International
Suspect, 15, in custody over latest US mass shooting
AFP
The gunman believed to have killed five people in North Carolina in America’s latest mass shooting is a 15-year-old boy, in critical condition after being shot by police, officials said Friday.
Two more people were wounded in the Thursday night shooting, the motive of which remains under investigation, Raleigh police chief Estella Patterson told a news conference in the state capital.
She said the fatalities included a 29-year-old off-duty police officer who was on his way to work. The four other victims were a 16-year-old boy and three women aged 35, 49 and 52.
A 59-year-old woman also remained hospitalized in critical condition.
“The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “This is senseless, horrific and infuriating act of violence.”
President Joe Biden condemned the shooting and said gun violence in America is now so rampant that some killings no longer make the news.
“Enough. We’ve grieved and prayed with too many families who have had to bear the terrible burden of these mass shootings,” Biden said in a statement.
He renewed his appeal for a ban on high-power assault rifles commonly used in these massacres — a proposal that has repeatedly failed due to opposition from Republicans in Congress.
The shooter in this latest case opened fire in Raleigh on and near a popular walking trail called the Neuse River Greenway.
Patterson and other officials gave few details of how the mass shooting unfolded.
After an hours-long standoff in a house, the suspect was shot and taken into custody, police said.
“My heart is heavy because we don’t have answers as to why this tragedy occurred,” Patterson said.
Gun violence is an urgently pressing problem in the United States, where more than 34,000 people have been killed by firearms so far in 2022 alone, more than half of them from suicide, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.
The North Cabrolina shooting occurred after a jury earlier in the day rejected the death penalty and backed life imprisonment for Nikolas Cruz, who shot and killed 17 people at a Florida high school in 2018.
Mass shootings have repeatedly stunned the nation, reigniting debate on the divisive issue of gun control — but there has been little headway in Congress.
However, several of the most recent gun rampages, including a shooting at a school in Texas and a supermarket frequented by African Americans in New York state, prompted lawmakers to agree in June, for the first time in 30 years, to pass modest reform of gun control laws.
Nearly 400 million guns are in circulation among the civilian population in the United States, or 120 guns for every 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey project.
International
WHO Warns Ebola Outbreak Is Spreading Rapidly in DR Congo
The World Health Organization on Friday raised the risk level of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from “high” to “very high,” the highest alert category used by the organization.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak is spreading rapidly across the country, particularly in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.
“The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading rapidly,” Tedros stated during a press conference.
He explained that the WHO had previously classified the risk as high at both the national and regional levels, while maintaining a low risk assessment globally.
“We are now revising our risk assessment to classify it as very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at the global level,” he added.
A WHO spokesperson told AFP that “very high” represents the organization’s highest risk category.
The outbreak has expanded across North Kivu and South Kivu, regions divided by the frontline between Congolese government forces and the armed group M23, which is reportedly backed by Rwanda and has seized large areas of territory since 2021.
International
Guatemalan Man Sentenced to 50 Years in U.S. Prison for Child Exploitation Crimes
Ángel Emilio Rodríguez Marroquín, a Guatemalan citizen living illegally in California, was sentenced to 50 years in prison on multiple charges related to the sexual exploitation of his two eight-year-old nephews, both of whom are disabled, according to a report published by Fox News.
The Central American national was arrested on November 22, 2025, on charges of producing and possessing child pornography, the report stated.
The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles and the Homeland Security Investigations division of the immigration service. Authorities said Rodríguez Marroquín recorded himself sexually abusing both children.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Rodríguez illegally entered the United States in 2024, was arrested, and later released.
The convicted man is also under investigation in Guatemala for child exploitation offenses. That investigation is being conducted by HSI in coordination with the Los Angeles Cyber Crimes Against Children Unit.
“This depraved illegal alien from Guatemala pleaded guilty to producing and possessing child pornography involving the abuse of his nephews,” said acting DHS Deputy Secretary Lauren Bis.
She also criticized U.S. immigration policies under former President Joe Biden, claiming the defendant would not have been in the country if stricter border controls had been enforced.
International
Trump Delays Potential Iran Strikes as Regional Peace Talks Continue
Donald Trump announced a new deadline for potential military action against Iran, saying he would temporarily delay planned strikes while regional negotiators continue efforts to secure a peace agreement.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said he decided to postpone the operation after receiving requests from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
The U.S. president explained that the pause would remain in place for only a limited period, adding that discussions could continue through the end of the week or early next week.
Trump also warned that military action remained a possibility if negotiations fail to produce results, stressing that the United States could not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.
“Maybe we’ll have to hit them again,” Trump said, referring to Iran while reiterating his willingness to resume military operations if necessary.
WHO Warns Ebola Outbreak Is Spreading Rapidly in DR Congo
Guatemalan Man Sentenced to 50 Years in U.S. Prison for Child Exploitation Crimes
Trump Delays Potential Iran Strikes as Regional Peace Talks Continue
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