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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — One person was shot to death Thursday afternoon and three others were injured in the French Quarter, New Orleans' historic tourist district, police said. Police responded to the shooting at the intersection of Iberville and Royal streets at around 12:21 p.m. and had at least one of three suspects in custody, Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters. Kirkpatrick said at least three masked suspects were in a silver 2016 Honda Accord when they pulled up outside Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse and opened fire. “This was not random, and we could see that,” Kirkpatrick said in a media briefing at the scene. The arrested suspect's name and the expected charges have not yet been released. Kirkpatrick urged the other suspects to come forward. “We know who you are,” she said. “We're asking you to come in, turn yourself in.” At least one firearm has been recovered, she said. It’s the second shooting incident within a week in Orleans Parish. On Sunday, gunfire broke out twice as the Nine Times Social Aid & Pleasure Club’s second line parade rolled through a neighborhood, wounding 10 people, then killing two people and wounding a third 45 minutes later as the parade crossed the Almonaster bridge. “Tragically, we are faced with another mass shooting this week,” said New Orleans City Council president Helena Moreno in a statement. “This is an overall gun violence problem throughout our city and we cannot stand for it. This is not who we are and those responsible will be apprehended and fully prosecuted.” Kirkpatrick noted that in November 2023, 20 murders were recorded. Thursday's shooting brings the number to nine so far for November 2024, she said. The last shooting involving multiple people in the French Quarter happened in Nov. 2022, when five people were shot, none fatally, in the 200 block of Bourbon Street. In Nov. 2016, one person died and nine were wounded in a shooting in the 100 block of Bourbon Street shooting. Meanwhile, the two victims from Thursday's incident were listed in stable condition and a third was in surgery, Kirkpatrick said. Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse was closed at the time of the shooting. No workers were injured and the business will remain closed Thursday, spokesperson Lindsay Ross told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.
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"I spoke with Nikita today and I wanted to thank her for her incredible bravery and her courage," he said. "I wanted to make sure that she knew how much solidarity and support there was across this country for her bravery. "I also wanted to make sure she knew of what the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre had said yesterday - that so many other women have now come forward in relation to their own experiences of sexual abuse as a result of Nikita's bravery." Earlier Justice Minister Helen McEntee also commended Nikita for her “bravery and determination” after winning a civil case against Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor. Mr McGregor said in a post on social media on Friday that he intends to appeal the decision. That post has since been deleted. Justice Minister Helen McEntee praised Ms Hand’s bravery and said she had shown “there is light at the end of the tunnel”. “I just want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her determination and the leadership that she has shown in what has been – I’ve no doubt – a very, very difficult time for her and indeed, for her family. She added: “Because of wonderful people like Nikita, I hope that it shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that there are supports available to people, and that there is justice at the end of the day.” Ms Hand said in a statement outside court on Friday that she hoped her case would remind victims of assault to keep “pushing forward for justice”. Describing the past six years as “a nightmare”, she said: “I want to show (my daughter) Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” During the case, Ms Hand said she was “disappointed and upset” when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute the case after she made a complaint to the Irish police. In a letter to her in August 2020, the DPP said there was “insufficient evidence” and there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction. Ms Hand asked the DPP to review the decision, saying she felt she was being treated differently because one of the suspects was famous. Asked about the DPP’s decision not to prosecute, Ms McEntee said: “We have a very independent system in this country, and I think that’s right. “Our DPP, she’s independent in the decisions that are taken, and for good reasons that there should never be any political interference in that process. “There is always an option for an individual to ask for reasons to be outlined as to why the DPP made a particular decision, and that is open to any individual or any case, but I have, since becoming minister, given priority to and enabled a new office within the DPP to open specifically focused on sexual offences, so that this issue can be given the focus and the priority that it needs. “But... it is independent, and I really think it’s important that we respect that independence.” Also speaking about the case, Mr Martin commended Ms Hand for her “extraordinary courage and bravery”, while stressing the importance of instilling core values in young people “and young men in particular.” “Consent and respect are very very basic values that must be there from the very beginning in life and through the SPHE programme through relationships and sexualities programmes in schools this has to be consistently worked on. “Consent its critical here and for Nikita Hand to do what she did I think is quiet extraordinary.” He said: “It was a harrowing case and I think the people across the country were shocked by it and very very upset. I think the entire country are rooting for Nikita Hand this morning.” Asked if he was critical of the DPP, Mr Martin said: “I don’t have the full background that the DPP had in respect of this but the bottom line is: there is a higher degree of challenge in a criminal court than there is in a civil case.” He added that “there are issues that we will evaluate coming out of this.” Mr Martin also stressed the need to ensure the Irish justice system is much more “victim-centric than it currently is or indeed has been in the past.”In This State, Cheating on Spouse Is No Longer a Crime
A video showing an Ola customer smashing his scooter with a hammer right in front of the showroom is going viral on social media. The development came after the service center staff issued a repair bill of Rs 90,000. In the viral footage, a man wearing a white T-shirt can be seen thrashing a scooter laid down in front of a showroom. Later, another man appears and takes turns with the hammer, and begins smashing it. The video was posted on X with the caption, " The showroom made a bill of Rs 90000, the customer got upset and broke the scooter in front of the showroom." शोरूम ने 90000 का बनाया बिल ग्राहक ने परेशान होकर शोरूम के सामने ही तोड़ दी स्कूटी - सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल हुआ वीडियो. #ola #OlaScooter #viralvideo #ViralVideos #socialmedia #Nedricknews @OlaElectric pic.twitter.com/7JPPtRSf9E — Nedrick News (@nedricknews) November 22, 2024 Previously, the comedian Kunal Kamra criticised Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal for poor customer service. Kamra shared an image of scooters parked at an Ola service centre, questioning the quality of after-sales support on social media. Posting on X, Kamra questioned, “Do Indian consumers have a voice? Do they deserve this? Two-wheelers are many daily wage workers' lifeline.” Reacting the Kamra's post, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said, “Since you care so much, Kunal Kamra, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career. Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding the service network fast, and backlogs will be cleared soon.” Social Media Users React To Viral Video After the video went viral on social media, netizens gave mixed responses in the comment section of the video. One of the netizens said, "All the electric scooter owners are frauds, they need goats so that they don't slaughter their customers. Everyone's service is absolutely poor." The next said, "Whenever I think of buying an Ola Electric scooter. Some video like this surfaces and I delay my decision. I really wish there could be an electric company, which would make quality electric scooters." Another responded, "Why not file a case of cheating against OLA instead of doing this nonsense. Ask them for full refund, compensation for time and mental peace. Why give such companies easy way out." ALSO READ | Anupam Mittal Opens Hiring For A ‘Chief Of What’ Role In Response To Zomato CEO’s No Salary Job Offer. See Viral PostA recent study that recommended toxic chemicals in black plastic products be immediately thrown away included a math error that significantly overstated the risks of contamination, but its authors are standing by their conclusions and warn against using such products. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Chemosphere , experts from the nonprofit Toxic-Free Future said they detected flame retardants and other toxic chemicals in 85% of 203 items made of black plastic including kitchen utensils , take-out containers, children's toys and hair accessories. In a blog post, Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada, explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. (Dreamstime/TNS) The study initially said the potential exposure to chemicals found in one of the kitchen utensils approached the minimum levels the Environmental Protection Agency deemed a health risk. But in an update to the study, the authors say they made an error in their calculations and the real levels were "an order of magnitude lower" than the EPA's thresholds. The error was discovered by Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada. In a blog post, Schwarcz explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. Though Schwarcz said the risks outlined in the study aren't enough for him to discard his black plastic kitchen items if he had them, he agreed with the authors that flame retardants shouldn't be in these products in the first place. "The math error does not impact the study's findings, conclusions or recommendations," said Megan Liu, a co-author of the study who is the science and policy manager for Toxic-Free Future . She added that any traces of flame retardants or toxic chemicals in cooking utensils should be concerning for the public. Flame retardants are getting into commonly used items because black-colored products are being made from recycled electronic waste, such as discarded television sets and computers, that frequently contain the additives. When they're heated, the flame retardants and other toxic chemicals can migrate out. If you're wondering whether your old black plastic spoon or other utensils are a part of this group, Liu shared some more guidance. It's nearly impossible to know whether a black plastic product is contaminated. That's because these products that include recycled e-waste don't disclose a detailed list of all ingredients and contaminants in the product. Liu said it's also unclear how many types of flame retardants are in these black plastic products. Some of the products that researchers tested in this recent study "had up to nine different harmful chemicals and harmful flame retardants in them," she said. Anytime you're looking for the type of recycled plastic a product is made of you're going to look for a number within the chasing arrows (that form a triangle) logo. Recycling symbols are numbered 1 to 7 and we commonly associate the numbers with what we can toss in our blue recycling bins. The 1 through 7 numbers stand for, respectively, polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene or Styrofoam, and miscellaneous plastics (including polycarbonate, polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene, fiberglass and nylon). The study found higher levels of toxic flame retardants in polystyrene plastic, which is labeled with the number 6, said Liu. There isn't a definitive timeline of when recycled electronic-waste started to be incorporated into black plastic products specifically, but e-waste started to get recycled in the early 2000s, Liu said. The way computers, cellphones, stereos, printers and copiers were being disposed of previously was to simply add them to a landfill without reusing salvageable parts. But as the National Conference of State Legislatures notes, electronics production required a significant amount of resources that could be recovered through recycling. Recovering resources such as metals, plastics and glass through recycling used a fraction of the energy needed to mine new materials. However, the study pointed out that flame retardants and other chemical contaminates have been detected in and near e-waste recycling facilities, in indoor air and dust at formal e-waste recycling facilities in Canada, China, Spain and the U.S. It also noted contamination in soil samples surrounding e-waste recycling sites in China and Vietnam. The safest nontoxic material options for kitchen utensil are wood and stainless steel. The 20th century brought airplanes, radio, television, the internet, and plastic. Lots of plastic. That plastic is now showing up on shorelines, forming islands in oceans, and generating mountains of translucent trash on land. Around 700 species of animals in the sea have been found to interact with plastic daily. Companies across every industry face pressure to reduce the amount of plastic they produce. Seventy-two percent of the world's largest have made voluntary commitments to reduce their plastic waste, according to a Duke University analysis. One industry, in particular, has greatly benefited from advancements in single-use plastic technology: the medical industry. Only in recent years have businesses and academics in the field begun to talk about minimizing their impact on our environment like beverage manufacturers and other consumer goods-producing businesses. Medical Technology Schools analyzed academic studies published in the National Library of Medicine , the American Medical Association , and news reports to shed light on the medical community's use of plastics through history, their environmental problems, and proposed solutions to reduce their impact. And the impact can be significant. A single hospital patient generates nearly 34 pounds of waste a day —as much as a quarter of it is plastic. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened the problem. The pandemic pushed hospital capacity to the brink and led to a massive increase in personal protective equipment and medical supply usage. Medical-grade masks and other protective equipment like face shields, made mostly of nonrenewable plastics, were in high demand. In 2020, the World Health Organization estimated that the international need for PPE manufacturing would boost 40% to address the public health crisis. Hospitals needed an estimated 89 million masks, 76 million gloves, and 1.6 million goggles every month of the pandemic. To date, nearly 677 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, each requiring their own plastic syringe, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan estimated that the U.S. would produce a year's worth of medical waste in just two months due to the pandemic. The World Economic Forum warned that the COVID-19 crisis threatened to " stall and even reverse progress " to reduce large plastic waste. It's a challenge researchers acknowledge today as they search for solutions. Plastics introduced an era of ultraconvenience to the world. It makes our clothes. It's made bike helmets and airbags possible. And it's a cheap material to produce, meaning it's cheap for consumers too. Almost as importantly, it's durable and incredibly easy to make into complex shapes—a trait that helped plastics invented in the mid-20th century quickly replace more expensive metal and wooden goods. That adoption extended to the medical field, where the single-use nature of plastics represented a move toward more hygienic tools for physicians and hospitals. But it wasn't plastic's sanitary qualities that the industry first latched onto. Like so many other technical advancements, convenience and cost were the initial driving factors. That they were more conducive to creating a sterile environment for patients was a benefit that health care began to tout closer to the end of the 20th century. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, replaced glass bottles previously used to hold IV solution and replaced rubber tubing used throughout hospital settings. Plastic has also become the go-to material for making syringes and catheters. Plastic products are generally made from chemicals derived from the oil and natural gas refining process. Chemists use those byproducts to create synthetic materials with malleable and durable chemical structures. The low cost of these materials has helped medical device-makers support better health outcomes for communities across the U.S. since the 1900s. No longer was health care priced at rates only the elite could afford—it was accessible to a much larger swath of the public. In the last decade, the U.S., in particular, has emerged as a massive market for medical plastics. The country generally accounts for nearly half of the global market for medical devices. Plastic's durability is not only a benefit but a detriment to the environment, as the material can take many years to deteriorate when it enters landfills or trashes oceans. Estimates vary widely, but scientists ballpark that depending on the kind of plastic and the environment in which it decomposes, it could take dozens to thousands of years to break down entirely. COVID-19, which remains a burden for health care systems, isn't the only force raising the stakes for a health care industry pressured to reduce reliance on plastics or find ways to reuse them. Global annual production of plastic has doubled in the last two decades , according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As the U.S. looks toward the future, its aging population is another factor that could exacerbate the rate at which medical plastics end up in landfills. People require more medical care as they age, and aging baby boomers are expected to place increased demand on the medical device industry. At the same time, governments are under pressure to lower health care costs, which have become unaffordable even for those insured . As recently as 2021, researchers lamented a lack of data on efforts to recycle medical plastics. Around 350 hospitals participate in Practice Greenhealth's Environmental Excellence Awards . Practice Greenhealth is an organization working to help hospitals increase their sustainability. It's one of the few sources of hospital sustainability data, and its roster of participating hospitals represents a small fraction of the more than 6,000 hospitals operating in the U.S. To meet the need to reduce plastic waste generation, some hospitals are moving away from using plastic in certain applications. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center replaced health care workers' disposable plastic isolation gowns with reusable cloth gowns at its hospitals in the last decade, saving money and preventing literal tons of medical waste. It also implemented a process for sterilizing and incinerating the boxes that hold used needles, allowing them to be reassembled and reused in a health care setting. Recycling plastic medical waste is complicated by the potential for contamination and the need to separate contaminated and noncontaminated waste; once separated, they can be broken down with heat or treated with chemicals and reprocessed. However, using chemical methods to break down and dispose of plastics has drawbacks. Over 200 nongovernmental organizations signed a letter in 2023 urging the Biden administration to end federal support for methods like these, arguing they generate toxic pollutants. The Vinyl Council of Australia is working with hospitals to recover used materials made of PVC . The materials are broken down into tiny pieces, washed and heated at high temperatures, and remade into things used outside medical settings. In the U.S. and Europe, there's the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, a coalition of companies working in the health care device space that includes DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic. In 2021, the HPRC, advised by professionals at Kaiser Permanente and other health systems, rolled out a medical waste recycling pilot project with hopes of scaling it across more hospitals. Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on Medical Technology Schools and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week!
Art exhibition opens at PNCA to celebrate creativity and resilience
For Black Friday, Amazon Is Taking 40% Off All Samsung T9 SSDs (1TB, 2TB, And 4TB)Avior Wealth Management LLC Has $288,000 Position in PROCEPT BioRobotics Co. (NASDAQ:PRCT)A former NASA astronaut has shared details of a close call with unidentified flying objects while piloting his private plane over Texas. Dr. Leroy Chiao, who has flown three Space Shuttle missions and commanded Expedition 10 aboard the International Space Station, described encountering two metallic orbs during a routine flight. In an interview with NewsNation, Chiao recounted the incident that occurred in August while he was flying from Colorado to Houston. "I had just refueled in the Texas panhandle and was cruising at 9,000 feet in clear air," he said. "Out of nowhere, these two big, metallic, spherical orbs, about three feet in diameter each, zipped past my plane, just 20 feet away." Chiao emphasized the suddenness of the encounter. "It happened so fast that I didn't even have time to get scared," he said. Despite the brief moment, he noted the potential danger. "If they had hit my plane, the outcome could have been disastrous." The orbs, which appeared to move in a stacked formation, did not register on his plane's radar or prompt any warnings from air traffic control. "I don't know what they were," Chiao admitted. "My first thought is they could be part of some military program, possibly drones, but it's hard to say." Chiao described his narrow miss as "dumb luck" and expressed concern about the risks such objects pose to aviation. This sighting adds to growing reports of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). In New Jersey last year, drone-like objects with high-performance capabilities were spotted across the state. Local news footage even captured a mysterious orb flying over the Hudson River. The Pentagon has also acknowledged similar encounters. In 2023, radar footage showed a metallic orb moving through military-controlled airspace. Officials were unable to identify the object, fueling speculation about its origin. Dr. Chiao's experience highlights the mystery surrounding these sightings. "It's hard to believe the government doesn't know what's going on," he said. With increasing incidents of unexplained aerial activity, experts and the public are calling for transparency. Reports like Chiao's add urgency to understanding these phenomena and ensuring aviation safety. This incident underscores the growing need to investigate unidentified aerial objects, whether they are advanced technology or something unknown entirely. 4o
