Humpback whale stuck in California harbour
Ventura: A humpback whale swam into a Southern California harbor and got stuck there, drawing spectators and news helicopters as boat crews try to guide it out to the open water.Ventura Harbor Patrol officials say the whale was spotted yesterday afternoon and has been swimming back and forth in the harbour.
A wildlife expert said the approximately 40-foot-long whale appeared to be a healthy juvenile.
Jen Levine, the stranding operations and animal care manager for the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute, says rescuers plan to use a hydrophone that plays underwater whale sounds to guide the whale out of the harbor.
The Coast Guard, the National Parks Service and local authorities are involved in the effort. (AP)
Teen spits on Muslim girl; tries to yank off her hijab
New York: A 16-year-old Muslim girl was spat upon and abused by her classmate who even tried to pull her hijab off in a city school in the US. The 15-year-old boy was on an elevator with the victim inside the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety in Jamaica in the New York City when he called her a “Muslim b—h!” and spit on her, police said.
He then tugged on her hijab in an attempt to rip it off her head, they said. The girl then told school officials, who reported the incident to police. Police questioned the teen and charged him with aggravated harassment and disorderly conduct, New York Daily reported.
He will be charged as a juvenile and so his name was not released. The victim was rattled but not physically harmed, police said. “This incident is troubling, and this type of behaviour has no place in our schools,” Department of Education spokeswoman Toya Holness said.
The incident comes amid growing incidents of hate and assaults on hijab-wearing girls and women across the US. (PTI)
Man tries to break into cockpit of flight
New York: A 25-year-old man was duct-taped to his seat by fellow passengers after he tried to enter the cockpit of an American Airlines flight, prompting the US to rush fighter jets to intercept the plane, a media report said.
Anil Uskanil, a Turkish national, was flying from Los Angeles International Airport to Honolulu on Friday when he allegedly caused a disturbance by attempting to breach the plane’s cockpit.
American Airlines initially told the New York Daily that there had been a “disturbance during the flight.” Uskanil was allegedly “loitering” near the plane’s restroom, carrying a laptop.
When asked to return to his seat, he refused and then allegedly lunged forward to try and breach the cockpit, the report said.
The incident prompted Pacific Command to dispatch a pair of F-22 fighter jets to intercept the passenger plane.
The incident prompted Pacific Command to dispatch a pair of F-22 fighter jets to intercept the passenger plane.
Command spokesman Dave Benham said they “escorted the airliner to the airport in accordance with homeland defence procedures. Local law enforcement responded once the civilian airliner was on the ground”.
Federal authorities are preparing a criminal complaint to charge Uskanil with interference with a flight crew. No injuries were reported and the Honolulu-bound flight landed at airport safely, after fighter jets escorted the plane.
Los Angeles International Airport police said separately that Uskanil had been detained, questioned and released hours earlier after he was caught by security there going through a terminal concourse door leading out to the airfield. (PTI)
