1. AUSTRALIA HOSTAGE INVESTIGATION
Why?: Lots of questions remain in the aftermath of yesterday’s hostage siege in Sydney. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, “It will take time to clarify exactly what happened.” Dead is the gunman, Man Haron Monis, and two hostages. What did the gunman want? Why did he choose the Lindt Chocolate Café as his target? We may never know. Up to 17 people were held at one point before some escaped and police stormed in. Authorities describe Monis as a self-styled Muslim cleric, who was well-know to police and who had embraced a radical Sunni theology.
2. PENNSYLVANIA SHOOTINGS
Suspect search: An intense manhunt is underway in a Philadelphia suburb for a man suspected of killing his ex-wife and five former in-laws. Bradley William Stone of Pennsburg killed his ex-wife and her mother, grandmother and sister, as well as the sister’s husband and 14-year-old daughter, authorities said. But Stone didn’t harm his two daughters, who were living with his ex-wife. He took them to a neighbor’s residence in Pennsburg, the last place he was seen. There have been several possible sightings of Stone, most recently in Doylestown, but so far authorities have little to go on. Stone was described as armed and dangerous.
3. SYRIA
Bad and getting worse: A top United Nations official said yesterday that there are no words left to describe the situation in Syria. Nearly 200,000 people have been killed in the 3-year Syrian conflict and one million injured, Valerie Amos, the U.N. chief for humanitarian affairs, told the U.N. Security Council. She said the combative parties there are fighting each other with no regard for the thousands of civilians and children caught in the middle. All parties involved in the conflict “continue to violate the most basic of laws with devastating consequences,” Amos said, pointing a finger at the Syrian government, ISIS and other armed opposition groups.
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source: CNN.com
Five Things To Know For Your New Day – Tuesday, December 16, 2014 was originally published on praisecleveland.com
