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Here Is What We Know About A Shooting At Joel Osteen’s Mega church
Houston — The shooter’s motivation for opening fire at famous pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch remained unknown Monday as authorities searched the suspect’s suburban Houston house and identified the weapon used in the attack as an AR-style rifle.
The residence in Conroe, Texas, is more than 50 miles (80 kilometres) north of Lakewood Church, where a shooting occurred Sunday between busy services, sending people rushing for safety.
The shooter was named Genesse Ivonne Moreno, 36, according to an affidavit seeking a search warrant released by the Montgomery County district attorney’s office. Two off-duty police officers who worked security at the church, one of the biggest megachurches in the country, allegedly shot and killed Moreno.
Two other individuals were shot and injured, including the shooter’s little son, who had entered the chapel with them.
Here’s everything you should know about the shooting:
The sound of gunfire inside the vast church, which was once home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets, surprised worshippers just before 2 p.m. Sunday when many people were preparing to watch the Super Bowl.
At a press conference on Sunday, Houston police Chief Troy Finner stated that the shooter entered the church dressed in a trenchcoat and backpack and carrying a long rifle.
Finner stated that the shooter entered the chapel with the young kid but did not specify their relationship. The perpetrator opened fire and was met by two off-duty policemen, a Houston police officer and a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent, who returned fire.
According to the search warrant affidavit, the suspect told authorities before being shot and killed that they had a bomb and were carrying “a yellow rope and substances consistent with the manufacture of explosive devices, which appeared to be a detonation cord.” Finner said Sunday that a search yielded no explosives.
He and other authorities at the scene complimented the officers for apprehending the shooter.
“It could have been worse,” Finner explained. “But they stepped up and did their job.”
Moreno’s son, who authorities described as 7 years old, was wounded in the head and remained in critical condition on Monday. On Sunday, the youngster was initially characterised as being five years old.
It was unclear how the boy, who was sent to a Houston children’s hospital, was hit by gunfire. When asked if the boy was shot by one of the off-duty cops who returned fire on the suspect, Finner declined to guess but did say, “That suspect put that baby in danger.”
The other victim, a guy in his fifties, was wounded in the hip, according to authorities.
Here Is What We Know About A Shooting At Joel Osteen’s Mega-church
How did the worshippers inside react?
Alan Guity, whose family hails from Honduras, has been a church member since 1998. He claimed he heard gunshots while resting inside the church’s sanctuary, where his mother worked as an usher.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom!” “And I yelled, ‘Mom,'” he explained.
Guity, 35, stated that he raced to his mother, and they both lay low on the floor while the firing continued. Guity claimed he and his mother prayed and remained on the floor for around five minutes until being told it was okay to go. As he was carried outside, Guity noticed people crying and searching for loved ones.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom!” “And I yelled, ‘Mom,'” he explained.
Guity and his mother attempted to calm people down by worshipping and singing in Spanish, “Move in me, move in me.” Touch my thoughts and heart. Move within me, Holy Spirit. Osteen, 60, took over Lakewood Church after his father, John Osteen, the church’s founding pastor, died in 1999. According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, the church has grown substantially under Joel Osteen and now boasts 45,000 weekly attendees, making it the third-largest megachurch in the United States.
Osteen is a proponent of what is known as the prosperity gospel, which holds that God wants his followers to be prosperous and well. He wrote several best-selling books, including “Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential.”
His televised services reach around 100 nations, and refurbishing his church’s stadium cost nearly $100 million.
After Hurricane Harvey inundated Houston in 2017, Osteen opened his church to individuals needing shelter after social media critics chastised the televangelist for not offering to accommodate those in need.
SOURCE – (AP)
News
Britain Must Be Ready for War in 3 Years, Warns New Army Chief
The new head of the Army has stated that Britain must be prepared to fight a war within three years.
Gen Sir Roland Walker has issued a warning about a variety of risks in what he calls a “increasingly volatile” environment.
However, he stated that war was not inevitable and that the Army had “just enough time” to prepare to prevent conflict.
He stated that the Army’s fighting capacity would be doubled by 2027 and tripled by the end of the decade.
Gen Walker warned that the Britain was under threat from a “axis of upheaval” in his first speech as Prime Minister on Tuesday.
Among the primary concerns confronting the Britain in the next years, as noted by the general in a briefing, is an enraged Russia, which may seek vengeance on the West for helping Ukraine, regardless of who wins the war.
He stated: “It doesn’t matter how it finishes. I believe Russia will emerge from it weaker objectively – or completely – but still very, very dangerous and seeking some form of retaliation for what we have done to assist Ukraine.”
Britain’s Government Defence Review and Military Challenges
He also warned that China was determined to retake Taiwan, and Iran was likely to seek nuclear weapons.
He stated that the threats they posed may become particularly acute in the next three years, and that these countries had formed a “mutual transactional relationship” since the war in Ukraine, sharing weaponry and technology.
However, he stated that the path to conflict was not “inexorable” if the UK re-established credible land troops to assist its deterrent strategy for avoiding war.
In his speech, he described his force of slightly over 70,000 regular troops as a “medium-sized army” and made no direct call for additional resources or men.
However, he pushed the British Army to adapt swiftly, focussing on technology such as artificial intelligence and weaponry rather than numbers.
His ultimate goal is for the Army to be capable of destroying an opponent three times its size.
This would entail firing quicker and farther, he said, aided by lessons learnt from the Ukraine war.
The general’s speech at the Royal United Services Institute land warfare conference comes only one week after the government began a “root and branch” defence review to “take a fresh look” at the challenges facing the armed services.
Defence Secretary John Healey launched the assessment, describing the existing status of the armed forces as “hollowed-out” and stating that “procurement waste and neglected morale cannot continue”.
According to the most recent Ministry of Defence (MoD) numbers from April 2024, the Britain’s regular Army forces total 75,325 troops (excluding Gurkhas and volunteers).
That figure has been declining in recent years, as recruiting has failed to match retention. The previous Conservative administration lowered the planned headcount from 82,000 to 72,500 by 2025.
Members of the NATO military alliance have agreed to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence by 2024, but several countries are unlikely to fulfil this goal.
The Britain presently spends 2.3% of its GDP on defence. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously stated that the defence review will include a “roadmap” for increasing this to 2.5%, however he has yet to provide a date for this promise.
Source: BBC
News
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
PARIS — Katie Ledecky is looking for clean Olympic races. On Wednesday, Hope had pretty much reached her limit.
The American swimmer hopes to add to her six gold medals as she competes in the 400, 800, and 1,500 meters at the Paris Games. Her program starts with the heavy 400 on Saturday, featuring Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh.
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
The 27-year-old Katie is competing in her fourth Summer Olympics, but the first since a doping scandal involving almost two dozen Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned chemical before the Tokyo Games — yet were permitted to compete with no consequences. The controversy has raised serious worries regarding the effectiveness of anti-doping initiatives.
“I hope everyone here is going to be competing clean this week,” Ledecky claimed. “But what truly counts is, were they training cleanly? Hopefully this has been the case. Hopefully, there has been worldwide testing.”
The International Olympic Committee has expressed concern over the ongoing US investigation into possible doping by Chinese swimmers. While awarding the 2034 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City on Wednesday, the IOC urged Utah officials to do whatever they could to stop the FBI investigation.
“I think everyone’s heard what the athletes think,” Katie added. “They seek transparency. They want more answers to the remaining questions. At this point, we are here to race. We are going to race whoever is in the lane next to us.
“We are not paid to conduct the tests, so we trust those who follow their regulations. That applies both today and in the future.
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
SOURCE | AP
News
London Heatwave Alert: High Temperatures Set to Soar to 29C Next Week
As the summer holidays begin, London may experience an official heatwave with temperatures reaching up to 29 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office predicts a long period of sunny and dry weather for London after a soggy spring and summer.
After a cloudy day on Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach 27C on Sunday, with lots of sunlight.
On Monday and Tuesday, temperatures are forecast to peak at 29 degrees Celsius. Monday is forecast to offer more sunlight, while Tuesday may see some gloomy weather.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the high 20s next week, with lows of approximately 18C.
According to the Met Office, a heatwave is “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity.”
In the United Kingdom, a heatwave is proclaimed when daily temperatures meet or surpass a certain level for at least three consecutive days.
In London, the heatwave threshold is 28 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office reported that the UK is experiencing hotter and wetter weather on average due to climate change.
The UK experienced its warmest May and April on record this year, despite damp and dismal conditions in many areas.
According to the Met Office’s State Of The UK Climate 2023 report published on Thursday, the UK experienced historic levels of extreme weather last year.
In the United Kingdom, 2023 was the second warmest year on record, bringing storms, flooding, strong heatwaves, and rising sea levels; only 2022 was warmer.
It was 0.8°C higher than the average from 1991 to 2020, and 1.66°C higher than the 1961 to 1990 average.
However, 2023 will be a “cool year” in comparison to 2100, based on the planet’s warming trajectory.
The government’s plan to adapt to the hazards presented by climate change is currently being challenged in the High Court by campaigners who allege the Tory administration’s July 2023 National Adaptation Programme (NAP) fails to adequately address 61 concerns.
Source: The Standard
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