A plane search of Mount Rainier National Park for a suspect in the murder of a park ranger, sighted what is thought to be the suspect’s body lying face-down in the snow on Monday, according to authorities. It could be hours before they reach the body, and though it is yet to be identified, it is believed to be that of Benjamin Barnes, a 24-year-old Iraq War veteran.

“Obviously the strong probability is that it is” the gunman, Ed Troyer, Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman, stated. After a shooting at a New Year’s house party that wounded four people, Barnes is thought to have fled to the park to hide. He is suspected by the authorities to have shot and killed Margaret Anderson later on Sunday. Police began a manhunt for the veteran and cleared out all of the park’s visitors. They believed Barnes had survivalist and weapons training.

Barnes had had trouble adjusting to regular life after he got home from the war and was suspected of suffering from suicidal tendencies and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Court documents show that his daughter’s mother had sought a temporary restraining order against him during a custody battle because she believed he was suffering from PTSD after he was sent to Iraq for a year in 2007. She said that he text messaged her, claiming that he wanted to die, that he was easily angered and depressed, and that he had an arsenal of weapons in his home. The mother said she was afraid for their child.

Police showed undated photos of Barnes posing with two big weapons. A guardian ad litem, in November 2011, made a recommendation of classes for communication and parenting and said Barnes should have supervised visits with his daughter twice a week. A mental health evaluation was also mandated.

On New Year’s in a house located close to Seattle, gunfire erupted during an argument at a party of which Barnes was in attendance, according to Sgt. Cindi West, the spokeswoman for King County Sheriff. Two other people, who had fled the shooting, were found and West said that authorities attempted to locate Barnes, asking his family to try to get him to turn himself in and “tell his side of the story”.

A ranger started following him after he flew through a checkpoint on Sunday morning, while Anderson, mother of two and married to another park ranger, blocked the street to potentially force Benjamin Barnes to pull over. Instead, the driver fired a gun and shot Anderson before she was able to get out of her vehicle, spokesperson Troyer said. Park Superintendent, Randy King, stated, “It’s just a huge tragedy – for the family, the park, and the park service.”

The shooting has renewed debate over loaded firearms and whether they should be allowed into Mount Rainier or not. Bill Wade of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees has stated in several news reports that Congress needs to reconsider the 2010 law that makes state laws responsible for gun regulation in national parks.

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The Football Association of Wales revealed Sunday that football manager Gary Speed was found dead at 07:08 GMT on 27^th November at his home in Huntington, Chester.

Speed boasted an exemplary international career. Over a period of fifteen years, he won 85 caps for his country and also played for Leeds, Everton, Sheffield United, Newcastle and Bolton. After taking on his first managerial role with Sheffield United and accepting an MBE in the 2010 Birthday Honours for his services to football, he was appointed as Wales’ manager almost one year ago with the brief to prepare the senior squad for qualification to the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Cheshire police were called to Speed’s home in the morning of 27^th November after receiving information of a sudden death at an address in Huntington. A spokeswoman for Cheshire police announced that there were ‘no suspicious circumstances’ surrounding his death, and confirmed it to be an apparent suicide.

A minute’s silence was announced at the Premier League Swansea match against Aston Villa on Sunday, following which, supportive chants and rounds of applause resonated around the stadium.

Tributes to Speed began to pour in within minutes of hearing the news. Former team mate Ryan Giggs said: “I am totally devastated. Gary Speed was one of the nicest men in football and someone I am honoured to call a team-mate and friend. It goes without saying my thoughts are with his family at this tremendously sad time.”

Alan Shearer who played alongside Speed during his time at Newcastle said: “Gary was a magnificent person, bright, fun and a wonderful family man – he lit up every room he walked into.”

Comments however have not been restricted to those issued from former team mates. Labour leader Ed Miliband tweeted that Speed was a ‘[f]antastic servant of Leeds’ and will be ‘[m]ourned by football’, with Welsh politicians Cheryl Gillian, Kirsty Williams and Carywn Jones also expressing their condolences.

The FAW also publically extended their sympathies. Speed leaves a wife and two children, and the FAW called for everyone to respect the family’s privacy at such a difficult time. They further commented that ‘this tragedy [...] is a huge loss not only for his family and friends but for the nation as a whole.’

Cheshire police confirmed that a family tribute will be released at a later date.

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Officials in Canberra have announced a probe into the high number of suicide and self-harm incidents recorded among asylum seekers in Australian detention centers. According to Allan Asher, the country’s chief Ombudsman, official data indicates that there is currently a problem and that the figures have been on the rise. More than 1,100 actual or threatened self-harm incidents were registered in the past year, reported the BBC.

“I was myself on Christmas Island [home to one of the most strife-hit centers] at the end of June and there were 30 incidents in that week, and then across Australia in the first week of July, 50 incidents,” Mr. Asher told ACB television on Thursday.

The UN has criticized the Australian policy of mandatory detention of all asylum seekers while their applications are being processed. Mr. Asher has noted the impact of the policy too, stating that he was ‘alarmed’ by the impact of long-term detention.

“We think there is something seriously wrong that needs to be looked at.” In recent years, the policy has been softened to allow more women and children into the community but the move has left detention centers with a large population of males who are now separated from their families.

According to figures from the Australian Department of Immigration, there were a total of 6,535 irregular maritime arrivals (IMAs) in 2010. As of late April 2011, 4,552 IMAs were detained on the mainland while 1,748 were held solely on Christmas Island.

Louise Newman, chair of the Detention Health Advisory Group told The Straits Times, a Singapore-based newspaper, that there have been five suicides in detention since September 2010 and added that a one young man tried to hang himself every night somewhere in the system.

According to ABC television, the problem is so widespread on Christmas Island that staff are required to carry a knife at all times so they can cut down detainees who attempt to hang themselves.

Mr. Asher has launched an inquiry which will examine the root causes of the unfortunate development and figure out what practical steps can be taken to identify and manage those at risk of self-harm. His report is due by the end of this year, according to the BBC.

A.S. Zain / Shutterstock.com

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Jonathan Rhys Meyers, well-known actor and model, was rushed to the hospital Tuesday June 28^th when he was rumored to have attempted to take his own life. Meyers was found at his home in Maida Vale, London where authorities believe that he had taken a large amount of pills.

More recently, a source has told US Weekly magazine that he was not suicidal, but rather just intoxicated.

Paramedics tried to help him for a half hour when they found him before calling the police when the actor refused to cooperate or accept any treatment. When sent to the hospital, Meyers was treated in the urgent care. Police also confirmed their role in the intervention at the actor’s home. Meyers, however, had no comment for the press.

Whether or not Jonathan Rhys Meyers tried to take his own life might remain a mystery, but it is confirmed that he has struggled with alcohol abuse for years. Just one month ago he checked into rehab for the fifth time at a five-star center in South Africa. It is rumored that the actor uses alcohol to suppress his pain, especially following the death of his mother in 2007.

The actor, who owns homes in Los Angeles, Dublin, London, and Monaco, was born in Dublin and lived in Ireland with his parents and three younger brothers until his parents’ separation when he moved in with his mother.

Rumors are circulating that this recent episode is connected with his struggling seven-year relationship with heiress Reena Hammer, daughter to the owner of the Urban Retreat spa in Harrods department store.

Meyers has even spoken about his addiction in the past admitting, “When I do drink…I’m all over the place like a 16-year-old kid.” He has also been arrested twice for drinking-related incidents. The first arrest was made in Dublin Airport in November 2007, but the charges were dropped.  The second arrest occurred at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris in June 2009 where he allegedly assaulted a bar staff member.

It was reported in May 2010 that United Airlines banned the actor from flying their airline after an alcohol related incident at John F. Kennedy airport. He was reportedly behaving in a “belligerent” and “disruptive” manner.

Meyers is most known for his role as Henry VIII in the BBC series “The Tudors”. He also starred in “Mission Impossible III,” “Alexander,” “Bend it Like Beckham,” Woody Allen’s “Matchpoint,” and “August Rush” where he showed off his musical talents. In 2005 he received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win for his role as rock king Elvis Presley in the four-hour CBS mini-series “Elvis”.

Signed with London’s agency Independent Models, Meyers has had a successful career working with some very big names. He was chosen to be the face of Versace men’s collection in 2006 and 2007. He has also remained the face of the Hugo Boss fragrance since 2005.

Meyers has also been the celebrity ambassador for the charity The Hope Foundation since February 2008.

Currently, Meyers is preparing to check into rehab for the sixth time to finally get the help he needs for his addiction.

Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com

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Last year’s shooting in Tucson, Arizona that killed six people and left 13 others injured briefly sparked a new debate on gun control in America.  The shooter, an allegedly mentally unstable 22 year old, was able to purchase a semi-automatic handgun legally and carry it legally.  He was also able to purchase an extended magazine that holds 33 rounds legally.

There is a myth that more guns equal a safer nation.  But, there are plenty of numbers that disprove that fact.  The United States is the most heavily armed nation on the planet.  But, we are by no means the safest nation in the world.  In one year, there were 9,484 people killed by guns in the United States.  That same year, 200 died in our neighboring country Canada.  Guns murdered 17 people in Finland, 35 in Australia, 39 in England and Wales, 60 in Spain, and 194 in Germany in the same year.  So, clearly we are not any safer.  More guns equal more gun deaths.  It has been found that higher household gun ownership correlates with higher rates of homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings.  Gun advocates contend that if guns were made illegal, it would only affect the people who aren’t going to use the gun in a criminal act because criminals will still get their guns illegally.  This may be true, but at least it would be a bit more difficult.  Loughner purchased his gun legally.  The student responsible for the VA Tech massacre purchased his gun legally.  There are countless examples of mass shootings involving a legally bought firearm.

Having a gun for protection is increasingly sounding like an oxymoron.  I know of personal examples where having a gun in the house only ended up with someone in the household dead or injured.  Having a firearm easily accessible means that when people behave impulsively, someone could end up dead.  How many of us have been so angry that, if there was a gun around, we might have brandished it?  Add alcohol, drugs, or mental illness into the mix and it is a recipe for disaster.  There is no reason we need personal guns any longer.  We should leave the protecting to the police and the military because clearly average Americans are not doing a good job protecting themselves.

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