WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
The nation is mourning yet another mass school shooting at a university, which occurred almost five years to the date of another mass school shooting.
On Feb. 13 at 8:18 p.m., a gunman opened fire in Berkey Hall at Michigan State University, killing two students there. Not long after, he traveled to the MSU Student Union and opened fire again, killing another student. Along his path of carnage, he injured five others.
As authorities closed in on the suspect off campus at his home, he turned the weapon onto himself and died at his own hand. No officers were injured at the scene.
The shooter was identified as 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, who was raised in Trenton, NJ. Prior to this incident, McRae had previously been cited for motor vehicle and concealed gun violations in Michigan. On his person, police found a threatening note concerning two schools in Ewing, NJ. All schools in that town were placed under lockdown and secure protocols for safety purposes.
No motive has been established for the mass shooting, which is shockingly the 67th in just 44 days of 2023. McRae’s father has said that since the death of his son’s mother due to a stroke, Anthony had become “evil and mean.”
This shooting happened close to the five year anniversary of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” shooting in Parkland, FL. Shooter Nikolas Cruz is currently serving life in prison, with no chance of parole.
In response to the shooting, President made a statement.
“Jill and I are praying for the three students killed and the five students fighting for their lives after last night’s shooting at Michigan State University. Our hearts are with these young victims and their families, the broader East Lansing and Lansing communities, and all Americans across the country grieving as the result of gun violence.
“Last night, I spoke to Governor Whitmer and directed the deployment of all necessary federal law enforcement to support local and state response efforts. I assured her that we would continue to provide the resources and support needed in the weeks ahead.
“Too many American communities have been devastated by gun violence. I have taken action to combat this epidemic in America, including a historic number of executive actions and the first significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years, but we must do more.
“The fact that this shooting took place the night before this country marks five years since the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, should cause every American to exclaim ‘enough’ and demand that Congress take action.
“As I said in my State of the Union address last week, Congress must do something and enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, closing loopholes in our background check system, requiring safe storage of guns, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets. Action is what we owe to those grieving today in Michigan and across America.”
A CHERNOBYL-LIKE SITUATION IN OHIO
It may not be radioactive, but a small time in Ohio is facing a deadly contamination risk after an accident.
Back on Feb. 3, a freight train carrying various hazardous materials including vinyl chloride, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. There were no reported injuries at the time, and three days later, emergency crews decided to initiate a controlled burn of the spilled contents, which let off hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air. As a result, all residents in the neighboring vicinity had to evacuate.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the derailment was likely caused by a pneumatic failure of some braking components, which cause the train to lift off of the tracks. Critics of the accident say that if Norfolk Southern, the company behind the train, had equipped it with electronically controlled pneumatic brakes, the incident could have been averted. Norfolk Southern successfully lobbied to repeal the regulations requiring the use of such brakes in 2017.
Vinyl chloride is a chief component of PVC piping. Among the other potentially hazardous items in the 50 car derailment were butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, isobutylene, benzene, and other combustible liquids. The 50 cars were among 141 cars in total on the train.
The overarching issue with the derailment of all the hazardous content is both the environmental impact on air and water, and the vast contamination area. In addition to East Palestine, the evacuation area including several spots in Beaver County in neighboring Pennsylvania.
Even worse, some officials have scolded lawmakers for allowing such a train to enter a small community in order to save some money based on the shortcut.
It will take some time see if there are health complications, including cancer clusters, that results from the spill.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER BALLOON
America’s western flank isn’t the only area of the country that gets these strange UFBs (unidentified flying balloons).
On Feb. 12, the U.S. shot down another alleged Chinese spy balloon over the Great Lakes in Michigan. In an embarrassing gaffe, the first missile actually missed, before a second shot took down the object. Two days later, officials said that the object may have been just commercial, and not nefarious in nature. However, this came after Canada also shot down an object over its skies days before this latest incident.
As of press time, President Biden has not outright condemned China for anything.
WORLD
DISASTER FORCES OPEN SYRIAN BORDERS
The UN Secretary-General has welcomed the decision on Feb. 13 by the Syrian president to open two further crossing points on the Turkish border to allow more aid into the stricken northwest of the country.
Only a single crossing point – Bab al-Hawa – has been open to humanitarians since the 6 February earthquakes struck across the border region of southern Türkiye and northwest Syria, which has been in the grip of civil war for the past 12 years, and is the last remaining region partly under the control of opposition forces.
“I welcome the decision today by President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to open the two crossing points of Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ee from Türkiye to northwest Syria for an initial period of three months to allow for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid,” António Guterres said in a statement.
As hope fades of bringing more survivors out alive from the ruins, in Syria, more than 4,300 deaths had been reported in the northwest on Sunday. Deaths in Türkiye have reportedly now exceeded 31,000.
It’s clear that “delivering food, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency,” added Mr. Guterres.
Humanitarians working to save lives in Syria and Türkiye made an urgent appeal for more heavy machinery to remove rubble and debris in towns and villages shattered by last week’s earthquakes, together with medical supplies.
That includes ambulances and medicine, shelter and non-food items, including heating, emergency food supplies and so-called WASH assistance – water, sanitation and hygiene, the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told correspondents in New York at the regular daily briefing.
“Opening these crossing points – along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs,” he added, “will allow more aid to go in, faster.”
“The UN continues to mobilize emergency teams and relief operations,” Mr. Dujarric stressed.
At Türkiye’s request, a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team with a total of 50 members has been deployed to the aid hub of Gaziantep and to three other hubs in the affected area to support the coordination of the International Urban Search and Rescue Operations, he added.
An UNDAC liaison team to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Ministry, who are leading the response, has also been established in Ankara.
Speaking from there to UN News, UNDAC’s Winston Chang said that the scale and the damage sustained inside the disaster area in the south of the country was “one of the worst we have seen.”
“We are looking at a damage area of over 50,000 square kilometers, covering a span of ten provinces…We count now, 6,000 collapsed, high rise buildings.”
He said there were still reports coming in, eight days after the deadly earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, of “miracle rescues,” including a newborn baby who was still attached to the umbilical cord, pulled from the rubble.
“We have 25 different disaster groups fighting across all sectors from environmental, medical, the military, of course, disaster response coordination,” he added, noting that at the Turkish national emergency center, there was a strong sense of unity, and mission to aid those in need.
As of 3:30 pm EST, over 41,000 people are dead, and nearly 120,000 are injured with an estimated US $84 billion in damages.
EUROPE
EPIC DEAL SET FOR AIRCRAFT
The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch have welcomed a momentous deal for Airbus and Rolls-Royce to provide new aircraft for Air India, which is worth billions of pounds to the UK. The agreement announced by the companies the morning of Feb. 14 will support and create new highly skilled jobs in Wales and Derbyshire, helping to boost exports, grow the economy and level up the UK.
A significant portion of the manufacturing process for the new aircraft is expected to take place in the UK. The wings will be designed in Filton, and assembled in Broughton – which is expected to bring an additional 450 manufacturing jobs and more than £100m of investment to Wales. The large A350 aircraft are exclusively powered by Rolls-Royce XWB engines, which are assembled and tested in Derby.
In 2021, the UK’s world-class aerospace sector added £10.6bn in value to the UK economy, exported c.70% of its domestic output and directly employed 111,000 high-skilled people, 89% of which are outside London and the Southeast. It is also a leading sector for high value apprenticeships, with 5,500 currently employed in sector.
India is a major economic power, projected to be the world’s third largest economy with a quarter of a billion middle class consumers by 2050. We are currently negotiating a free trade agreement that would boost our £34 billion trading relationship.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, “This landmark deal between Air India, Airbus and Rolls-Royce demonstrates that the sky’s the limit for the UK’s thriving aerospace sector.
“It will create better-paid jobs and new opportunities in manufacturing hubs from Derby to Wales, so we can grow the economy and support our agenda to level up – helping to deliver on my five priorities for the country.
“The UK is already a top investment destination, and by building trade ties with growing economic powers like India we will ensure UK businesses remain at the forefront of global growth and innovation.”
Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch MP said, “This is a significant win for the UK’s world-leading aerospace sector and one which will help to secure thousands of highly skilled jobs across the country and drive economic growth. It’s a shot in the arm for UK exports as we aim to sell £1 trillion of goods and services a year to the world by the end of the decade.
“We’re currently negotiating a trade deal with India which could boost trade by up to £28 billion a year by 2035. Export wins like this are another big step to our nations forming a closer trading relationship.”
