STORY: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited a music studio in Accra during a visit to Ghana she was joined by actors Idris Elba and Sheryl Lee Ralph.[U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris]'What is happening here is changing the way people kind of enjoy themselves and think of their expression. And there is so much about our ability to receive music that is about receiving universal language, and that is also what you are doing here. You are speaking in a way that around the globe people hear songs that are rooted in concepts like freedom.'[Actor, Idris Elba]'I was invited to the African Leadership Summit at the last minute to come along, and ass some razzmatazz, I guess. But what happened was that I found myself in the middle of, you know, a lot of conversations around the creative arts industry, what they call the orange economy, which is a very big economy that has a lot of growth potential in Africa'
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) released images from the scene of a shooting at Covenant School, where three nine-year-old children and three adults were killed on Monday morning, March 27.Police posted an image of a Honda Fit and said it belonged to the shooter, identified by police as 28-year-old Nashville resident Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who drove the vehicle to the Covenant School campus.Detectives searched the vehicle and found “additional material written by Hale”, the MNPD said. In an afternoon press conference, police chief John Drake said investigators found a manifesto, writings, and detailed maps of the school.Additional images released by police show a shattered glass door, where police said Hale entered the Covenant building after shooting out the glass.Other images show a shattered windscreen and window on campus. Police said Hale had fired on police from a second-story window as they arrived at the scene.Hale was armed with three guns and significant ammunition, police said, and fired a “number of rounds” inside the Covenant Church/School building.Hale was shot dead by police at the scene. Hale was a former student at The Covenant School, according to police. Credit: Metropolitan Nashville Police Department via Storyful
STORY: A 28-year-old woman shot dead three children and three adults at the school before police killed her.The woman had at least two semi-automatic rifles and a handgun, police said.“We just learned about another shooting in Tennessee. A school shooting. And I am truly without words. And our children deserve better, And we stand, all of us, we stand with Nashville in prayer,” Jill Biden told a conference in Washington.
A bear named Bakhmut, who was rescued from the frontline city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, has emerged from hibernation after resting for over two months, Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne reported on Monday, March 27.Bakhmut the bear now lives at a shelter called Domazhyr in Lviv, in Ukraine’s west. He was abandoned in his cage at a private residence without food or water, Domazhyr said.“He was malnourished, swaying from side to side in despair and stress,” the sanctuary said. “During the first days of his arrival, Bakhmut was very shy and it took him some time to get used to his new home and the new sounds around his enclosure.”He fell into hibernation in December, surprising staff at Domazhyr, Suspilne reported.The shelter’s marketing manager Olha Fedoriv told Suspilne: “This is really a very good indicator, which shows that he is undergoing rehabilitation well.” Credit: Suspilne News via Storyful
STORY: As protests intensified across Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced he would delay a decision on a bitterly contested plan to overhaul the judiciary and would seek time for compromise.The move comes as fears rise that Israel’s worst national crisis in years could fracture his coalition or escalate into violence.In a televised address, Netanyahu said 'When there’s an opportunity to avoid civil war through dialogue, I, as prime minister, am taking a timeout for dialogue"Opposition parties said they would work to reach an agreement if the government was sincere. Former centrist Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the opposition needed to be sure Netanyahu was not bluffing but also pointed out in a statement “If the government engages in a real and fair dialog we can come out of this moment of crisis- stronger and more united- and we can turn this into a defining moment in our ability to live together.”Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who has been leading the judicial reform process, said that as a member of Netanyahu's Likud party he would respect whatever decision the prime minister reached"A situation in which everyone does as they wish is liable to bring about the instant fall of the government and collapse of Likud," he said in a statement.Protestors have flooded Israeli streets for weeks to express their opposition to the plan which would limit the Supreme Court's powers to rule against the legislature and the executive, while giving coalition lawmakers more power in appointing judges.Netanyahu, himself on trial on corruption charges which he denies, has promised to ensure civil rights are protected but has not backed down from the central thrust of the reforms. His decision Sunday to fire the defense chief for opposing his plans prompted mass overnight protests.Some members of parliament chanted “shame, shame” as the government coalition pressed ahead with the plan earlier Monday.While opposition from a labor union grounded flights at Ben Gurion airport.The union said it had called off the strikes after Netanyahu announced the delay which was praised by leaders in the UK and US governments.White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre:“We welcome this announcement as an opportunity to create additional time and space for compromise. Compromise is precisely what we have been calling for and we continue to strongly urge Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible.”The crisis is among the worst in Israeli domestic political history and comes amid escalating violence in the West Bank, where more than 250 Palestinian gunmen and civilians, and more than 40 Israelis have been killed in the past year.
A winter storm battered parts of north east Colorado on March 27, bringing heavy snow and high winds.This footage, shared by Twitter user @AirMajorImages, shows multiple vehicles stopped along Stallion Drive in Loveland, Colorado, as snow blankets the road.The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for Larimer County, warning of snowfall up to ten inches and strong wind gusts. Credit: @AirMajorImages via Storyful
A man who collided with Gwyneth Paltrow on a ski slope says he is “living another life” following the incident, which left him with severe injuries. Terry Sanderson said he had been told he should not ski again following the crash, which had caused the breakdown of his mental health and relationships.
The mother of a 21-year-old woman who died at the start of 2023 has made a heartfelt plea to Londoners to take care with e-bikes and e-scooters, particularly to never block fire escape routes.
The National Education Union has said it will recommend members reject what it called an “insulting” pay offer from the Government. The NASUWT and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said they will ask for feedback from members, while the headteachers’ union NAHT said its national executive committee will consider the details on before deciding its next steps. The NEU said the offer amounts to a £1,000 one-off cash payment for the present school year and a 4.3% consolidated pay rise for most teachers for next year.
STORY: U.S. stocks ended mixed on Monday as a deal for Silicon Valley Bank's assets helped investor confidence in banks, while a decline in technology shares weighed on the Nasdaq.The Dow climbed six-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 gained just under two-tenths, while the Nasdaq slid nearly half a percent.Liz Miller is founder and president of Summit Place Financial Advisors.“I think we're seeing the back and forth of inter-quarter as investors just continually try to digest, really, ‘Where have we ended first quarter compared to where we started this year?' We started this year with what we thought was a clear track forward, and we're ending the quarter with a lot more questions than answers.”First among those questions, perhaps, is whether the banking sector has stabilized.Shares of First Citizens shot up Monday after it said it would acquire the deposits and loans of Silicon Valley Bank, which failed earlier this month in the largest bank collapse since the 2008 financial crisis.And shares of First Republic Bank rose after Bloomberg reported U.S. authorities were considering more support for banks, which could give the struggling San Francisco-based lender more time to shore up its balance sheet.Tech-related growth shares, which have had a strong quarter, weighed on the Nasdaq Monday. Apple, Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Google parent Alphabet all closed down.Crypto shares were also down after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said crypto exchange Binance and its CEO have been sued by the commission for allegedly operating an "illegal" exchange and a so-called "sham" compliance program.Among the session’s gainers, shares of Walt Disney were up after the company began 7,000 layoffs announced earlier this year.
STORY: These drummers wander around neighborhoods in Gaza to wake residents up ahead of thepre-dawn meal during RamadanLocator: Khan Younis, Gaza (Mohammed Mosran, Mesaharati drummer) "We go out to wake people up and try to reduce the feeling of the blockade, poverty and despair we are facing. We try to make them happy and create a Ramadan atmosphere, with the anthems and the religious chants, the mesaharati. We try to reduce the impact of the situation we are in."
A gunwoman wielding two “assault-style” rifles and a pistol killed three pupils and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.
STORY: Mining accidents are rife in the giant Central African country, especially at small, artisanal sites such as the one in South Kivu province that collapsed on Saturday following heavy rain.The video shows a man precariously perched on the side of a steep slope of rubble, frantically digging with a spade while a group of other men stands in a large circle around him, watching.Suddenly, a miner pops out of the rubble, as if shooting out of a tube, and slides down the slope, borne by his own momentum, as the onlookers break out in cheers of surprise and delight.The rescuer is then seen redoubling his efforts, forsaking the spade to dig through the rubble with his bare hands. Another miner soon appears, then another, and within two minutes a total of nine men have come out alive and well.Reuters has verified the video, which was widely shared on social media. A lack of safety procedures and proper equipment are at the root of frequent tunnel collapses at Congolese mines, in which miners are trapped underground with slim chances of survival.
Demonstrators arrived at Jerusalem’s main train station on Monday, March 27, as rallies against and in favor of judicial reforms continued in Israel.On Monday evening, Haaretz reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would delay his government’s judicial reform plans and that he called it “the right thing to do.”Pro-judicial reform demonstrators gathered in Jerusalem to protest the delay, the Times of Israel reported. Credit: Judy Maltz via Storyful
Police used a water cannon to disperse demonstrators in Tel Aviv, Israel, as protests continued into the night on Monday, March 27.On Monday evening, Haaretz reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would delay his government’s judicial reform plans to the end of April and that he called it “the right thing to do.”On Sunday, the prime minister fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the controversial reforms, a day after Gallant had called for legislation regarding the government’s judicial overhaul to be paused, the Times of Israel reported.Footage posted to Twitter by journalist Fadi Amun shows people running as a vehicle shoots water on Monday night. Credit: Fadi Amun via Storyful
Heavy rainfall caused major roadways to flood in Sumter, South Carolina, on Monday, March 27.Sumter received almost 6 inches of rain overnight, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).The Sumter Police Department asked drivers to use “extra caution” as some roads were still underwater midday Monday.The footage, released by the Sumter PD, shows South Pike East submerged in floodwater. Credit: Sumter Police Department via Storyful
The Evans, Colorado, Police Department warned against traveling in Weld County on Monday, March 27, as a winter storm created hazardous whiteout conditions in the area.The National Weather Service warned of “heavy” snowfall up to 10 inches and “strong wind gusts up to 40 mph” on Monday.Video released by the Evans Police Department shows a snow-covered road with low visibility in Weld County on Monday morning. Credit: Evans Police Department via Storyful
Demonstrators protest against the Illegal Migration Bill in Parliament Square, London. The controversial legislation designed to put a stop to migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats returned to the House of Commons for its committee stage on Monday. Includes interview with Weyman Bennett, joint national convener for Stand Up To Racism, and Nicola Palmer, associate professor at King's College London.
STORY: Huge crowds have gathered in France in recent weeks to protest a controversial rise in the country's pension age by two years to 64.Some of the marches have turned violent. While the reform is most relevant to those approaching retirement, many young people are also taking to the streets.But why might that be? The French youth have joined the protests in growing numbers since the government bypassed parliament to push the plans through.Every night for the past few weeks, 18-year-old Charles Chauliac has been making his voice heard. Not just for his parents, but for himself."I am against this reform simply because I have two parents who are killing themselves at work and damaging their health and I don't want to see them die at work. My father, he works every day, he gets up to get on the tarmac at Charles de Gaulle airport at 5 a.m. to load the planes. I find it difficult to imagine myself at 64 getting up at 3 a.m."Chauliac is part of groups started by university students to organize unauthorized demonstrations, which are usually carried out in the evenings. While a few protesters have been seen torching bins and throwing rocks at police, Chauliac insists he hasn't.Opinion polls show a wide majority of voters are opposed to the pension bill. They are further angered by Macron's leadership style and the government's decision to skip the parliamentary vote."For young people like me, we grew up with the hope of being able to influence our society. And when we see that decisions are made without consulting the people who make up this society, that takes away the possibility of being able to change things."Many students, like Chauliac, have been joining private groups on social media which help students mobilize for spontaneous protests.He says they help prevent the groups being noticed by police. But does Chauliac worry about the repercussions, should the demonstrations get out of hand?"I wonder about that, because I know what can happen to us too, we see the images and we see what happens to fellow protesters, but that wouldn't prevent me from demonstrating, because I'm so outraged that it surpasses potentially endangering myself."Macron recently said he would press ahead with the reforms.Unions have called for regional action, and the continuation of nationwide strikes and protests.
STORY: "California is not part of [First Citizens'] footprint," Miller explains, "It's great opportunity to get into that footprint."She also describes SVB as "a very sought-after institution, very well-heeled and [an] exciting, to some people, clientele."She calls pairing it with North Carolina-based First Citizens an "interesting match-up", explaining it was "half the size of what SVB was," but that it does "have a history of building out their business buying distressed assets."First Citizens will not pay cash upfront for the deal. Instead, it said it granted equity appreciation rights in its stock to the FDIC that could be worth up to $500 million -- a fraction of what Silicon Valley Bank was worth before it failed.The deal comes after the FDIC took over Silicon Valley Bank on March 10 after depositors rushed to pull out their money in a bank run that also brought down Signature Bank and wiped out more than half the market value of several other U.S. regional lenders.The deal was "momentous" for First Citizens, CEO Frank Holding told investors on a conference call Monday. "We believe this transaction is a great outcome for depositors."
STORY: Britain's Prince Harry and singer Elton John made a surprise appearance at London's High Court on Monday as they and several others began a lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper over years of alleged phone-tapping and privacy breaches. The high-profile celebrities as well as actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost brought a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers or ANL, alleging they were victims of "numerous unlawful acts," including hacking mobile phone messages, bugging calls and even breaking into private property. ANL, which is seeking to have the case thrown out, said in a statement it categorically denied the allegations and would vigorously defend them if necessary. A spokesperson for Prince Harry, who flew in from California, said he wanted to be there to show his support. In his claim, Harry accuses ANL of seeking information about private flight details of his ex-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, and hacked mobile phone voicemail messages and bugged the landlines of his friends. The claim said the unlawful attempts to find out details of the royal's private travel plans were a significant security risk and "dangerous." In court submissions, ANL said the claims were based on inference rather than evidence, and that there was little or no evidence of unlawful information gathering by its journalists – which it strongly denies.Media intrusion was one of the reasons Harry and Meghan cited for stepping back from royal duties and moving to California to start new lives.
Reader in Environmental Pollution Dr Fay Couceiro says the oil "can be toxic" and can stay in sediment for a "long time" after it was reported that an approximate 200 barrels of fluid leaked into Poole Harbour. Wildlife Trust volunteer Angela stresses the urgency to get animals that have had contact with oil "proper care", whilst Jim Stewart from Poole Harbour Commissioners says the spill is "very rare", and that they "have never had an event like this". .
STORY: Miller explains that "for the longest time we've always heard an inverted yield curve tells us a recession's coming. Well, it's not really that it signals it. The idea of an inverted yield curve is this: the current inverted yield curve indicates that there are higher interest rates today than as you go out five years, ten years."Investors are looking "at changes in the yield curve over the last two weeks," Miller continues, and it "seems to be saying that investors think the Federal Reserve may have to actually start lowering rates some time later in 2023, which is earlier than many people previously thought."
STORY: The woman had at least two semi-automatic rifles and a handgun, police said.The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department began receiving calls at 10:13 a.m. of a shooter at The Covenant School, which teaches children up to sixth grade (around 12 years old). Officers could hear gunfire coming from the school's second floor, Don Aaron, a police spokesperson, told reporters.Two officers from a five-member team shot at her in what Aaron described as a lobby area and she was dead by 10:27 a.m..
STORY: Police began receiving calls of a shooter at The Covenant School at 10:13 a.m.. Officers could hear gunfire coming from the school's second floor, Don Aaron, a spokesperson for Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, told reporters.The shooter had at least two semi-automatic rifles and a handgun, Aaron said. Two officers from a five-member team shot at her in what Aaron described as a lobby area and she was dead by 10:27 a.m..Besides the deceased, no one else was shot, Aaron said.The Covenant School, founded in 2001, is a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville with about 200 students, according to the school's website. The school serves preschool through 6th graders and held an active shooter training program in 2022, WTVF-TV reported.