While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 7
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Law enforcement officers head into the university campus after reports of an active shooter, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Las Vegas police say suspect dead after university shooting
Las Vegas police on Dec 6 said a suspect was dead after they responded to reports of a shooting on the local campus of the University of Nevada, adding that there appeared to have been multiple victims.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, in a statement posted to the social media platform X, did not elaborate on the circumstances of the incident, or the number or condition of the victims.
It urged residents to avoid the area.
Police said the incident occurred around Beam Hall, a campus building that houses the business school and other facilities, adding, “there appears to be multiple victims at this time.”
Do not let Putin win in Ukraine, Biden pleads
US President Joe Biden pleaded with Republicans for a fresh infusion of military aid for Ukraine on Dec 6, warning that a victory for Russia over Ukraine would leave Moscow in position to attack Nato allies and could draw the US into a war.
Mr Biden spoke as the United States planned to announce US$175 million (S$230 million) in additional Ukraine aid from its dwindling supply of money for Kyiv.
He signalled a willingness to make significant changes to US migration policy along the border with Mexico to try to draw Republican support.
US charges pro-Russia troops in Ukraine with war crimes
The United States charged four pro-Russian soldiers with war crimes on Dec 6, over the abduction and torture of an American national in Ukraine.
Attorney-General Merrick Garland said the charges against the four “Russia-affiliated military personnel” were the first to be brought under the US war crimes statute.
“As the world has witnessed the horrors of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, so has the United States Department of Justice,” Mr Garland said.
China launches world’s first 4th-gen nuclear reactor
China began commercial operations of the world’s first next-generation, gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant, state media reported on Dec 6.
The Shidao Bay plant, in eastern Shandong province, is powered by two high-temperature reactors cooled by gas rather than pressurised water, according to state news agency Xinhua, making it more efficient and cost-effective.
Conventional reactors produce electricity from nuclear energy. However, these advanced models – known as small modular reactors, or SMRs – can be used for other applications that include heating, desalination or steam for industrial needs.
Taylor Swift named Time’s Person of the Year
Time magazine named US pop icon Taylor Swift as its Person of the Year on Dec 6, calling the musical force of nature the “hero of her own story”.
“Picking one person who represents the 8 billion people on the planet is no easy task. We picked a choice that represents joy. Someone who’s bringing light to the world,” Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs said on NBC’s Today show on Dec 6. “She was like weather, she was everywhere.”
“Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light… Swift is the rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story,” he said.
