Category World News

Man kills two with police mother’s gun at Florida State University

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According to investigators, the son of a sheriff’s deputy, age 20, opened fire on Florida State University with his mother’s former service weapon, killing two people and injuring at least six others.

The student union at the Tallahassee school was attacked on Friday at around 11:50 a.m. Eastern Time (15:50 GMT).

The university quickly issued an active shooter alert, with Florida State’s alert system reporting that law enforcement had soon “neutralized the threat.”

The two people killed, according to Florida State University Police Chief Jason Trumbower, were not students, according to the police chief.

He claimed that the attacker was also receiving treatment at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital after being taken into custody, along with five other people.

Evacuees watch law enforcement at Florida State University following a shooting [Alicia Devine/USA TODAY via Reuters]

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, stated in a statement from the Oval Office that he had been “fully briefed.”

It’s a terrible thing, they say. Trump called it “cruel” that things like this happen.

He quickly jumped on the gun and said, “These things are terrible, but the gun doesn’t do the shooting. The people actually do.

The suspect, Phoenix Ikner, 20, the son of a sheriff’s deputy within his own department, was later identified by Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil.

He claimed that Ikner had used his mother’s former service weapon in the attack. He added that the attacker had long been a youth advisory council member and had collaborated with the sheriff’s office on a number of training programs.

According to McNeil, “We will make sure that we do everything in our power to prosecute and make sure that we send a message to people that this will never be tolerated here in Leon County, and I dare say, across the state and across this country,”

Florida shooting
Following a shooting, law enforcement personnel at Florida State University [Alicia Devine/USA TODAY via Reuters]

Ikner is reportedly a student at the university, according to police, but it was not immediately known what led to the attack. According to authorities, Ikner made use of his right to silence while being detained.

In the US, there are a lot of school shootings, and this one was not the first.

In the middle of the university campus, three people were shot inside the Strozier Library entrance in 2014.

The 31-year-old man who arrived within two minutes of the first call was shot and killed.

Ukraine and US sign memorandum on minerals deal, Kyiv says

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According to Kyiv’s first deputy prime minister and economy minister, the United States and Ukraine have signed a memorandum as the first step toward a conclusion of a mineral development agreement.

Yulia Svyrydenko, a member of the social media platform X, wrote, “We are happy to announce the signing, with our American partners, of a Memorandum of Intent, which opens the way for an Economic Partnership Agreement and the establishment of the Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.”

In February, Kyiv and Washington had been talking about a deal to extract Ukraine’s strategic minerals, but a conflict between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy temporarily scuppered progress.

Trump claims that the agreement, which was intended to compensate for the aid provided to Ukraine by his predecessor, Joe Biden, should pay US royalty payments for the proceeds of Ukrainian mining of resources and rare minerals.

Svyrydenko said work was still being done to secure a final agreement despite not providing specifics about the memo.

We hope the Fund will be a useful tool for attracting money to help with our nation’s reconstruction, infrastructure modernization, business support, and the development of new economic opportunities, she said.

The document will be very useful for both countries given the significant progress and the current pace.

At the conclusion of last week, the Trump administration offered a new, more expansive deal, so the Ukrainian delegation made their way to Washington for negotiations. The original framework agreement that was reached has never been ratified.

Trump earlier told reporters at the White House, “We have a minerals deal, which I guess will be signed on Thursday.

Zelenskyy had previously stated that both nations could sign memorandas of intent online.

A memorandum of intent is present. And Zelenskyy in Kyiv stated to the media that we have good, constructive intentions.

The US side made the offer to sign the memorandum before the comprehensive agreement, which would need to be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament, he added.

In the event of a ceasefire, US officials claim that bolstering American business interests in Ukraine will help deter Russian aggression in the future.

Who is being targeted by Trump and why?

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US-based organizations shut down, NGOs and media outlets targeted, and universities threatened.

Numerous businesses and organizations have been subject to severe legal action by the Trump administration.

What does this mean for the US and its standing on a global scale, and why is it happening?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, David Cay Johnston

Ryan Enos, professor of government and director of Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies,

Macron hails Paris talks with top US officials on ending Ukraine war

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As Kyiv’s allies in Europe attempt to rekindle the conflict in Paris amid mounting tensions with Washington, French President Emmanuel Macron has hosted senior US officials in Paris for talks on ending the conflict.

Macron said the discussions were “a very important occasion for convergence” after meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday.

Everyone wants a strong, long-lasting peace, according to the statement. The French leader said, “The question is about phasing.”

Trump has been urging the US president to end the Russian-Ukraine conflict, with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking bilaterally with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.

Trump has expressed frustration with both Moscow and Kyiv, and his efforts have not so far failed.

Russia rejected a Trump request to ceasefire last month, but Ukraine accepted it. Both sides have agreed to halting attacks on energy-focused ships and at sea, both of which they accuse one another of violating.

Some European leaders have urged Trump to ensure that Ukraine has a seat at the table of negotiations in any negotiations because of the US’s overtures toward Russia over the past few weeks.

Hashem Ahelbarra, a journalist in Paris, reported on Thursday that the Macron-hosted discussions showed “strong evidence that the Americans are attempting to work with the Europeans” to reach a ceasefire agreement.

After the Trump administration made its announcement to leave Europe, Ahelbarra claimed there had been “a great deal of frustration and scepticism” among European leaders and that they did not anticipate that the European nations would play a significant part in efforts to end the war.

Because they claim they are the ones who can ensure the voice of the Ukrainians can be heard, “Europe would like to play a key role in the ceasefire talks,” he continued.

Zelenskyy demands that Russia be under more pressure.

In advance of the talks with Rubio and Witkoff, Macron reportedly phoned Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, to discuss the matter.

Before that, Emmanuel Bonne, Macron’s chief of staff and his British and German counterparts met, and they spoke about a potential ceasefire and security guarantees, according to Yermak.

We exchanged opinions on the implementation of a full ceasefire, the presence of a multinational military contingent, and the creation of a successful security structure for Ukraine, according to Yermak in a social media post.

Russian aggression comes as Ukraine continues to be attacked by Ukraine, with Ukrainian authorities reporting that at least 12 people were killed by drone strikes and shelling on Thursday.

This week, a Russian attack that claimed the lives of at least 35 people in Sumy, northeast of the city, also sparked widespread outcry and renewed calls for an end to the conflict.

Zelenskyy had earlier urged the leaders of Paris to pressure Russia into agreeing to a ceasefire earlier on Thursday. “Russia kills itself every day and every night. He remarked on Telegram that we must pressurize the killers.

Zelenskyy also pointed out that Witkoff, the US envoy, was “spreading Russian narratives” after suggesting a peace deal with Russia depended on the status of Ukraine’s occupied territories.

Zelenskyy told reporters, “I think Mr. Witkoff has adopted the Russian side’s strategy.” “I believe it is very dangerous because he is spreading Russian narratives, whether we know it or not,” he said.

After their third meeting since Trump’s arrival at the White House in January, Witkoff claimed this week that Putin was open to “permanent peace.”

Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were reportedly speaking via phone, according to the US State Department in a statement following the discussions on Thursday.

The Secretary also stated that President Trump and the United States want this war to end, and that they have now presented to all parties the blueprints for a peaceful and lasting future. “The Secretary conveyed the same message to the Ukrainian delegation and our European allies in Paris,” it said.