December 21 top stories
It is December 21. Here are today’s top stories.
Shooting in Prague
AP News said in Prague, Czech Republic, a gunman opened fire in a university building and killed at least 15 people. More than 20 people were injured. Police said the gunman was a student. A witness said they saw the gunman standing on a balcony of a building and shooting a gun. As of now, police haven’t provided any details about the victims, who the gunman is, or a possible motive. Police did reveal that the gunman killed his father earlier in the day and that the gunman was very seriously injured, possibly from trying to kill himself or from an exchange of gunfire from police officers. The gunman legally owned several guns. It is one of the worst mass shootings to hit the Czech Republic.
Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy
AP News reported that Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy after he was ordered to pay $148 million after he lost a defamation lawsuit for falsely accusing two Georgia election workers of rigging votes against Donald Trump.
Giuliani said in court filings that he has assets of between $1 to $10 million and has debts totaling nearly $153 million.
AP News explained that declaring bankruptcy likely will not erase the $148 million in damages awarded to the Georgia election workers because bankruptcy law does not allow for dissolution of debts that come from a willful and malicious injury inflicted on someone else.
20,000 killed in Gaza in 2 months of war
AlJazeera reported that the death toll in Gaza has reached 20,000 people in the two months of the Israel-Hamas war. That figure includes more than 8,000 Palestinian children.
Israel recently offered Hamas a one-week pause in fighting for another exchange of hostages but Hamas rejected the offer, saying they want Israel to completely stop their military action.
An aid organization monitoring the humanitarian situation in Gaza said more than 90 percent of Gaza residents are facing crisis levels of hunger. The WHO said it is very concerned about the spread of diseases. Many hospitals have stopped functioning.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he would not stop fighting in Gaza until Hamas is eliminated. He said he offers a simple choice, “Surrender or die.”
BBC News said there are about 130 hostages still in Gaza that were kidnapped during the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people.
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Boston mayor apologizes to 2 Black men wrongfully accused of 1989 murder
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gave a public apology to two Black men who were wrongfully accused of murdering a pregnant white woman named Carol Stuart in 1989.
ABC News explained that Carol’s husband, Charles, told police that a Black man robbed them before shooting them. Boston police jailed two Black men, Willie Bennett and Alan Swanson, on suspicion of murder. It caused racial tensions in the city. But the case changed when several family members of Carol told police that they had information that the husband, Charles, may have committed the murder. When police started looking into Charles, he committed suicide in 1990. Police determined that Charles killed his wife to collect insurance money. Both Bennett and Swanson were cleared of their charges. Mayor Wu said she is so sorry for the pain the men had carried for so many years.
U.S. / Venezuela prisoner swap
The U.S government made a deal with the Venezuelan government to swap 10 jailed Americans and a defense contractor facing criminal charges in the U.S. for a man named Alex Saab, who is a close ally of Venezuelan President Maduro. The Venezuelan government will also release 20 Venezuelan political prisoners and an opposition leader. The New York Times said the swap comes as the Biden administration is trying to improve relations with Venezuela to deal with large numbers of Venezuelan migrants at the southern U.S. border. President Biden said he also wants Maduro to be committed to free and fair elections.
Iceland volcano eruption
On Monday in Iceland, the Fagradalsfjall volcano had an eruption that sent lava flows. Scientists had predicted there would be an eruption because there were thousands of small earthquakes in the area. Fortunately, scientists don’t believe the lava will reach a nearby town called Grindavik or a popular attraction called the Blue Lagoon, which is currently closed. A concern is air pollution from volcanic gas.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/prague-shooting-dead-injured-9a383bc6919c1b0d929cf06aa4818341
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/20/us/politics/us-venezuela-prisoner-exchange.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-67768062
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/boston-mayor-wu-apologizes-2-194000585.html
https://apnews.com/article/iceland-volcano-eruption-why-83b44aeeefde4d6fee49739d47129d6e