Twelve die in Cumbria, United Kingdom, after series of shootings

The village of Boot, near where the suspect was found.

Image: Steve Partridge.

Police have found the body of a man they had been hunting in Cumbria, United Kingdom for a series of shootings. Police later confirmed that twelve people had been killed with a further thirteen injured, three critically. Shots were fired in Whitehaven, Seascale and Egremont, with a total of thirty different crime scenes. The Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant was locked down for the first time in its history.

The prime suspect was named as 52 year old local man Derrick Bird, a taxi driver. The first of Bird's victims was a fellow taxi driver shot in Whitehaven at about 10.30 local time, with the following victims being shot at random as Bird drove down the west coast. Originally driving a Citroën Picasso, he was later said to be on foot when he crashed his vehicle.

Members of the public were advised by police to stay indoors, and for those who saw him not to approach him, but to call them. The manhunt covered the Boot or Scafell Pike area, and at 14:04 BST (13:04 UTC) the Deputy Chief Constable of Cumbria reported that a body believed to be Bird was found in a wood near Boot with a firearm, and that he had turned the weapon on himself.


The village of Boot, near where the suspect was found.

The affected area is popular with walkers and hikers, and currently, many schools across England are on half term, meaning the pupils have no classes.

British news network BBC News spoke to several eye-witnesses in relation to the incidents, from each of the areas, including Peter Watson of Whitehaven. "When I first got here it must have just happened. There was a man lying on the ground with police stood over him and a jacket on him," he reported.

Home Secretary Theresa May is due to make a statement on the incident to the House of Commons tomorrow.

WIKINEWS: Israel may free all Gaza flotilla detainees

All International Activists from the six ship "Gaza Freedom flotilla", seized in the Gaza flotilla raid by Israeli naval forces in international waters, may be released. The activists had attempted to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Benjamin Netanyahu decided that Israel will not prosecute or continue to hold the activists it captured. "It was agreed that the detainees would be deported immediately," said a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister, as Israel comes under fire for its actions in the incident.

Although some reports indicated that more had died, it's now believed that nine people were killed in the Israeli attack on the convoy, although one witness put the death toll at as high as sixteen. The details of the raid still remain unclear and repatriated flotilla activists have challenged the Israeli version of the deadly raid.

Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak, visited troops who had been involved in the incident, saying that

"[w]e need to always remember that we aren't North America or Western Europe, we live in the Middle East, in a place where there is no mercy for the weak and there aren't second chances for those who don't defend themselves."

Israel officially expelled 48 of the 682 of the activists on Tuesday, after they signed documents saying they entered Israel illegally. The activists who refused to sign the document were detained at the southern Israeli prison of Ashdod. Some 30 wounded activists were still detained in hospitals, the Red Cross said it was granted access to the detainees. By Wednesday morning, about 120 activists arrived in Jordan via the Allenby crossing.

Activists, from Arab and Muslim nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Pakistan, were due to travel on to Amman. More than 300 activists were taken from Beersheba prison by bus to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to be flown out of Israel, the Israeli interior ministry said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Gazans used the newly opened Egyptian crossing.

Source: WIKINEWS
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MySpace is fail....they should just burn down the building that hosts it and collect the insurance money.

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WIKINEWS: Former Vice President of the United States Al Gore and longtime wife Tipper separating

Former US Vice President Al Gore announced earlier today that he would separate from Tipper Gore, his wife of 40 years. The Gores called the decision "mutual."

In an e-mail to close friends, Al and Tipper Gore said that they would not make additional comments. The message was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Gore family. A family friend said, "There isn't anyone else. They just want to go their separate ways."

In the e-mail, Al and Tipper Gore said: “We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought we have decided to separate. This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together, following a process of long and careful consideration. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further.”
The announcement was met with surprise in Washington, D.C. Both were raised around the city, and met at a high school dance. 62-year-old Al Gore was the Vice President of the United States during the Clinton presidency and lost the 2000 US presidential election to George W. Bush. He also received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts concerning climate change. 61-year-old Tipper Gore is a professional photographer and co-founded the Parents Music Resource Center. On May 19, the couple observed their 40th wedding anniversary. The Gores have four children.

Source: WIKINEWS
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I bet he blames his failed marriage on global warming.

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