Page 8 - New York City

New York City streets flooded, multiple subway lines snarled by downpour

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Friday across all of New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley, saying state agencies were prepared to offer assistance

Storm floods New York City area, swamping streets in rush-hour mess

A potent rush-hour rainstorm swamped the New York metropolitan area on Friday, shutting down swaths of the city's subway system, flooding streets and highways, and cutting off access to at least one terminal at LaGuardia Airport. Up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in some areas overnight, and as much as 7 inches (18 centimeters) more was expected throughout the day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. This is a dangerous, life-threatening storm," Hochul said in an interview with TV station NY1. "Count on this for the next 20 hours. Photos and video posted on social media showed water pouring into subway stations and basements, and reaching the top of cars' wheels in parts of Brooklyn and elsewhere. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs subway and commuter rail lines, urged residents of the nation's most populous city to stay home if they could. Virtually every subway line was at least partly suspended, rerouted or running with delays, and two of the Metro-No

Loudspeaker message outside NYC migrant shelter warns new arrivals

A New Yorker upset that the city has been housing homeless migrants on his block has set up a loudspeaker to deliver an unwelcoming message to his new neighbours: "Immigrants are not safe here. The message, recorded in six languages, blares all day from a loudspeaker on Scott Herkert's well-groomed front lawn on Staten Island, exhorting migrants to go back to another part of the city because the community doesn't want them. It urges people brought to a temporary shelter inside a long-vacant Roman Catholic high school not to get off the bus. The message also claims the building has rats and cockroaches. It is one of several ways some people have let shelter residents know they are not welcome. Hundreds of protesters have also held a large rally outside the former school, urging the city to house migrants elsewhere. The women and families placed by the city inside the former Saint John Villa Academy have heard the message loud and clear. We have to close our eyes and close our ears,

New York bans TikTok on government devices citing 'security concerns'

New York City on Wednesday banned TikTok on government-owned devices citing 'security concerns' thus joining the list of more than two dozen states that have restricted access to the short video app

New York City agrees to pay $13 mn to 2020 racial injustice protesters

New York City has agreed to pay more than USD 13 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought on behalf of roughly 1,300 people who were arrested or beaten by police during racial injustice demonstrations that swept through the city during the summer of 2020. If approved by a judge, the settlement, which was filed in Manhattan federal court Wednesday, would be among the most expensive pay-outs ever awarded in a lawsuit over mass arrests, experts said. The lawsuit focused on 18 of the many protests that erupted in New York City in the week following the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. With certain exceptions, people arrested or subjected to force by NYPD officers at those events will each be eligible for USD 9,950 in compensation, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs. The agreement, one of several stemming from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, allows the city to avoid a trial that could be both expensive and politically fraught. It comes as

Diwali to become school holiday in New York City, mayor announces

Mayor Eric Adams called the moment a significant win for the local families

As rising oceans threaten New York, study says the city is sinking

If rising oceans aren't worry enough, add this to the risks New York City faces: The metropolis is slowly sinking under the weight of its skyscrapers, homes, asphalt and humanity itself. New research estimates the city's landmass is sinking at an average rate of 1 to 2 millimeters per year, something referred to as subsidence. That natural process happens everywhere as ground is compressed, but the study published this month in the journal Earth's Future sought to estimate how the massive weight of the city itself is hurrying things along. More than 1 million buildings are spread across the city's five boroughs. The research team calculated that all those structures add up to about 1.7 trillion tonnes of concrete, metal and glass about the mass of 4,700 Empire State buildings pressing down on the Earth. The rate of compression varies throughout the city. Midtown Manhattan's skyscrapers are largely built on rock, which compresses very little, while some parts of Brooklyn, Queens

2 children killed in NYC lithium-ion battery bike fire; 4 survive blaze

An electric bicycle powered by a lithium ion battery is being blamed for a fatal fire on Monday in New York City that killed two children, marking the latest in a string of e-bike-related fires in the city. FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said it took his firefighters only three minutes to arrive at the Astoria, Queens home. However, with the fast-moving nature of e-bike fires and the fact the bike was being charged near the front entrance of the multi-family building, the victims "didn't have a chance to get out of the building" given the intense fire that quickly travelled up the stairs to a second-floor apartment. "So we got here very quickly. And if this was not a bike fire, most likely we would have been able to put this fire out without incident. But the way these fires occur, it's like an explosion of fire," he told reporters outside the burned home. "It's an ongoing problem. We implore everybody to please be very careful and aware of the danger of these devices." With

NYC Mayor Adams wants to build bridges between India and US, says his aide

New York City Mayor Eric Adams loves the Indian American community and wants to build bridges between India and the United States, his Indian American aide has said. Speaking at an event here organised to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Indian American International Chamber of Commerce, Deputy Commissioner, Mayor's Office for International Affairs Dilip Chauhan said mayor was looking for the right time to travel to India. "Definitely he's looking to travel (to India) and build the bridges between India and the US. He loves the Indian American community, he told PTI on Friday on the sidelines of the event here. The mayor's Diwali event was attended by more than 1,300 people. Chauhan is one of the highest ranking Indian American in New York City. The Mayor's Office for International Affairs is the link between New York City and the International Community, which includes 70 Trade Commissions, 116 Consulates, and 193 Permanent Missions. New York City Mayor Eric Adams and I are

Former President Trump to be arraigned Tuesday to face New York indictment

Former President Donald Trump is set to be arraigned on Tuesdsay after his indictment in New York City, court officials said on Friday. Trump's surrender will usher in the unprecedented scenario of a former US commander-in-chief being arrested and arraigned. Trump's indictment, announced on Thursday, came after a grand jury probe into hush money paid during the 2016 presidential campaign to squelch allegations of an extramarital sexual encounter. The indictment itself has remained sealed, as is standard in New York before an arraignment. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and denounced the investigation as a scam, a persecution, an injustice and a political low blow aimed at damaging his 2024 presidential run. He is a Republican; the district attorney who oversaw the inquiry, Alvin Bragg, is a Democrat. No ex-president has ever been charged with a crime before, so there's no rulebook for booking one. Trump has Secret Service protection, so agents would need to be by his side at all ..

E-bike batteries blamed for 22 NYC fires, 2 deaths and 36 injuries so far

Lithium ion batteries used to power electric bicycles and scooters have already sparked 22 fires that caused 36 injuries and two deaths in New York City this year, four times the number of fires linked to the batteries by this time last year, officials said. On Friday, Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said Mayor Eric Adams' administration is coming at this problem from every single angle, including working with the City Council and the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission on additional regulations for the batteries and educating the public on their proper use and storage. These are incredibly dangerous devices, and we must make sure that members of the community are handling them properly and using them safely, Kavanagh said at a briefing on public safety. Many of the fires blamed on the batteries have been caused by malfunctioning devices left to charge overnight and placed in a hallway or near a door where they can trap people inside a burning apartment. Three children and

U-Haul truck hits, injures 8 pedestrians in New York City; 2 critical

A man driving a U-Haul truck struck and injured several pedestrians in New York City on Monday before police were able to pin the careening vehicle against a building following a mileslong pursuit through Brooklyn. At least eight people were hurt at two locations, including two people who were in criticial condition, the New York City Fire Department said in an email. The truck sped through the Bay Ridge neighbourhood of Brooklyn, hitting people on a sidewalk at one point, before police stopped it more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) away near the entrance to a tunnel leading from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Aerial video from news helicopters showed the truck on a sidewalk, its path blocked by a police cruiser. Authorities were examining the truck to make sure it didn't contain explosives. A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams said a suspect was in custody. There are no additional credible threats at this time, Fabien Levy tweeted. The incident coincided with the start of the

NYC mayor urges people to 'live in the spirit' of Diwali amid hate crimes

As communities grapple with hate crimes and darkness, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has urged people to live in the spirit of Lord Ram, Sita and Diwali and be the beacon of light and hope each day of the year. There's too much darkness. We have been engulfed in the desire to just find places we disagree, he said on Tuesday, giving a clarion call to people and communities "to live true to what Diwali represents". Let's live in the spirit of Ram, let's live in the spirit of Sita. Let's live in the spirit of Diwali. Let's live up to what this holiday represents and then we will know that we have fulfilled our responsibility and obligation, Adams said, as he wished Happy Diwali to a large gathering of prominent members of the Indian-American, South Asian and other communities at a Diwali celebration hosted at his official residence. It is time for us to live up to Diwali, to sit down and communicate, to push back against hate crimes against Sikhs, against AAPI (Asian American Pacific .

New York declares state of emergency amid rising influx of asylum seekers

New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency in response to a record-breaking influx of asylum seekers into the city, mostly from the southern border of the US.

S Korean President arrives in NY to attend UNGA; set to meet Japanese PM

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has arrived in New York to attend the UN General Assembly and hold a series of summits, including a highly anticipated meeting with Japanese Prime Minister

Veteran NY judge appointed as independent arbiter in Trump Mar-a-Lago probe

A federal judge has appointed a veteran New York jurist to serve as an independent arbiter and review records seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Florida home last month. The selection of Raymond Dearie, a former federal prosecutor who for years served as the chief judge of the federal court based in Brooklyn, came after both the Justice Department and Trump's lawyers made clear that they would be satisfied with his appointment as a so-called special master. In that role, Dearie will be responsible for reviewing the documents taken during the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and segregating out any that may be covered by claims of privilege. It is not clear how long the work will take but the special master process has already delayed the investigation, with a judge in Florida directing the Justice Department to temporarily pause core aspects of its probe. The Justice Department is investigating the hoarding of top-secret materials and other classified document

NYC police to put up 'gun free zone' signs throughout Times Square

City Council members also introduced their bill this month to redefine the Times Square area as a sensitive location after the ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen

White House, New York City Mayor condemn vandalism of Gandhi statue

The White House and New York City Mayor on Wednesday strongly condemned recent cases of vandalism of Mahatma Gandhi statues in the country, with the latest one being in New York. "Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, has an enduring message of truth and nonviolence, serves as an inspiration. As you said, the President has spoken to this directly and specifically. Any act of vandalism should be condemned in the strongest terms," White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference. She was responding to questions on the recent increase in instances of vandalism of statues of Mahatma Gandhi in various parts of the country, with two of them being in New York itself. The New York Police Department is investigating at least one of them as a hate crime. "I'll refer you to the local law enforcement for more on any investigation or actions that may be taken from that from their point of view," she said when asked about the investigations in this regard. "The ..

Independence Day: Tricolour fly-past over Hudson, billboard at Times Square

A fly-past by a 220 ft-long majestic Indian tricolour, made of Khadi, over Hudson river and the display of a giant billboard at theTimes Square are planned to mark 75 years of India's Independence

New York City officials declare monkeypox a public health emergency

Officials in New York City have declared a public health emergency due to the spread of the monkeypox virus, calling the city "the epicentre" of the outbreak