A new college term, a faculty member killed and a suspect arrested: What we know about the UNC shooting
A college campus in North Carolina is waking up on Tuesday gripped by fear, grief and many unanswered questions. Just days into the start of a new term, students and faculty members at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found themselves hunkering down inside classrooms and leaping from first floor windows as an active shooting situation unfolded on site. Inside the science building, a faculty member was found shot dead. Following a brief moment where the wrong person was arrested – an unsuspecting individual who missed the shelter-in-place alerts – campus police confirmed that the suspect had been taken into custody around 10 minutes from the scene. Harrowingly, the horror was a somewhat familiar sight for the UNC community coming four years after a mass shooting at the Charlotte campus left two dead and four injured. Officials are yet to release the identities of both the suspect and the victim in this latest attack, with much of the details of what happened and why still unclear. Here’s what we do know so far about the shooting The shooting The shooting unfolded at around 1pm local time on Monday when UNC Police responded to a 911 call reporting gunfire at the science lab in the heart of the campus. Law enforcement arrived on the scene around two minutes after the call came in and plunged the campus into lockdown, warning that “an armed and dangerous person” was at large. Officials later confirmed that a faculty member had been shot dead inside a campus building. Soon after, the UNC Police released an image of a person of interest in the case, warning the public that “if you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911”. Chilling footage shows terrified students and staff members barricaded inside classrooms and offices for fear that an active shooter was at large. Around three hours on from the shooting, police confirmed that a suspect was arrested near a residential area 10 minutes away from campus. The gun is yet to be recovered, police said. The lockdown was eventually lifted at around 4.15pm. The suspect Neither the victim nor the suspect have been publicly identified by officials. It is not clear if they knew each other prior to the shooting or if the attack was targeted or random. At a press conference on Monday evening, police would not confirm whether or not the person arrested was the same man who was identified as a person of interest. Instead, police said that they would release the suspect’s identity once charges had been filed. The victim’s identity will also be released once next of kin is identified. The motive also remains unknown at this time. UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M Guskiewicz said in a statement that a hotline and other mental health resources were on offer for staff and students affected by the shooting. “The students are certainly traumatised,” he said. “But I want to commend those who were inside the building ensuring everyone’s safety.” Classes have been canceled through Tuesday. Read More UNC shooting – latest: Motive remains unknown after shooter kills faculty member in Chapel Hill Suspect's motive unclear in campus shooting that killed 1 at UNC Chapel Hill, police say A white gunman killed three Black shoppers at Dollar General. Then police uncovered ‘the diary of a madman’
2023-08-29 19:51
New Pentagon Missile Defense Radar Is Delayed and Over Budget, GAO Says
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Turkey's Erdogan turns away reform-minded challenger to win another term
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned away a challenger who sought to reverse his authoritarian-leaning changes, securing five more years to oversee the country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia that plays a key role in NATO. Erdogan prevailed by winning more than 52% of the vote in Sunday's presidential runoff, which came two weeks after he fell short of scoring an outright victory in the first round. A majority of Turkish voters in the second round chose him over challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, showing their support for a man who they see as a strong, proven leader. Voters were divided between loyalty to Erdogan, who has ruled for two decades, and hopes for the opposition candidate, who promised to return to democratic norms, adopt more conventional economic policies and improve ties with the West. With his immediate political future secure, Erdogan must now confront skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis and rebuild in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people. In two speeches — one in Istanbul and one in Ankara — Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency again. “We hope to be worthy of your trust, as we have been for 21 years,” he told supporters on a campaign bus outside his home in Istanbul. He said the divisions of the election are over, but he continued to rail against his opponent. “The only winner today is Turkey,” Erdogan said outside the presidential palace in Ankara, promising to work hard for Turkey’s second century, which he called the “Turkish century.” The country marks its centennial this year. Supreme challenges lie ahead, starting with the economy that has taken a beating from what critics view as Erdogan’s unorthodox policies. He also must tend to massive rebuilding efforts in 11 provinces hit by the Feb. 6 earthquake that leveled entire cities. Kilicdaroglu said the election was “the most unjust ever,” with all state resources mobilized for Erdogan. “We will continue to be at the forefront of this struggle until real democracy comes to our country,” he said in Ankara. He thanked the more than 25 million people who voted for him and asked them to “remain upright.” The people have shown their will "to change an authoritarian government despite all the pressures,” Kilicdaroglu said. Supporters of Erdogan, a divisive populist and masterful orator, took to the streets to celebrate, waving Turkish or ruling party flags, honking car horns and chanting his name. Celebratory gunfire was heard in several Istanbul neighborhoods. His next term is certain to include more delicate maneuvering with fellow NATO members over the future of the alliance and the war in Ukraine. Leaders across the world sent their congratulations, highlighting Turkey and Erdogan’s enlarged role in global politics. Western politicians said they are ready to continue working with Erdogan despite years of sometimes tense relations. Most imminently, Turkey holds the cards for Sweden’s hopes to join NATO. The bid aims to strengthen the military alliance against Russia and is central to the continuity of a deal to allow Ukrainian grain shipments and avert a global food crisis. “No one can look down on our nation,” Erdogan said in Istanbul. Steven A. Cook, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations, said Turkey was likely to “move the goal post” on Sweden’s membership in NATO as it seeks demands from the United States. He also said Erdogan, who has spoken about introducing a new constitution, was likely to make an even greater push to lock in changes adopted by his conservative and religious Justice and Development Party, or AKP. In his victory remarks, Erdogan said rebuilding the quake-struck cities would be his priority. He also said a million Syrian refugees would go back to Turkish-controlled “safe zones” in Syria as part of a resettlement project being run with Qatar. Erdogan has retained the backing of conservative voters who remain devoted to him for lifting Islam’s profile in Turkey, which was founded on secular principles, and raising the country’s influence in international politics. Erdogan’s rival was a soft-mannered former civil servant who has led the pro-secular Republican People’s Party, or CHP, since 2010. The opposition took months to unite behind Kilicdaroglu. He and his party have not won any elections in which Erdogan ran. In a frantic outreach effort to nationalist voters in the runoff, Kilicdaroglu vowed to send back refugees and ruled out peace negotiations with Kurdish militants if he was elected. Erdogan and pro-government media portrayed Kilicdaroglu, who received the backing of the country’s pro-Kurdish party, as colluding with “terrorists” and supporting what they described as “deviant” LGBTQ rights. In his victory speech, Erdogan repeated those themes, saying LGBTQ people cannot “infiltrate” his ruling party or its nationalist allies. In Ankara, Erdogan voter Hacer Yalcin said Turkey’s future was bright. “Of course Erdogan is the winner ... Who else? He has made everything for us," Yalcin said. “God blesses us!” Erdogan, a 69-year-old Muslim, is set to remain in power until 2028. He transformed the presidency from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful office through a narrowly won 2017 referendum that scrapped Turkey’s parliamentary system of governance. He was the first directly elected president in 2014 and won the 2018 election that ushered in the executive presidency. The first half of Erdogan’s tenure included reforms allowing the country to begin talks to join the European Union, as well as economic growth that lifted many out of poverty. But he later moved to suppress freedoms and the media and concentrated more power in his own hands, especially after a failed coup attempt that Turkey says was orchestrated by the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric denies involvement. In the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir, 37-year-old metalworker Ahmet Koyun said: “It is sad on behalf of our people that a government with such corruption, such stains, has come into power again. Mr. Kemal would have been great for our country, at least for a change of scene." But he said everyone must accept the results. ___ Bilginsoy reported from Istanbul. Bela Szandelszky in Ankara, Turkey; Mucahit Ceylan in Diyarbakir, Turkey; and Cinar Kiper in Bodrum, Turkey, contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Analysis: Only Erdogan knows his plans for Turkey’s future. That is the problem AP News Digest 8:40 a.m. Erdogan declared winner of Turkey presidential run-off – extending his 20-year rule
2023-05-29 12:58
Who is Dianne Hensley? Case of Texas judge at center of same-sex storm heads to state Supreme Court
Dianne Hensley was reprimanded in 2019 for not conducting same-sex marriages, casting doubt on her capacity to act impartially as a judge
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Dutch government to press ahead with Schiphol flight cap as airlines protest
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Who is Arthur Ergoron? Trump lashes out at New York judge for ruling against him in fraud lawsuit
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2023-09-27 19:16
Biden dog Commander bites another Secret Service agent
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2023-09-27 07:21
A Georgia judge will consider revoking a Trump co-defendant's bond in an election subversion case
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2023-11-21 13:18
Syria says Damascus and Aleppo airports hit by Israeli missiles
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2023-10-12 23:59
Scientists issue warning about asteroid heading to Earth with force of 24 atomic bombs
Scientists are on alert after NASA confirmed there is a chance an asteroid the size of the Empire State Building could come smashing into Earth. The asteroid is named Bennu after the ancient Egyptian bird god and has been on the space agency’s radar for a long time as they try to prevent it from coming crashing into our planet. Bennu has been categorised as one of the two “most hazardous known asteroids” and, despite the chance of impact standing at 1-in-2,700, it could strike the Earth with the force of 24 times that of the largest nuclear bomb – 1,200 megatons of energy. The carbon-based asteroid is approximately 510 metres wide and experts predict that it will come closest to hitting Earth on September 24, 2182. While the asteroid is quite sizeable, it is not quite as sizeable as the six-mile-wide asteroid which almost completely wiped out the dinosaurs. But, NASA warns that Bennu “could cause continental devastation if it became an Earth impactor”. A space mission launched using NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has successfully taken a sample from Bennu in order for scientists to better understand the potentially dangerous asteroid. On Sunday (24 September) a capsule of the material will be dropped by OSIRIS-REx and returned to Earth where it will be retrieved and the matter inside studied. Davide Farnocchia of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory told the Science Journal: “We improved our knowledge of Bennu's trajectory by a factor of 20.” As scientists work to investigate how much of a risk it could cause, Farnocchia added: “In 2135, we'll know for sure.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-09-21 20:26
Marseille riots: French officer in custody row admits firing riot gun
The policeman has been detained since a 22-year-old man was disfigured in Marseille last month.
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