This week: The deadly shooting on a film set in New Mexico with Alec Baldwin, the Food and Drug Administration’s approval for COVID shots for younger kids, Facebook’s name change and the latest developments from Afghanistan.
Fatal Shooting on New Mexico Film Set
On the set of “Rust,” a western being filmed in New Mexico, actor Alec Baldwin was reportedly rehearsing a scene where he pulled his prop gun and pointed it at the camera when the weapon went off.
The shot killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
The gun was not supposed to contain live ammunition and reports say Baldwin was told the weapon was “cold” when he received it—an industry term for an unloaded weapon. It is still unclear how the weapon came to have ammunition in it and what safety protocols were and were not carried out leading up to the tragic accident.
This comes after another cold gun shot a live round earlier in a rehearsal on set.
For more details, see below:
Loose and Boxed Ammunition Found at Scene of Alec Baldwin Shooting
The FDA Approved COVID-19 Vaccine for Younger Children
The FDA authorized a lower-dose form of the Pfizer vaccine for kids aged 5-11. The vaccine “was found to be safe and 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19,” as reported by NPR.
Children should be able to start receiving doses of the vaccine early in November. Children in this age group currently account for 9% of COVID cases nationwide and 40% of pediatric COVID cases.
For more details, see below:
FDA authorizes use of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds
Facebook Announces Name Change
Mark Zuckerburg, the founder of Facebook, announced that the corporate name of Facebook will be changing to “Meta,” connecting itself to its Metaverse vision.
Zuckerburg has said the company will be focusing on building virtual reality devices and software to create the Metaverse which the company describes as being a “three-dimensional virtual space where users can create avatars that represent them,” according to CBS News.
The name change was announced in the wake of increasing criticism the company is drawing for the lack of protections it has given its users on its social media platform.
For more details, see below:
Facebook to change corporate name to Meta
Afghanistan’s Taliban Government Pressing for Release of Billions of Dollars Abroad
Billions of dollars of Afghanistan reserves were locked in banks across Europe and the United States when the Taliban overthrew the previous government and took over Afghanistan.
The Taliban leaders are now pressuring countries to unlock the reserves and give them access to the money. The nation is facing a migration crisis and mass starvation following the hostile takeover.
A spokesman claimed that they will respect human rights, including women’s education which was previously banned under Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001. Western countries do not want a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan but have also refused to acknowledge the Taliban as a government.
For more details, see below:
‘Just give us our money’: Taliban push to unlock Afghan billions abroad
Stories by: Mckayla Olsen
mckayla.olsen@gmail.com
