Foreign

Nine Die in US Torrential Rains, Flood

By Web News 267

Over the weekend, torrential rains caused severe flooding across the southeastern United States, resulting in at least nine fatalities and widespread destruction.

The flooding caused catastrophic damage, with over half a million households across the eight states losing power by Sunday night, Kentucky experienced some of the worst impacts, with up to 6 inches (15 cm) of rain in some areas, leading to widespread flooding and over 300 road closures.

Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear who has reported eight deaths has also warned that the death toll could rise as flooding was not over, with rivers expected to continue rising and swollen streams causing ongoing issues.

Mr Beshear has requested federal assistance, and President Donald Trump approved an emergency disaster declaration, authorizing FEMA to coordinate relief efforts.

Hundreds of people were rescued from floodwaters, many of whom were trapped in their vehicles.

Governor Beshear urged residents to avoid travelling and stay safe.

In Georgia, a ninth death occurred when a man was struck by an uprooted tree that crashed into his home while he was in bed.

The storm system affected multiple states, including Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina, all of which were under storm-related alerts.

These states had already suffered significant damage from Hurricane Helene in September.

BBC/Maxwell Oyekunle

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Foreign

Mass Shooting Leaves Six Dead in Mississippi, US

By Web News 375

*73rd mass gun violence in 2023

A man armed with three guns fatally shot his ex-wife and five others during a rampage in a small rural town in the US state of Mississippi, police say.

The victims were killed at several locations, including a store and two homes, in Arkabutla, a community of fewer than 300 people.

Police have charged a 52-year-old local man with first-degree murder and held him at the county jail.

No motive for his attack has yet been identified.

The suspect is believed to have acted alone, said Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves.

The rampage began when the gunman entered a petrol station convenience store at around 11:00 local time (17:00 GMT) and shot a man to whom he had no apparent connection, Sheriff Brad Lance said.

He then went to a nearby home where he fatally shot his ex-wife and, according to CNN, struck but did not shoot her fiance.

Investigators say the gunman then drove to a home next to his own residence and fatally shot a man who may have been his stepfather, as well as an unnamed woman, the New York Times reports.

He then shot two people, one inside a car and one on the road, not far from his own home. The final two victims appear to have been construction workers on a job at the site, according to Sheriff Lance.

Deputies spotted the suspect inside a vehicle matching witness descriptions and were able to apprehend him near his home after a brief car chase.

“We don’t have a lot of violent crime here. This is shocking,” said Sheriff Lance. “I never dreamt that we would deal with something like that here.”

He said the suspect had a shotgun and two handguns in his possession.

A primary and secondary school in nearby Coldwater were placed on lockdown during the incident, which unfolded 45 miles (72km) south of Memphis, in neighbouring Tennessee.

Ethan Cash, a 19-year-old local resident, told WREG-TV that he had seen the gun-toting suspect.

Mr Cash said he also checked the pulse of the victim who died inside his vehicle and drew his own pistol on an injured man nearby who turned out to be the victim’s brother.

Friday’s incident marks the 73rd mass shooting since the year began, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) non-profit research database.

GVA defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Feature

Odd World: Man Owns 100 Guns, 100,000 Rounds for Self-Protection

By Web News 1070

There are so many differences and peculiarities in the world even in these days of the global village.

Like the Yoruba adage says, “bí wọ́n ṣe máa ń ṣe ní ile yii, eewọ ibo míràn ni” which translates to “what is the norm in one culture is a taboo in another”.

The issue of gun ownership for whatever purpose is so important in the United States, U.S., that it is deeply entrenched in the country’s constitution as a fundamental human right.

The right to keep and bear arms in the United States is a fundamental right protected by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights, and by the constitutions of most U.S. states.

“The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms. It was ratified on December 15, 1791, along with nine other articles of the Bill of Rights.” (Wikipedia)

This brings this author to this story posted on Quora by Guns and self-protection in December 2021, which is reposted below, as he wonders what folks from other parts of the world would think of it.

You may have heard on the news about a Southern California man who was put under 72-hour psychiatric observation when it was found he owned 100 guns and allegedly had 100,000 rounds of ammunition stored in his home.

The house also featured a secret escape tunnel.

By Southern California standards, someone owning 100,000 rounds is considered “mentally unstable.

But…

In Michigan, he’d be called ”the last white guy still living in Detroit”.

In Arizona, he’d be called “an avid gun collector”.

In Arkansas, he’d be called “a novice gun collector”.

In Utah, he’d be called “moderately well prepared”, but they’d probably reserve judgment until they made sure that he had a corresponding quantity of stored food.

In Kansas, he’d be “A guy down the road you would want to have for a friend”.

In Montana, he’d be called “The neighborhood ‘Go-To’ guy”.

In Idaho, he’d be called ”a likely gubernatorial candidate”.

In Georgia, he’d be called “an eligible bachelor”.

In North Carolina, Virginia, WV, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and Minnesota he would be called “a deer hunting buddy”.

AND, OF COURSE,

In Florida, he’d just be “a guy who’s a little short on Ammo”.

What do you think such a person would be called in Nigeria?

Maxwell Oyekunle