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Atlanta police on shooting probe: 'Nothing is off the table'

"Nothing is off the table” in the investigation of the deadly shootings at two Atlanta massage parlours, including whether the slayings were a hate crime, US police have said.

Those attacks and a third one near the suburban town of Woodstock killed eight people and prompted President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to change their plans for a previously scheduled trip to Atlanta. The pair postponed a political event in favour of meeting today with Asian American community leaders.

A 21-year-old white man, Robert Aaron Long, is charged with murder in the killings, which took place on Tuesday. Six of those killed were women of Asian descent.

READ MORE: Suspect blames 'sex addiction' for massage parlour massacre

Robert Aaron Long's parents identified him to police when they circulated a photo of the shooting suspect.

“Our investigation is looking at everything, so nothing is off the table,” Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton Jr said at a news conference.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said it was also investigating whether the killings were hate crimes.

Georgia lawmakers last year passed a hate crimes law that allows additional penalties to be imposed for certain offenses when motivated by a victim’s race, colour, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender or disability.

A hate crime is not a standalone crime under the law, but it can be used to add time to a sentence once someone is convicted of another crime.

Investigators believe Mr Long had previously visited two of the Atlanta massage parlours where four of the women were killed, Mr Hampton said.

A make-shift memorial is seen outside a massage parlour where several women, mostly Asian, were shot in Atlanta.

Mr Long told police that the attacks were not racially motivated.

He claimed to have a sex addiction, and authorities said he apparently lashed out at what he saw as sources of temptation.

Mr Long’s statements spurred outrage and widespread skepticism in the Asian American community, which has increasingly been targeted for violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Captain Jay Baker also drew criticism for saying Mr Long had “a really bad day” and “this is what he did”.

Sheriff Frank Reynolds released a statement overnight acknowledging that some of Captain Baker’s comments stirred “much debate and anger” and said the agency regrets any “heartache” caused by his words.

“In as much as his words were taken or construed as insensitive or inappropriate, they were not intended to disrespect any of the victims, the gravity of this tragedy or express empathy or sympathy for the suspect,” Sheriff Reynolds said, adding that Captain Baker “had a difficult task before him, and this was one of the hardest in his 28 years in law enforcement”.

Robert Aaron Long blamed a sex addiction for the murder of eight women at massage parlours in and around Atlanta.A demonstrator outside Youngs Asian Massage in Atlanta, where several women were killed.

Lawyer J. Daran Burns issued a statement saying he had been appointed to represent Mr Long.

He offered condolences to victims’ families and said he was working on Mr Long’s behalf “to investigate the facts and circumstances” surrounding the slayings.

Mr Long waived his right to an initial hearing in Cherokee County Magistrate Court on his lawyer’s advice, the statement said.

The president and vice president were already scheduled to travel to Atlanta to tout the US$1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, but the trip took on new meaning after the shootings.

The visit also comes amid an intense debate over voter rights in Georgia.

Ms Harris is the first vice president of Asian descent.

During the trip, Mr Biden and Ms Harris will instead meet with Asian American leaders to discuss the ongoing threats against the community, meet with other local leaders and visit the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention for an update on the pandemic.

READ MORE: Alleged gunman said shooting wasn't race-related

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk along the White House colonnade as they arrive to speak in the Rose Garden in Washington.

Yesterday, Mr Biden directed that flags be flown at half-staff through sunset Monday in honour of the dead.

At a congressional hearing on violence against Asian Americans that was scheduled before the shootings, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler called for the government to “investigate and swiftly address” growing tensions but did not call for a specific course of action.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced legislation that would assign a person at the Justice Department to expedite the review of hate crimes related to COVID-19 and provide additional support to state and local authorities to respond to those crimes.

But it is unclear if the bill by Democrats Grace Meng of New York and Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii will get a vote.

Testifying at the hearing, Ms Meng urged Democratic leaders to move the legislation and said lawmakers “cannot turn a blind eye” to people who are living in fear.

Mallory Rahman and her daughter Zara Rahman, 4, who live nearby, pause after bringing flowers to the Gold Spa massage parlor in Atlanta.

“Our community is bleeding,” Ms Meng said.

“We are in pain. And for the last year, we’ve been screaming out for help.”

There was some tension as a Republican on the panel, Texas Rep. Chip Roy, charged that Democrats were trying to control speech.

“When we start policing free speech, we’re doing the very thing that we’re condemning when we condemn what the Chinese Communist Party does to their country,” Mr Roy said.

“And that’s exactly where this wants to go.”

Ms Meng responded angrily to Mr Roy’s comments, saying that Republicans “can talk about issues with any other country you want, but you don’t have to do it by putting a bull’s-eye on the back of Asian Americans across this country, on our grandparents, on our kids”.

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Putin cites ills in US society after Biden's 'killer' remark

President Vladimir Putin has responded to US President Joe Biden's description of the Russian leader as a killer by citing America's past and present troubles, from slavery and the slaughter of Native Americans to racial injustice.

Mr Biden was asked in an interview this week whether he thought Mr Putin was a killer, and he replied, "I do", a remark that prompted Russia to recall its ambassador in Washington for consultations and warn about further retaliation.

Mr Biden has taken a tough stance on Russia, saying that the days of the US "rolling over" to Mr Putin are done, contrasting his style with the approach of former President Donald Trump, who avoided direct confrontation and frequently spoke about Mr Putin with approval.

READ MORE: Russia, Iran launched campaigns to influence US election

Mr Putin was asked about Mr Biden's comment during a video call marking the anniversary of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, and he responded with an "it-takes-one-to-know-one"-style remark, saying his counterpart's words reflected the United States' own problems.

At the same time, he offered to have a phone call with Mr Biden to discuss issues of mutual interest.

Mr Putin pointed at the US atomic bombing of Japan during World War II, as well as its history of slavery and slaughtering Native Americans, noting the painful legacies weighing on the United States.

"Otherwise, where would the Black Lives Matter movement come from?" he said, citing racial injustice and the killing of African Americans.

The exchange of tough statements follows a declassified report from the US national intelligence director's office that found Mr Putin authorised influence operations to try to help Mr Trump in his failed bid to win reelection in November.

The Kremlin has dismissed the report as baseless.

"(Putin) will pay a price," Mr Biden said in the interview, asked about the declassified report.

READ MORE: Cold War-era submarine once in Harrison Ford film catches fire

Mr Biden's administration warned that Russia would face sanctions soon over its attempt to influence last year's US election and the massive Solar Wind hacks.

The spiralling tensions have brought US-Russian relations to the point where they were at the end of President Barack Obama's administration, a chilly strain that differed markedly from Mr Trump's efforts to court Mr Putin.

Asked what he would tell Mr Biden in response to his remarks, Mr Putin said: "I would tell him: 'Be well.' I wish him health, and I say that without any irony or joking."

Recalling his youth, Mr Putin said that he and his friends would respond to insults with the taunt: "The names you call are what you are yourself" — a Russian version of the childhood riposte, "I'm rubber, you're glue; what you say bounces off me and sticks to you."

"It's not just a rhymed childish joke; it has a deep psychological meaning: We see our own qualities in another person, we think he's like us and judge him accordingly," he added.

READ MORE: Russian's abandoned frozen ghost towns

Washington, DC, USA

Mr Putin said the US establishment likes to air accusations against other countries as part of its efforts to "solve domestic and foreign policy problems."

He noted that Russia would still cooperate with the United States where and when it supports Moscow's interests, adding that "a lot of honest and decent people in the US want to have peace and friendship with Russia."

"We are aware of it, we value it and will rely on them in the future," Mr Putin said.

"I know that the US and its leadership is generally inclined to have certain relations with us, but only on issues which are of interest to the US and on its conditions," Mr Putin said.

"But we know how to defend our own interests, and we will work with them only in the areas we are interested in and on conditions we see as beneficial to ourselves. And they will have to reckon with it."

Speaking in separate comments, Mr Putin said he would ask the Foreign Ministry to arrange a call with Mr Biden in the next few days to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, regional conflicts and other issues.

"I wouldn't delay it for long, I would like to go to the taiga for a quick break over the weekend, so we can do it tomorrow or Monday," Mr Putin said in televised remarks, without specifying where in Siberia he plans to visit.

READ MORE: US, EU sanction Russian official's over Navalny poisoning

"We must continue our relations," he noted.

"Last time, President Biden initiated a call and now I would like to offer President Biden to continue our discussions. It would be in the interest of both Russian and the US people and other countries, bearing in mind that we bear a special responsibility for global security as the largest nuclear powers."

Other Russian officials and lawmakers were less diplomatic.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council who served as president in 2008-2012 when Mr Putin had to shift into the premier's job because of term limits, said that "time hasn't spared" the 78-year-old Mr Biden and cited Sigmund Freud as saying, "Nothing costs so much in life as illness and stupidity."

And Andrei Turchak, the leader of the main pro-Kremlin United Russia party, described Biden's remarks as a reflection of "the US political marasmus and its leader's dementia."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov deplored what he called "very bad remarks by the US president" that made it clear that "he doesn't want to normalise relations."

"We will proceed accordingly," Mr Peskov said in a conference call with reporters, noting that "there was nothing like that in history."

He wouldn't answer if Russia could go as far as to break diplomatic ties with the United States.

Konstantin Kosachev, a deputy speaker of the Russian parliament's upper house, said Mr Biden's "boorish statement" marks a watershed in Washington's relations with Moscow, warning that Russia's response wouldn't be limited to recalling its ambassador "if the American side fails to offer explanation and excuse."

READ MORE: Strange striped patterns in Russia snow baffle NASA scientists

Commenting on the Russian move Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki emphasised that "we will be direct, we will speak out on areas where we have concerns, and it will certainly be, as the president said last night — certainly, the Russians will be held accountable for the actions that they have taken."

Russia's relations with the United States and the European Union already have plunged to post-Cold War lows after Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, election meddling, hacking attacks and most recently, the jailing of Russia's opposition leader Alexei Navalny that followed his poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin.

Russian authorities rejected the accusations.

Asked about Mr Biden's remark on Mr Putin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Berlin expects "a clear language in Washington toward Russia," but emphasised that "there needs to be dialogue and agreement" on issues such as climate change and disarmament, noting that Mr Biden quickly extended the New START arms control agreement with Russia.

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Vaccine Equity Main Topic of OECS Meet with WHO Head

The COVID vaccine gap is exoected to be the main topic when leaders of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission meet with the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and his team Friday (March 19).

The meeting comes as OECS Authority will hold its sixth meeting chaired by Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.

Director General of the OECS, Dr Didacus Jules, is anticipating a productive outcome with the WHO and hopes that this meeting will help bridge the vaccine gap for OECS Member States.

“The Special Meeting of the OECS Heads of Government with WHO is critical for two main reasons: it will allow the OECS to join with Director General Tedros in advocating for more equitable access to vaccines and unlocking supplies for developing states,” Jules said.

“This Special Session will give the OECS Authority an opportunity to explore approaches to filling the gap between vaccines accessible through the COVAX Facility and bilateral sources, and highlighting the health needs of our Member States. Finding a timely solution is critical from a public health standpoint but will also provide the building blocks to resuscitate, repair and rebuild the economies across our region.”

The OECS leaders are expected to explore the support of WHO through the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

Ahead of the meeting, Tedros said: “Many Caribbean States have led the way in protecting their populations from COVID-19 with careful implementation of public health measures. I am honoured to work side by side with OECS Heads of Government in fighting the pandemic and am committed to ensuring equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments to support Caribbean communities.”

“Collaborating with partners through the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and its COVAX Facility, WHO is working to ensure vaccines are distributed as rapidly and equitably as possible, to help bring the pandemic under control in the Caribbean and globally.”

Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) Director, Dr Carissa Etienne, as well as the Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Dr Joy St John, are expected to join the discussions.

The post Vaccine Equity Main Topic of OECS Meet with WHO Head appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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COVAX Corona Vaccines on the Way to Caribbean

COVAX, the global mechanism for equitable distribution of vaccines, is expected to increase shipments of coronavirus vaccines soon, with many Caribbean countries getting their first shipments in coming days, according to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr. Carissa Etienne.

Jamaica on Monday became the first Caribbean country to get the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shipment through the COVAX facility. A total of 15 Caribbean countries will receive just over 2.1 million doses by May, according to allocation figures provided for the first round of deliveries.

“Next week, we expect that many countries in the Caribbean will start to see the first COVAX shipments arrive on their shores,” Dr. Etienne said at her weekly virtual media briefing.

In total, PAHO has placed orders for more than 3.4 million doses. Dr. Etienne said that over the next few days, PAHO’s Revolving Fund will deliver 728,000 of those COVAX-procured vaccines to five countries.

“For all these countries – even those which received small donations earlier this month – these COVAX deliveries will enable the start of steady vaccination efforts,” she said. “We are happy that vaccines through COVAX are being delivered but we recognize that the need for more vaccines and sooner is great in the Americas.”

Noting that only two vaccine manufacturers are dispatching millions of doses to dozens of countries around the world, the PAHO director said “this is a bottleneck that still prevents us from getting vaccines to every country at the same time, but shipments will become more regular as more doses are available to COVAX in the next few months”.

The upcoming shipments follow delivery of 400,000 doses of COVAX-procured vaccines to regional countries, including Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Jamaica.

“With COVID vaccination campaigns underway throughout our region, we’re at the beginning of the end of this pandemic. But while there’s reason for hope, we must also remember that doses are limited, and it will be several months before we can rely on vaccines to control this virus,” Dr. Etienne said.

She added that as vaccinations are administered, “our goal must be to save as many lives as possible by prioritizing early doses for those who are at highest risk of infection”.

“The health workers who are treating COVID patients, the elderly and those living with existing conditions must come first,” Dr. Etienne said.

At the same time, the PAHO chief said, countries must maintain public health measures – hand washing, social distancing, and mask-wearing. Even people who have been vaccinated should adhere to the measures, she added.

“Stopping this pandemic will require both that we limit new infections and that we expand access to vaccines. So, we must not let our guard down now. Let’s keep hope alive,” Dr. Etienne said.

Even as vaccines arrive, Dr. Etienne pointed out, COVID-19 is accelerating its spread in about half of the countries in the Americas.

The number of cases is rising in many South American countries, including Uruguay, Ecuador and Venezuela.

In the Caribbean, new infections are declining but many islands, including Jamaica, are reporting a rise in COVID 19-related deaths.

CMC

The post COVAX Corona Vaccines on the Way to Caribbean appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.