Thursday, October 14 top stories
It is Thursday, October 14. Here are today’s top stories.
A study by health publication KFF estimated that at least 90,000 unvaccinated adults in the U.S. have died from the coronavirus since June. KFF said those deaths could have been avoided because vaccines were widely available. KFF researchers also found that the highest cause of death among people ages 35 to 54 in September was the coronavirus.
About 10,000 Deere & Co. workers, who make and assemble John Deere tractors, went on strike today. The workers’ union, UAW, said they rejected a contract offer because it doesn’t provide workers with a decent living, good retirement benefits, or fair work rules. Deere & Co. is not struggling financially as it reported record profits of almost $6 billion this year. Workers plan to picket in front of manufacturing plants in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado, and Georgia.
Comedian Dave Chappelle’s stand-up comedy special on Netflix, “The Closer,” is being criticized by transgender activists for what they say is harmful and transphobic language. Activists and some Netflix employees have spoken out that jokes about transgender people can cause violence towards transgender people, especially transgender people of color. The Netflix co-CEO said he would keep the show on air because he believes that content on screen does not cause real-world harm. The Los Angeles Times reported that some transgender Netflix employees and supporters plan to stage a walkout next week.
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On Wednesday night in Norway, a man with a bow and arrow went on a rampage in the town of Kongsberg, killing five people. The suspect is a 37-year-old citizen of Denmark named Espen Andersen Brathen. Police said they believe it is an act of terrorism but are still investigating what motivated him to attack. The ages of those who died were between 50 and 70. There were memorials and candles set up to honor the victims.
News reports explained that Norwegian police, who usually do not carry guns on them, confronted the suspect shortly after they received calls about the attack, but the suspect shot at police using arrows and managed to get away. The suspect was able to kill five people in 30 minutes before he was caught. He has been charged with murder.
Early this morning in Taiwan, a large 13-story building in the city of Kaohsiung was engulfed in a massive fire that killed 46 people and injured many others. It took firefighters more than four hours to stop the fire. Firefighters said they struggled to get through clutter on the building’s lower floors and get around obstructed staircases. The building was both a residential and commercial building. Many residents were either elderly or had disabilities.
There were gun battles today in the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. CNN explained that supporters of Hezbollah, a political and militant group, were marching towards Lebanon’s Justice Palace in a protest to demand a judge overseeing an investigation in last year’s port blast be removed when they were shot at by gunmen and snipers from rooftops. Armed men who were affiliated with the protesters returned fire and RPGs. The gun battles lasted for several hours. At least six people were killed.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58910794
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/14/world/europe/norway-bow-and-arrow-attack.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58887760
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/beirut-protest-gunfire-live-intl/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-deere-strike-14-us-plants/