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Chicago Police: 15 People Shot, 3 Dead on Thursday

Taiwan Advises Its Citizens to Avoid Hong Kong After New Law

TAIPEI—Taiwan citizens should avoid unnecessary visits to or transit through Hong Kong, Macau, or mainland China after the passing of an “outrageous” national security law for the former British colony, a Taiwan government official said on July 2. The law, imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing, targets crimes like secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. It has been widely condemned in Chinese-claimed and democratic Taiwan where Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters have won support. A protester (center R) is detained by police during a rally against a new national security law, on the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China, in Hong Kong, China, on July 1, 2020. (Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images) Protesters chant slogans and gesture during a rally against…

Chicago Police: 15 People Shot, 3 Dead on Thursday

Authorities in Chicago said that 15 people were shot, three of them fatally, across the city on Thursday.

The latest shooting left one person dead and another injured in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago, police told the Chicago Sun-Times. A group was standing at 11:15 p.m. on the 4700 block of West Huron Street when a male approached them and opened fire, officials said.

The deceased individual was identified by officials as 39-year-old Corey Gilmore. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office, while the other man was shot in the arms and was taken to the same hospital in fair condition, the Sun-Times reported.

The second fatal shooting occurred when聽Noe J. Mondragon-Jimenez, 27, was walking in Little Village in the Southwest Side at 9:30 p.m. Two males got out of a dark-colored vehicle and shot him, police said, while officials said he was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The first fatal shooting took place on 3:20 p.m. in the South Side’s Burnside neighborhood, authorities said. The man, who was not identified, was struck by gunfire, and no arrests have been made, according to the newspaper.

The violence comes as shootings are on the rise in Chicago. Over the past two weeks, four toddlers have been shot in the city.

“What was called the Windy City is now turning into the Bloody City. If we don鈥檛 stop this, then Chicago鈥檚 going to become known as not a safe place for children. Once that happens, we鈥檝e lost the soul of our city,” said Rev. Michael Pfleger on July 2, according to USA Today.

“I’ve been here 45 years, and I鈥檝e never seen the meshing together of hopelessness, despair and anger all together at this level. Because of that, we have the fallout of unacceptable behavior,” Pfleger said.

Over the Father’s Day weekend, more than 100 people were shot, and five minors died, police said. That included a 3-year-old child who was shot while his father was driving.

“Our city’s collective heart breaks to hear the unfathomable news of a 3-year-old boy who was shot and killed tonight on Chicago’s West Side,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote at the time on聽Twitter. “There are simply no words to describe such a heinous, unconscionable act of cowardice to shoot at a toddler.”

Meanwhile, there are fears that the Fourth of July weekend, when temperatures are expected to soar, will produce yet another several days of bloodshed.

Lightfoot and other officials announced a Fourth of July weekend safety plan to combat violence and shootings.

“It’s not just on the police department. Not just on the fire department. Not just on elected officials,” Lightfoot said, according to ABC7. “All of us have to embrace our notion of community and think about what we can do, each of us in our own way, to make our communities safe and healthy and vibrant.”

Focus News: Chicago Police: 15 People Shot, 3 Dead on Thursday

India’s Virus Cases Surpass 600,000, Curve Rises

NEW DELHI—India’s number of coronavirus cases passed 600,000 on Thursday with the nation’s infection curve rising and its testing capacity being increased. The 19,148 new cases reported in the past 24 hours raised the national total to 604,641, with nearly 100,000 of them in the past four days. A total of 17,834 people have died so far due to the virus, according to India’s Health Ministry. More than 60 percent of the cases are in the worst-hit Maharashtra state, Tamil Nadu state, and the capital territory of New Delhi. However, the western beach of state of Goa, a popular backpacking destination, opened for tourism on Thursday with the state government allowing 250 hotels to reopen after more than three months. Tourists will either have to carry COVID-19 negative certificates or…