Headline

5 Missing As Six-storey Building Collapses In US

Published

2 years ago

June 1, 2023

At least two people were missing and the whereabouts of three more were unknown after rescue efforts were made to pull out survivors at an apartment building that partially collapsed in eastern Iowa over the weekend, officials said on Wednesday

More than a dozen people were initially escorted out of the six-storey building when part of it collapsed in Davenport on Sunday afternoon, and seven others were rescued in the first hour of a search, Chief Michael Carlsten of the Davenport Fire Department, said at a news conference on Tuesday. An eighth person was found in a secondary search, he said, and a ninth on Monday night.

Mayor Mike Matson said that five people were still missing on Tuesday morning, including two who were thought to still be in the building. Officials did not specify where the three other people could be. There have been no reported fatalities. The cause of the collapse was still under investigation.

Dozens of people protested outside the building on Tuesday morning amid concerns that the structure would be demolished before the missing people were found.

Officials said that they were trying to find them while also trying to keep emergency medical workers safe because the building could collapse at any time.

Davenport’s fire marshal, James Morris, became emotional as he talked about how two people could still be inside the unstable building.

“It’s extremely difficult when you can’t run up to a pile of bricks and rocks, and just start throwing things off,” he said. “As much as we want to. We want to get everyone out and we want to do it right now.”

Officials said they were constantly evaluating whether the building would need to come down in a controlled demolition and how to make the area safe for another search by emergency medical workers.

On Monday, after city officials said at a news conference that they did not know of any remaining people in the building, a woman was found alive later that day. She had been hiding under a couch in a portion of the building that appeared to still be intact, according to NBC News.

The mayor said on Monday that firefighters and emergency medical workers saved lives by rushing into the building, which has 84 residential and commercial units.

Firefighters discovered a large natural gas leak and a water leak at the building, but the cause of the collapse was not immediately known, Chief Carlsten said on Monday.

Rich Oswald, the city’s director of development and neighborhood services, said at the news conference on Tuesday that a structural engineer had provided a report to the city in January and last week to show that the building was “structurally sound.”

Headline

Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Headline

US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”