Briefly

UNITED STATES

10 dead after car plows into New Orleans crowd

A driver in a pickup truck sped through a crowd of pedestrians in New Orleans' bustling French Quarter district, killing 10 and injuring more than 35 in an act being investigated as a New Year's Day terrorist attack. Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that the suspect was killed after a firefight with police. Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver intentionally drove into a crowd at around 3:15 am on Wednesday. "This man was trying to run over as many people as he could," she said. Officials were investigating the discovery of at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene.

INDIA

Nation's first space docking bid kicks off

India launched its first space docking mission on Monday in an attempt to become the fourth country to achieve the advanced technological feat. The mission lifted off from the Sriharikota launch site in Andhra Pradesh state aboard the Indian Space Research Organisation's PSLV rocket. It is seen as a critical step for the country's dreams of a space station and a manned moon mission. "Through this mission, India is marching toward becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology," ISRO added, after Russia, the United States and China.

Agencies Via Xinhua