Manhunt after 10 shot in Brooklyn subway attack

BROOKLYN, United States — A massive manhunt was underway Tuesday in New York for a man who shot 10 people on a packed subway train, donning a gas mask before setting off 2 smoke bombs and opening fire on terrified commuters.

Police said the incident in Brooklyn was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, with no indication of a motive at this stage. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

New York Police Department commissioner Keechant Sewell told a press conference the suspected gunman put on a gas mask just as the train was arriving at the station. 

The gunman "opened 2 canisters that dispensed smoke throughout the subway car," Sewell said. "He then shot multiple passengers as the train pulled into the 36th Street station." 

In addition to the 10 gunshot victims, 13 others were injured as they tried to get out of the station or suffered smoke inhalation, according to officials.

"We are truly fortunate this was not significantly worse than it is," Sewell said.

NYPD chief James Essig said the gunman had fired 33 shots. Police later recovered a Glock 17 nine-millimeter handgun, 3 additional ammunition magazines and a hatchet from the scene.

Sewell said they had identified a "person of interest" and described him as a "dark-skinned male" wearing a neon orange vest and a gray hooded sweatshirt.

They did not have anyone in custody, she added.

Police were alerted to the shooting just before 8:30 a.m.

Verified video footage posted on social media showed the train pulling into the 36th Street station, and smoke billowing out the doors as passengers rushed off, some apparently injured.

One of them, Yav Montano, recounted on CNN being inside the car when it began filling with smoke -- and shots rang out.

"In the moment, I did not think that it was a shooting because it sounded like fireworks," he said. "It just sounded like a bunch of scattered popping."

There were 40 to 50 passengers inside at the time and they began crowding towards the front, Montano said -- but the door to the next car was locked. 

"There were people in that other car that saw what was happening. And they tried to open the door, but they couldn't," he said. 

'A LOT OF BLOOD'

CNN aired a brief video shot by Montano inside the car showing passengers crowded together, some wearing masks and others pressing clothing against their mouths to protect against the smoke.

"There were some people whose clothes, whose pants were covered in blood," Montano said, adding that he could not tell who was injured. "All I know is I saw, like, a lot of blood."

Once the train finally reached the platform, the doors opened.

"People filed out, people forgot bags and shoes, and they just left everything to just get out of there as soon as possible," Montano said.

Further footage showed passengers tending to bloodied victims lying on a smoky station platform, and subway staff shepherding panicked commuters, some still clutching their morning coffee cups.

Eyewitness Sam Carmano, speaking to local radio station 1010 WINS, was on a subway train pulling in on the opposite side of the platform when the mayhem erupted.

"My subway door opened into just like calamity and then it was people, just running to get away from whatever was happening, and then it was smoke and blood and people screaming," he said.

CALL FOR WITNESSES

President Joe Biden, addressing the incident during a trip to Iowa, paid tribute to the first responders and civilians who "didn't hesitate to help their fellow passengers," and said his team was in close contact with New York officials.

"We're not letting up until we find the perpetrator," Biden vowed.

The NYPD has urged witnesses to contact a tip line with any information, and New York governor Kathy Hochul promised regular updates as the investigation unfolds. 

Mass casualty shootings happen with relative frequency in the United States, where firearms are involved in approximately 40,000 deaths a year, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.

Shootings in New York City have risen this year, and the uptick in violent gun crime has been a central focus for Mayor Eric Adams since he took office in January. Through April 3, shooting incidents rose to 296 from 260 during the same period last year, according to police statistics.

The incident came just a day after Biden announced new gun control measures, increasing restrictions on so-called "ghost guns," the difficult-to-trace weapons that can be assembled at home.

Lax gun laws and a constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms have repeatedly stymied attempts to clamp down on the number of weapons in circulation, despite a majority of Americans backing greater controls.

Three-quarters of all homicides in the United States are committed with guns, and the number of pistols, revolvers and other firearms sold continues to rise.

Agence France-Presse 

4 Filipinos in New York, New Jersey succumb to coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines — At least four Filipinos in New York and New Jersey have died due to the coronavirus disease  2019 (COVID-19), the Philippine Consulate General there said.
“Marami na rin po ang nag-positive dito po sa New York at New Jersey, apat na po iyong kababayan natin (ang) nasawi dahil sa COVID-19,” Philippine Consul General Claro Cristobal said in an interview on dzBB on Thursday.

“(Ang) ilang mga kababayan natin ang nasa ospital ngayon at nilalaban ang kanilang buhay,” he added.


Cristobal, said that there are around 143,000 Filipinos in New York and around 137,000 in New Jersey.

He said that New York was one of the first states to implement a stay-at-home order in a bid to contain the spread of the disease.

“Ibig sabihin, kung hindi essential yung paglabas-labas ng mga tao, ipinagbabawal yun,” he said.

Restaurants, department stores and other establishments that do not offer essential services have been temporarily closed, Cristobal added.


He said members of the Filipino community in New York and New Jersey have been following quarantine protocols set by local authorities.

“Ang kagandahan, nakikinig yung ating mga kabaayan at tayo po ay nagpapaalala sa kanilang lahat na patuloy na sumunod sa panuntunan ng siyudad,” Cristobal said.

He added that a field hospital has been set up at Central Park.

“Ang pinaiiral na panuntnan sa New York is kahit sino ka man, kahit meron kang papel dito o wala, kahit may pambayad ka o wala ay makakatanggap ka ng serbisyong medikal kung iyong kinakailangan,” he said.

“Ultimo dito sa Central Park na malapit sa opisina natin ay nagtayo na po ng tinatawag na field hospital at bukas na po yun so sa loob mismo ng pinaka malaking parke dito sa ay meron nang mga medical facilities na tatanggap ng ating pasyente, maging mga kababayan natin, kung kinakailangan,” Cristobal added.


As of Wednesday, 401 overseas Filipinos have contracted the disease, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Of the number, 270 are currently undergoing treatment while 118 have already recovered.

There are 13 deaths reported so far.

globalnation.inquirer.net

Claude Monet’s ‘Charing Cross Bridge’ could fetch P1.5 billion at New York auction

“Charing Cross Bridge” is one of the seminal London canvases Monet created during multiple trips to London that he undertook in the early 1900s. The canvas will be offered on Nov. 12 as part of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art evening sale in New York City.

This series was painted from the vantage point of Monet’s room at the Savoy Hotel, which the French artist found particularly advantageous to capture the city’s fog. “Charing Cross Bridge” which is characterized by its evanescent mix of color, light and shadow, is expected to fetch between $20 million (around P1.03 billion) and $30 million (at least P1.5 billion) at Sotheby’s.


London’s Charing Cross Bridge remains one of Monet’s most emblematic subjects, as he revisited it in 37 canvases completed between 1899 and 1905. Several of them belong in the collections of international institutions, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid.

This pre-sale high estimate is well below the French Impressionist’s auction record of $110.7 million (P5.7 billion), which was set last May at Sotheby’s New York for “Meules”.

As Sotheby’s pointed out, Monet’s paintings of the Charing Cross Bridge are still in private hands and rarely appeared at auctions.

The one offered for sale at Sotheby’s was purchased in 1977 by the late Andrea Klepetar-Fallek and Fred Fallek, hanging over their living room couch for more than 40 years.

The couple established a tradition of giving each other a piece of art for each birthday and anniversary, quickly assembling an impressive collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures. Among them are works by Pierre Bonnard, Edgar Degas, Lyonel Feininger, Jacques Lipchitz, Emil Nolde and more.

The highlights from the collection include Pierre Bonnard’s “Femme se déshabillant”, estimated between $1.5 million (P77.4 million) and $2.5 million (P129 million); Lyonel Feininger’s “Hästende Leute (Hurried People)”, estimated between $100,000 (P5.1 million) and $150,000 (P7.7 million); as well as Emile Nolde’s “Rote Dahlien (Red Dahlias)”, estimated between $60,000 (almost P3.1 million) and $80,000 (P4.1 million).

The Klepetar-Fallek Collection will be offered across both Sotheby’s evening and day sales of Impressionist & Modern Art, which are set respectively on Nov. 12 and 13.

Ahead of the auctions, all pieces from the collection will be on public view at Sotheby’s New York galleries from Nov. 1 through 12. CL/NVG

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Manafort Indicted in New York on State Charges

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the sentencing of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort (all times local):

12:45 p.m.


Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been indicted in New York on state charges, seen as a strategy for preventing a potential presidential pardon.

An indictment unsealed Wednesday in Manhattan accuses the 69-year-old Manafort of conducting a yearlong residential mortgage fraud scheme that netted millions of dollars.

The indictment filed March 7 was unsealed the same day Manafort was sentenced in Washington in the second of two federal cases against him.

He would serve more than seven years in prison in those cases. Trump has repeatedly defended him and floated the idea of granting a pardon, but would not be able to do so in a state case.

__

12:15 p.m.

A federal judge has sentenced former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort to more than 3 1/2 additional years in prison.

That’s on top of the roughly four-year sentence he received in a separate case in Virginia last week.

The sentence followed a scathing assessment by the judge and a prosecutor of Manafort’s crimes.

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10:55 a.m.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is apologizing for his crimes.

Manafort, 69, betrayed no emotion as he read his statement in federal court Wednesday from his wheelchair.

The judge said she’d give Manafort credit for accepting responsibility for his crimes when she determines his sentence.

It’s the former Trump campaign chairman’s second sentencing in as many weeks, with a judge expected to tack on additional prison time beyond the roughly four-year punishment he has already received.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team has prosecuted Manafort in Washington and in Virginia related to his foreign consulting work on behalf of a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. Manafort was convicted of bank and tax fraud in Virginia and pleaded guilty in Washington to two conspiracy counts, each punishable by up to five years in prison.

__

10:33 a.m.

A prosecutor with special counsel Robert Mueller’s office says former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort “engaged in crime again and again” over more than a decade and undermined American ideals. 



Prosecutor Andrew Weissmann did not recommend a particular punishment for Manafort at his sentencing hearing on Wednesday.

But he delivered a scathing assessment of Manafort’s crimes, saying he concealed his foreign lobbying work, laundered millions of dollars and even coached other witnesses to lie.

Weissmann says Manafort’s crimes undermined the rule of law and committed crimes that “go to heart of the American criminal justice system.”

He says Manafort’s upbringing and education could have led him to an exemplary life, but that at each turn, “Mr. Manafort chose to take a different path.”

__

10:05 a.m.

A judge says she’ll give former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort credit for accepting responsibility when she determines his sentence.

Defendants in federal court normally can get a shorter sentence by pleading guilty and taking blame for their conduct.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson says she’ll give Manafort some credit for having pleaded guilty in September to two counts of conspiracy in his Washington case.

A prosecutor with special counsel Robert Mueller’s office says Manafort doesn’t deserve any credit because he repeatedly lied to investigators and to the grand jury after his guilty plea. 



But defense lawyer Thomas Zehnle says Manafort has “come forward” to take responsibility, and that the topics he’s accused of lying about are about different ones from the crimes he admitted to.

___

9:40 a.m.

The sentencing hearing for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is underway in Washington.

Manafort is seated in a wheelchair at the defense table next to his lawyers.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson says she’s received many letters in support of Manafort.

Manafort faces a maximum of 10 years in prison at his sentencing as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Manafort has pleaded guilty in Washington to two conspiracy counts. He was sentenced in a separate case in Virginia last week to 47 months in prison.

__

12:10 a.m.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is due back in court for his second sentencing hearing in as many weeks. 



Manafort faces up to 10 additional years in prison when he’s sentenced in Washington on Wednesday in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

The hearing comes a week after a judge in Virginia sentenced Manafort to 47 months in prison, far below what government guidelines recommended.

The Mueller team has prosecuted Manafort in both jurisdictions for charges related to his foreign consulting work. He was convicted at trial in the Virginia case and pleaded guilty in Washington to two conspiracy counts, each punishable by up to five years in prison.

A judge will decide Wednesday whether the sentences in the two cases should run consecutively or at the same time.

source: usa.inquirer.net

Filipino doctor in NY nabbed for alleged opioid trafficking

NEW YORK – A Filipino doctor was among the five New York doctors and two medical professionals charged in Manhattan federal court with illegally distributing oxycodone, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced last week

Dr. Dante Cubangbang, 50, of Franklin Square, New York, and the other doctors were indicted for one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.


Cubangbang is also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Cubangbang, who operated a medical clinic in Queens, was arrested Thursday evening, Oct. 11 and presented in Manhattan federal court Friday, Oct. 12.  His  co-defendants in the case include John Gargan, 62, of Manhattan, a nurse practitioner who also prescribed pills, and employees Michael Kellerman, 54, of Queens, and Loren Piquant, 37, of the Bronx.

“These doctors and other health professionals should have been the first line of defense against opioid abuse, but as alleged in today’s charges, instead of caring for their patients, they were drug dealers in white coats,” said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said.

According to the allegations in the indictment unsealed on Thursday, Cubangbang, a physician, and Gargan, a nurse practitioner, prescribed over 6 million oxycodone pills to individuals they knew did not need the medication for any legitimate medical reason.

Their clinic allegedly took in $5.7 million in cash over 3 1⁄2 years and was the largest New York prescriber of oxycodone pills tracked by Medicaid and Medicare.

They prescribed more than twice as many oxycodone pills that were paid for by Medicare and Medicaid than the next highest prescriber in New York and doled out these prescriptions during office visits that lasted no more than a few minutes and involved little to no physical examination.

Together with Kellerman and Piquant, who worked in the clinic and recruited patients, the defendants collected more than $5 million in all-cash office visit fees, which they laundered and divided amongst themselves.

The Wall Street Journal, citing the city’s health department reported that New York City is in the midst of what law enforcements have described as an opioid epidemic and that every six hours, someone in New York City dies of a drug overdose.

While the rate at which people are dying from drugs slowed in 2017, the number of fatal drug overdoses rose for the seventh straight year to 1,487, up 62 from a year before, according to the city’s health department. The rise has been driven by opioids, particularly the powerful, synthetic opioid, fentanyl, according to city officials.


Informant

Prosecutors disclosed on Wednesday that a confidential informant visited the clinic of Dr. Cubangbang multiple times. A video bug was also installed in his office.

“The confidential informant was not asked any questions about pain, but nonetheless received a large prescription for 30-milligram oxycodone pills,” prosecutor Michael Krouse told U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe as reported by Newsday.

“They hid behind their medical licenses to sell addictive, dangerous narcotics.  This Office will do everything in its power to bring to justice anyone responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic that has taken so many lives,” Berman said.

Cubangbang is out on a $1 million dollar bail after pleading not guilty at a brief hearing Thursday.

source: usa.inquirer.net

Amazon opens new ‘4-star’ retail store in New York

NEW YORK – Amazon has opened a new retail store in New York on Thursday selling a range of products from the online colossus that gets top ratings from customers.

The brick-and-mortar outlet in New York’s trendy Soho neighborhood will sell consumer electronics, kitchen, home, toys, books and games, and “chose only the products that customers have rated 4 stars and above, or are top sellers, or are new and trending,” Amazon said in a statement.


Amazon has previously opened physical stores that sell books, and has had pop-up outlets in some locations, but Amazon 4-Star is a new concept that offers a variety of goods in different categories.

“We created Amazon 4-Star to be a place where customers can discover products they will love,” a company statement said.

“Amazon 4-Star’s selection is a direct reflection of our customers – what they’re buying and what they are loving,” it added.

Amazon, one of the world’s most valuable companies whose growth has made founder Jeff Bezos the world’s richest person, has been in recent years moving increasingly to physical stores.

It has opened more than a dozen Amazon Books stores that sell top-selling titles and some additional merchandise. And it has acquired the grocery chain Whole Foods, which has several hundred stores.

Amazon has also introduced a handful of concept Amazon Go grocery stores that operate without cashiers, with purchases automatically scanned and billed to customer accounts. /kga

source: business.inquirer.net

Fire breaks out at Trump Tower – fire department

NEW YORK, United States — A fire erupted on the 50th floor of Trump Tower in New York late Saturday, the fire department said, adding there were no immediate reports of injuries.


Smoke rose from the skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan around 6 pm (2200 GMT) but later subsided.

Streets surrounding the building owned by US President Donald Trump that serves as the headquarters for The Trump Organization and houses a penthouse, were closed off.

The New York City Fire Department tweeted a picture of the building showing flames but the blaze appeared to have been contained as firefighters made their way into the building.

Trump himself said the blaze had been extinguished.

“Fire at Trump Tower is out. Very confined (well built building). Firemen (and women) did a great job. THANK YOU!” he wrote on Twitter. /cbb

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

GSP wins middleweight title in UFC comeback

NEW YORK — Georges St. Pierre returned from a four-year layoff and peered through the river of blood that flowed down his face to choke out Michael Bisping and win the middleweight championship at UFC 217 on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).


“I took this fight to challenge myself and I am honored to be champion once again,” he said.

St. Pierre’s win in the main event made it 3 for 3 for the championship challengers at Madison Square Garden in what was easily UFC’s card of the year. T.J. Dillashaw won the bantamweight championship and Rose Namajunas won the strawweight title on the pay-per-view card.

UFC 217 goes on the short list of one of the promotion’s great cards — and a promotion at a crossroads got a vintage performance from an MMA legend in St. Pierre and a breakthrough outing from Namajunas that stamped her as the face of the women’s division.

The 36-year-old St. Pierre had been the UFC’s 170-pound champion for nearly six years, winning 12 straight fights with nine consecutive title defenses when he walked away. St. Pierre cited the need for a mental breather before he wanted to train and fight again.

Against the trash-talking Bisping, St. Pierre fought like he had only four months off, not four years. The Canadian fighter had takedowns in each of the first two rounds as the packed MSG crowd roared for the fan favorite.

St. Pierre’s forehead got busted open and his face turned into a crimson mask. He smothered Bisping in blood as they wrestled on the ground and stood up looking as if they had just left the set of a horror film.

St. Pierre (26-2) shook it off and slapped a rear naked choke at 4:32 of the third to snuff out Bisping and win his 13th straight UFC fight.

“I don’t have words in my mouth right now,” GSP said, wiping blood from his face.

St. Pierre was one of the UFC’s biggest stars and pay-per-view draws during his long reign atop the 170-pound division, but the Canadian star walked away in November 2013. He’s back — and ready for yet another title defense.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Bader wins light heavyweight title in Bellator’s NYC debut

NEW YORK — Ryan Bader defeated Phil Davis by split decision in his Bellator debut to win the promotion’s light heavyweight championship on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

Bader (23-5) defeated Davis in an MMA bout for the second time in his career and his win capped the undercard in Bellator’s New York debut. Bader won a lackluster bout filled with more boos than blows. Referee Dan Miragliotta stepped between the fighters in the fourth round and warned them about inactivity — one of the few times the crowd cheered in a TV bout designed in part to get fans hooked on ordering Bellator’s second pay-per-view card.

Bader had edged out a split decision victory over Davis when the former Division I All-American wrestlers fought for the first time on a UFC card in January 2015. The loss was Davis’ last in UFC and he had won four straight Bellator fights headed into the rematch.

The first fight was widely panned as boring and this one may have topped it for dormancy.

Bellator made its Madison Square Garden debut seven months after UFC christened the arena in the MMA genre with a record $17.7 million gate. Bellator was going to fall well shy of that massive box office bank, but for the No. 2 MMA promotion in the United States, just snagging a spot at MSG was a needed credibility boost.

Bellator will wait to find out if the pay-per-view buys (at $49.95 a clip) hit 200,000, the total the company aimed for to count as a major success. Bellator broadcast on pay-per-view for only the second time in promotional history, signaling another step in its growth as a rival for the industry-leading UFC. Bellator staged its only previous pay-per-view event in May 2014, shortly before CEO Scott Coker took over the promotion.

Bellator loaded the card with some of the biggest names in MMA to make a splash in New York.

Wanderlei Silva takes on Chael Sonnen in the main event grudge match; a fight first scheduled for a UFC pay-per-view in 2014. The 40-year-old Silva, who made his name fighting for Pride in Japan, was set for his Bellator debut following a six-year run in UFC. Sonnen, also 40, was choked out by Tito Ortiz in his Bellator debut in January. Ortiz was on hand at the Garden.

Fedor Emelianenko fights Matt Mitrione in a heavyweight bout. Emelianenko (also 40, continuing the trend) may be the greatest fighter to never sign with UFC. The Russian won his last five fights, but the days when he ruled in Japan as one of MMA’s most dynamic fighters and top heavyweights are well behind him.

In a sign Bellator craves star power over super bouts, neither of the two main events were for a championship.

Coker wore a headset as he sat cage side and watched a bank of monitors, former NFL great Herschel Walker in the first row behind him. Coker might have listened to the revamped broadcast lineup. Bellator signed Mike Goldberg, unceremoniously dumped last year by UFC after 20 years as the voice of the company, and veteran combat sports announcer Mauro Ranallo to bolster the broadcast booth.

Bellator, founded only in 2008, has failed to build that mainstream star that UFC has in the mold of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor. Bellator has eschewed the PPV model and built its fan base on the strength of live TV cards on Spike (broadcast home of Saturday’s undercard) and by signing past-their-primetime MMA players to main event their biggest cards. Kimbo Slice, Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie and Rampage Jackson all took their turn in main event bouts more spectacle than sport that delivered record ratings for Bellator.

Bellator did sign more than just a few 40-something fighters for its New York debut. Aaron Pico, 20, was set to make his pro debut against Zach Freeman. Pico advanced to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in wrestling last year and was a junior golden gloves champion in 2009. Bellator jumped to sign him in 2014 and has perhaps the top prospect in the MMA game.

Heather Hardy, a boxer signed under promoter Lou Dibella, won her professional MMA debut with a bloody TKO over Alice Yauger. Hardy, of Brooklyn, New York, had the crowd going wild when she dropped Yauger with a vicious right. Hardy suffered a deep cut over her left eye following an accidental head-butt. Even the New York crowd gasped when blood gushed down Hardy’s face. Hardy wiped it off, then wiped out Yauger while the crowd roared.

“I think I just fell in love. I’m hooked,” she said. “I can’t feel it, but I have stitches in my face.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

US senator: Exploding e-cigarette recalls need to be considered

NEW YORK — US Sen. Charles Schumer is increasing the heat on the federal government to consider recalling e-cigarette batteries and devices that explode and catch fire, injuring users.

Schumer, a New York Democrat, has called e-cigarettes “ticking time bombs” and said they continue to cause injuries including severe burns.

E-cigarette user Katrina Williams, a New York freight manager, said she wanted a safer alternative to smoking regular tobacco cigarettes and thought e-cigarettes were the answer – until one exploded in her pocket in April as she drove home from a beauty salon.

“It was like a firecracker,” she said, as it seared third-degree burns in her leg, blasted through her charred pants and stuck in the dashboard.

As the use of e-cigarettes has increased over the past year, similar painful accidents have been recorded with greater frequency, with faulty lithium-ion batteries seen as the likely culprits. The same types of batteries are used safely in many consumer electronics, but they’ve been behind fires in hover boards and smartphones.

Schumer said he wants the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration to figure out why so many devices, many from China, are exploding. He said the recent injuries are proof federal action is needed.

Schumer, who planned to hold a press conference on Sunday to address the issue, cited a recent Associated Press story saying the FDA identified about 66 explosions in 2015 and early 2016 after recording 92 explosions from 2009 to September 2015.

The AP story said the numbers kept by the FDA may be an undercount. Just one hospital, the UW Medicine Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, said it has seen more than 20 patients with e-cigarette burns since it started tracking them informally in October 2015.

The industry maintains e-cigarettes are safe when used properly. The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association encourages proper recharging of the batteries as a way to prevent possible injuries.

The FDA has said it’s reviewing e-cigarettes and will evaluate their batteries, including “amperage, voltage, wattage, battery type” and other issues.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Massive blizzard shuts down US East Coast

NEW YORK, United States — A deadly blizzard blanketed the eastern United States in near-record amounts of snow Saturday, shutting down New York and Washington in a colossal storm expected to affect more than 85 million people.

More than 4,400 flights were cancelled as the mega-storm brought airports in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore to a halt, shuttered transport in the US capital and prompted New York officials to issue a sweeping travel ban.

Fifteen people died in Arkansas, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia, while more than 200,000 people were left without power and 2,200 National Guard personnel were drafted in.

Forecasters said the storm — dubbed “Snowzilla” — would last into Sunday with two feet (60 centimeters) expected in Washington and more than 20 inches falling in parts of New York, making it one of the Big Apple’s five biggest blizzards in history.

State Governor Andrew Cuomo closed all roads in the city, America’s financial and entertainment capital home to 8.4 million, Long Island, and bridges and tunnels west to New Jersey.

“Safety is our number one priority,” Cuomo told reporters.

“We’re trying to get ahead of it with the cleanup crew. And then we’ll see what Mother Nature has in store for us as we go on,” he told MSNBC.

Bus services were suspended at noon, and overland commuter and subway trains in and out of Manhattan were shut from 4:00 pm (2100 GMT) as Broadway cancelled performances, museums closed and shops shuttered.

Metro and bus networks were shut down in Washington for the entire weekend, and largely shut in Philadelphia and New Jersey on Saturday.

Strong winds are causing coastal flooding concerns for a large portion of the East Coast, the National Weather Forecast (NWS) warned, with streets in some New Jersey towns filled with water and ice.

Thousands of motorists were stranded for hours on highways in the south.

‘Very rough outside’

Plows struggled to clear New York streets, where parked cars were buried under the snow and visibility deteriorated as night fell. More than 20 inches of snow fell in parts of Brooklyn and at the city’s La Guardia and John F. Kennedy airports.

Washington saw around 20 inches of snow, with billowing winds creating massive snow drifts. Reagan National and Dulles International airports were expected to remain closed through Sunday.

“We know that it is very rough outside, and in some cases, there have been reports of whiteout conditions for the past two hours. Visibility is extremely poor,” Washington mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters.

“The forecast suggests that the snow will wrap up late tonight or in the very early hours of this morning. But it doesn’t make it any less dangerous,” she added.

But one resident of the capital having a blast? Tian Tian, a panda at the National Zoo. Footage of him playing outside quickly went viral.

The NWS put a blizzard warning into effect for a large swath of the eastern United States as officials warned the storm could cause more than $1 billion in damage.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential contender, left the campaign trail to oversee the emergency response in his snowbound state, where he said there were 90,000 power outages.

“For folks who lose power, please, given how cold the weather is, try to go and shelter in the home of a friend or family member if you can. Don’t stay in the cold,” he told a news conference.

Record-breaking?

Nearly 120,000 power outages were reported in North Carolina, emergency officials said.

The NWS reported that New York could see up to 25 inches of snow and that travel was extremely dangerous “due to heavy snowfall and strong winds with whiteout conditions likely.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that more than 20 inches would put the storm in the top five in terms of accumulation since records began in the 19th century.

If the blizzard leaves more than two feet in Washington, as forecast, it could surpass a record set in 1922 by a storm that dumped 28 inches over three days and killed 100 people after a roof collapsed at a theater.

The national monuments, Capitol building and Smithsonian museums were all closed.

Even a massive snowball fight in Washington’s Dupont Circle, which 3,000 people said on Facebook they would attend, was postponed until Sunday due to the storm’s ferocity.

“We just came back from some holidays in India so the weather is a difficult adjustment,” said Justin Wilcox, 32, out taking selfies in the capital.

Snow and sleet also hit the southern states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia — unusual for the region.

Six people were killed in road accidents in North Carolina, three people died after shoveling snow in New York, and deaths were also reported in Arkansas, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia, officials said.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Golovkin stops Lemieux for middleweight title

NEW YORK — No big drama this time for Gennady Golovkin. Just a lot of big punches as he dominated his middleweight title fight with David Lemieux.

Golovkin battered Lemieux around the ring Saturday night on the big stage at Madison Square Garden, landing punch after punch before the referee mercifully stepped in and stopped the fight in the eighth round. He remained unbeaten in 34 fights, and stopped his opponent for the 21st straight time.

Fighting before a sold-out crowd of 20,548 cheering his every move, Golovkin was methodical as he knocked down Lemieux in the fifth round, bloodied his nose and dominated almost every second of the way.

“My goal is all the belts in the middleweight division,” said Golovkin, who said before the fight he would bring a “Big Drama Show” to the Garden.

Lemieux was on the ropes taking punch after punch when Steve Willis finally stepped in at 1:32 of the eighth round to call an end to the fight.

It was a coming out party of sorts for Golovkin, who was headlining his first pay-per-view fight, and he was at his best as he wore down Lemieux with his relentless punching.

“I told you this was a very important fight,” Golovkin said. “I give my fans and friends a big show. Thank you my fans. Thank you my people.”

With the crowd chanting “Triple G! Triple G!” Golovkin showed why he is the most feared man in the heavyweight division with yet another impressive win against an opponent who was supposed to be his best yet. He won every round on all three ringside scorecards, pitching a shutout in his biggest fight to date.

Lemieux brought a 160 pound title of his own into the ring, but was no match for Golovkin, the former amateur star from Kazakhstan who now lives in Los Angeles. Lemieux fought gamely, but his punches were mostly wild and he was forced to take punishment in return.

“I’ll keep my mouth shut tonight,” said Lemieux, whose face was marked and red. “But I’ll see him in the future.”

With Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump watching from ringside, Golovkin took control of the fight early, with his precise punches finding the mark with regularity. Lemieux seemed tentative, though by the third round he was throwing wild right hands that Golovkin had little trouble avoiding.

Golovkin (34-0, 31 knockouts) hurt Lemieux with a left hook to the head in the fourth round, then unleashed a series of head shots that backed the Canadian against the ropes. From then it was just a matter of time as Golovkin hunted down Lemieux (34-3), eager to knock him out just like he had his 20 previous opponents.

The end came in the eighth round after a series of punches to the body and the head.

“I feel like the referee called the fight too early,” Lemieux said. “I am fine. When he stopped it I wasn’t event on the mat, I can keep going.”

About the only negative on the night for Golovkin was that he hit Lemieux with a right hand while he had a knee on the canvas after going down from a left hook to the body in the fifth round.

Punch stats showed Golovkin landing 280 of 549 punches, a connect rate of 51 percent. Lemieux was credited with landing just 89 of 335 punches.

The win put Golovkin in line for a possible megafight next spring against the winner of the Nov. 21 fight between Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto.

“He’ll be at the fight and he’ll be looking to fight the winner,” promoter Tom Loeffler said. “Whoever wins that fight will clearly be at the top of the sport as Gennady is himself.”

Golovkin said his goals are simple and that he’s not as concerned with making the kind of money Floyd Mayweather Jr. made on pay-per-view as he is proving he is the best fighter in the world.

In the co-main event, Roman Gonzalez remained unbeaten by stopping a game but overmatched Brian Viloria in the ninth round of their flyweight title fight.

Gonzalez upped his record to 44-0 with 38 knockouts with yet another impressive performance by a fighter many believe is the best pound-for-pound boxer in the game. The Nicaraguan who goes by the nickname Chocolatito dropped Viloria in the third round and pounded him around the ring before referee Benji Esteves moved in to stop it at 2:53 of the third round.

Viloria, a former U.S. Olympian and 112-pound champion, was still fighting hard in the final round but had absorbed tremendous punishment. The left side of his face was swollen and marked from the sheer volume of punches landed by Gonzalez.

Ringside punch stats showed his dominance, crediting Gonzalez with landing 315 punches to 161 for Viloria, who dropped to 36-5.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Feeding Pope Francis: Celebrity chef serves simple, spiritual meals

NEW YORK—Sliced heirloom tomatoes, steamed lobster and house-made burrata greeted Pope Francis on his first night in New York, where a celebrity chef cooking for her second Pontiff said her menu was inspired by Francis’ humility and simplicity.

Feeding the leader of the world’s more than 1 billion Roman Catholics is a daunting task, but Lidia Bastianich said she felt the dishes she offered Francis during his 40 hours in Manhattan pulled off the feat of being straightforward, sophisticated and even spiritual.

“In this food is everything I feel about Catholicism …. Let’s feed each other some sustenance, some love,” said Bastianich, who went into her own garden to pick carrots, beets, tomatoes and herbs for the Pontiff’s meals.

Some of the dishes on Francis’ five-meal New York menu took their cue from the Pontiff’s healthy diet in Rome. His doctor is reportedly trying to get him to lose 8 kilograms.

The tomato and lobster salad gave way Thursday night to veal with porcini mushrooms. Dessert was Concord grape sorbet and angel food cake.

Met kitchen crew

Friday’s lunch included risotto with summer truffles and aged Grana Padano cheese, as well as a surprise late addition to the menu—bagna cauda, a garlic-anchovy dip for raw vegetables that Bastianich heard Francis loves.

After lunch, Francis strolled into the kitchen, thanked Bastianich, restaurateur Angelo Vivolo and their kitchen crew, and asked if he could share an espresso with them. The Pope ended by giving each a rosary and a blessing.

“Our eyes swelled with tears,” Bastianich said.

For dinner Friday, Bastianich prepared homemade ravioli filled with shredded pears and pecorino cheese—so light and delicate they seemingly melted on the tongue. And on a day when Catholics traditionally eat fish, the main dish was roasted striped bass, freshly caught off Long Island, with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley, plus lemon on the side.

Though the dishes Bastianich served up may sound more swank than simple, this was a visit with little behind-the-scenes pomp. One of Francis’ requests was notably modest: water and bananas at his bedside table. (Bananas will be on the menu in Philadelphia, as well: The proprietors of the popular Franklin Fountain ice cream shop are providing a special caramelized banana flavor to the seminary where Francis will stay on the last stop of his US visit.)

This was the second such papal calling for Bastianich, a chef and author best known for “Lidia’s Italy” and other public broadcast shows, and her Manhattan flagship restaurant Felidia.

It’s giving back
She and Vivolo were selected to cook for Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, a visit that included a dinner party for 52 and a golden cake in the shape of the papal tiara.

Bastianich prepared Francis’ meals at the five-story Upper East Side townhouse of the Vatican’s United Nations representative, where the 78-year-old Pope took respite from his hectic schedule and the rock-star roar of admiring crowds.

“There’s an intimacy, a closeness, a warmth—he’s a guest who sleeps upstairs,” she said. “It’s like having family visiting and you’re cooking.”

Bastianich’s command performances for popes have always been about more than mere meals. Her family fled Yugoslavia after World War II and became refugees in Trieste, Italy. They were brought to the US by Catholic Charities.

“For me, it’s gratitude, it’s giving back,” she said. “I was fed by people who cared, so I understand the communication that food can have.” AP

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

These bangles were made for stacking (and giving)

Kristel Cue first met Alex and Ani founder Carolyn Rafaelian as a student in New York in 2006. “She welcomed our college organization in her office for an inspiring career talk,” Kristel recalled.

After the talk, Carolyn gave each of the students a bangle. “It was to remind us to pursue our passion,” said Kristel, who got a Fleur de Lis bangle in Rafaelian Gold—something she still wears today.

Six years later, Kristel and her business partner Celine Tang decided to bring the brand, which has a solid following around the world, to Manila. “We saw a market in the Philippines for a lifestyle brand with real meaning to the wearer. Very few brands, especially in fashion, focus on creating a positive impact as its core mission,” said Kristel.

Their store in SM Aura has been a huge hit, both with long-time customers of the brand who discovered it while abroad and with new Alex and Ani fans.

Women stop by regularly to create their stacks. Yes, Alex and Ani bracelets are meant to be worn in a pretty pile on your wrists. Some women choose to build slowly, choosing bangles with charms that have a special meaning for them, while others amass an impressive collection in just one visit.

Kristel said, “They say building a stack can be quite addictive—which is true! It’s also a perfect gift item.”

In the Philippines, the bestsellers have been the Mother Mary and Four Leaf Clover designs, but Kristel’s favorite is The Path of Life: “I like what it symbolizes—strength, motivation, knowledge. Our Gypsy 66 wrap is also a great layering piece.”

On Dec. 14, Alex and Ani will hold a Christmas shopping event at SM Aura to celebrate the release of their newest collections—Night’s Mosaic, Buffed Epoxy and the highly anticipated Monopoly collection that was inspired by the classic boardgame.

Kristel loves talking to customers: “Hearing why they are purchasing Alex and Ani—whether for themselves or someone dear to them—can be heartwarming. The stories have been amazing, and we feel very lucky to be able to share this positive energy with people in the Philippines.”

Positive energy is important to founder Carolyn Rafaelian. She said, in this e-mail interview with Super: “From the beginning, the company’s purpose has been to create pieces that have meaning and a positive impact. To me, positive energy is love, kindness and making the best of each situation. It’s the driving force behind all things Alex and Ani, as well as in my own life.”

We asked Carolyn about the brand that she named after her daughters, her passions and her favorite bangles.

What inspired you to start Alex and Ani?

My father opened a jewelry factory, Cinerama, in Rhode Island in 1966. Working in the jewelry industry is a family tradition and something I’ve always been a part of. I grew up in an extremely creative environment with a supportive family. During the time spent in the factory, I experimented and created my own pieces. Ultimately, my passion became my enterprise.

What’s the most unforgettable thing your father taught you about jewelry?

That each piece you create is an expression of yourself, your individuality. I design each piece with the intention of empowering and inspiring others.

How does it feel to know that your brand has a lot of fans in the Philippines?

The whole experience is a blessing. The growth and progression of this company was very organic. As it grows around the world, I feel gratitude in my heart. It’s wonderful to know that our products hit home for so many around the world. It’s exciting! I plan to visit Asia soon and look forward to experiencing such a beautiful culture.

Which pieces are your personal favorites?

The “One People” bangle that both the Dalai Lama and I have. I created two: one for him and one for me. He blessed them, which was one of the most incredible moments of my life.

What’s your favorite stack to wear? Do you mix your metals?

I prefer to wear gold, but I do adore how the mixed metals look together; silver and gold definitely complement each other. My fathers’ gold chain bracelet and the One People bangle are always on my wrist. I wear what I am drawn to each day. New designs and other treasures that inspire me enhance my stack. These pieces are dear to my heart and soul…

We love that Alex and Ani has a lot of charity bangles. How do you choose which organizations to work with?

Ultimately it’s an organic process guided by the extraordinary team at Charity By Design (CBD). Each inquiry we receive is considered and valued. CBD   empowers nonprofit organizations to reach their goals by sharing what we do best, harnessing the power of positive energy through innovative, creative design. It’s also at a price point that could potentially attract new philanthropists. We’re currently working on making Charitable Bangles available worldwide.

You use recycled material for your jewelry. Is the environment something you feel passionate about?

Yes, definitely. Using sustainable materials is another way of saying, “Product made with integrity.” Knowing where something is made, who’s making it, and what their intentions are make all the difference. We make a conscious effort to remain environmentally sustainable, support local economies, and through thought, prayer and intentions, create the finest American products.

What else are you passionate about?

Living a life that’s a real example of the power of positive energy. Outside of Alex and Ani, my passions include spending time at Sakonnet Vineyard, creating wines from the oldest vines in New England, and restoring a Rhode Island historic landmark, Belcourt of Newport. I love absolutely everything about my job. I’m truly living my dream.

What’s the best thing people have said about your jewelry?

My favorite story is when someone gives a bangle to a friend (or stranger) right off their wrist. This is so cool! It’s like this great, pay-it-forward effect where someone is like, “Hey, you’re dealing with something, I dealt with something similar… put this bangle on and let it remind you that you have what it takes to get through it.” This is powerful…

Do you have any tips for people who are starting to build their stack or buying bangles for their loved ones?

Alex and Ani products are created for wearers to feel empowered, enlightened and beautiful. Words are powerful, symbols are powerful and the wearer can experience this heightened sense of inspiration through our pieces. The best advice I would give is to select symbols that resonate with you or the loved ones in your lives.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Obama offers federal help to NY with Ebola case

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is offering federal support to New York as it responds to its first Ebola case.

Obama spoke Thursday night to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The White House says some officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were already on the ground, with another team expected to have arrived late Thursday.

Obama is asking Cuomo and de Blasio to stay in close touch with Ron Klain, Obama’s “Ebola czar,” and public health officials in Washington. He’s pledging more help if needed to ensure proper care for the patient and safety for health workers and the public.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Justin Bieber strips after getting booed at New York event

NEW YORK — The 2014 Fashion Rocks was all about booing and booty.

Justin Bieber was heavily booed by the audience at the Barclays Centers on Tuesday night in Brooklyn, New York. He entered the stage to introduce singer Rita Ora, and once the crowd booed loudly, he stripped into his boxer shorts and socks. Some cheered once he removed his shirt and pants.

New York Giants’ receiver Victor Cruz was also booed. His team lost to the Detroit Lions on Monday.

Those moments were contrasted by the rump-shaking dance moves of Jennifer Lopez and Nicki Minaj. Lopez performed her new single, “Booty,” in a shimmery silver mini dress. She enticed the crowd and earned some of the night’s loudest cheers.

Lopez clapped and watched as Minaj performed “Anaconda,” also a crowd favorite.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Fil-Am led health center gets $6M NY state grant

NEW YORK—A Filipino-American led community center is one of 37 recipients of funding from the New York State Department of Health’s safety net program.

The Department of Health’s Vital Access Provider/Safety Net Program, Phase II, awarded APICHA Community Health Center more than $6 million last month. The department recognized as an essential institution that fulfills the healthcare needs of underserved populations throughout the city.

The program is aimed at transforming the state’s healthcare system and increasing the availability of better health services for New Yorkers.

Safety net funds were awarded to hospitals, nursing homes, free standing clinics and home health establishments that have financial difficulties but are critical in the delivery of quality healthcare to communities across the state.

“We applaud the New York State Department of Health for acknowledging the essential role of organizations like APICHA have in addressing the need of healthcare access of New York’s most vulnerable communities,” says APICHA CEO Therese Rodriguez.

“Our decades of experience providing HIV prevention and care services have prepared us to be part of the solution to achieve the goals set by the New York State Department of Health of providing quality, cost-efficient healthcare,” Rodriguez adds.

For the past 23 years, APICHA has promoted awareness of and care for people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. The center has grown from an HIV/AIDS coalition for Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) to a health home that opened a Trans Health clinic in 2011.

As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, APICHA provides general and HIV-specialty primary care, mental health and support services to underserved communities including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, APIs and other people of color.

The safety net funding will be used over the next three years for enhanced financial and operational capacity, including hiring of additional primary care and mental health providers, support services staff and other essential administrative staff. The staff enhancement will enable to serve more people.

For more information about APICHA Community Health Center, log on to www.apicha.org.

source: globalnation.inquirer.net

Plane makes emergency landing on New York highway

NEW YORK — A small plane made an emergency landing on a highway in the Bronx borough of New York on Saturday, injuring the pilot and two passengers, as the area battled a brutal cold snap.

The single-engine propeller plane landed around 3:20 pm (2020 GMT) in the Major Deegan Expressway’s northbound lane near 233rd Street, the New York City Fire Department said on its Twitter feed.

The situation was “under control,” it added, noting that no cars were affected and that there was no fire or fuel spilled. Firefighters removed the plane’s fuel before moving it to avoid the risk of a blaze.

The injured, two men and one woman, left the plane and were taken to St Barnabas Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, authorities said.

One had a serious injury and the other two suffered minor injuries. One of the injured was the pilot, though authorities would not confirm his or her identity.

“The plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to some sort of engine trouble,” FDNY spokesman Khalid Baylor told AFP.

“The plane then made a landing onto the highway and did not damage any vehicles, did not cause any injuries to any people on the ground. The FDNY safely offloaded the jet fuel and the plane was removed from the highway.”

He said Department of Transportation workers who happened to be on the scene doing some highway repair at the time noticed the plane coming in on landing and helped stop traffic with their rig.

Drivers experienced some major delays on the highway, which has three lanes on both sides.

A spokeswoman from New York’s Office of Emergency Management said the plane had departed from Danbury, Connecticut for a tour around the Statue of Liberty.

The plane was a 1966 Piper PA-28-180, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

New Year’s in Times Square is endurance contest

NEW YORK  — Crowds jammed New York’s Times Square on Tuesday to ring in 2014, braving bone-chilling cold and ultra-tight security for the chance to see Miley Cyrus, a final countdown from a U.S. Supreme Court justice and the drop of the shimmering crystal ball.

The sea of horn-tooting, hat-wearing humanity that filled the Crossroads of the World was part celebration, part endurance sport because post-Sept. 11 security measures force spectators into pens at least 12 hours in advance, with no food, no warmth and no place to go to the bathroom.

“We’ve got adult diapers. We’re wearing them right now,” said 14-year-old Amber Woods, who came with friends from the New York City’s suburbs to experience the event for the first time. They entered their corral at 10 a.m. For nourishment, they brought lollipops and popcorn. For the cold, they did a lot of jumping in place.

“Every time I say, it’s the last. But then I come back,” said Yasmina Merrir, a 42-year-old Washington, D.C., resident attending her fourth Times Square ball drop. In 2009, the cold was so bad, she got hypothermia. Her legs swelled up like balloons.

She was also fasting and not drinking anything to deal with the lack of restrooms. As for the cold, she recommends vigorous dancing for as long as you can stand on your feet.

“At a point,” she said, “your brain is not working anymore.”

New York’s midnight celebration came as millions welcomed the new year in cities around the world, including jubilant events in London, where the fireworks came packed with edible confetti, and Dubai, which attempted to stage the world’s largest fireworks display.

Brianna Becerril, a 21-year-old singer and songwriter from Chino, Calif., persuaded her grandparents to join her at Times Square. As evening fell, they huddled together for warmth under big, furry hats, dined on cold chicken nuggets and drank nothing so they wouldn’t have to leave to find a toilet.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience!” Becerril said.

“Once in a lifetime for me, for sure. I mean, if I even survive. I can’t wait to get out of here,” said her smiling grandfather, Jerry Bender. But, he said, he was enjoying getting to know their neighbors in the pen, many of whom hailed from distant countries.

Even when she lived in Algeria in North Africa, Merrir said, she knew that Times Square was the place the world celebrated best on New Year’s Eve.

“It’s Times Square! It’s the ball!” she said. “The fireworks may be better in Dubai, or in London, but this is extra special.”

On the other side of the Atlantic, Britain welcomed 2014 with a mixture of futuristic fireworks and torch-lit tradition. For those in London, the event offered the opportunity to taste the fireworks.

The city’s mayor — in conjunction with telecommunications company Vodafone — said this year’s explosive display came packed with peach-flavored snow, edible banana confetti and orange-scented bubbles. The evening also included scratch-and-sniff programs, LED wristbands and fruit-flavored sweets.

In Dubai, a Persian Gulf city known for glitz, glamour and over-the-top achievements like the world’s tallest skyscraper, officials sought to break another record by creating the largest fireworks show.

The Dubai skyline was a canvas for a dazzling 30-minute show. The display capped off with six minutes of fireworks that engulfed the city’s man-made, palm-shaped island, with its fronds and trunk shimmering in thousands of lights.

Organizers had promised that the fireworks would form a flying falcon, a sunrise and the United Arab Emirates flag. It was not immediately clear if the promised designs or world record had been achieved.

The effort attempted to surpass the current world record held by another Gulf Arab state in just the first 60 seconds. Kuwait has held the record since last year, when it fired more than 77,000 fireworks in a display lasting more than an hour.

Guinness World Record officials were on hand to measure the scale of Dubai’s event, which needed to be longer than five minutes to qualify.

More than 260 people were injured by firecracker blasts and celebratory gunfire in the Philippines, a nation marking the end of a year of tragic disasters, including a Nov. 8 typhoon that left more than 6,100 dead and nearly 1,800 missing.

“Many here are welcoming the new year after losing their mothers, fathers, siblings and children so you can imagine how it feels,” said village chief Maria Rosario Bactol of Anibong community in Tacloban, the city worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan. “I tell them to face the reality, to move on and stand up, but I know it will never be easy.”

Back in New York, outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who hobnobbed with celebrities during past Times Square celebrations, was sitting out this year’s festivities to spend time with family and friends. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio was to be sworn in at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday at his Brooklyn home.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a New York City native, will lead the final 60-second countdown and push the ceremonial button to drop the ball.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Beyonce talks surprise album, success at NYC event

NEW YORK — Beyonce had her doubts minutes before her new album’s surprise release, despite all the hard work she put in on the songs and videos.

“I was terrified. I was so scared. I already envisioned like the worst things that could happen,” Beyonce said Saturday at a screening for her new music videos. “I was really nervous because this was a huge risk.”

The singer’s fifth album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts this week after it was released without the public knowing. “Beyonce” sold 617,000 units in the U.S. in a week; it has sold more than 1 million albums worldwide.

The album includes 14 songs and 17 videos, which fans were able to see during the screening at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Beyonce answered fans’ questions via Instagram, including one about her opening up personally on the new album.

“I’m very private and I’m very respectful, and I think it just took me no longer being someone’s child — once I became a mother, I felt like I could tear those fourth walls and I just felt like it was time,” she said. “I completely feel liberated.”

The album features collaborations with her husband Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Drake and her daughter, Blue Ivy. “Beyonce” is the follow-up to 2011′s “4,” the first album the singer released on her production company, Parkwood Entertainment, after parting ways professionally with her father-manager, Mathew Knowles.

“I felt like I wanted follow in the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire,” she said to cheers from the crowd. “And (to) show other women when you get to this point in your career, you don’t have to go sign with someone else and share your money and your success, you can do it yourself.”

The album’s unconventional release became one of the year’s top pop culture and social media moments. Beyonce, 32, said she became bored in the music industry after her last release, and the new album is a reflection of experimentation and growth.

“Honestly I was at a point where I felt like, you know, everything feels the same … that’s how I felt and if I could not challenge that, then maybe it’s time for me to do something else or develop more artists, which is something I want to do,” she said. “I just hope that I continue to move forward and challenge myself, and I think now that I’ve become a mother, I just want my legacy to inspire people.”

She added that the goal of the new album was not to produce No. 1 hits, but to showcase her evolution and create her own lane.

“I took all of my insecurities, all of my doubts, all of my fears and everything I’ve learned over the 17 years and I applied it into this project,” she said. “But more than the music — I’m proud of myself as a woman … the biggest message is owning your imperfections and all the things that make you interesting, because I refuse to allow someone to put me in anyone’s box.”

source: entertainment.inquirer.net