Trump demands answers after 17 gunned down at Florida school

People react at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a city about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Miami on Thursday following a school shooting. (AFP)
Updated 15 February 2018
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Trump demands answers after 17 gunned down at Florida school

FLORIDA: No mention of fire arms or gun control, President Donald Trump's statement Thursday skirted the big issues and demanded to know how a “disturbed” former student with an obsession with firearms slipped through the net to sow carnage at a Florida high school, killing at least 17 people in the latest gun massacre to rock the nation.
The 19-year-old suspect Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder over Wednesday’s deadly rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, America’s worst school shooting since the Sandy Hook massacre left 20 children and six teachers dead in 2012.
After a night of questioning in police custody, the young man was reportedly transferred to a local Florida jail early yesterday.
Trump ordered flags to fly at half-staff and was to deliver a televised address later Thursday, to a nation stunned by the mounting toll of school shootings which US authorities have so far appeared powerless to stop.
Wednesday’s harrowing shooting spree saw terrified students hiding in closets and under desks as they texted for help, while the gunman stalked the school with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle.
Fifteen people were killed at the school itself, and two later died in hospital. One of those killed was a football coach in Parkland, a city of about 30,000 people, located 50 miles north of Miami.
The president weighed in on the tragedy on Twitter by pointing to indications the shooter — who had been expelled for disciplinary reasons — was “mentally disturbed.”
“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior,” Trump wrote.
“Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!“
Cruz was reportedly known to have firearms at home and had talked about using them.
A teacher at the school said Cruz had been identified previously as a potential threat to his classmates.
“We were told last year that he wasn’t allowed on campus with a backpack on him,” math teacher Jim Gard said in a Miami Herald interview.
“There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus.”
According to a BuzzFeed report, the FBI had been informed Cruz could carry out a school shooting last year, after the teen commented on a video: “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.”
The creator of the video tipped off both the FBI and YouTube, BuzzFeed said.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio on Thursday called Cruz a “deeply disturbed person,” and questioned how the teenager “escaped detection, was able to acquire this weapon, and then go on and kill 17 people and injure many more.”
“This was someone that people knew was a danger,” Rubio said.
The United States has been hit by almost 20 school shootings since the start of the year, a terrifying phenomenon that is part of a broader epidemic of gun violence in a country that loses 33,000 people to gun-related deaths each year.
While the latest mass shooting has inevitably reignited questions about America’s permissive gun laws, Trump — who is the first president to have addressed the NRA gun lobby — is staunchly opposed to any additional gun control.
Opponents of gun control have consistently sought to steer public debate away from the issue, and onto the behavior and motives of people using the weapons.
When questioned at a press conference late Wednesday, Florida Governor Rick Scott — who described the massacre as “just pure evil” — declined to make a statement on gun control.
“There’s a time to continue to have these conversations about how through law enforcement, how through mental illness funding that we make sure people are safe, and we’ll continue to do that,” said Scott, a Republican.
Cruz had mixed in with students fleeing the school before being caught, officials said.
“We have already begun to dissect his websites and things on social media that he was on and some of the things... are very, very disturbing,” Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said.
“If a person is predisposed to commit such a horrific event by going to a school and shooting people ... there’s not anybody or not a lot law enforcement can do about it.”
“This is a terrible day for Parkland,” Israel said.
The FBI said it was assisting local law enforcement with the investigation.
Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said a police officer was always stationed at the school and there was a “single point of entry.”
Since January 2013, there have been at least 291 school shootings across the country — an average of about one a week, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit group that advocates for gun control.
“It is pretty clear that we’re failing our kids here,” said Melissa Falkowski, a teacher who squeezed 19 students into a closet to shield them from harm.


World Economic Forum begins in Davos amid hope and uncertainty

Updated 1 min 45 sec ago
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World Economic Forum begins in Davos amid hope and uncertainty

  • Annual meeting coincides with high geopolitical tensions, rapid technological advancements and escalating impacts of climate change
  • Discussions at Swiss resort town will include center on the future of work, technology, and climate action among other pressing topics

DUBAI: As the world’s elite arrive in the snow-capped Swiss mountains for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025, the event promises to be a pivotal moment as global leaders address the world’s most pressing challenges.

With more than 350 government leaders, including 60 heads of state, attending, alongside business executives, civil society leaders, global experts, and other influential individuals from more than 130 countries, the forum’s organizers say the event — which runs from Jan. 20 to Jan. 24 — is intended to “drive dialogue and create solutions to the world’s shared problems.”

The theme of the 2025 meeting, “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,” will focus on five pillars crucial for a sustainable and inclusive future: Reimagining Growth, Industries in the Intelligent Age, Investing in People, Safeguarding the Planet, and Rebuilding Trust.

Klaus Schwab, the WEF’s founder and chairman, emphasized the role of Davos as a unique venue in bringing together thousands of decision makers to address global challenges.

“Despite divergent positions and great uncertainties, the Annual Meeting 2025 will foster a spirit of cooperation and constructive optimism with the objective of shaping the forthcoming Intelligent Age in a more sustainable and inclusive way” Schwab said in a press release.

In that same release, Børge Brende, president and CEO of the WEF, echoed this sentiment, noting that unprecedented collaboration is required to deal with the world’s most pressing issues.

“The only way to address urgent challenges and unlock new opportunities is through innovative, cooperative approaches,” Brende stated.

Among the heads of state set to participate are U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (via video link), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Argentine President Javier Milei, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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Leaders from international organizations including the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the International Monetary Fund will also be present, alongside 1,600 business leaders, including more than 900 CEOs and more than 120 “tech pioneers.”

Civil society will also be well represented, with more than 170 leaders from labor unions, non-governmental organizations, and academia, and more than 160 members of the WEF’s Global Shapers, Young Global Leaders and Social Innovators.

The event will also be attended by 120 “cultural leaders,” and will feature an Arts and Culture program showcasing music, film, photography, interactive AI-driven art and handcrafted creations.

Mirek Dusek, WEF managing director, said in a statement: “By convening leaders from around the world and different walks of life, the Annual Meeting provides a platform to share views and knowledge at a time of profound change for people and communities.  

“A core goal of our proceedings is to enable broad-based agency and solutions in the context of the new economy that seems to be emerging.”

Discussions at Davos will include debates on the future of work, technology, and climate action. Reports such as the Global Cooperation Barometer 2025 and the Future of Jobs Report will be discussed during sessions, as will the ways in which new technologies will reshape industries and potentially create millions of jobs, while also terminating many others.

The meeting will also examine critical initiatives in areas including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy, with the aim of creating “responsible, inclusive strategies for the future.”

Gim Huay Neo, WEF managing director said in a press release, “We will explore how data and technologies, as well as innovative partnerships, can be harnessed to create value and empower leadership for people, planet and prosperity.”
 

 


Swiss police clear hundreds of anti-Davos protesters

Updated 3 min 16 sec ago
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Swiss police clear hundreds of anti-Davos protesters

  • Many observers have expressed concern about the so-called “broligarchy” surrounding US President-elect Donald Trump, which includes billionaire Elon Musk

DAVOS, Switzerland: Some 300 people including two millionaires protested in Davos Sunday ahead of next week’s gathering of the global elite at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alps.
Demonstrators carried placards with slogans such as “Tax the rich,” “Shut up! Pay taxes” and “Smash colonial capitalism,” blocking the road to the glitzy mountain resort.
Police moved in after the demonstrators ignored two calls for them to leave, a spokeswoman for the Graubunden cantonal police told the Keystone-ATS news agency.
With the blockade causing a major traffic jam, the authorities deployed a specialized vehicle to clear the highway ahead of the WEF’s Monday start.
Among those attending the protest was Austrian-German heiress Marlene Engelhorn, who gave away the bulk of her multi-million-euro inheritance to dozens of organizations working on social issues.
“The WEF symbolizes how much power wealthy people like me hold,” she told AFPTV.
“Because just because we are born millionaires, or because we got lucky once — and call that self-made — we now get to influence politicians worldwide with our political preferences,” she added.
“It’s a huge lobbyism effort. It’s a huge lack of transparency that we witness here, no accountability... I just think we need accountability, we need transparency, we need democracy to be in place here.”
Engelhorn also denounced the pollution being caused by private jets flying in for the summit.
Also at Sunday’s protest was Britain’s Phil White, part of a group called Patriotic Millionaires.
Many observers have expressed concern about the so-called “broligarchy” surrounding US President-elect Donald Trump, which includes billionaire Elon Musk.
Founded in 1971, the WEF offers a yearly opportunity for hundreds of business executives, politicians and other leading figures to mingle in the ski resort-turned-conference center over the course of a week.
More than 60 heads of state and government will be among those attending this year, according to the WEF.
Top of their minds will be Trump’s imminent return to the White House.
Trump is due to address the forum by videolink on January 23, according to the organizers, just three days after his inauguration Monday for a second term in office.


Heavy snow and frigid Arctic blast put 70 million across the US under winter storm warnings

Updated 23 min 51 sec ago
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Heavy snow and frigid Arctic blast put 70 million across the US under winter storm warnings

  • The colder temperatures will reach down into the South early this week, where as many as 30 million people starting Monday could see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain

BOSTON: Tens of millions of residents along the East Coast are bracing for several inches of snow Sunday followed by dangerously cold temperatures that will take hold in much of the country from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine.
Winter storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service have already gone into effect for parts of the Mid-Atlantic through Monday morning, with the forecast projecting up to a half-foot (15 centimeters) of snow. Warnings will begin in New England on Sunday afternoon, with parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut seeing as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow.
Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park Maryland, projected that as many as 70 million residents will be under some kind of winter storm hazards warning in the coming days including in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Large cities like Philadelphia, New York and Boston could see several inches of snow this evening with the highest totals being outside of major cities.
“There will certainly be some more hazardous road conditions anywhere from D.C. up the whole I-95 corridor and then inland from there later today and tonight,” Chenard said. “Then it gets quite cold behind that. By Monday morning, any roads that haven’t been treated or cleared will still likely be some hazardous travel conditions.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged city residents to take the subway and buses if they have to travel during the storm, to make it easier for crews to clear the streets. He said people who need help with heating or frozen pipes can call 311, and he asked residents to check on their neighbors during the frigid weather.
“Cold temperatures, high winds tomorrow, could be dangerous,” Adams told reporters on Saturday afternoon. “We have to be here for each other and make sure our pets and other parts of New York are safe as we navigate through this cold weather condition we expect.”
The weather service said there was a chance of snow showers Sunday afternoon and evening in western New York state, where the Buffalo Bills are set to host the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL playoff game starting at 6:30 p.m.. Heavier, lake-effect snow was expected in that part of the state Monday through Wednesday morning, with 2 feet to 3 feet (about 60 to 90 centimeters) possible in some areas including Oswego along Lake Ontario.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state emergency for all 21 counties in the Garden State. A winter storm warning was in effect for 10 counties in the northern part of the state, where 6 to 8 inches of snow is expected to fall from Sunday afternoon through the late evening.
Cities and towns were opening warming centers for the next several days to protect people from the freezing temperatures.
Return of the Arctic blast
But the snow is just the start of a chaotic week of weather.
Much of the Eastern half of the United States will be enduring some of the coldest temperatures this winter, if not for several years.
An area from the Rockies into the Northern Plains will see colder than normal temperatures starting Sunday into the coming week, with temperatures dropping to minus 30 degrees F (minus 34 degrees C) to minus 55 F (minus 48 C) on Sunday and Monday. Wind chills of minus 40 F (minus 40 C) were already being clocked in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. Sub-zero wind chills are forecast to reach as far south as Oklahoma and the Tennessee Valley.
The cold weather forecasted for Monday for Washington, D.C., prompted President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural ceremony to be moved inside the US Capitol Rotunda.
“It’s going to be a cold day in Washington, D.C. on Monday. That’s for sure,” Chenard said, noting temperatures will be in the 20s with wind gust upwards of 30 mph (48 kph).
As happened earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped about the North Pole.
The cold air will moderate as it moves southward and eastward, but the Central and Eastern US will still be cold with highs in the teens and 20s on Monday into Tuesday, Chenard said. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast also will have highs in the teens and 20s, lows in the single digits and below zero degrees F (minus 18 C) and wind chills below zero.
Unusual wintry mix
The colder temperatures will reach down into the South early this week, where as many as 30 million people starting Monday could see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. The unusual conditions are expected to stretch from Texas into northern Florida and the Carolinas. Impacts are expected to start in Texas on Monday night and spread across the Gulf Coast and Southeast on Tuesday into Wednesday.
A combination of frigid air with a low pressure system over the Gulf are behind the storm, which could bring heavy snow just south of the Interstate 20 corridor across northern Louisiana and into Mississippi and a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain near the Interstate 10 corridor from Houston to Mobile, Alabama.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Saturday issued a state of emergency in advance of the wintry weather. He encouraged Louisianans to be prepared and to monitor the weather forecast.


Kuwaiti charity dispatches 10 relief shipments to Syria

Updated 29 min 45 sec ago
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Kuwaiti charity dispatches 10 relief shipments to Syria

  • The aid relief convoy departed on Sunday from Turkiye

LONDON: The Kuwaiti Al-Khair humanitarian society is sending 250 tons of aid relief to Syria as part of a campaign launched by the country's Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Social Affairs.

Al-Khair's chief Abdulrahman Al-Jerman said that 10 relief shipments departed on Sunday from Turkiye to Syria carrying foodstuff, aid, mattresses, and covers to support the Syrian people.

He urged everyone interested in donating to visit the society's headquarters or website, the Kuwait News Agency reported.


Four Moroccan truck drivers disappear on Burkina-Niger border

Burkina Faso's police officer stands guard by a gate in Ouagadougou. (AFP file photo)
Updated 50 min 45 sec ago
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Four Moroccan truck drivers disappear on Burkina-Niger border

  • The Moroccan diplomatic source said the embassy was working together with Burkina Faso authorities to find the drivers
  • El Hachmi urged more protection in areas of high risk as the number of Moroccan trucks crossing the Sahel continues to rise

RABAT: Four Moroccan truck drivers went missing on Saturday as they crossed the restive border area between Burkina Faso and Niger, according to a source from the Moroccan embassy in Burkina Faso and a Moroccan transport union.
Three trucks, one carrying a spare driver, disappeared as they drove without an escort from Dori in Burkina Faso to Tera in Niger, an area known for terrorists threats, the diplomatic source said.
Junta-led Burkina Faso and Niger are battling militant groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh, whose insurgencies have destabilized Sahel states in West Africa over the past decade.
The Moroccan diplomatic source said the embassy was working together with Burkina Faso authorities to find the drivers.
Authorities in Burkina Faso have been organizing security convoys to escort trucks in the border area to protect against militant attacks, the source said.
The trucks set off after waiting for a week without getting an escort, Echarki El Hachmi, Secretary General of Morocco’s transporters’ union, told Reuters.
The trucks, loaded with infrastructure equipment, departed weeks ago from Casablanca heading to Niger, he said.
El Hachmi urged more protection in areas of high risk as the number of Moroccan trucks crossing the Sahel continues to rise.
Earlier this month, a convoy of Moroccan trucks was attacked on the Malian border with Mauritania, although there were no casualties, El Hachmi said.