The Daily Fix: Gunman Held Hostages in Sydney Café for 16 Hours
After a standoff between law enforcement and a gunman who was holding hostages in the Lindt Chocolate Café in Sydney’s financial district, the hostage situation has ended. It's unclear whether the hostages were injured or killed, but authorities say there were more than 11.
Local law enforcement fear it was a terrorist attack and said the gunman was holding up an Islamist flag. The gunman is believed to be Man Haron Monis, who'd been charged with trying to send offensive "condolence letters" to families of soldiers who died serving in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he believes the hostage taking was politically motivated, Reuters reported. Reuters is also reporting that the café may be near the site of a thwarted beheading threat in September.
In other news…
Murder Charge in Trans Woman's Death: Prosecutors in the Philippines are recommending that a U.S. Marine suspected of killing a Filipino transgender woman be charged with murder. (via The New York Times)
Cops Criticizes Athlete's T-Shirt: An Ohio police union slammed Andrew Hawkins, a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, for wearing a “Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford” T-shirt during pregame warm-ups. Tamir Rice, who was 12, and John Crawford were both shot and killed by police when holding fake guns in public. The president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association called Hawkins “pathetic” for wearing the shirt. (via The Cleveland Plain-Dealer)
Fly Away: A German airline is going to allow hunters to bring falcons on its airplanes next year. (via TakePart)
Uber Out: France is expected to ban Uber, the ride-sharing service that has aggressively attempted to overtake local taxicab industries. (via The Associated Press)
And Then There Were Five: The San Diego Zoo’s northern white rhino, Angalifu, has died. Only five northern white rhinos are now left in the world. (via CNN)
Debt Collecting: The Social Security Administration continues to try to collect debts from children of people who were allegedly overpaid many years ago. The agency said it would stop pursuing overpayments from ancestors, but The Washington Post has found it is still demanding the money.
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Original article from TakePart
