International

US city authorities release note penned by Walmart gunman

Photo: NewsNation

| By AFP |

Virginia authorities on Friday released a “death note” in which the Walmart manager who shot and killed six people at his store complained of being harassed at work and asked God for forgiveness.

Andre Bing, 31, an overnight manager at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, committed suicide after Tuesday’s shooting rampage.

The attack in a store full Thanksgiving shoppers took place two days before the holiday and on the heels of a weekend shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado that killed five people.

The authorities in Chesapeake, 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of the US capital Washington, released a message on Friday titled “death note” that they said was found on Bing’s phone.

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“Sorry God I’ve failed you, this was not your fault but my own,” it said. “I was harassed by idiots with low intelligence and a lack of wisdom.

“I was just as guilty and failed my management team and everyone that ever loved me by convincing them that I was normal,” the note said.

Bing apologized for his actions saying “Sorry everyone but I did not plan this. I promise things just fell in place like I was led by the Satan.

“I wish that I could have saved everyone from myself,” he said. “May God forgive me for what I’m going to do.”

The Chesapeake city authorities also said on Friday that Bing had legally purchased the 9mm handgun used in the shooting the same day as the attack.

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Six people were killed and four wounded when Bing entered a staff break room around 10:00 pm and opened fire, according to police.

It was the second mass shooting in Virginia this month.

Three University of Virginia football players were shot dead and two other students wounded by a classmate after a school field trip on November 13.

So far in 2022, the Gun Violence Archive website has tracked more than 600 mass shootings in the United States — defined as an incident with four or more people shot or killed, not including the shooter.

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International

Ten Bodies Found in Mexico’s Zacatecas State Amid Security Operation

Mexican authorities discovered the bodies of 10 people on Saturday in the central state of Zacatecas, a region that was heavily affected by organized crime violence just a few years ago.

The victims were found in different municipalities across the state, which experienced a surge in violence between 2021 and 2022 as rival criminal groups fought for control of key drug trafficking routes.

Rodrigo Reyes, secretary general of the Zacatecas state government, said on social media that the bodies were located in the municipalities of Morelos, Pánuco, and Sain Alto.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the causes of death or identified those responsible for the killings.

Reyes said security forces have launched a coordinated operation to locate those behind the crimes and strengthen the police presence in the affected areas as the investigation continues.

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International

U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists

The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.

The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.

Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.

Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.

The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.

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More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.

The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.

Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.

Central America

Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute

The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.

In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”

Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.

“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.

The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.