News without the noise · New York Edition
Thursday, March 12, 2026 · 36 stories
Weeks later, he was arrested in a homemade-bomb attack near Gracie Mansion. In February, Emir Balat disappeared from the online marketplace he frequented.
A developer is proposing to convert the largely vacant former Watchtower buildings in Brooklyn Heights into more than 600 residential units under a pending proposal.
A 58-year-old woman was fatally struck by a dark-colored sedan while crossing the street in Queens. The driver fled the scene. NYPD is investigating the hit-and-run incident.
Two Pennsylvania men, 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi and 18-year-old Emir Balat, have been charged with attempting an ISIS-inspired attack in New York City. Investigators discovered a notebook in their Bucks County storage unit documenting plans to target soft targets like shopping centers. The suspects brought homemade explosives to Gracie Mansion on Saturday during an anti-Muslim protest, where NYPD officers stopped them. Evidence suggests they had been planning an attack for at least a week, including purchasing fireworks fuse in early March. Both face terrorism charges and weapons of mass destruction counts.
A 34-year-old man from Honduras was charged with pushing two men onto subway tracks at the Lexington Avenue-63rd Street station on the Upper East Side on Sunday. One victim, an 83-year-old Air Force veteran, is brain dead following surgery for a brain bleed. The other victim, a 30-year-old man, sustained injuries to his shoulder and neck. The suspect, who was arrested at a Brooklyn shelter, has prior convictions for illegal entry into the United States. The NYPD reported nine subway pushes so far this year, compared to three during the same period last year.
The $16 billion Gateway Tunnel Project is moving forward after an appeals court rejected the Trump administration's attempt to halt federal funding. Construction resumed on Thursday, but officials warn work may stop again in two to three months without continued federal funding. The project will build a new two-track rail tunnel under the Hudson River and repair the existing North River Tunnel in service since 1910. Meanwhile, NJ Transit passengers experienced a month of delays due to Portal Bridge track work, which is expected to complete by end of weekend with service resuming Monday.
Two people have died after donating plasma at Canadian clinics operated by a company currently under federal scrutiny for failing to maintain accurate donor records, screen donors properly, and maintain equipment. The company operating the sites stated it has no evidence linking the deaths to plasma donation. Health experts note such deaths remain extremely rare.
Global oil prices rose to approximately $97.50 per barrel despite the International Energy Agency announcing a record release of 400 million barrels. The increase follows Iranian attacks on three cargo vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for global energy supplies. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson warned that vessels linked to the US, Israel, or their allies would be targeted. The price volatility has triggered stock market declines in Japan and London, and fuel shortages in Asian countries including the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Hungary's parliamentary election on April 12 is becoming a flashpoint in the Ukraine conflict. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government claims Ukraine is preparing attacks and sabotage to prevent his re-election, while accusing Kyiv of deliberately delaying repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline to cause fuel shortages. Ukraine denies the allegations and accuses Orbán of using anti-Ukraine hysteria to frighten voters. The Financial Times reported that a Kremlin-linked media firm is preparing a disinformation campaign to support Orbán and discredit the opposition Tisza Party. Orbán's Fidesz party currently trails Tisza 39% to 50% in polls. The dispute centers on oil deliveries halted since January 27 after a Russian drone strike; Ukraine says repairs could take six weeks, while Orbán claims the pipeline is intact and Ukraine is deliberately blocking restoration.