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Three people killed, one critically wounded in Las Vegas university shooting

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1 year ago

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Three people killed, one critically wounded in Las Vegas university shooting

Three people were killed and another critically injured in a shooting at a Las Vegas university on Wednesday, police said, with the suspect also dead.

The incident at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a short distance from the gambling hub’s tourist-packed Las Vegas Strip, was the latest in the United States, where gun violence is a part of the fabric of daily life.

“According to our investigators at the scene, we have three deceased victims and one additional victim in critical condition at a local hospital,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department wrote on social media.

“The suspect in this #ActiveShooter incident is also deceased.”

Police said they had responded to calls around midday (2000 GMT) and indicated that officers had engaged a suspect on the campus, where gunshots rang out in at least two locations.

Television footage showed police military-style vehicles moving near containment lines, as well as dozens of young people being escorted through them.

One woman told local broadcaster KVVU that she had heard a series of loud noises and fled into a building on the campus, from which she was later evacuated by police.

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“I was just having breakfast and then I heard three, like, loud booms,” she told the station.

“Then two more, and then police showed up there and ran inside… but then after two minutes boom, boom, boom, more shots. So I ran into a basement, and then we were in the basement for 20 minutes.”

Three hours after the shooting erupted, the university continued to urge people to shelter in place, saying that police were working to clear each building in turn and that the investigation remained ongoing.

“Law enforcement will potentially be coming to your door, follow directions and exit calmly with your hands plainly seen,” the university said.

Brett Forrest, a reporter from local outlet KSNV, told CNN he had been on the campus for an assignment and was continuing to shelter in place with dozens of students and faculty as they awaited the all-clear from police.

“We are told that they’re coming building by building, slowly letting out each building making sure no additional victims or anyone else inside, so they might take a while,” he said.

Universities in the area were shuttered for the rest of the day and flights into the nearby international airport were halted, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

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Las Vegas is a gambling and entertainment hub that attracts millions of visitors every year, many of whom come to see large, high-profile events.

Last month, the city played host to its inaugural Formula One Grand Prix, and in February it will be the scene of the Super Bowl, the showcase final of the professional American football season.

The city was also the scene of one of America’s deadliest-ever mass shootings, when a gunman opened fire on a crowded music festival in 2017, killing 60 people.

Mass shootings are alarmingly common in the United States, a country where there are more guns than people and where attempts to clamp down on their spread are always met with stiff resistance.

The country has recorded over 600 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nongovernmental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed.

The Washington Post, which keeps its own tally of mass shootings, said that as of Monday, there had been 38 such incidents in which at least four people had been killed.

Efforts to tighten gun controls have for years run up against opposition from Republicans, staunch defenders of what they interpret as an unfettered constitutional right to weaponry.

The political paralysis endures despite widespread outrage over recurrent shootings.

Three people killed, one critically wounded in Las Vegas university shooting

(AFP)

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Visa: UK raises salary entry requirement for skilled workers

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4 hours ago

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January 3, 2025

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Visa: UK raises salary entry requirement for skilled workers

The UK government has announced an update to its immigration rules, notably increasing salary thresholds for Skilled Worker visas.

This change is targeted at ensuring that only highly skilled and well-compensated workers are able to access the UK job market, with some salary requirements rising by as much as 82%.

Effective from January 1, 2025, the minimum salary for most applicants will rise from £26,200 to £38,700.

This adjustment is projected to impact a wide range of industries, including technology, healthcare, and engineering, making it more challenging for workers to obtain a Skilled Worker visa without a higher-paying job offer.

For applicants with a relevant PhD, the salary threshold will also increase from £23,800 to £34,830, while those holding a relevant STEM PhD will need to meet a higher threshold of £30,960, up from £20,960.

Jobs on the shortage occupation list and new entrants to the workforce will also see their salary requirement increase to £30,960.

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“This increase signifies the government’s plan to ensure that only the most qualified individuals can access the Skilled Worker visa programme,” said a government spokesperson.

The raised thresholds are based on median salary figures, which will further narrow the pool of eligible applicants to the highest earners in their fields.

According to DAAD Scholarship, these changes present both challenges and opportunities for job seekers aiming to work in the UK.

“Workers in fields such as software development, engineering, and healthcare will now need to secure job offers that meet the new salary thresholds,” the scholarship noted.

Furthermore, the 20% discount for shortage occupation roles will be removed under the new system.

However, workers with relevant PhDs, especially in STEM fields, will still be eligible for some discounts.

New entrants to the workforce, including recent graduates, will continue to benefit from discounts, making it slightly easier for them to meet the new salary requirements.

For employers in the UK, these increased salary requirements will lead to higher costs when sponsoring foreign workers.

Companies will need to adjust their budgets to accommodate these changes, but the result may be a more qualified workforce entering the UK.

 

Visa: UK raises salary entry requirement for skilled workers

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Two dead after small plane crashes into California building

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13 hours ago

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January 3, 2025

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Two dead after small plane crashes into California building

Two people have died and 18 others were injured after a small plane crashed into a commercial building in southern California, officials say.

Ten people were taken to hospital with injuries, the Fullerton Police Department said in a post on X on Thursday afternoon. Eight others were treated for injuries and released at the scene.

The single-engine Van’s RV-10 crashed at 14:15PST (20:15GMT), according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Officials have provided no further details about how the crash occurred. It is unclear whether the two people who died were workers or were on board the plane.

Police say they are evacuating buildings in the area, and are asking the public to stay away from the crash site.

Congressman Lou Correa, who represents the area of Orange County, about 25 miles (40km) south of Los Angeles, said that the building that was struck is a furniture manufacturing business.

In a post on X, Correa said that at least a dozen of the victims are factory workers.

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Aerial photos of the scene show parts of the plane inside the building. The crash also sparked a fire which was extinguished by fire crews.

Security footage recorded from a building across the street shows a fiery explosion, according to local news outlets.

“People are just shaken over the situation,” witness Mark Anderson told KRCA-TV.

“It was just a large boom, and then one of the people went out and said, ‘Oh my gosh, the building’s on fire.'”

The area where the plane crashed is near the Fullerton Municipal Airport, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Disneyland.

The plane appears to have been turning back to the airport shortly after takeoff, according to KRCA-TV.

Around 100 people were ultimately evacuated from the Michael Nicholas Designs furniture factory, according to the Orange County Register newspaper.

Juanita Ramirez, an employee, told the newspaper that she heard a loud bang before seeing a large ball of fire flying towards her.

“It felt like a dream,” she said.

This is the second plane to crash in the area in the past two months, according to CBS, the BBC’s US partner.

On 25 November, another plane crashed into a tree roughly one block away from this most recent crash. No major injures were reported in that crash.

Two dead after small plane crashes into California building

BBC

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Vegas Tesla blast suspect shot himself in head – Officials

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13 hours ago

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January 3, 2025

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Vegas Tesla blast suspect shot himself in head – Officials

The decorated US special forces soldier who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas apparently shot himself in the head before the blast, authorities said Thursday, adding that his motivation was still “unknown.”

Matthew Livelsberger, 37, a member of the elite Green Berets, appears to have committed suicide in the rented vehicle filled with fuel containers and fireworks, which then erupted into flames, officials said.

Livelsberger’s body was burned beyond recognition but Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the authorities had “a lot of confidence” that he was the sole occupant of the Cybertruck.

Livelsberger, identified through his military ID, passport and credit cards, had a gunshot wound to the head and a gun was found at his feet, McMahill told reporters at a press conference in Las Vegas.

“The motivation at this point is unknown,” FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans said.

Evans said there is “no information that we’re aware of right now that connects this individual to any terrorist organization around the world.”

Kenny Cooper, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Livelsberger had legally purchased two semi-automatic handguns on Monday which were found in the remains of the vehicle.

Video footage outside the Trump hotel shows the stainless steel truck parked at the building’s glass entrance early Wednesday, then bursting into flames, followed by smaller explosions that appeared similar to fireworks.

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Seven people were wounded in the blast.

The Trump-branded building, which opened in 2008, is part-owned by the Republican president-elect’s family business.

Evans said the link to the president-elect was “not lost” on investigators, nor was the fact that Tesla is owned by world’s richest man — and prominent Trump backer — Elon Musk.

“But we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us” it was driven by any particular ideology, he said.

Livelsberger rented the vehicle in Colorado on December 28, from where authorities tracked him driving it alone through Arizona and New Mexico to Las Vegas, which he reached on January 1, Kevin McMahill said.

McMahill said Livelsberger was a Green Beret who had been deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and was currently stationed in Germany.

An army spokesperson said Livelsberger was “on approved leave at the time of his death,” and that he had been awarded multiple Bronze Star Medals, including one for valor.

Investigators said it was not yet clear how the blast detonated, but the components were mainly consumer products like fireworks and fuel.

They said some of the components had not exploded, and that the level of sophistication in the blast was not what they would expect from someone with Livelsberger’s military background.

“I just don’t think it was done as well as he was expecting it to be done,” McMahill said.

The blast came just hours after a pickup truck plowed into a crowd of revelers in the French Quarter of New Orleans, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens.

Initially investigators were probing potential links between the events, but authorities in New Orleans said Thursday they believe the Islamic State-inspired attacker there acted alone, while the FBI described the Vegas incident as “isolated.”

 

Vegas Tesla blast suspect shot himself in head – Officials

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