UNC graduate student is charged in fatal shooting of professor
A graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been charged in the fatal shooting of one of his professors Monday, a killing that spread fear across the campus and forced an hourslong lockdown, according to court documents. The student, Tailei Qi, 34, was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on educational property in the killing of Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the applied physical sciences department, according to court documents filed in Orange County Court in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Qi made a brief appearance in court on Tuesday and was ordered held without bond until his next appearance Sept. 18. He did not enter a plea.
Wildfires burn across Louisiana, killing 2
Hundreds of wildfires burning across Louisiana have killed two people and burned through an estimated 60,000 acres of land, state officials said Tuesday as they warned that the dangerously dry conditions are expected to continue. The biggest of the wildfires, the Tiger Island fire, in southwest Louisiana near the Texas border, has been burning for a week, engulfing more than 30,000 acres since Aug. 22. As of Tuesday, it was just 50% contained, local officials said. Louisiana has seen nearly 600 fires in August, exacerbated by record-breaking heat and “the strongest drought that we’ve ever recorded,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said.
Job Openings Dropped in July as Labor Market Cooled
The number of job openings continued to drop in July, the Labor Department reported Tuesday, another sign that the U.S. labor market is losing momentum. There were 8.8 million job openings last month, down from about 9.2 million in June and the lowest level since March 2021, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. The number of people quitting their jobs, a measure of confidence in the market, nudged down as well. Some investors hope the labor market data will push the Federal Reserve to end its campaign of interest rate increases, aimed at fighting stubborn inflation, sooner.
Georgia school district canceled an author’s talks after he said ‘gay’
The principal of a Georgia elementary school apologized to parents last week after a guest author who was discussing his research into a co-creator of Batman told a group of fifth graders that the co-creator’s son was gay. The author, Marc Tyler Nobleman, said the principals of two other elementary schools in the district where he was speaking had asked him to omit that detail of his research. When he refused, his remaining presentations were canceled. Nobleman is the author of “Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman,” a biography that champions the role comic book writer Bill Finger played in the creation of the superhero.
Russia and Ukraine puzzle over where to put troops
Russian forces have drawn closer to Kupiansk, in northeastern Ukraine, prompting stepped-up calls for civilians to flee and reflecting the hard choices both sides must make about where to send reinforcements along a front that stretches for hundreds of miles. Kupiansk, 25 miles from the border with Russia, has been under regular Russian artillery bombardment for months, and a 45-year-old civilian was killed on Tuesday when his workplace was struck, officials said. Russia’s military has put Kupiansk, battered and mostly depopulated, in its crosshairs, hoping to prompt Ukraine to come to the city’s defense by siphoning soldiers away from its own counteroffensive in the south and southeast.
U.S. Does Not Want to Sever Ties With China, Commerce Chief Says
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo told Chinese officials Tuesday that the United States was not seeking to sever economic ties with China, but she expressed a litany of concerns that were prompting the business community to describe China as “uninvestable.” Raimondo, who spoke with several of China’s top officials Tuesday, said she had pressed them on a variety of challenges facing U.S. businesses operating in China, but “didn’t receive any commitments.” Companies have expressed concerns about long-running issues such as intellectual property theft as well as newer developments, such as raids on businesses, a new counterespionage law and exorbitant fines that come without explanations, she said.
Uganda arrests man on anti-gay charge punishable by death
Ugandan prosecutors have lodged charges of “aggravated homosexuality” against a 20-year-old man — a crime punishable by death — under one of the world’s harshest anti-gay laws. Same-sex acts had long been considered illegal under Uganda’s penal code, but a law enacted this year introduced far harsher penalties and extended the range of perceived offenses. Its passage drew condemnation from human rights groups and the United Nations, and the Biden administration called it “one of the most extreme” anti-gay measures in the world. The measure became law in May and calls for life in prison for anyone who engaged in gay sex and allows the death penalty for what it labeled “aggravated homosexuality.”
U.K. air travel will be disrupted for ‘some days’ after traffic control glitch
Flights in and out of Britain will be disrupted for “some days,” the U.K. government said Tuesday, after a technical issue with the country’s air traffic control system left thousands of passengers stranded abroad or facing severe delays. Around 280 flights were canceled Tuesday, about 5% of the total scheduled to leave or arrive in Britain, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, after more than 1,000 flights were canceled Monday. The trouble came at a busy time for travelers in Britain, many of whom were returning from summer vacation or long weekends because Monday was a public holiday.
By wire sources
