An 18-year-old has been identified as the suspect in a shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, that left eight people dead and dozens injured, according to police. The suspect, Jesse Van Rootselaar, was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The motive for the attack remains unknown.
The shooting occurred at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where six people were killed and at least 25 others were injured, according to BBC World. Two other victims, the suspect's mother, 39, and step-brother, 11, were found dead at a nearby home. Hundreds of mourners gathered in Tumbler Ridge's main square and outside the British Columbia legislature to exchange comfort and moments of silence.
In other news, an AI safety researcher, Mrinank Sharma, resigned from US firm Anthropic with a warning that the "world is in peril," according to BBC Technology and BBC Business. Sharma cited concerns about AI, bioweapons, and the state of the wider world in his resignation letter. He stated he would pursue writing and studying poetry and move back to the UK to "become invisible." The resignation comes in the same week that an OpenAI researcher also resigned, expressing concerns about the company's decision to deploy adverts in its chatbot.
Meanwhile, children are being "bombarded" with advertisements for weight loss products online, according to a report by the children's commissioner for England, as reported by BBC Technology. The report found that young people were routinely exposed to ads for products claiming to change their bodies and appearance, despite such advertising being banned. Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner, said the posts were "immensely damaging" to young people's self-esteem and called for a ban on social media advertising to children. A spokesperson for the media regulator Ofcom stated it did not tolerate "tech firms prioritising engagement over children's online safety."
Finally, Bangladesh held its first election since student-led protests ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024, according to BBC World. More than 2,000 candidates vied for a seat in parliament, though none were from Hasina's now-banned Awami League party. The election pitted the centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) against a coalition led by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami. Results are expected soon.
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