside a Bronx apartment that has left at least 12 people dead and many more seriously injured.
The fire started before 7:00pm Thursday on Prospect Avenue near East 187th Street on the third floor of a five-story building, WABC reported.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio arrived on the scene for a briefing, where it was confirmed that one of the 12 dead is a 1-year-old child. Four other people are in critical condition. Two people suffered other injuries.
"This will rank as one of the worst losses of life to a fire in many, many years," de Blasio said, adding that 12 people were rescued and will survive.
Firefighters have the fire under control. FDNY initially reported 15 serious injuries, and local media has reported at least 12 critically injured. Victims have been transported to Jacobi Medical Center and St. Barnabas Hospital.
Saudi-led air raids kill 68 Yemen civilians in one day – UN
Saudi-led air raids kill 68 Yemen civilians in one day – UN
At Least 40 Dead In Multiple Kabul Blasts: Interior Ministry
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which comes days after a suicide bomber killed six civilians in an assault near an Afghan intelligence agency compound in the city.
"There were two explosions. We still do not know the target of the attack, but Afghan Voice Agency is in the area of the attack," interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.
AFP reporters near the scene of the blast heard a third explosion, suggesting the attack may still be under way.
A hospital official told local TV that 18 wounded had been brought to his facility.
"Five of the wounded are in critical condition and our doctors are working to save their lives," Sabir Nasib, head of Istiqlal hospital, said.
A man in the vicinity of the attack said he heard a "big boom".
"We do not know the numbers (of casualties). When the explosion happened we immediately fled," he told Tolo News.
Photos posted on Afghan Voice Agency's Facebook page showed the inside of a compound with debris and bodies lying on the ground.
Afghan media has previously been targeted by militants, underlying the risks faced by journalists in the war-torn country.
In November an attack on Afghan broadcaster Shamshad TV in Kabul, claimed by the Islamic State group, left at least one person dead and two dozen others wounded.
IS also claimed Monday's attack on the National Directorate of Security spy agency in a statement via their Amaq propaganda arm.
It was the latest claimed assault by the Middle Eastern jihadist group in Kabul, which in recent months has become one of the deadliest places in the war-torn country for civilians.
Security in the city has been ramped up since May 31 when a massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing some 150 people and wounding around 400 others -- mostly civilians.
IS has expanded its presence in Afghanistan since it first appeared in the region in 2015.
It has scaled up its attacks in Kabul, including on security installations and the country's Shiite minority.
India successfully test fires indigenous Advanced Air Defence supersonic interceptor missile
Balasore: In its effort to ensure a full-fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence System, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired an Advanced Area Defence (AAD) interceptor missile from a defence test facility on Kalam Island, off Odisha coast today.
The interceptor missile was engaged against a target missile, a modified version of Prithvi-II launched from a Launching Complex of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Balasore about 70 km from the Kalam Island.
The interceptor positioned at Abdul Kalam island destroyed the incoming hostile missile mid-air, in an endo-atmospheric altitude at less than 30 km.
The DRDO termed the test, a ‘brilliant’ mission and success.
The home-grown high-speed weapon system can eliminate incoming enemy ballistic missiles at an altitude of 30 km.
The test comes just 5 days after the DRDO launched a Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) from the defence base.
The AAD interceptor missile was successfully test fired for the first time from the Launching Complex-III of the ITR at Chandipur in 2006. The DRDO had also successfully carried out its last test on May 2016.
Comanche ruled winner of Sydney to Hobart after Wild Oats XI penalised
Comanche has been handed line honours for the Sydney to Hobart after Wild Oats XI was penalised an hour.
An international jury docked Wild Oats XI an hour after a near collision in Sydney Harbour, meaning Comanche is now the official winner of the race.
A tweet posted to the Rolex Sydney to Hobart page confirmed the decision to award the race to Comanche.
Supermaxis nearly collide in Sydney to Hobart
"Breaking: Wild Oats XI had to keep clear, failed to keep clear while tacking, Oats did not do turn. Decision is penalised by one hour. Comanche is line honours winner."
Comanche declared after the race that it planned to formally lodge a protest against Wild Oats.
The boats nearly collided about 15 minutes into the race on Boxing Day, with the Comanche crew raising a protest flag soon after.
Putin: Wednesday’s blast in St. Petersburg store a terrorist attack
A total of thirteen people were injured in Wednesday’s explosion in a storage locker at a busy St. Petersburg supermarket in the northeast of Russia, according to the city’s deputy governor Anna Mityanina. The earlier-reported figure of ten injuries proved to be an underestimate.
The condition of five of the eight victims remaining in hospital is of intermediate severity, the rest are in a satisfactory condition. The explosion, equivalent to 200 grams of TNT, was caused by a homemade explosive device filled with lethal fragments. An investigation is currently underway.
Passengers jump overboard as speedboat bursts into flames
Four people have been forced to jump overboard when a speedboat exploded into flames in South Australia's Riverland.
The explosion occurred just after 1pm, on the River Murray at Sunlands, just outside of Waikerie.
Six people were on board the boat at the time, four of them jumping into the water, while the other two remained onboard trying to put out the fire.
A Country Fire Service spokesman said four appliances were sent to combat the blaze, and were helped by witnesses when they arrived.
"Quick thinking tourists ferried CFS fire fighters out to the boat," he said.
"The firefighters were able to use extinguishers to suppress the fire and tow the remaining hull to shore."
The two people who had remained on the boat were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
The speedboat, which was described as "relatively new", had recently been serviced.
Valued at $35,000, it was totally destroyed by the fire.
Sydney to Hobart: Comanche awarded line honours after appeal upheld
Comanche has been awarded line honours in the Sydney to Hobart after its appeal against Wild Oats XI was upheld.
An international jury today ruled in runner-up Comanche's favour after its crew argued a Wild Oats XI manouevre on the opening day cost it significant time.
Wild Oats XI had crossed the finish line in record time last night, but was penalised following the hearing today.
The jury's decision is final.
10 reportedly injured, dozens evacuated after explosion in St. Petersburg store
“There was a bang. Emergency personnel are already on the scene. The evacuation has been completed, and there was no fire,” a local emergencies ministry official told TASS news agency.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket causes multi-car crash in California (VIDEO)
A SpaceX rocket that soared over Southern California on Friday caused not only a social media frenzy, but a three-car pile-up on a freeway.
A dashboard camera captured at least three cars smashed on one California freeway as the rocket was flying overhead and drivers apparently slowed down to watch.
The accident happened on westbound Interstate 10 near the city of Banning, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. A man and his children can be heard in the video, commenting on the rocket, when the traffic started to slow down. Then, a white Toyota in the left lane is seen pushed into the vehicle ahead by a minivan behind it.
SpaceX launched it's Falcon 9 from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. The spacecraft carried 10 satellites into low-Earth orbit. Falcon 9 is a family of two-stage-to-orbit medium lift launch vehicles.
The cargo was destined for a constellation of communications satellites owned by Iridium Communications. SpaceX carried out a similar launch for the company earlier this year.
The launch became a hit on social media with hundreds of people sharing their accounts on Twitter and Instagram.
MOSCOW FACTORY SHOOTER STILL INSIDE, POLICE CORDON OFF BUILDING (WATCH LIVE)
The ex-owner of a Moscow factory has reportedly gunned down a person during a quarrel with a business rival and remains at large, police sources told local media. It has been officially confirmed that at least one person is dead.
A director of a confectionary factory in southeastern Moscow reportedly opened fire on a business rival Wednesday morning. Initial reports suggested that the gunman had taken hostages, but police later told Russian news agencies that that was not the case.
Police sources speaking to various Russian media outlets are currently giving conflicting information about the incident. One man was shot dead and at least two more people were reportedly injured. The police are trying establish contact with him, a police source told local media.
Radio station Business FM managed to reach the alleged assailant, Ivan Averyanov, by phone. Averyanov says he was deprived of the factory and he had been struggling to get it back for four years. The shooter, who is surrounded by police, has reportedly barricaded himself in and is threatening to “fight to the end.”
The area has been cordoned off. Several bailiffs might be among the injured, according to the Mash news telegram channel. The Moscow branch of the Federal Bailiff Service said its staff were at the factory to recover debts of a business tenant, Interfax reports. When the bailiffs heard the shooting, they barricaded themselves inside the factory, and no one was injured.
Pregnant elephant 'poisoned' in Indonesian palm plantation
A pregnant elephant has been found dead in a palm oil plantation on Indonesia?s Sumatra island, in what authorities suspect was a deliberate poisoning, an official said Wednesday.
The animal's body was found near the remote Seuneubok Bayu village in Aceh on December 22, after authorities received a tip off from locals, Aceh conservation centre head Sapto Aji Prabowo told AFP.
"The 25-year-old elephant had been dead for around 10 days when we got there," he said.
"From the autopsy, we saw that its digestive organs turned black which the doctor said was a general indication of poisoning."
The Sumatran elephant was carrying 13-month old male foetus and was at least six months short of giving birth.
Locals have told authorities that several days before the carcass was discovered farmers had complained an elephant ate their fertiliser.
Sumatran elephant are critically endangered and a protected species, but rampant deforestation for plantations has reduced their natural habitat and brought them into conflict with humans.
At least 11 wild elephants died in Aceh this year, most of them killed by humans, according to Prabowo.
In January, authorities found a dead elephant without tusks in Aceh, along with its abandoned 11-month-old calf.
© 2017 AFP
Shooter opens fire in building in southeast Moscow, 1 killed – police
FILE PHOTO © Vitaliy Belousov / Sputnik
A shooter has reportedly gunned down a business rival at a Moscow confectionary factory and remains at large, police told local media. Several people have been taken hostage, a law enforcement source told RIA Novosti.
A director of the factory in southeastern Moscow reportedly opened fire on a business rival Wednesday morning. One man was shot dead and three more people were reportedly injured. The assailant took several people hostage and the police are trying establish contact with him, a police source told local media.
Overnight 4.2 earthquake hits northern Iran leaving 1 dead, more than 50 injured
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck Iran’s Alborz Province early on Wednesday, killing at least one person and injuring 57, according to local media.
The quake, with a depth of 12 kilometers (7.5 miles), hit some 39 kilometers west of the Iranian capital, Tehran, according to the Fars news agency citing the seismological center of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University.
The US Geological Survey measured the magnitude as 4 on the Richter scale, and the depth as 10 kilometers.
Irna news agency reports that the earthquake occurred at 00:54 local time (21:24 GMT), leaving 1 person dead and 57 more injured.
The Tehran Times puts the number of injured at 46, and three people were taken to hospital. Some schools in western Tehran and Karaj reportedly closed and cancelled exams.
Syrian military jet downed by militants, pilot killed – Syrian TV
A Syrian military jet has been shot down by militants in the northern Hama province, the Syrian state broadcaster has confirmed, adding that a pilot was killed in the attack.
“The military aircraft crashed in the vicinity of Hama after it was shot by terrorists; the pilot was killed,” the Syrian state-run SANA news agency quoted a source as saying.
The plane, identified as a L-39 Albatros jet trainer, was shot down by anti-aircraft machine guns belonging to Islamist militants, a source within the Syrian opposition told Al-Masdar News. Government sources also confirmed the crash to the outlet, but said that its jets suffered a technical error.
More footage emerges of deadly bus plunge into underground passage in Moscow (DISTURBING VIDEO)
The moment a runaway bus drove down a stairway of an underground passage in Moscow was filmed by a CCTV camera placed a dozen meters away. Some readers may find the footage disturbing.
The incident resulted in five people being crushed to death on the stairway and at least three being seriously injured. The police are investigating the cause of the crash.
Witnesses told RT that the bus, which was about to run its usual route, suddenly accelerated and ran across the sidewalk and right into the underground passage. The passengers of the vehicle were not harmed in the incident, one of them said.
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