CAR RAMS INTO SOLDIERS OUTSIDE PARIS, 6 INJURED

PARIS: A car slammed into soldiers on patrol outside Paris on Wednesday, injuring six people, two of them seriously, police said. The vehicle took off after the incident, which took place at about 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) in the northwestern suburb of Levallois-Perret. Police described the incident as an “apparently deliberate act.” France has been under a state of emergency since November 2015 and has seen a string of attacks on security forces who have been regularly targeted, particularly those guarding key tourist sites. An 18-year- old with a history of psychological problems was arrested on Saturday at the Eiffel Tower after brandishing a knife and shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest).

UNEP CHIEF URGES CHINA TO DO MORE ON CLIMATE

SEOUL: The world’s biggest polluter China has a “big job” ahead of it in the global fight against climate change, the UN’s environment chief said Wednesday. Beijing has repeatedly pledged to reduce its reliance on carbon-belching coal as it seeks to clear the toxic smog from its cities. But it has also invested heavily in coal projects abroad as part of its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, prompting accusations it is exporting its pollution to poorer and less developed countries. Erik Solheim, head of the UN Environment Program, told Agence France-Presse the world was in a “transformative phase” from coal to renewable energy and Beijing had a vital role to play. As well as its number one position as a source of pollution, China is also the world’s biggest investor in renewable energy such as solar and wind power. Its coal consumption has fallen for the past three years, and earlier this year it reportedly cancelled more than 100 carbon-belching coal power projects. But China still relies on the fuel for 62 percent of its primary energy mix.”China has a very big job ahead of it to transform fundamentally from coal into these very promising new technologies,” said Solheim.

ROGUE ELEPHANT TRAMPLES 15 TO DEATH IN INDIA, FACES CULLING

NEW DELHI: An elephant that has killed 15 people in eastern India over a monthslong rampage could be shot within days if it is not brought under control, an official said Wednesday. Wildlife rangers and hunters assembled in Jharkhand after another victim was trampled to death Tuesday evening, the state’s chief forest and wildlife conservator L.R. Singh told Agence France-Presse. The rogue elephant crushed four victims in Bihar state in March before crossing into neighboring Jharkhand and killing 11 more. “Villagers are living in fear, especially the Paharia tribe that lives on the upper hillier regions where the elephant roams. Something must be done,” Singh said, referring to one of the poorest indigenous tribal communities in eastern India. The marauding elephant likely wandered from its herd and became lost, straying into villages where the killings took place.