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Rescue crews and army troops were in a race against time Thursday in India to save 150 people believed trapped in a pile of crushed vehicles and concrete girders after a road overpass under construction collapsed in a crowded neighborhood, leaving at least 21 people dead. The collapse occurred in Bara Bazaar, a busy residential and shopping area in Kolkata -- a city of approximately 4.5 million people -- and left scores injured. Rescuers were using saws, small cranes and their bare hands to dig through the wreckage. Bloody legs of trapped people were seen jutting out of the rubble. Police told Sky News that 150 people are believed to be trapped, while a witness told Reuters that two buses carrying more than 100 passengers were stuck under the debris. Yogesh Sharma was sitting at a small roadside tea stand with friends when the overpass, which spanned nearly the width of the city street and was designed to ease traffic through the densely crowded neighborhood, "came

Damage is seen inside the departure terminal following the March 22, 2016 bombing at Zaventem Airport, in these photos made available to Reuters by the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad Brussels airport will partially reopen for passenger flights on Friday evening after its closure following the March 22 bomb attacks, the company running the airport said. Belgian police, the fire brigade and the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority have been checking the airport, whose departure hall was badly damaged by the two blasts, to see if it was ready to resume service. “The airport is…technically ready for a restart of passenger flights in the temporary infrastructure foreseen for check-in,” the Brussels Airport Company said in a statement. The provisional arrangement will allow the airport to receive 800 departing passengers per hour, or 2.5 million departing passengers a year, which is 20 per cent of the normal capacity of the airport. Arriving passengers will go through the usual baggage re

A Belgian court decided on Thursday that Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam could be extradited to France, Belgium’s federal prosecutors said. A lawyer for Abdeslam said earlier on Thursday that Abdeslam had dropped his initial objection to being extradited and had also renewed an offer to cooperate with the French authorities. “Salah Abdeslam wishes to be transferred to the French authorities,” Cedric Moisse told reporters. “He wishes to cooperate with the French authorities.” Prosecutors said France and Belgium would now discuss on how to proceed with the transfer. After his arrest on March 18, four months after the Nov 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people, Abdeslam answered some investigators’ questions but then exercised his right to silence following the suicide bombings in Brussels on March 22. Investigators believe the attacks in Paris and Brussels were carried out by militants from the same Islamic State network.

Turkish special force police officers walk at the site of a bomb attack in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on March 31, 2016. © Ilyas Akengin / AFP Six police have been killed and twenty people injured after a suicide car bomber hit a police bus in the mainly Kurdish-populated city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, Reuters reports, citing a government official. There are both civilians and police among the injured, as the explosion took place near a bus stop. Many ambulances have been sent to the scene. The attacked police bus was on its way to the Turkish southern city of Sanliurfa, local media report. The blast comes as Turkey continues its crackdown on Kurds in the country’s southeast. Ankara launched a military operation against Kurdish militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in summer 2015. Since then, the violence that ended a two-year truce has already resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties according to human rights NGOs.

Faced with a North Korean regime bent on developing a nuclear-armed long-range missile, President Obama will meet Thursday in Washington with several world leaders -- including those of China, Japan and South Korea -- in an effort to hammer out a "united" response. In a Washington Post opinion piece, Obama called for the international community to “remain united in the face of North Korea’s continued provocations.” “The additional sanctions recently imposed on Pyongyang by the United Nations Security Council show that violations have consequences,” Obama said. North Korea launched a short-range projectile Tuesday, the latest in a series of short-range missile launches and artillery system tests from the dictatorship. South Korean officials said it was not clear whether the test was a ballistic missile or an artillery shell, but officials told the Associated Press the test was likely in response to increased military drills from South Korea. A North Korean nuclear test in

Police have used tear gas to disperse activists in Paris who are protesting new labor reforms. In the city of Nantes demonstrators tried to storm the town hall and smash windows. Scores of people have taken to the streets across France to once again voice their anger against recently proposed labor reforms. The demonstrators have reportedly clashed with police officers. Students are rallying against labor law reforms recently proposed by Labor Minister Myriam El Khomri. The French authorities are desperately trying to battle high unemployment in the country, and have suggested cutting overtime pay for work beyond 35 hours. Employers would pay only 10 percent of overtime bonus, instead of the current 25 percent, according to proposed reforms. The protests were partially organized by a Facebook community called ‘Loi travail: non, merci’ (Labor reform: No, thanks). Arguing that the reforms concern all French citizens, the group has started a petition, which has so far been signed by

A professional surfer was hospitalized after he was mauled by a shark off the Australian eastern coast on Wednesday evening. 22-year-old Brett Connellan was surfing on Bombo Beach in Kiama, about 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) south of Sydney, when he was attacked. He lost a significant chunk of his left thigh, CNN-affiliate Seven News reports, and his hand was also mauled while trying to fight off the shark. Witnesses say there were over a dozen surfers at the beach that evening but Connellan was around 50 meters (about 165 feet) out from the group when the attack occurred. Quick thinking from bystanders His friend Joel Trist, who was in the water nearby, describes the moment he realized his friend was in trouble. "The first thing I saw was Brett getting thrashed about in the water," Trist said. He then heard a "terrible scream." Quickly swimming towards his friend, he pulled him to the safety of the shore. Police have praised the immediate first aid fro

Air France passenger planes are seen in this view of Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport Terminal 2 in Roissy, France © Jacky Naegelen / Reuters Child organizations are outraged after it was revealed an 8-year-old boy from was kept in Paris airport for over a week. The boy, who was sent to France by his mother to seek ‘better life,’ was trying to enter the country with false papers. Little Rachid from Comoros, a small island nation off East Africa, arrived in Charles de Gaulle airport on March 21, French media reported. When police discovered he was using identity paper belonging to his cousin, the boy was put into an airport holding area for illegal arrivals. On March 24, a French court decided the boy should be kept in the area for his own protection. The boy has been there ever since. Rachid, carrying just a Spiderman backpack, was reportedly sent by his mother who wanted him to have a better life in France. He was planning to meet his aunt at the airport, the organization L

Anastasiya Chulkova © Egor Eryomov / Sputnik Track cyclists Anastasia Chulkova and Pavel Yakushevsky are the latest athletes to be embroiled in Russia’s doping scandal, with the pair testing positive for meldonium. The Russian Cycling Federation has confirmed the news, which increases the number of athletes incriminated in taking the recently banned substance. Chulkova won the points race at the 2012 World Track Championship, while Yakushevsky is a former European bronze medalist. They join Eduard Vorganov in testing positive for meldonium, with the road racer failing a test for the substance last month. meldonium Four Russian track-and-field athletes, swimmer Yuliya Efimova and tennis superstar Maria Sharapova have also been caught up in the scandal. The Russian Cycling Federation has maintained Chulkova and Yakushevsky’s innocence, claiming the duo stopped using meldonium back in September 2015 - when the World Anti-Doping Agency announced it intended to outlaw the drug. H

© TONY's GASP ! HOLLYWOOD / YouTube An explosion on the Julius Rütgers tanker at Duisburg's shipyard on Thursday morning killed at least two people, German media reports. The two deceased workers were said to have been loading something on the tanker. The third worker is currently missing and is being searched for, according to police. A spokesperson for local law enforcement told RIA Novosti they have confirmation the explosion took place on the Julius Rütgers motor tanker. "She was moored at the shipyard and the blast was on the vessel. Two bodies have been found aboard. They were probably workers who had access to the motor tanker during repair. The third worker is currently missing." The cause of the blast is still unclear representatives of the local fire brigade have said. The fire on the tanker has now been extinguished. The operation involved 50 rescue vehicles and one police helicopter.                                     Representatives of Meid

An overpass collapsed near Kolkata, India, killing at least 10 people, authorities said. More than 100 people are missing. Slabs from the flyover, which has been under construction for five years, fell on moving vehicles, according to Sgt. Saurav Benerjee of Kolkata police. Some people are feared trapped in their vehicles, he said. Construction workers may also be buried under the debris. An under-construction bridge today collapsed onto traffic moving along the street below near Ganesh Talkies in Girish Park area of Kolkata. A portion of the Vivekananda Flyover crashed in the congested Barabazar area. Disaster management and trauma care teams reached the spot to rescue those trapped. Many people are feared to be dead and nearly 150 people are believed to be trapped under the debris. Injured people have been shifted to the Calcutta Medical hospital for medical aid. Army unit has joined the rescue operation and desperate attempts are being made to lift up the fallen brid

In a shock to thousands of second year pre-university course (equivalent to class 12) students, the Karnataka pre-University examination of chemistry had to be cancelled for a second time after the question papers were leaked, leading to a strong protest by the students and their parents in Bengaluru and other cities. The examination was originally scheduled to be held on March 22 but had to be cancelled due to the quesiton paper leak. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "We will find out who is responsible for this." In the re-examination today, it was found that handwritten question papers were being circulated at some examination centres, forcing the administration to cancel it again. Senior officials in Bellary and Kolar were suspended after it was found that the first paper leak happened at the centres administered by them. Around 1.74 lakh students were supposed to take the science subject exam though a majority of them were unaware that their question pape

In order to restore peace in the University of Hyderabad, the students' union of the varsity has urged President Pranab Mukherjee to sack Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao. In a letter to the president, who is the Visitor of the university, the union said Rao was an accused in the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula and also unleashed brutal violence on the students. Students' union president Zuhail KP said that they sought the president's intervention to save the university from further damage. He brought to the notice of the President that the two-member fact finding committee appointed by the Human Resource Development ministry to investigate the disciplinary action on five Dalit research scholars which led to the suicide of Vemula pointed out that the university administration under Appa Rao mishandled the case. Appa Rao was booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment to suicide. The high court did not g

A gang of 5 African students allegedly assaulted a landlord after he objected to their late night party and revelry in Banaswadi in the city on Wednesday. The students are absconding and the police have launched a search operation to nab them. According to a complaint lodged with the police, Anand, who had rented his home to African students in Kullappa Circle in Banaswadi, received complaints from neighbours on his tenants partying late into the night and disturbing peace in the locality. On Wednesday night, Anand visited his tenants, who were already in a drunken state. He objected to their behaviour leading to an altercation. It is alleged that the students assaulted Anand as well as his relative Karthik. By then, local residents had gathered and sensing trouble the African students fled in their car. The local residents chased the car in vain. A case has been registered and the police have summoned the office-bearers of the African Students' Union to help identify the culp

From now on, you need not hesitate to help an accident victim fearing legal, procedural hassles and harassment in hospital, police station or courts. Now, you will also be rewarded or compensated for the life-saving initiative. A supportive legal framework for Good Samaritans, which can help reduce the number of accidental deaths in the country drastically, finally came into being with the putting its stamp of approval on the guidelines framed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. "We approve the guidelines. The central government shall now give wide publicity to the guidelines through the print and electronic media so that people who help others in the time of distress are not victimised by any authority," said a bench comprising justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra. According to the guidelines issued in a Public Interest Litigation filed by NGO Save Life Foundation, a bystander or an eyewitness to an accident who takes the injured to the hospital may leave

She has been a hero. She has been part of more than 150 operations at the sensitive Delhi airport. Her nose has been just perfect. However, diagnosed with cancer recently, Sweety- the top sniffer dog guarding the airport as part of the CISF dog squad for nearly a decade-is now due for a painful retirement. Her mammary tumour, which is malignant, was noticed during a training session as she was not in her usual, jovial self. "Doctors told us that she has cancer and it will take time to remove the tumour. After analysing for almost five days, an immediate surgery was required for which we took her to Bareilly where she was operated," said her handler Mohan Singh. Until a few months ago, Sweety-a light brown-coloured Labrador-was often seen walking around the Delhi airport, alert as always in detecting anything suspicious. Now, she spends most her time in a secluded air-conditioned room away from the clamour of the airport. Sweety was the main sniffer dog when in October la

The Food and Drug Administration has relaxed its requirements for the abortion pill, a move that could expand access to the procedure amid increasing restrictions on abortion providers. For many abortion providers, this move will not affect their recommendations for prescribing mifepristone, an abortion pill that blocks hormones necessary for pregnancy, as they were previously diverging from FDA guidelines in favor of using new research, according to the Washington Post. But laws in Texas, North Dakota and North Carolina require that providers use the FDA’s recommendations, which were last updated in 2000 and are considered to be outdated, the Guttmacher Institute  reports .                                      The news was well received by medical experts, such as the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which said in a statement that it was “pleased that the updated FDA-approved regimen for mifepristone reflects the current available scientific evidence and

Authorities are waiting for the results of the toxicology tests on the charred body of a 65-year old woman found on Tuesday on the roof of a block of flats in Aglandjia, to shed light on the cause of death. The Greek Cypriot woman’s body was found by her brother, who notified police shortly after 4pm. State pathologist Eleni Antoniou, who conducted the post mortem on Wednesday, told the Cyprus Mail that the body is burned, but that no other injuries were found on the woman. “The body was sprinkled with a flammable substance,” Antoniou said. Toxicology tests are expected to be ready on Thursday, she added, and even though there is indication she died from inhaling the smoke, “it would be wise to wait for the results of the tests”.

Strong storms spawned multiple tornadoes in Oklahoma Wednesday and dumped heavy rain on several states across the South. The National Weather Service reported multiple tornados touching down northeast of Tulsa, inlcuding outside the airport. EMSA said on Twitter Wednesday evening that medics have transported nine patients with weather related injuries. Most of those patients were transported with serious injuries. One patient is in critical condition, according to a news release from EMSA. Meteorologist Amy Jankowski said the Weather Service received several reports of lofted debris, trees down and some structural damage. The City of Tulsa said in a statement that several roads were closed and police and fire crews were canvassing the city. The Streets and Water Departments are assisting with road barricades and debris removal. Nearly 9 million people in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas are in an enhanced area of risk through Friday, putting them in the bull's

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump. © Jim Bourg / Reuters A union representing US border patrol agents has endorsed Donald Trump for president. The move marks the first endorsement in history of the National Border Patrol Council. It also opposes the group’s parent organization, which endorsed Hillary Clinton. The NBPC, which represents up to 18,000 Border Patrol agents, according to Federal Times, previously voiced displeasure over the December 2015 endorsement of Clinton by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), its parent organization. On Tuesday, the union openly endorsed Trump, who is leading in the Republican primary contests. This is the same union that reportedly pressured its Laredo, Texas chapter to back out of a meeting with Trump during the candidate’s scheduled visit to the US-Mexican border last July. “There is no greater physical or economic threat to Americans today than our open border. And there is no greater political thre

For the first time in its nearly 20-year history, Fox News Channel clocked the biggest quarterly crowd in basic cable, in primetime and in total day. In total day, FNC delivered its highest rated quarter ever in total viewers. In outranking all other cable networks for the full quarter, FNC spent the past 10 consecutive weeks as the No. 1 cable channel in total day viewers. The news channel, which has spent the past 14 years outstripping its cable news competition, this time bested all cable comers. In primetime, the network logged 2.37M viewers (up 26%), and 483K of them falling into the key news demo of viewers 25-54 years (up 50%). FNC’s total viewer take routed CNN ’s 1.4M and  MSNBC ’s 888K. CNN jumped a whopping 165% compared to same quarter last year, while MSNBC grew 66%. Among 25-54 year olds, FNC edged out CNN’s 455K and bested MSNBC’s 226K. Here too, CNN soared, by 143%, to MSNBC”s 71% spike. In total day, the network averaged 1.35M viewers (up 14%) and 271K news dem

Leonidas Bobolas Greek construction mogul Leonidas Bobolas, wanted by police here in connection with an ongoing corruption investigation into waste management contracts, was on Wednesday arrested and then released in Athens. Bobolas, for whom a European arrest warrant had been issued, turned up at an Athens police station and was arrested. On Wednesday he appeared before a magistrate, where his attorneys argued that some of the alleged offences attributed to Bobolas took place in Greece, and therefore Cypriot courts did not have jurisdiction. As per procedure, the magistrate ordered Bobolas released on his own recognizance, but ordered that his name be placed on a stop-list. Greek judicial authorities will decide within 60 days whether Bobolas is to be extradited to Cyprus. Earlier reports said the businessman’s attorneys had been in contact with Cypriot authorities. They reportedly indicated their client’s intention to cooperate, but on condition that Bobolas would turn witness

Two white police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota will not face criminal charges for their involvement in the shooting of Jamar Clark, an unarmed African-American man whose death sparked weeks of protests in the city. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman made the announcement Wednesday, saying the investigation determined that Clark, 24, was not handcuffed at the time of the November shooting, as some witnesses claimed. He also said that Clark had struggled with Officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, before Schwarze shot him in the head. Freeman added that Clark had one of his hands on a gun belonging to Ringgenberg, and that he refused to remove his hand despite multiple orders to do so. “I am ready to die,” Clark said more than once, according to a Minneapolis Star Tribune report on the investigation. "Criminal charges are not warranted against either officer," said Freeman on Wednesday, as quoted by NBC News . Officials said the shooting was justified