A former police officer attacks a kindergarten in Thailand and kills at least 36 people
BANGKOK (AP) — A former police officer facing a drug charge has stormed a kindergarten in Thailand, killing dozens of preschoolers and teachers, then shooting more people as he fled. At least 36 people were killed Thursday in the deadliest rampage in the nation’s history. The shooter, who was fired earlier this year, took his own life after killing his wife and son at his home. The attack took place in the rural town of Nongbua Lamphu, in northeastern Thailand, in one of the poorest regions of the country. A witness said the assailant shot his way through.
EXPLANATION: Russia’s Military Problems Mount Amid Ukraine Attacks
Even as the Kremlin moved to absorb parts of Ukraine in a sharp escalation of the conflict, the Russian military suffered new defeats that exposed its deep problems on the battlefield and opened fissures at the top of the Russian government. The setbacks have severely damaged the image of a powerful Russian military and added to tensions surrounding a poorly planned military mobilization. They have also fueled clashes between members of the Kremlin and left Russian President Vladimir Putin increasingly cornered.
The IMF warns of a higher risk of recession and a darker global outlook
WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund is once again lowering its projections for global economic growth in 2023. It projects global economic growth $4 trillion lower through 2026, Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, told an audience in Georgetown University. Thursday that “things are more likely to get worse before they get better.” She says the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February has dramatically changed the IMF’s outlook on the economy. Georgieva said that the institution lowered its global growth projections three times already, to 3.2% for 2022 and now to 2.9% for 2023.
US Hits Iran With More Sanctions Over Mahsa Amini’s Death
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has imposed more sanctions on Iranian government officials in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Protests over his death have engulfed dozens of Iranian cities for weeks and have become the most widespread challenge to Iran’s leadership in years. The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Thursday designated seven senior leaders for financial sanctions due to Iran’s shutdown of internet access, suppression of speech and violence inflicted on protesters and civilians. Amini was detained in September by the morality police, who said she did not properly cover her hair with the mandatory Islamic veil, known as a hijab. She collapsed at a police station and died three days later.
City to pay $12 million to relatives of Prude, a black man killed by police
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities in Rochester have agreed to pay $12 million to the children of Daniel Prude, a black man who died after police pinned him down until he stopped breathing on a street. snowy upstate New York City. A federal judge approved the settlement in a court document filed Thursday. Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans said in a statement that the deal was “the best decision” for the city. Lawyers said the settlement money, less attorneys’ fees and costs, will go to Prude’s five children.
Falsehoods and harassment stress local election offices in the US.
CARROLLTON, Ohio (AP) — Local election offices across the United States have seen the movement spawned by former President Donald Trump spreading false election narratives come to their doorsteps. They have been the target of threatening emails, stressed by increased workloads and tight budgets, and have had to deal with misinformation and shortages of staff and poll workers. Even a small, heavily Republican area like Carroll County, Ohio, is not immune. County Elections Director Nicole Mickley said she found poll workers in the US to be just as honest, hard-working and passionate as her staff: “I’m starting to get defensive and angry for them too.”
Federal Judge Halts Key Parts of New York’s New Gun Law
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A federal judge has upheld key provisions of New York’s gun rules that restrict where people can carry weapons and require permit applicants to provide social media information. Judge Glenn Suddaby ordered a temporary stay on Thursday of several provisions of New York’s sweeping new gun law. He also gave the state three business days to seek “emergency relief” before a federal appeals court. The rules were part of a sweeping gun law that went into effect Sept. 1 designed to protect public safety while adhering to a US Supreme Court ruling that invalidated New York’s old system for granting permits. concealed carry.
Amid end of COVID aid, homelessness rises in many cities
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The number of homeless people is expected to rise when the federal government releases the results of an annual count in the coming months, the first complete count since the coronavirus pandemic began. Experts say that with the end of pandemic relief measures that kept many people housed, the crisis is deepening. But the story is not uniform across the US. In two high-rent state capitals, the numbers have been moving in opposite directions. In Boston, where there have been improvements, officials credit a strategy of focusing on housing for people who have been on the streets for a long time. In Sacramento, California, people are becoming homeless faster than they can find housing.
North Korea flies warplanes near South Korea after missile launch
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says North Korea flew 12 warplanes near their common border on Thursday, prompting South Korea to deploy 30 military planes in response. The highly unusual incident came hours after North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea in its sixth round of missile tests in less than two weeks. The South Korean military says eight North Korean fighter jets and four bombers flew in formation near the border and are believed to have conducted air-to-ground firing exercises. Tensions have risen sharply on the Korean peninsula as North Korea’s recent spate of missile tests prompted South Korea, the United States and Japan to hold joint drills in response.
EXPLAINER: How will OPEC+ cuts affect oil prices and inflation?
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The OPEC oil cartel and its allies are cutting production. And that means oil prices are likely to go up. The OPEC+ alliance says it is trying to support prices against future falling demand from an uncertain and slowing global economy. Saudi Arabia’s energy minister says the alliance is bringing stability to the oil market. However, high oil prices are contributing to fears of a slowdown and have been criticized by Washington. Meanwhile, supply could take another hit as the US and its allies try to impose a price cap on Russian oil to reduce the money flowing into Moscow’s war chest after it invaded Ukraine.
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