Halifax Regional Police said the man punched the woman to the ground Friday afternoon after she almost bumped into him while she was texting.

A 40-year-old man was arrested shortly after and charged with assault. Police say the suspect and the woman do not know each other.

Cab driver Amer Abdo of Casino Taxi says he witnessed the incident while driving in the city’s south end with passengers in his car.

“He came from behind her, grabbed her by the head, and then slammed her down,” says Abdo. “After she got up, he slammed her again.”

Abdo says he reversed his car to confront the man, who said nothing and walked away. The woman got into his car and Abdo contacted police while following the man who walked into a nearby business, he says.

The woman was crying and had difficulty explaining what had happened in English, says Abdo, but luckily the passengers in his cab were able to communicate with her in Chinese.

“Thank God the taxi driver was there,” says Sgt. Richard Lane. “The driver’s intervention certainly assisted in the apprehension of the suspect, and possibly prevented the assault from becoming more serious.”

Abdo says he resumed his shift Friday without giving the incident much thought.

“This girl was helpless. I couldn’t just drive off,” says Abdo. “It was the normal thing to do.”

The accused, whose name was not released by police, is due in court next month.

The nonagenarian great-grandmother first joined in 1973 after her husband retired due to disability.

"I told him we were too young to stay at home and so I went for a job," she recalled after enjoying a cake at a special party colleagues threw for her.

She never meant to stay as long as she did, Mrs Maurer told ABC News, adding that she never thought of becoming a manager because she prefers to interact with her customers.


"She is the only one here that knows how to make oats right," said one loyal customer who attended her party.

After her husband died in 1980, she began to travel more often with a friend, often visiting McDonald's wherever she went.

"I've been to Australia, Russia, Greece, Rome, and I'd always look when I could fly over the cities. I'd look for the arch."

One location even offered to serve her beer.

"That surprised me!" she said with a chuckle.

Even though she contemplates retirement every winter, she says she never plans to leave.

"I would miss it too much", says Mrs Maurer, who has four children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

"I really and truly enjoy it," Mrs Maurer adds. "Life is what you make it. And so I'm trying."

Permits decreased 2.5 percent, though January´s gures, were revised slightly higher to show again of 5.8 percent, from the originally reported 5.4 percent. Intentions for residential buildings slipped 1.5 as plans, for single family homes tumbled 5.4 percent, with the province of Ontario seeing the largest decrease. 


However , builiding plans for multi- family residences rose for a second month up 3.0 percent on increased intentions for apartment buildings in British Columbia and Alberta. Non- residential permits dropped 4,5 percent, amid a decreased in the institutional sector due to lower construction plans for government buildings and elementary schools.

Permits for industrial buildings fell 2.7 percent after a nearly 10 percent increase the previous month. On the upside, intentions for commercial buildings rose 1.0 percent on higher construction plans for office buildings in Quebec and Manitoba.

The device was found in the driver's seat, National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson said, but it was not known whether it was a bomb. Mr Eliasson also said the suspect in custody was from Uzbekistan, 39, and known to security services.

The hijacked lorry was driven into Ahlens department store in the capital. Four people were killed - 10 remain in hospital, including a child. Two are in intensive care.

Late on Saturday, police in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, found a "bomb-like device" in the Groenland district of the city and detained a man. The area was cordoned off and a controlled explosion carried out. Police say further investigations are continuing.

The suspect, who was not named, was known to the security services. However, he had only been seen as a "marginal character", Mr Eliasson said. The head of Swedish security police, Anders Thornberg, said the suspect was "a person who has previously figured in our intelligence flow".

Late on Saturday, police in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, found a "bomb-like device" in the Groenland district of the city and detained a man. The area was cordoned off and a controlled explosion carried out. Police say further investigations are continuing.

Emergency workers will turn to excavating roads and buildings, distributing aid and trying to avoid the outbreak of epidemics in the town, where water and power services remained cut a week after the avalanche of debris-filled water poured down from the mountains.

"Without adverse conditions, a person can survive a long time, but with the quantity of mud and rocks in Mocoa, that is very difficult," said Manuel Infante, who has been leading volunteer firefighters who arrived from Cali. "I'd say that the missing are dead," he added.

Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said it "will take a generation" to completely restore the city. He said the missing could be in hospitals in other cities, lost without phone contact, or simply dead beneath the mud and rubble.

Carlos Ivan Marquez, director general of the national anti-disaster agency, said emergency workers will begin using heavy equipment.