Two Alabama firefighters shot at station, one fatally
The city of Birmingham, Alabama was preparing to bury a fallen hero after a firefighter was killed during a shooting at the fire station. Jordan Melton, 29, died following the attack which also wounded fellow firefighter Jamal Jones. Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama was offering a reward of $45,000 for tips leading to an arrest. Melton and Jones were on duty on 12 July at Fire Station 9 in the Norwood area of Birmingham when shots were reported around 8.30am, police said in a release. It appeared the shooting had occurred near the station bay doors. Both firefighters were transported to hospital. Mr Jones was listed in serious condition, according to a fire department statement, but survived. Mr Melton, who had graduated from the academy one month earlier, died from his injuries on 17 July. “You could not be around Recruit Melton and not smile,” Battalion Chief Stan Frierson, from Birmingham Fire & Rescue Service, tweeted. “I am known as a person who doesn’t smile often, but every time we spoke, it would end wit (sic) him saying, Chief, smile. I want [to] tell anyone you could not be around him and not smile.” A public visitation for Mr Melton will be held on Tuesday followed by a public viewing and funeral on Wednesday in Birmingham. “Know that we’re exhausting every resource to find answers and justice for Jordan’s loved ones,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin tweeted last week. “Jordan paid the ultimate price for his service to our city, we will not let that sacrifice be in vain.” Police told WVTM13 that the attack was targeted and the suspect(s) had a personal conflict with one of the firefighters. Read More This Alabama town disbanded its police force over a racist text. Here’s what happened next Fargo police officer's funeral scheduled; 2 other officers remain hospitalized after shooting Six suspects arrested for Alabama birthday party shooting that left four people dead and 32 injured Alabama church shooter gets life for killing 3 at potluck Firefighter killed while battling cargo ship fire is posthumously promoted during funeral
2023-07-24 05:46
Sudan war enters 100th day as mediation attempts fail
(Reuters) -Clashes flared in parts of Sudan on the 100th day of the war on Sunday as mediation attempts by
2023-07-24 05:25
White House sets up new pandemic preparedness office
The Biden administration will centre White House efforts to address threats of various transmissible diseases, pathogens and other biological agents in a new permanent office headed by a member of the National Security Council (NSC). The White House announced the creation of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR) on Friday. OPPR will be “charged with leading, coordinating, and implementing actions related to preparedness for, and response to, known and unknown biological threats or pathogens that could lead to a pandemic or to significant public health-related disruptions in the United States”, according to a handout. The new office will shift the White House’s Covid reponse efforts from a standalone team to a broader group that will include experts working on a number of different potential “public health-related disruptions”, including new variants of the influenza (common flu) virus. “Under President Biden’s leadership, the Administration has taken significant steps to ensure all individuals have continued access to lifesaving protections such as vaccines, treatments, and tests, and that the nation is well prepared to manage the risks of COVID-19 or other causes of potential pandemics in the future,” a White House statement read. The office’s inaugural director will be Major General (retired) Paul Friedrichs, special assistant to President Biden and the Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense on the National Security Council. The new office comes three months after Mr Biden formally ended the national emergency declaration over the pandemic. More than 1.1 million Americans have died from Covid since it first emerged in the US in early 2020. Mr Biden lobbied Congress against passing the resolution to end the national emergency but nevertheless signed the bipartisan piece of legislation when it hit his desk in April. The president had previously declared the Covid pandemic “over” in 2022, telling CBS’s 60 Minutes: “We still have a problem with Covid. We're still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks.” Read More The fight over Alabama's congressional redistricting now shifts back to federal court DeSantis downplays Jan. 6, says it wasn't an insurrection but a 'protest' that 'ended up devolving' Biden names CIA Director William Burns to his Cabinet
2023-07-24 05:19
Nova Scotia wrestles with aftermath of devastating floods
By Nia Williams Canada's East Coast province of Nova Scotia began cleaning up on Sunday after torrential rainfall
2023-07-24 04:58
Jack Smith has contacted Georgia Governor Brian Kemp over Trump’s effort to overturn 2020 election
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has given insight into the possible scope of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The Republican governor - who survived a Trump-backed attempt to oust him from office last year - told USA Today on Sunday that Mr Smith’s office had contacted him. However it is unclear what stage Mr Smith’s investigation has reached or whether Mr Kemp’s office had provided, or agreed to provide, evidence or testimony. “Our office has been contacted by Jack Smith’s office,” the governor’s spokesman said. Mr Kemp’s office declined to comment further when contacted byThe Independent. News of Mr Smith’s communications with Mr Kemp comes a week after his office reportedly delivered a target letter to Mr Trump’s legal team, a sign that charges are being prepared. The Department of Justice (DoJ) has indicated that the twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president is central to its investigation into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and the broader effort by the Trump campaign to overturn the election. Mr Trump, who is running for re-election in 2024, announced the arrival of that letter on his Truth Social social media platform two days after he supposedly received it. “On Sunday night, while I was with my family...HORRIFYING NEWS for our country was given to me by my attorneys,” he wrote. “Deranged Jack Smith...sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment.” The Independent reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the letter delivered to Mr Trump informed him that the DoJ is considering charging him with conspiracy to defraud the United States; obstruction of an official proceeding and deprivation of civil rights under colour of law. It set a deadline of midnight on Thursday for Mr Trump to report to the grand jury and declare whether he would testify or offer his own evidence during the pre-trial stage of the investigation. Sources have also told The Independent that an indictment could come anytime, now that deadline has passed. Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election were far from limited to Georgia. His campaign is known to have supported slates of false electors in other states where Mr Trump lost to Joe Biden including Arizona and Wisconsin. For weeks Mr Smith and the DoJ have been largely silent about the status of the Jan 6 investigation which has already led to the conviction of hundreds of rioters. If Mr Trump faces trial, it would almost certainly take place during the 2024 election cycle. A separate trial of the former president, involving the alleged illegal retention of classified materials and presidential records, is set to take place next spring. Read More Nervous Republicans turn to New Hampshire in hopes of stopping Trump The fight over Alabama's congressional redistricting now shifts back to federal court Capitol riot defendant gets probation after rare setback for prosecutors at Oath Keepers trial DeSantis defends Florida curriculum that suggests slaves benefited from forced labour Florida man pleads guilty over Jan 6 riot as state’s governor Ron DeSantis insists there was no insurrection Trump legal team tries again to block Georgia election interference grand jury probe
2023-07-24 04:49
An unarmed Black man was attacked by a police K-9 dog despite surrendering with his hands in the air
An unarmed Black man was attacked by a police officer's K-9 as he surrendered to authorities with his hands up, despite an Ohio State Trooper repeatedly urging officers not to release the dog.
2023-07-24 04:26
Spanish election 2023: Exit poll predicts a swing to right-wing government
Spain could have its first far-right participation in government since the days of Franco after an election exit poll suggested a swing to the right. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez is trying to win a third consecutive national election but an exit poll predicted that a right-wing coalition may have enough votes to take power. The centre-right People’s Party was set to win 150 seats, while the anti-Muslim, anti-feminist Vox party had 31 seats, according to a GAD3 voter survey released after polls closed. Together this would give the parties enough for a majority in the 350-seat parliament. However a survey by Sigma Dos was less conclusive, predicting 145-150 seats for PP and 24-27 seats for Vox, which could mean the two parties would fall short at the lower range of its poll. The Socialists were set to win 112 seats, according to GAD3, and 113-118 seats according to Sigma Dos, while the far-left platform led by Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz had either 27 seats or 28-31 seats. GAD3 said its poll surveyed 10,000 people and closed on July 22. The Sigma Dos survey of 17,000 people closed on Sunday. If both the left-wing and right-wing bloc fail to meet the threshold for the number of seats required to govern, new elections may have to be called - as happened in 2019 and 2015. After casting his vote, Mr Sánchez said: “What happens today is going to be very important not just for us but also for Europe and I think that should also make us reflect.” The secretary general of the conservative People’s Party (PP), Cuca Gamarra, told Spanish TV after the vote that the PP was about to “recover the position of first political force in a general election”. The Interior Ministry said voter turnout at 6pm local time stood at 53 per cent, compared with 56 per cent at the same point in the the country’s last national election, in November 2019. The election was taking place at the height of summer, with millions of voters likely to be holidaying away from their regular polling places. However, postal voting requests soared before Sunday. With no party expected to garner an absolute majority, the choice is basically between another leftist coalition and a partnership of the right and the far right. Far-right party Vox proposes the expulsion of illegal migrants and a naval blockade to stop them arriving, and the closure of radical mosques, while supporting immigration meeting Spain‘s labour market needs and from nationalities sharing language or culture. It has also vowed to repeal progressive laws on transgender rights, abortion and animal rights, along with climate protections promoted by Sanchez. Mr Abascal has said Vox doesn’t have a position on Spain‘s former dictator Franco, who ruled until his death in 1975 after winning a bloody civil war in 1939. But Mr Abascal has also said that Mr Sanchez’s government was the worst in 80 years, a period that includes Franco’s regime. Agencies contributed to this report. Read More Greece fires - live: Jet2 and Tui scrap Rhodes flights as tourists fleeing island describe ‘hell on earth’ Spain votes in general election that could see it become latest EU country to veer to the right A beach tragedy highlights the EU’s migration crisis – and how Spain’s election could make things worse Spaniards vote in an election that could oust a leftist coalition and herald a return to the right Spanish general election tipped to put the far right back in office for the first time since Franco Spain conservatives entrust Feijóo, the boring guy who wins every election by a landslide
2023-07-24 04:21
Russian attack on Odesa kills one, damages cathedral, Zelenskiy says
By Iryna Nazarchuk ODESA A Russian missile attack on Ukraine's southern port of Odesa early on Sunday killed
2023-07-24 04:19
Briarwood Country Club patio collapse leaves dozens injured in Billings, Montana
Dozens of people were injured after a patio collapsed during an event at a southern Montana country club, authorities said.
2023-07-24 03:57
Spanish Right Set to Oust Sanchez With Slim Majority, Poll Shows
Spanish conservative leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo won the most seats in Sunday’s election and is on track to
2023-07-24 02:59
Dozens swept away in flash floods in Afghanistan
At least 31 people have been killed in devastating flash floods that hit parts of Afghanistan over the weekend, authorities said Sunday.
2023-07-24 02:56
Manipur: The women facing the fire of the conflict
A viral video of an attack on two women in Manipur is encouraging other survivors to speak out.
2023-07-24 02:54
