Author: Sunfire

Mail.com

NEW YORK (AP) — A man accused of shooting a New York City police officer in the head will be arraigned Sunday on charges including two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, officials said.

Demetrius Blackwell was arrested Saturday night in the shooting of Officer Brian Moore, who remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Blackwell, 35, was expected to be arraigned Sunday afternoon, the Queens district attorney’s office said. It was not clear if he had a lawyer.   Continue reading “NYPD officer shooting suspect faces attempted murder charge”

Mail.com

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Runway damage forced Nepalese authorities to close the main airport Sunday to large aircraft delivering aid to millions of people following the massive earthquake, but U.N. officials said the overall logistics situation was improving.

The death toll climbed to 7,250, including six foreigners and 45 Nepalese found over the weekend on a popular trekking route, said government administrator Gautam Rimal. Nepal’s Tourist Police reported that a total of 57 foreigners have been killed in the April 25 quake, and 109 are still missing, including 12 Russians and nine Americans.   Continue reading “Nepal shuts airport to big jets; more bodies found”

RT

Conservative commentators are up in arms over the State Department’s decision to deny a visa to a Catholic nun who was part of an Iraqi delegation supposed to testify before Congress about Islamic State (ISIS) atrocities.

The US consulate in Erbil rejected the visitor visa application of Sister Diana Momeka earlier this week, saying she was “not able to demonstrate that [her] intended activities in the United States would be consistent with the classification of the visa.”   Continue reading “US denies visa to nun set to testify about ISIS atrocities”

RT

A man in Florida is suing a local hospital for emotional distress after his amputated leg ended up in a dumpster with his nametag still attached to it.

The lawsuit comes after the family of 56-year-old John Timiriasieff was contacted by detectives to tell them his leg, removed in October at Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables, had been found. They were investigating whether he had been the victim of foul play.   Continue reading “Florida man sues hospital after it threw away his leg in trash”

RT

A branch of the Islamic State in Yemen has released footage allegedly showing the beheadings of four Yemeni soldiers and the shooting of 11 others, an observer said. It comes a week after the group declared its official presence in the war-torn country.

The video was reportedly shot at night in southern Shabwa Province. It depicts a group of men from the Yemen Army’s Second Mountaineer Brigade, said the SITE Intelligence group that tracks online activity of white supremacist and jihadi organizations.   Continue reading “ISIS releases video of Yemeni soldiers execution – report”

RT

Electric car producer Tesla Motors has adapted battery technology for household and business applications. The wall-mounted batteries will make solar power more accessible and throttle grid consumption to diminish loads and bills.

Talked of earlier in April, the home battery products were officially presented this week by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. The company will start shipping its zero-carbon internet-connected Powerwall batteries in a few months, while the business-oriented Powerpack won’t be available for preorder until later in the year.   Continue reading “Tesla aims at household energy bills with wall-mounted batteries”

Mail.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Activists who are marching for labor and immigrant rights in U.S. cities on Friday will broaden their message to direct attention toward police brutality as tensions simmer in communities across the nation.

The marches on May 1 have their roots in labor movements, which hold annual demonstrations in a myriad of countries calling for workers’ rights. In recent years, marches in the United States got a boost from immigrants seeking authorization to live and work in the country legally.   Continue reading “May Day rallies broaden to address police brutality, race”

Mail.com

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A former loyalist to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie arrived at court Friday to plead guilty to charges related to creating a traffic jam near the George Washington Bridge for political purposes, a person with knowledge of the case told The Associated Press.

The person wasn’t authorized to release the information before the hearing, and spoke on condition of anonymity. David Wildstein was an official at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at the time of the tie-ups. It’s not clear what charge or charges Wildstein will plead to. He will be the first person to admit to committing a crime in causing the series of politically motivated traffic jams in 2013.   Continue reading “Ex-Christie ally to plead guilty in traffic jam case”

NJ.com – by Myles Ma

WYCKOFF— A township police officer fatally shot a dog Wednesday after going to the wrong address on a burglary call, Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said.

Wyckoff Police received a call of a possible burglary at 3:45 p.m. at 621 Lawlins Rd.

But Officer Kyle Ferreira mistakenly went to 622 Lawlins Rd., Fox said. No one responded when he knocked on the door, so he walked around the house.   Continue reading “Wyckoff cop shoots, kills dog after going to wrong house on burglary call”

Mail.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Three men have been accused of stabbing a young moose to death at a park in Alaska’s largest city, and police said witnesses reported seeing the men punching the animal and walking away.

The men were arraigned Wednesday in the death of the yearling moose near a bike trail in Anchorage’s Russian Jack Springs Park. All three were arrested on charges of animal cruelty, wanton waste of big game and tampering with evidence.   Continue reading “Police: Moose fatally stabbed in Alaska park; 3 men arrested”

Mail.com

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — One man ran naked through a Florida neighborhood, tried to have sex with a tree and told police he was the mythical god Thor. Another ran nude down a busy city street in broad daylight, convinced a pack of German shepherds was pursuing him.

Two others tried separately to break into the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. They said they thought people were chasing them; one wound up impaled on a fence. The common element to these and other bizarre incidents in Florida in the last few months is flakka, an increasingly popular synthetic designer drug. Also known as gravel and readily available for $5 or less a vial, it’s a growing problem for police after bursting on the scene in 2013.   Continue reading “Flakka, synthetic drug behind increasingly bizarre crimes”

RT

A federal judge has rejected a bid by the food industry to strike down a Vermont law which would make the state the first in the country to require labeling of genetically modified foods.

The industry’s lawsuit initially asked for an injunction against the legislation, but the judge’s decision keeps the law on the books while the suit continues.   Continue reading “Judge upholds Vermont GMO labeling law while case continues”

RT

In a move that is likely to solidify ties with the US for decades to come, King Salman of Saudi Arabia has undertaken a major reshuffle, appointing Mohammed bin Nayef as his new successor and his son Mohammed bin Salman as second in line to the throne.

The decision by King Salman, who succeeded his late brother King Abdullah, who died on January 23, replaces his half-brother Prince Muqrin with Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince and heir to the Saudi throne.   Continue reading “Saudi royal reshuffle likely to ensure kingdom’s US loyalty for decades”

Mail.com

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) —  A man pulled from the rubble of a collapsed hotel by a French rescue team more than three days after the deadly Nepal earthquake says he was forced to drink his own urine to survive.

 Rishi Khanal, 27, had just finished lunch at a hotel in Kathmandu and had gone up to the second floor when everything suddenly started to move and fall apart. He was struck by falling masonry and trapped with his foot crushed under rubble.   Continue reading “Nepal quake survivor drank urine while trapped for 82 hours”

RT

The Finnish military used hand-held underwater depth charges as a warning against what could be an unidentified foreign submarine in waters near the capital Helsinki, amid growing tensions with neighboring Russia.

The Finnish Navy first detected an unidentified underwater object on Monday. Surface ships were dispatched to the area for a search operation. More contacts were made throughout Monday night and into Tuesday, at which point the military decided to use depth charges about the size of hand grenades.   Continue reading “Finland chases off suspected foreign sub with depth charges”

Mail.com

CILICAP, Indonesia (AP) — Ambulances carrying coffins arrived Tuesday at a prison island and relatives paid final visits to their condemned loved ones as Indonesia announced it will execute eight foreigners and one Indonesian man on drug charges, despite an international outcry and pleas for mercy.

The nine inmates were given 72-hour notices over the weekend that they would be executed by a firing squad, prompting a flurry of last-minute lobbying by foreign leaders. The United Nations has argued that their crimes — possession of heroin, marijuana or cocaine — are not egregious enough to warrant the ultimate punishment.   Continue reading “Coffins arrive at Indonesian prison as executions near”

Mail.com

NEW YORK (AP) — A gunfight broke out on a Brooklyn street during a funeral service where at least one shooter returned fire from inside the church vestibule, leaving two dead and four others injured, according to police.

Three men opened fire on a crowd outside Emmanuel Church of God in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush neighborhood Monday evening, police said. Mourners had gathered there for the funeral of 38-year-old Jose Luis Robles, who had died of natural causes.   Continue reading “Dispute outside church leaves 2 fatally shot, 4 injured”

Mail.com

MIAMI (AP) — With the killers hiding in the trees, heat-sensing drones are launched into the air. When their whereabouts are narrowed, the dogs are sent in. When it comes to protecting the world’s supply of guacamole, no weapon can be spared.

On subtropical farmland in South Florida, researchers are doing battle with the deadly fungus, laurel wilt, which is spread by a tiny beetle and has the potential to decimate Florida’s avocado crop. The hashtag they have adopted for their mission: #savetheguac.   Continue reading “Drones and dogs deployed in battle to save the guacamole”