Alec Baldwin was told prop gun was unloaded moments before fatal shooting - The Straits Times

SANTA FE (REUTERS) - Alec Baldwin was handed what was described as a safe "cold gun" on the set of his movie Rust, but the prop gun contained live rounds when it was fired, according to details of the police investigation into the fatal shooting released on Friday (Oct 22).

The shot hit cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in the chest, and director Joel Souza who was behind her, in the shoulder, according to a county sheriff's affidavit filed in Santa Fe magistrates court.

Hutchins died of her wounds and Souza was injured but has since been released from a local hospital.

The assistant director who handed Baldwin the prop gun did not know it contained live rounds, the affidavit by Santa Fe Sheriff's Department Detective Joel Cano said.

Baldwin said on Friday he was in shock over the accidental shooting as reports emerged of walk-outs on the Rust set earlier in the week over unsafe conditions.

The star of 30 Rock and The Hunt for Red October said he was "fully cooperating" with authorities to determine how the incident occurred on Thursday.

Production on the movie was immediately shut down. The sheriff's department said no charges had been filed and the investigation remained open. Baldwin voluntarily gave a statement about the shooting, the sheriff's department said.

The affidavit was filed on Friday in support of a search warrant for "old Western style clothing" worn by Baldwin that appeared to have blood stains, along with firearms, documentation, ammunition and cameras from the scene.

The search warrant was approved by a Santa Fe judge.

Cano said the incident took place at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, south of Santa Fe, during a rehearsal and it was not clear whether it had been filmed.

He said the prop gun was one of three on a cart outside a building. One of them was taken by the assistant director on the movie who went inside and handed it to Baldwin.

"As the assistant director handed the gun to the actor Alec Baldwin, (he) yelled 'cold gun', indicating the prop gun did not have any live rounds," the affidavit said.

As the investigation proceeded, questions were raised about working conditions on the set of Rust, a small budget Western movie of which Baldwin was both star and a co-producer.

The Los Angeles Times and Deadline Hollywood cited several members of the crew and others close to the production as saying six or seven camera operators had walked off the Rust set hours before the tragedy.

Both outlets also reported that there had been at least one previous misfire with the prop gun.

BREAKING: A distraught Alec Baldwin, after he accidentally shot & killed the cinematographer on the set of his new movie, & wounded the writer-director. How on earth could this have happened?
Pics: Jim Weber ⁦@thenewmexican⁩ pic.twitter.com/xrvcheLaCK

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 22, 2021

"We cited everything from lack of payment for three weeks, taking our hotels away despite asking for them in our deals, lack of Covid safety, and on top of that, poor gun safety! Poor on-set safety period!" one camera crew member wrote on a private Facebook page, according to Deadline.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the accounts. Rust Movie Productions did not respond to a request for comment on Friday but said in a statement it was investigating.

"Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down," the company said in its statement.

Baldwin, 63, on Friday expressed his "shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident" that killed Hutchins. In a message on his social media accounts, he said his "heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna".

Alec Baldwin said he was "fully cooperating" with authorities to determine how the incident occurred on Oct 21. PHOTO: AFP, REUTERS

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) said in a statement that it was devastated to learn of the death of Hutchins, who was a member of the union.

Hutchins' representatives in a statement said they "hope this tragedy will reveal new lessons for how to better ensure safety for every crew member on set".

Hutchins, 42, who was originally from Ukraine, was named one of American Cinematographer's Rising Stars of 2019. Her last social media post, two days ago, shows her grinning under a wide-brimmed hat as she rides a horse.

"One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off:)"she captioned the video.

Known for his impersonations of former US President Donald Trump on sketch show Saturday Night Live, Baldwin has appeared in more than 100 TV and film comedies and dramas, and won Emmy awards for his role as an egotistical TV network executive in the satire 30 Rock.

The accident renewed debate about whether certain types of prop guns should be banned on TV and movie sets.

Brandon Lee, son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died at age 28 after being fatally wounded in 1993 by a prop gun in an on-set accident while filming The Crow.

"I don't understand why we would still use blank rounds in a day when you could simulate them," indie film director and producer Ben Rock told Reuters on Friday.

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2021-10-23 02:26:47Z
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Human remains found in Florida confirmed to be those of Brian Laundrie - Yahoo Singapore News

The FBI confirmed Thursday that it had found the remains of Brian Laundrie, the 23-year-old fiancé of Gabby Petito and the only person of interest in her death.

In a statement, the FBI's Denver field office, which has been leading the investigation, said a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found in Carlton Reserve and the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Sarasota County, Fla., on Wednesday were those of Laundrie.

Steven Bertolino, an attorney for Laundrie's parents, said police came to their North Port, Fla., home late Thursday afternoon to notify them.

On Wednesday, partial human remains, as well as a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie, were found along a trail in the Myakkahatchee park, which is adjacent to the 24,565-acre Carlton Reserve, where Laundrie’s parents told police they believed he was headed when they reported him missing last month.

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito in an undated photo. (North Port, Fla., Police/Handout via Reuters/File)

Bertolino said on Wednesday that Laundrie’s parents had gone to the park to search for their son that morning and met with North Port police and the FBI.

“Chris and Roberta Laundrie went to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park this morning to search for Brian," Bertolino said in a statement. "After a brief search of a trail that Brian frequented, some articles belonging to Brian were found.”

The remains were found in an area that until recently was under water, the FBI said. The Sarasota County Medical Examiner's Office and a cadaver dog from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office were called in to assist in the investigation.

Earlier Thursday, NBC News reported that the remains were "skeletal" and included part of a human skull.

Laundrie’s parents reported him missing on Sept. 17, two days before Petito’s body was found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Gabby Petito. (via Facebook)

An autopsy was conducted by the Teton County Coroner’s Office, which concluded that the 22-year-old’s death was a homicide caused by strangulation.

The case has garnered widespread national media attention — as well as criticism of news outlets for not covering similar cases involving people of color.

It has also drawn intense interest on social media, with online sleuths scouring the couple’s Instagram posts for potential clues.

There had been unconfirmed sightings of Laundrie along the Appalachian Trail, in Canada and in Mexico. TV personalities, including Duane Chapman — known as Dog the Bounty Hunter — and longtime “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh, had joined in the search.

Petito and Laundrie had spent months visiting national parks in their converted 2012 Ford Transit van, documenting the trip on social media.

The couple was stopped Aug. 12 by police in Moab, Utah, after they had a physical altercation, but no charges were filed.

Police camera video shows Brian Laundrie talking to an officer after police pulled over the van he and Gabby Petito were traveling in near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12. (Moab Police Department via AP)

Gabby Petito as seen on Aug. 12 in police bodycam video. (Moab Police via YouTube)

On Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to the couple’s North Port home, where they lived with his parents — without her. Petito’s parents, who live on Long Island, said they lost contact with her in late August and reported her missing on Sept. 11.

Petito’s family issued public pleas for Laundrie’s parents to cooperate with authorities. Police say the Laundries initially did not share “any helpful details” in the search for Petito or their son.

In an interview with “60 Minutes Australia” that aired this past weekend, Petito's mother, Nicole Schmidt, said their “silence speaks volumes.”

Additional reporting by Christopher Wilson.

____

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2021-10-21 23:03:45Z
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Australia-Singapore travel bubble could be established within next week: PM Morrison - The Straits Times

SYDNEY - Australia plans to set up a travel bubble with Singapore next week that is expected to allow quarantine-free flights to start from November.

Australia's Prime Minister, Mr Scott Morrison, confirmed the plan on Friday (Oct 22), indicating that the bubble for fully vaccinated travellers could be in place by Nov 23 and would initially apply to international students and business travellers.

Tourists could be allowed to enter from December.

“We are in the final stages of completing an arrangement with the Singapore government,” Mr Morrison told reporters.

“We anticipate that being able to be achieved within the next week or so as we would open up to more visa class holders coming out of Singapore… We're opening up.”

In a Facebook post on Friday, Singapore’s Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, said he was delighted that Australia will allow entry to visa holders from Singapore, adding that he had encouraged Mr Morrison to do so when he visited Singapore in June.

“Singapore and Australia have robust economic and investment links, and warm people-to-people ties. Look forward to resuming close connectivity between our countries, as we move towards an endemic Covid-19 future," Mr Lee said.

Expressing Singapore's hope to work with Australia to progressively rebuild travel between both countries, Transport Minister S. Iswaran said on Facebook: "Hope to share more details soon."

Australia’s two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, will allow quarantine-free entry to fully vaccinated international arrivals from Nov 1. Other major cities are yet to follow and passengers to Australia will need to be aware of potential restrictions on travelling from Sydney and Melbourne to other states.

Mr Morrison did not give a firm date for the start of the travel bubble but indicated the timetable would align with that of Qantas, the national carrier.

Qantas said on Friday  that flights to Singapore will resume on Nov 23, with three A330 flights per week. Daily flights will resume from Dec 18. Qantas’ low-cost subsidiary Jetstar will fly from Melbourne and Darwin to Singapore from Dec 16.

Singapore Airlines said on Friday that its Airbus A380 will resume flights to Sydney, with daily flights from Dec 1. These will fly alongside daily Boeing 777-300ER flights and Boeing 787-10 flights that run three times a week.

"With the NSW (New South Wales) and Australian border opening up from November 1, the A380 will support even more Australians hoping to reconnect with loved ones ahead of the Christmas period," said Singapore Airlines Regional Vice-President, Mr Louis Arul.

Mr Morrison said the travel bubble would complete arrangements that he discussed in June with Mr Lee. Those discussions occurred days before a major Covid-19 outbreak that sent Sydney and Melbourne into lengthy lockdowns, stymying Australia’s plans to reboot international travel.

Since the start of the pandemic, Australia has maintained some of the world’s most stringent travel restrictions, including bans on non-Australian residents entering the country and on Australian citizens leaving.

The border closure has had a devastating impact on Australia’s travel and international education sectors, which are two of the country’s largest exports.

In the 12 months to the end of June 2020, international education was worth A$40 billion (S$40.2 billion) and tourism was worth A$16 billion. Tourism revenue for the current year has plunged, while international education exports are believed to have fallen to about A$32 billion.

Australia has a quarantine-free travel bubble with New Zealand but it has been repeatedly suspended due to Covid-19 outbreaks.

Mr Morrison said: “I’ve always said that Singapore, together with New Zealand, would be the places that we would start. But, this will move, once it's proven to be successful, I think quite quickly.”

Meanwhile, Qantas is launching a new route from Sydney to Delhi on Dec 6 and is bringing forward a resumption of flights from Sydney to Fiji, Bangkok, Phuket and Johannesburg. The Federal Government is believed to be considering allowing further quarantine-free travel arrangements with these destinations. 

Qantas’ Chief Executive, Mr Alan Joyce, said demand had been massive as Australians emerged from lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne ahead of the Christmas holidays in December.

He said international sales had exceeded domestic sales for four of the past five weeks and the airline last Tuesday recorded its highest ever number of frequent flyer point travel redemptions.

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2021-10-21 22:57:16Z
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Queen Elizabeth spent a night in hospital for first time in years - CNA

LONDON: Britain's 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth spent a night in hospital for the first time in years for what Buckingham Palace termed 'preliminary investigations' but returned to Windsor Castle on Thursday (Oct 21) where she was in good spirits.

The world's oldest and longest-reigning monarch cancelled an official trip to Northern Ireland on Wednesday. The palace said the queen had been told to rest by her medical staff, and that her ailment was not related to COVID-19.

"Following medical advice to rest for a few days, the queen attended hospital on Wednesday afternoon for some preliminary investigations, returning to Windsor Castle at lunchtime today, and remains in good spirits," the palace said in a statement.

A royal source said the queen had stayed in hospital for practical reasons and that her medical team had taken a cautious approach.

She returned to her desk for work on Thursday afternoon and was undertaking some light duties, the source said.

Elizabeth had spent Tuesday night hosting a drinks reception at Windsor for billionaire business leaders such as Bill Gates after Prime Minister Boris Johnson convened a green investment conference ahead of the COP26 climate summit.

The queen had appeared in good health then, smiling happily as she met the guests.

The head of state, who next year celebrates 70 years on the throne, is known for her robust health and the last time she is thought to have spent a night in hospital was in 2013 when she was suffering from symptoms of gastroenteritis.

She had a successful surgery to treat an eye cataract in 2018, and also had a knee operation in 2003. However, royal officials are loathe to discuss health issues in general, saying medical matters are private.

Earlier this year, Prince Philip, her 99-year-old husband of more than seven decades, died at Windsor Castle.

But that has not stopped her from carrying out her official engagements, although her age has meant she has handed more duties to her son and heir Prince Charles and other members of the royal family.

Earlier this month, she was seen using a walking stick for support in public for the first time, apart from after her knee operation, when she arrived at a service at London's Westminster Abbey.

Elizabeth, who acceded to the throne in 1952 as Britain was shedding its imperial power, has symbolised stability for generations of British people, maintaining the popularity of the monarchy despite seismic political, social and cultural change which threatened to make it an anachronism.

A quiet and uncomplaining dedication to the duty of queenship, even in old age, has earned her widespread respect both in Britain and abroad, even from republicans who are eager to abolish the institution.

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2021-10-21 22:26:00Z
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Philadelphia passengers' apathy to train rape draws outrage - The Straits Times

WASHINGTON - Americans have been outraged and disgusted by how some bystanders had reacted during an unusually horrific sexual assault that took place in full public view.

A man allegedly raped a woman on a Philadelphia train last week as some bystanders took videos with their phones instead of helping the woman.

Even in a nation inured to school shootings and police brutality, Americans were shocked by the brazenness of the attack, which took place on Oct 13 and was publicised at a police press conference on Monday (Oct 18).

Officials said a 35-year-old man, Fiston Ngoy, repeatedly tried to grope the woman even though she tried to push him away. He later proceeded to rip her clothes off and raped her, an assault that lasted between six and eight minutes.

Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt of the Upper Darby Township Police Department said there were several passengers in the train car, enough that "could have gotten together and done something".

Police said it appeared that some passengers "held their phones up in the direction of the assault, seemingly to film the attack".

Bystanders who failed to call the police are unlikely to be prosecuted for their inaction, a city official said on Wednesday.

Prosecutors want witnesses to come forward rather than hold back out of fear of being charged, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer told the Associated Press.

Dr Marc Lamont Hill, a media studies and urban education professor at Temple University, expressed outrage at the reported apathy of the victim's fellow passengers.

"Now I understand that one of y'all might be scared, you don't know if he has a knife, you don't know if he has a gun," said Dr Hill on Tuesday on the Black News Channel's Black News Tonight programme, which he hosts.

"But if you've got five or 10 people on a train watching a woman be sexually assaulted and you do nothing, what does that say about you?"

He added: "Everybody's tough, everybody's talking crazy on the Internet, but when you've got a real-life opportunity to step in and stop an assault and y'all do nothing?"

But some commentators and analysts have cautioned against jumping to conclusions, noting that the police have not yet released surveillance footage of the attack.

Calling the story "mind-bogglingly horrific", CNN commentator Jill Filipovic wrote: "It suggests not only a total disregard for women's safety and well-being, but also social disintegration; a disturbing impulse to filter terrible events through the lens of entertainment and shock value, and the disturbing ability to dehumanise suffering by mediating it through a screen."

However, she also drew comparisons to the murder of 28-year-old bartender Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York, in 1964.

Police said then that witnesses had not called them or helped her, a case that formed the basis of a social psychology theory called the bystander effect, although the police account was later debunked.

Citing the inaccuracy of the police's account then, Ms Filipovic wrote: "So there are good reasons to ask questions, especially until reporters and other watchdogs are fully able to view the train's surveillance footage themselves."

Nonetheless, similar cases where bystanders have ignored women being harassed have been documented, she noted. In April, for instance, a brutal attack on a 65-year-old Filipino woman in Midtown Manhattan as security guards nearby did nothing similarly prompted outrage.

Right-wing commentators such as television host Tucker Carlson and media pundit Ann Coulter also seized on the story to argue against Democrats' immigration policies, drawing on an unverified report by the Daily Mail tabloid - which got a "mostly false" rating from fact-checking site PolitiFact - that rape suspect Ngoy was an illegal immigrant.

The American culture of recording incidents on phone cameras for social media hits, instead of intervening, has also been lambasted as a problematic practice.

Dr Hill said that while doing so was necessary in some instances such as police brutality, it was a wasted opportunity to stop an assault in others.

"This ain't for the 'gram, this ain't for Twitter, this is real life," he said, referring to social network Instagram.

"And everybody who did nothing is a coward."

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2021-10-21 01:50:27Z
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Hong Kong health authorities warn of bacteria risk after dozens of cases tied to freshwater fish - South China Morning Post

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2021-10-21 06:53:58Z
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Evergrande shares plunge on market return as deal falls through - CNA

BEIJING: Shares in Chinese property giant Evergrande plunged on Thursday (Oct 21) after resuming trading in Hong Kong, with the failure of a unit sale deal deepening fears the indebted company will collapse.

Evergrande suspended trading on Oct 4 pending an announcement on a "major transaction" as it struggled with US$300 billion of debt - with investors worried the fallout from its predicament could impact the wider Chinese economy.

On Thursday, its shares plunged 10.5 per cent at the open, after the group said the evening before it had applied for a trading resumption.

A deal worth HK$20.04 billion (US$2.58 billion) to sell a 50.1 per cent stake in its property services arm had fallen through, it added in a separate statement.

The buyer in talks with Evergrande was reportedly a unit under Hong Kong real estate firm Hopson Development Holdings.

Evergrande said it would continue to implement measures to ease its liquidity issues, cautioning that "there is no guarantee that the group will be able to meet its financial obligations".

The Shenzhen-based company has missed several payments on dollar-denominated bonds.

A 30-day grace period on an offshore note is up on Saturday.

TIGHT MARKET

The group first listed in Hong Kong in 2009, raising HK$70.5 billion (US$9 billion) in its initial public offering - making it China's largest private real estate company and founder Xu Jiayin the mainland's richest man with a net worth of 42.2 billion yuan.

In an expansion spree Xu - also known as Hui Ka Yan in Cantonese - bought the then-embattled Guangzhou football team in 2010, renaming it Guangzhou Evergrande and pouring money into world-class players and coaches.

But Evergrande started to falter under the new "three red lines" imposed on developers in a state crackdown in August 2020 - forcing the group to offload properties at increasingly steep discounts.

Fears that the firm could collapse and send shockwaves through the Chinese economy rattled markets earlier this month - though Beijing has insisted any fallout would be containable.

Evergrande's announcements came as China's new-home prices fell for the first time in six years last month, with the property sector struggling after a government clampdown.

Several domestic property rivals have in recent weeks already defaulted on debts and have seen their ratings downgraded.

Hong Kong-listed Sinic Holdings became the latest to miss a payment, while mid-sized competitor Fantasia also failed to meet obligations in recent weeks.

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2021-10-21 02:35:15Z
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