The deadly mass shootings in both Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York have put scrutiny on the legal gun-buying age in the United States.

The gunman in Tuesday’s deadly rampage at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which killed 19 students and 2 teachers, was 18 years old.

The suspected shooter at the Tops Friendly Market in New York's Buffalo city, where 10 people were killed, was also 18.

Both men were legally able to buy their AR-15 style rifles under the Gun Control Act of 1968, which allows individuals 18 or older to purchase shotguns and rifles.

The Texas shooter also used a handgun, which according to the Gun Control Act, can only be sold to individuals 21 or older.

"What in God's name do you need an assault weapon for unless to kill someone?" said US President Joe Biden after Tuesday’s deadly mass shooting in Texas.

AR-15 style rifles are lightweight semi-automatic weapons originally created for the US military, but have become popular among civilian gun enthusiasts, with more than 20 million AR-15-style rifles legally circulating in the US.

Biden is calling for “commonsense” gun laws, claiming that after the assault weapons ban was passed in 1994, mass shootings went down, but after the law expired in 2004, Biden said “mass shootings tripled.”

The AR-15 rifles range from $400 USD for a basic model to $2,000 USD or more for higher-end models. The powerful, military-grade weapons also have a feature that prevents ammunition jams so the shooter can keep shooting.

In a state like Texas, anyone can openly carry rifles in public without a permit. The Uvalde shooter had two AR-15-style rifles that were perfectly legal.

Biden and Democratic lawmakers are pushing for stricter gun control measures like universal background checks and renewing the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, but the measures have been blocked in recent years in a narrowly divided Senate, with Republicans opposing those stricter rules.

“As a nation, we have to ask, when in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?” said Biden. “We have to act. Don't tell me we can't have an impact on this carnage.”/aa

The US is the only country in the world where civilian guns outnumber people, said the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey (SAS).

It is also the only country where at least one mass shooting takes place every year, said CNN citing the survey.

There are 120.5 guns for every 100 Americans, the report said, which are shocking figures in the backdrop of Tuesday's mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Texas which killed 21 people, most of them children.

Falkland Islands comes after the US with an estimated 62 guns per 100 people, and war-weary Yemen has the third highest gun ownership rate with 53 guns per 100 people.

On the contrary, in some countries, such as South Korea and Japan, this rate hovered around 0.2, near zero, it reported.

The SAS research estimates that Americans own 393 million of 857 million civilian guns available, and this figure corresponds to 46% of the global civilian gun cache.

'Uniquely American phenomenon'

It also draws attention to the matter that the regular mass shootings are “a uniquely American phenomenon.”

The survey underlined that mass shooting refers to events in which at least four people were killed, excluding the perpetrator and that definition does not include profit-driven criminal activity, familicide, and state-sponsored violence.

The CNN report noted that four out of every 100,000 people in the US were victims of gun violence in 2019, which is 18 times the average rate in other developed countries.

While the US population corresponded to 4% of the world population, the suicides by firearms in the US add up to 44% of global suicides by firearm in 2019, it said.

At least one mass shooting took place in half of the world’s developed countries between 1998 and 2009, but no more than eight incidents occurred in any developed country during this period.

Over these 22 years, more than 100 mass shootings occurred in the US and over 2,000 people became the victims of these shootings.

Around 44% of American adults live in households with gun

The report said, referring to a survey conducted in October 2020, that around 44% of the US adults live in a house with a gun, and about one-third possess one personally, the report said.

The US is one of the only three countries where its citizens have a constitutional right to carry or have a gun, in Mexico and Guatemala the rate of gun ownership is almost one-tenth of that of the US.

While many countries in the world take legal measures and fight against armed violence, and the loss of thousands of lives, only about half of the US adults support stricter gun laws and political reforms, and it leads to a deadly “cycle of violence” in society, it said./aa

Several civil rights NGOs, activists, and academics have jointly published an open letter Thursday, requesting future lawmakers to adopt immediate and lasting measures for the dignified reception of all exiles into France.

“We propose to the future National Assembly to embark on the path (of a dignified and unconditional welcome), by adopting, upon its election, immediate and lasting measures for the reception of exiles, whose arrivals are not likely to decrease in the coming years,” said the letter, as quoted by French public service broadcaster France Info.

The letter was published by over 20 non-profit associations including Emmaus France, Refugee Camps Observatory, Salvation Army Foundation, Pantin Solidaire and Famille France-Humanite, and 40 academics and researchers.

It is addressed to the future members of the National Assembly, which will take charge on June 22. Legislative elections in France are scheduled to be held on June 12, and June 19 to elect 577 members of the 16th National Assembly.

The letter's signatories noted the alarming living conditions of asylum seekers and refugees, particularly in the Paris region of Ile-de-France, which “illustrate the inadequacy of our reception and integration policies.”

They pointed out the “exceptional measures” “combined with an unprecedented surge of solidarity,” to welcome the 85,000 displaced Ukrainians in contrast to the discrimination towards non-European refugees. “All exiled persons must be able to benefit from reception conditions commensurate with their protection needs,” they underlined.

They have demanded that incoming lawmakers change the legislative framework to increase the accommodation capacity by tens of thousands, offer universal health care protection, improve access to professional and university training, and allow all asylum seekers and refugees to work as soon as they submit their application.

Public authorities in France have failed to provide adequate accommodation support to the undocumented exiled people forcing thousands to sleep homeless on the streets without any financial support. The European Court of Human Rights in 2020 had condemned France for the “inhuman and degrading living conditions” and ordered it to compensate three homeless asylum-seekers.

Any person in danger in their own country can apply for protection as an asylum seeker. In France, the first step is to register oneself at the authorized reception structure, however, the process is obstructed by a large number of undocumented asylum seekers who are deterred, turned away, and even forcefully deported by the law enforcement, forcing them to camp illegally in inhuman conditions./aa

Somalia's National Drought Relief Committee on Thursday said 6.9 million people in the Horn of African country are facing severe water shortages and food insecurity as the worst droughts in decades have escalated in the region.

The drought has affected 90% of the country's landmass and 66 districts across the county.

Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, the newly appointed special envoy for humanitarian affairs by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said in a statement that it is feared that the number of people affected may reach 8 million -- half of the Somali population.

"The number of people facing water shortages and food insecurity is estimated to have reached 6.9 million and the number could reach 8 million in the coming months," he added.

The UN and international humanitarian agencies estimated the number of people in humanitarian need in Somalia to reach 7.7 million, with 5.5 million among vulnerable families, according to the country's national drought committee./aa

Turkish security forces neutralized 14 PKK terrorists as part of Turkiye’s Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq, the country’s National Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said the air operation targeted the terror zones in the region, adding that they are determined to continue fighting terrorists.

Turkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock last month to target PKK hideouts in northern Iraq’s Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions. It preceded Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020, to root out terrorists who hide in northern Iraq and plot cross-border attacks in Turkiye.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants./aa

Greek police allegedly injured two irregular migrants from Afghanistan as they were trying to cross the border from Turkiye to Greece.

The migrants, who were shot by plastic bullets, are currently being treated at a hospital, according to the security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Human rights advocates and leading media outlets have frequently reported illegal pushbacks and other rights breaches by Greek authorities violating EU and international law.

Besides seaborne pushbacks, Greek border forces are also accused of apprehending and forcibly expelling migrants who manage to cross into the country by land.

In February, at least 19 irregular migrants were found frozen to death near the Turkish-Greek border after being pushed back to Turkiye by Greece.

Turkish officials criticized Athens for inhumane and degrading treatment of irregular migrants, saying those who were found dead had been stripped of their clothes and shoes by the Greek border guards. Greece denied any involvement./aa

A French court on Wednesday suspended a decision by the Grenoble Municipal Council to allow Muslim women to wear the burkini, a full body swimming costume, in the city’s public pools. 

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin commended the administrative tribunal’s decision on Twitter.

“Excellent news: following our appeal, the administrative court suspends the deliberation of the town hall of Grenoble authorizing the 'burkini' in municipal swimming pools thanks to the tools of the separatism law wanted by Emmanuel Macron!” he said.

The court ordered the suspension of the rule, which was to come into force by June 1, on the complaint of the prefecture of Isere, where Grenoble is based.

The court noted that the amended rules allowed “certain users to free themselves from the obligation of close-fitting outfits for religious purposes" which "seriously undermined the principle of public service neutrality."

Darmanin and the prefecture authorities raised objections against the burkini, as it is regarded as “Islamist clothing” and contravened the principle of secularism laid down by the law of 1905 as well as the provisions of a controversial 2021 law confirming respect for the principles of the Republic. The display of religious signs in public places or government-owned buildings is prohibited under the law.

On May 16, the Grenoble city council abolished restrictions on abnormal clothing, thereby authorizing women to swim wearing the burkini or bare-breasted in public pools. It was the second city after Rennes to allow burkinis in public places./aa