AFP

Five people were gunned down and two dozen others wounded in a pair of weekend mass shootings in the United States, the latest in a string of deadly gun attacks that have left lawmakers scrambling to tackle the crisis.

The shootings — late Saturday in Philadelphia and early Sunday in Chattanooga, Tennessee — further jolted a country facing a gun violence epidemic that has already claimed several thousand American lives this year and shows no signs of abating.

They come as polarized US senators find themselves under pressure to craft a measure that codifies at least basic, preliminary steps to help reduce the carnage.

In Philadelphia, two men and a woman were killed when multiple people opened fire on a crowd at a popular South Street nightlife area.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said one of the victims had gotten into a fight with another man, which could have been the cause of the shooting.

The two others were “innocent bystanders,” she told reporters.

An eruption of violence in Chattanooga resulted in 14 people being shot, including two killed, while another person died and two more were injured after they were struck by vehicles fleeing the scene, police chief Celeste Murphy said, adding “several” victims remained in critical condition.

The pre-dawn incident occurred near a nightclub in a downtown section of the city of 180,000.

As of mid-Sunday no arrests had been made in either case, Murphy and Philadelphia media said.

Such gun violence has become almost commonplace in America, with more than a  half-dozen other shootings recorded over the weekend in which multiple people were killed, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings nationwide.

But the shock felt over recent mass shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, which saw 10 and 21 people gunned down respectively, have spurred ardent cries for action.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has been working with a bipartisan group of senators on reform measures — a heavy lift with Republicans routinely rejecting most forms of gun control.

Senator Murphy said Sunday the group hoped to hammer together a legislative package that draws at least 10 Republican votes on top of expected support from nearly every Democrat.

“I think the possibility of success is better than ever before,” he told CNN. 

The emerging package, he said, would probably include “significant mental health investment, school safety money, and some modest but impactful changes in gun laws,” including an expansion of background checks for gun buyers.

“Congress needs to do their jobs and pass commonsense regulation that will help stop this nonsense,” an angry Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly told reporters.

He called for “mandatory background checks and prohibiting high-capacity magazines that allow shooters to hurt dozens of people without even having to reload.” 

– ‘Guttural screaming’ –

Warmer weather tends to bring a spike in US violence, and in addition to the massacres in Texas and New York, recent weeks have seen mass shootings at a hospital in Oklahoma and a church in California.

Bystander Joe Smith, 23, told The Philadelphia Inquirer his mind had flashed to the recent incidents when he heard shots ring out Saturday.

“There was guttural screaming,” he told the newspaper.

While Republicans have successfully blocked most efforts at gun control for years, some have recently spoken out for change.

In conservative, gun-loving Texas, more than 250 self-declared firearm enthusiasts, including donors to Republican Governor Greg Abbott, signed an open letter supporting efforts at bipartisan gun reform, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The letter, running as a full-page ad in the newspaper, endorsed an expansion of background checks, raising the age to buy guns to 21, and creating “red flag” laws intended to keep guns from people deemed to be at risk of violence.

US President Joe Biden last week called for new gun control legislation. On Sunday he renewed his call for restrictions on semi-automatic rifles.

“If we can’t ban assault weapons as we should, we must at least raise the age to buy assault weapons to 21,” he tweeted.

A CBS News/YouGov poll published Sunday shows 62 percent of Americans back a nationwide ban on semi-automatic rifles. Support is even higher for background checks on all gun buyers (81 percent) and “red flag” laws (72 percent).

US gun violence has killed 18,574 people so far in 2022, including nearly 10,300 suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

burs-pdh/sw/des

With a see-saw battle for control of the strategically important city of Severodonetsk raging on, a senior Ukrainian official said Sunday that his country’s forces now control “half of the city”.

The gains, announced by regional governor Sergiy Gaiday, would represent a significant advance by Ukrainian troops, who earlier had appeared on the verge of being driven out of the large eastern city.

As heavy fighting continued in the east, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Sunday that Moscow will hit new targets if the West supplies Ukraine with long-range missiles. 

His comment came hours after several explosions rocked Kyiv, the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks, and they followed a recent US promise to supply Ukraine with more potent missile systems.

Thousands of civilians have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine on February 24.

Fighting since April has been concentrated in the east of the country, where Russian forces have been making slow but steady advances after being beaten back from other parts of the country, including Kyiv.

– ‘Horror show’ –

Severodonetsk — the largest city still in Ukrainian hands in the Lugansk region of the Donbas region — has been a focal point in recent weeks.

Russia’s army had claimed Saturday some Ukrainian military units were withdrawing from Severodonetsk, but mayor Oleksandr Striuk said Ukrainian forces were fighting to retake the city. 

On Telegram Sunday, Gaiday said: “The Russians were in control of about 70 percent of the city, but have been forced back over the past two days.

“They are afraid to move freely around the city.”

Gaiday warned, however, that a major new Russian push on Severodonetsk appeared imminent.

He said Russian forces had been tasked with gaining control of the city by Friday, as well as a key transport artery nearby.

“We expect in the near future that all the reserves that they now have access to… they will throw to perform these two tasks,” Gaiday said, predicting “a large increase” in shelling by the Russian side.

Across a river in the neighbouring city of Lysychansk, pensioner Oleksandr Lyakhovets said he had just enough time to save his cat before the flames engulfed his flat after it was hit by a Russian missile.

“They shoot here endlessly… It’s a horror show,” the 67-year-old told AFP.

On Sunday, the press service of the Ukrainian president’s office reported nine civilians killed in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions from shelling.

– ‘They are bombing everything’ –

Ukraine has asked supporting countries for ever more powerful arms to fend off the Russian attack, and its deputy defence minister stressed Sunday this support was needed until Moscow was defeated.

“We have already entered into a protracted war and we will need constant support,” Ganna Malyar told local media.

“The West must understand that its help cannot be a one-time thing, but something that continues until our victory.”

The United States last week said it would supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems, the latest in a long list of weaponry sent or pledged for the pro-Western country.

But Putin said long-range missile supplies being sent to Ukraine meant that “we will draw the appropriate conclusions and use our arms… to strike targets we haven’t hit before”.

He did not specify which targets he meant, but earlier on Sunday Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles hit railway infrastructure sites in the first such strikes on Kyiv since April 28.

Russia said the strikes had destroyed tanks supplied to Ukraine by eastern European countries.

“High-precision, long-range missiles fired by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the outskirts of Kyiv destroyed T-72 tanks supplied by eastern European countries and other armoured vehicles that were in hangars,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

One person was wounded, and AFP reporters saw several buildings with blown-out windows near one of the sites that was targeted.

Leonid, a 63-year-old resident who used to work at the facility, said he heard three or four explosions.

“There is nothing military there but they are bombing everything,” he said.

Vasyl, 43, said he heard five blasts.

“People are afraid now,” he said, walking back to his damaged home with two loaves of bread.

Western powers have imposed increasingly stringent sanctions on Russia but divisions have emerged on how to act, particularly on whether to engage in dialogue with Russia or not.

Speaking from the apostolic palace in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis on Sunday renewed calls for “real negotiations” to end what he called the “increasingly dangerous escalation” of the war.

– Football defeat –

Apart from the human toll, the conflict has caused widespread damage to Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

On Saturday, Ukrainian officials reported a large Orthodox wooden monastery, a popular pilgrimage site, had burnt down and blamed Russian shelling.

Russian troops now occupy a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, according to Kyiv, and Moscow has imposed a blockade on its Black Sea ports, sparking fears of a global food crisis. Ukraine and Russia are among the top wheat exporters in the world.

The United Nations said it was leading intense negotiations with Russia to allow Ukraine’s grain harvest to leave the country.

Away from the battlefield, Wales dashed Ukraine’s dreams of reaching its first football World Cup since 2006 with a 1-0 victory.

Before the game in Cardiff City Stadium Sunday, the Ukrainian national anthem was applauded by all sides.

burs-dt/sw/des

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Sunday that Moscow will hit new targets if the West supplies Ukraine with long-range missiles, hours after several explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

The battle for the control of the strategically important eastern city of Severodonetsk also raged on, with regional governor Sergiy Gaiday saying Ukrainian forces now control “half of the city”.

Thousands of civilians have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine on February 24.

The Russian leader said long-range missile supplies being sent to Ukraine meant that “we will draw the appropriate conclusions and use our arms… to strike targets we haven’t hit before”.

He did not specify which targets he meant.

Putin’s comments came after the United States last week said it would supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems, the latest in a long list of weaponry sent or pledged for the pro-Western country.

Ukraine has asked for ever more potent arms and its deputy defence minister stressed Sunday this support was needed until Russia was defeated.

“We have already entered into a protracted war and we will need constant support,” Ganna Malyar told local media.

“The West must understand that its help cannot be a one-time thing, but something that continues until our victory,” she added.

– ‘They are bombing everything’ –

Ukrainian officials earlier Sunday said Russian missiles hit railway infrastructure sites in the first such strikes on Kyiv since April 28.

Russia said the strikes had destroyed tanks supplied to Ukraine by eastern European countries.

“High-precision, long-range missiles fired by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the outskirts of Kyiv destroyed T-72 tanks supplied by eastern European countries and other armoured vehicles that were in hangars,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

One person was wounded, and AFP reporters saw several buildings with blown-out windows near one of the sites that was targeted.

Leonid, a 63-year-old resident who used to work at the facility, said he heard three or four explosions.

“There is nothing military there but they are bombing everything,” he said.

Vasyl, 43, said he heard five blasts.

“People are afraid now,” he said, walking back to his damaged home with two loaves of bread.

– ‘It’s a horror show’ –

In the east of the country, Russian and Ukrainian forces fought for control of Severodonetsk — the largest city still in Ukrainian hands in the Lugansk region of the Donbas region.

Russian forces have been making slow but steady advances in the region in recent weeks after being beaten back of retreating from other parts of the country, including Kyiv.

“The Russians were in control of about 70 percent of the city, but have been forced back over the past two days,” Gaiday said on Telegram.

“They are afraid to move freely around the city.”

Russia’s army had claimed Saturday some Ukrainian military units were withdrawing from Severodonetsk, but mayor Oleksandr Striuk said Ukrainian forces were fighting to retake the city.

“We are currently doing everything necessary to re-establish total control” of the city, he said in an interview broadcast on Telegram.

In the neighbouring city of Lysychansk, pensioner Oleksandr Lyakhovets said he had just enough time to save his cat before the flames engulfed his flat after it was hit by a Russian missile.

“They shoot here endlessly… It’s a horror show,” the 67-year-old told AFP.

On Sunday, the press service of the Ukrainian president’s office reported nine civilians killed in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions from shelling.

– ‘Real negotiations’ –

Western powers have imposed increasingly stringent sanctions on Russia but divisions have emerged on how to act, particularly on whether to engage in dialogue with Russia or not.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday Putin had committed a “fundamental error” but that Russia should not be “humiliated” to allow for a diplomatic solution.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reacted Saturday by saying such calls “only humiliate France” and any country taking a similar position.

Speaking from the apostolic palace in St Peter’s Square Sunday, Pope Francis renewed calls for “real negotiations” to end what he called the “increasingly dangerous escalation” of the war.

– Football defeat –

Apart from the human toll, the conflict has caused widespread damage to Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

On Saturday, Ukrainian officials reported a large Orthodox wooden monastery, a popular pilgrim site, had burnt down and blamed Russia shelling.

Russian troops now occupy a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, according to Kyiv, and Moscow has imposed a blockade on its Black Sea ports, sparking fears of a global food crisis. Ukraine and Russia are among the top wheat exporters in the world.

The United Nations said it was leading intense negotiations with Russia to allow Ukraine’s grain harvest to leave the country.

Away from the battlefield, Wales dashed Ukraine’s dreams of reaching its first football World Cup since 2006 with a 1-0 victory.

Before the game in Cardiff City Stadium Sunday, the Ukrainian national anthem was applauded by all sides.

burs-dt/raz

Action drama “Top Gun: Maverick” has soared to a second huge weekend showing in North American theaters, taking in an estimated $86 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

That “sensational” number for Paramount’s long-awaited Tom Cruise sequel placed it among the top 10 highest-grossing second weekends in domestic box office history, Variety reported. It took in $151 million last weekend.

Boosted by its gripping visuals and unusually positive reviews — especially for a sequel — the Paramount/Skydance film has earned $257 million abroad, the latest sign of Hollywood’s recovery from a bleak pandemic period.

“Maverick” picks up the story of now-graying US Navy test pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) as he trains young aviators for a mission to attack a nuclear facility in a rogue state.

Holding in second place was Disney’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” at $9.3 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period. The global take for the Benedict Cumberbatch film has surpassed $750 million in its five weeks out.

20th Century’s animated “Bob’s Burgers Movie,” based on a popular television show, held tight in third place, taking in $4.5 million.

In fourth, up one spot from last weekend, was Universal’s family-friendly animation “The Bad Guys,” at $3.3 million.  

Focus Features’ “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” based on the wildly popular British series, slipped a spot to fifth place, earning $3 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” ($2 million)

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” ($1.7 million)

“The Lost City” ($1.4 million)

“Crimes of the Future” ($1.1 million)

“Watcher” ($815,000)

Five people were killed and two dozen others wounded in a pair of weekend mass shootings in the United States, the latest in a string of deadly gun attacks that have left lawmakers scrambling to tackle the crisis.

The shootings — late Saturday in Philadelphia and early Sunday in Chattanooga, Tennessee — further jolted a country facing a gun violence epidemic that has already claimed several thousand American lives this year and shows no signs of abating.

And they come as polarized US senators find themselves under pressure to craft a measure that codifies at least basic, preliminary steps to help reduce the carnage.

In Philadelphia, two men and a woman were killed when multiple people opened fire on a crowd at a popular nightlife area, Police Inspector D.F. Pace told reporters.

He said officers “observed several active shooters shooting into the crowd” of “hundreds of individuals enjoying South Street, as they do every single weekend.”

A chaotic eruption of violence in Chattanooga resulted in 14 people shot including two killed, while another person died and two more were injured after they were struck by vehicles fleeing the scene, police chief Celeste Murphy told reporters, adding “several” victims remained in critical condition.

The pre-dawn incident occurred near a nightclub in a downtown section of Chattanooga, a city of 180,000.

As of mid-Sunday no arrests had been made in either case, Murphy and Philadelphia media said.

Such gun violence has become almost commonplace in America, but the shock felt over recent mass shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas have spurred ardent cries for action.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has been working with a bipartisan group of senators on reform measures — a heavy lift with Republicans routinely rejecting most forms of gun control.

Senator Murphy said Sunday the group hoped to hammer together a legislative package that draws at least 10 Republican votes on top of expected support from nearly every Democrat.

“I think the possibility of success is better than ever before,” he told CNN. “But I think the consequences of failure for our entire democracy are more significant than ever.”

The emerging package, he said, would probably include “significant mental health investment, school safety money, and some modest but impactful changes in gun laws” including an expansion of background checks for gun buyers.

– ‘Unanswered questions’ –

Numerous Philadelphia officers were patrolling South Street when the first shots were heard, a police deployment that Pace described as “standard” for the popular area on summer weekend nights.

But investigators still had “a lot of unanswered questions,” Pace said.

Warmer weather tends to bring a spike in US violence, and in addition to the massacres in Texas and New York, recent weeks have seen mass shootings at a hospital in Oklahoma and a church in California.

Bystander Joe Smith, 23, told The Philadelphia Inquirer his mind had flashed to the recent incidents when he heard shots ring out Saturday.

“Once it started, I didn’t think it was going to stop,” he told the newspaper. “There was guttural screaming. I just heard screams.”

While Republicans have successfully blocked most efforts at gun control for years, some have recently spoken out for change.

In conservative, gun-loving Texas, more than 250 self-declared firearm enthusiasts, including donors to Republican Governor Greg Abbott, signed an open letter supporting efforts at bipartisan gun reform, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The letter, running as a full-page ad in the newspaper, endorsed an expansion of background checks, raising the age to buy guns to 21, and creating “red flag” laws intended to keep guns from people deemed to be at risk of violence.

US President Joe Biden last week called for new gun control legislation, and on Sunday he renewed his call for restrictions on semi-automatic rifles.

“If we can’t ban assault weapons as we should, we must at least raise the age to buy assault weapons to 21,” he posted on Twitter.

A CBS News/YouGov poll published Sunday shows most Americans — 62 percent — back a nationwide ban on semi-automatic rifles. Support is even higher for background checks on all gun buyers (81 percent) and “red flag” laws (72 percent).

US gun violence has killed 18,574 people so far in 2022, including nearly 10,300 suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings nationwide.