UPI NewsTrack TopNews

12 dead in Fort Hood shootings

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A U.S. Army psychiatrist who treated soldiers' post-traumatic stress killed 12 people and injured 31 in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, officials said.

Maj. Nadal Malik Hasan, 39, the alleged shooter, was shot by a civilian police officer and remained hospitalized Thursday night, Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, the Fort Hood base commander, said.

At a news conference at the Central Texas base, Cone did not explain why the alleged gunman had been reported dead throughout the day and into the evening Thursday.

Most of those killed were soldiers but some could be civilians, and the civilian police officer who returned fire was among those wounded, Cone said. Three others who had initially been held have been released, and authorities concluded Hasan was the only shooter, Cone said.

The commander would not comment on a possible motive or provide details about the suspect.

The shootings occurred in the Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers prepare to be deployed.

Cone described a chaotic scene where soldiers were ripping uniforms off their bodies to use the fabric to cover fellow soldiers' wounds. He praised the quick response of soldiers and police.

"I'm sure this could have been much worse, horrible as it was," Cone said.

Hasan allegedly used two handguns but neither was a military weapon, Cone said.

The commander would not comment on Hasan's condition beyond saying death did not appear "imminent." Nor would he comment on a possible motive except to say he "couldn't rule out" terrorism but that it is not suspected.

Hasan had recently been transferred from Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., to Darnell Hospital on the sprawling Fort Hood. He apparently was upset he was about to be deployed to Iraq, some who knew him said.

In an interview with Fox News, Hasan's cousin, Nader Hasan, said: "He just told us last week he was being deployed. It was his worst nightmare."

Nader Hasan told The New York Times his cousin had faced harassment from some of his colleagues because he is Muslim and that contributed to his misgivings about being deployed. Nadal Hasan is a U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent but it remained unclear whether he was born in the United States, CNN said.

President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were informed of the incident, CNN reported.

"It is horrifying that (soldiers) should come under fire on an Army base on American soil," Obama said.

Obama said the Pentagon, the FBI and the Department of Homeland security were investigating.

"My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and with the families of the fallen, and with those who live and serve at Fort Hood," the president said. "These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk and at times give their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis."

Fort Hood, one of the largest U.S. military installations in the world, was on lockdown to incoming and outgoing traffic but the lockdown was lifted late in the day.

The facility, outside Killeen, Texas, is home to 65,000 soldiers and family members, with several thousand soldiers on deployment at any given time. It serves as the home for Headquarters III Corps, First Army Division West, the 1st Cavalry Division, 4th Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade, 13th Corps Support Command, 89th Military Police Brigade, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, 21st Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat), 4th Combat Aviation Brigade and 31st Air Defense Brigade.

-0-

Abbas: 'No desire' to run for re-election JERUSALEM, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he has "no desire" to run for another term in the upcoming election.

In a televised address, Abbas -- who succeeded Yasser Arafat as head of the Palestine Liberation Organization and has served as PA president since 2005 -- said he has spoken with PLO leaders to let them know of his plans for the election he has called for January, The New York Times reported.

"I have told my brethren in the PLO that I have no desire to run in the forthcoming election," Abbas said.

There is some doubt the PA elections will be held as scheduled in January, the Times said, because of the difficulty in achieving reconciliation between Abbas's party, Fatah, and Hamas, which governs Gaza. Abbas would remain in office until elections are held, the newspaper said.

Senior Palestinian officials told Yedioth Aharonoth Thursday Abbas has told aides to look for another candidate for the elections.

The Palestinian leader is disappointed by failed U.S. attempts to jump start the peace process with Israel, officials told the newspaper. Senior officials said the Palestinian leader already has informed the Fatah central committee to find another candidate, the newspaper said.

Abbas's standing deteriorated over the United Nations' Goldstone report and his failure to secure an agreement with Hamas to unify the Palestinian people, the officials said. Abbas, they said, has also failed to secure a change in U.S. policy concerning Israeli settlements, the newspaper said.

The officials said a number of options are under consideration, including the possibility of dismantling the Palestinian Authority and allowing Israel to manage civilian matters, the paper said.

-0-

Thousands protest healthcare bill in D.C.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Thousands of demonstrators in Washington, led by dozens of congressional Republicans, protested proposed healthcare reform legislation.

The demonstration at the U.S. Capitol followed a call by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., for opponents of reform to take their complaints to Congress, and to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in particular. Bachmann billed the event as a "Health Care House Call."

"Speaker Pelosi is poised with her healthcare bill to take over 18 percent of the American economy," Bachmann said as chants of "Kill the bill" rang through the crowd.

"The Republicans don't have the votes to kill this bill," she said, "but what we knew was unlimited was the voice of persuasion of the American people."

Speaking on a conference call Wednesday with members of the advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, Bachmann said bloggers and activists could thwart the bill's passage, Politico reported.

"Nothing scares members of Congress more than freedom-loving Americans," Bachmann said.

Many House Democrats favor inclusion of a public, or government-run, healthcare option in reform legislation, one of several reform proposals that have sparked anger among conservatives.

The American Medical Association and AARP Thursday announced their endorsement of the bill, which could come up for a vote Saturday in the House.

"We are closer to passing this reform than ever before," President Barack Obama said in response to the AMA and AARP endorsements.

The protest in Washington Thursday featured appearances by actor Jon Voight and talk show host Mark Levin. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, called the reform bill "the greatest threat to freedom that I have seen in the 19 years that I've been here in Washington."

Several protesters were arrested, including nine who refused to leave an office in the Capitol.

-0-

Official: Canadian H1N1 activity soars

OTTAWA, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The number of Canadians hospitalized with H1N1 flu has tripled in a week, the country's chief public health officer announced in Ottawa Thursday.

Dr. David Butler-Jones told reporters the virus, originally dubbed swine flu when it emerged in Mexico in April, is into its second wave and wasn't showing signs of abating despite the country's largest-ever mass inoculation program.

"We expect to hear of more illness and deaths in the coming weeks as we go further into the second wave," Butler-Jones said.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq told reporters 6.5 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine would be distributed across the country by Friday and repeated her call for healthy people to let at-risk groups get vaccinated first. The at-risk categories include young children, pregnant women and those with existing lung conditions.

The Public Health Agency's Web site said 101 Canadians have died of the virus and about 1,700 have required hospitalization, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said. However, the agency said annual seasonal flu outbreaks kill between 4,000 and 8,000 people on average and send 20,000 people to hospitals.