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Monterey Park shooting: Local residents in shock and sorrow

Local residents are expressing their shock after a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, that left at least 10 people dead and at least 10 others wounded.

The incident on Saturday night happened as thousands were gathered downtown in the majority Asian-American city to mark the Lunar New Year state holiday.

The gunman is said to have entered Star Ballroom Dance Studio, a popular club, and fired multiple rounds at patrons before fleeing the scene.

Wong Wei told the Los Angeles Times that his friend was at the club but had been in the bathroom when the shooting began.

He said that when she came out, she saw the gunman firing indiscriminately from a long gun, and she also saw three people lying dead, including a boss of the club. She escaped to Mr Wei’s nearby home, he said.

The gunman remains on the loose after the attack, which took place on Garvey Avenue, home to several Asian-owned businesses.

Seung Won Choi, the owner of a seafood barbecue restaurant across the street from the club, told the newspaper that three pedestrians had run inside and asked him to lock the door.

They said they had seen a man with a semi-automatic gun and multiple rounds of ammunition, he said.

A nearby resident by the name of John claimed he was home when he heard several gunshots ring out, followed by the sound of police cruisers arriving.

He said he saw at least two people with injuries at the scene.

Los Angeles County supervisor Hilda Solis told CBS Los Angeles that she was at Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park but left before the shooting.

“It was a beautiful, festive occasion because, [for] two and a half years of the pandemic, they had to postpone [it]. You could see the smiles and everyone just so happy… that they could come out and celebrate,” she said.

“We pray for those that are still recovering. It’s tragic.”

Monterey Park is home to about 60,000 people, of which roughly two-thirds are of Asian descent.

Representative Judy Chu, who chairs the

An injured festival attendee is loaded onto a stretcher

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and is a former mayor of the city, tweeted: “My heart is broken for the victims, their families, and the people of my hometown Monterey Park.” The state’s governor Gavin Newsom wrote: “Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year. Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and heartless act of gun violence.”

First woman pastor in Holy Land ordained

In many parts of the Christian world, female church leaders are no longer unusual. But until now, the Holy Land - where events in the Bible are set - had not seen a local woman ordained.

On Sunday, a Palestinian from Jerusalem, Sally Azar, became its first woman pastor at an event at the Lutheran church in the heart of the Old City, attended by hundreds of international well-wishers.

“I got more excited seeing the excitement of other people,” Reverend Azar told me. “It’s an indescribable feeling to take this step with the support of the church.”

“I hope that many girls and women will know this is possible and that other women in other churches will join us. I know it will take a long time, but I think it could be exciting if this changes in Palestine.”

Christians make up a minority in the Palestinian Territories, Israel and Jordan. Most Christians here belong to the Greek Orthodox and Latin Catholic Churches, which do not allow women priests.

However, the ordination of women has been taking place in a growing number of Protestant Churches in the past few decades. These have small local congregations and run schools and hospitals in the Holy Land.

“Everywhere where you have a patriarchal society and culture this is a major step,” says the recently retired Archbishop of the Church of Sweden, Antje Jackelen.

“Since I’ve been ordained for over 40 years, I’ve met many people who didn’t think it was possible. But now they’ve seen women actually serving as pastors, as bishops, as archbishops, we know it works and we know that it’s actually in accord with the Bible.”

In the Middle East, churches in Lebanon and Syria have already conferred holy orders on women, while at least one Palestinian woman is known to serve in the US.

Ms Azar was ordained by her father Bishop Sani Azar. She insists that while his example inspired her, she never felt pressured into studying theology.

“It’s what I wanted, what I was called to do,” she says.

As a pastor she will take on different duties including leading services and bible studies in Jerusalem and in Beit Sahour, in the occupied West Bank, for English speaking congregations.

“It’s a big, big day for the life of our Church, it’s an important step forward and it’s overdue,” comments Reverend Dr Munther Isaac, Lutheran Pastor of Bethlehem and Beit Sahour.

He says he looks forward to introducing Reverend Azar as a role model at local Lutheran schools - which teach children who are Christians of all traditions and Muslims.

Rev Dr Isaac has written a book in Arabic about women’s leadership in the Bible and in support of women’s ordination.

“We accept women ministers, we accept women professors, we accept to go in surgery performed by women and it’s strange that we still have to argue that women can teach the Bible or perform the sacraments,” he says.

“This tells me that despite the progress we’ve made as Palestinians, when it comes to empowering women and women rights, that there is still work to be done.”

Supporters of Rev Azar believe she is the right person to challenge stereotypes and break the mould.

Al-Shabab: US air strike in Somalia ‘kills 30 militants’

AUS air strike assisting government troops in Somalia has killed about 30 Islamist al-Shabab militants, the US military says.

The operation happened near the town of Galcad, about 260km (162 miles) northeast of the capital Mogadishu.

Over the past few days, the Somali army and al-Shabab militants have fought for control of the town.

Friday’s air strike came as the army was being attacked by more than 100 militants, the US Africa Command says.

Earlier the Islamists killed seven soldiers after storming a military base in Galcad. Somalia’s Information Ministry said dozens of the militants were killed.

Al-Shabab has been fighting Somalia’s central government since 2006, aiming to impose an extremist Islamist regime. While it has been pushed out of Mogadishu and other areas it continues to attack military and civilian targets.

Last Monday the government said its army and local militias had captured the port town of Harardhere, which had been a key al-Shabab supply centre since 2010.

In its report on the Galcad fighting the US Africa Command said three al-Shabab vehicles were destroyed and “the command assesses that no civilians were injured or killed”. The details have not been independently verified.

Postpartum haemorrhage: Niger halves blood-loss deaths at clinics

Researchers working with Niger’s health ministry say they have managed to more than halve the number of women who bleed to death after giving birth in health facilities.

Blood loss is the leading cause of maternal deaths in low-income nations.

Those behind the initiative say it could dramatically lower mortality rates elsewhere too.

It relies on following a simple three-step process including the use of a low-cost drug.

The research has taken place over the last six years and the findings - published in the medical journal the Lancet - are extremely encouraging.

Over the research period in Niger, an estimated 1,417 fewer women died from bleeding after childbirth - known as postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) - than otherwise would have.

It also prevented tens of thousands of other women from experiencing abnormally high blood loss.

PPH now accounts for one in 10 of maternal deaths in Niger, whereas before the project began it accounted for more than three times that.

Working with doctors and nurses across the country, the NGO Health and Development Initiative (HDI) introduced a combination of treatments.

The first step is to give a dose of cheap and easy-to-store misoprostol tablets, which should reduce the bleeding.

If after 20 minutes the bleeding has not stopped, then a condom attached to a catheter is inserted into the uterus and then inflated.

If this does not work, then what is called a non-inflatable anti-shock garment is used to give the mother time to get to surgery for blood transfusions.

Expectant mothers are also handed a dose of misoprostol when they visit a clinic towards the end of the pregnancy, which they are asked to bring back for the birth - but it can be taken at home.

The researchers say that the approach should be tried in other countries.

“Niger has done it and other countries can too,” said Dr Zeidou Alassoum, HDI’s Resident Technical Advisor in Niger.BBC