President Joe Biden has issued a fresh appeal for a ban on assault weapons after dozens of people were killed or wounded in mass shootings in the lead-up to Independence Day celebrations. Five people were shot dead and two boys, aged two and 13, were injured when a gunman armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in Philadelphia’s Kingsessing neighbourhood at around 8.30pm on Monday night, according to authorities. Hours later, three died and 14 were injured in four separate shootings in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden were also grieving “tragic and senseless shootings” that had occurred in recent days in Baltimore, Lansing, Chicago and Wichita in a July 4 statement. He said it was “within our power” to ban AR-15-style weapons and high-capacity magazines while also enforcing safe storage of guns and enacting universal background checks. Mr Biden also marked the one year anniversary of a mass shooting that claimed the lives of seven people at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois. In the wake of the shooting, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Highland Park mayor Nancy Rotering had worked with gun control advocates to ban assault rifles and high capacity magazines in the state. “Their achievement will save lives. But it will not erase their grief,” Mr Biden said. “And as we have seen over the last few days, much more must be done in Illinois and across America to address the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our communities apart.” Mr Biden called on other states to follow Illinois’ lead and for Republican lawmakers in Congress to “come to the table on meaningful, commonsense reform”. In a speech to the National Education Association on Tuesday, Mr Biden said gun reform was urgently needed to protect children and teachers. “As you know all too well, educators now find themselves in the frontlines of gun violence,” Mr Biden told the association. “Congress needs to step up, pass common sense gun safety laws to protect our kids and educators, and by the way, arming teachers is not the answer.” According to the Gun Violence Archive, 21,782 Americans have been killed in shootings halfway through 2023. The US has experienced 346 mass shootings, when four or more people are shot, and 26 mass murders, according to the archive. Last June, Congress passed its first new gun control legislation in 28 years in the wake of twin tragedies in Buffalo, New York, where 10 Black shoppers were murdered, and the fatal shooting of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Read More Trump marks Independence Day by sharing vulgar attack on Biden and ominous 2024 warning Fort Worth shooting – live: At least 17 shot across four shootings in Texas city on eve of July 4 Philadelphia mass shooting – live: Fifth victim found dead after gunman, 40, opened fire in Kingsessing The Texas shooter in a racist Walmart attack is going to prison. Here's what to know about the case Biden renews call for assault weapons ban after spate of July 4 shootings Watch as Joe Biden celebrates 4th of July at the White House

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By Aidan Lewis and Nafisa Eltahir CAIRO (Reuters) -Arab leaders at a Cairo summit on Saturday condemned Israeli bombardment of

Prosecutors say an American man has been charged with murder and other offenses for attacking two women from the U.S. near Neuschwanstein castle in Germany in June and pushing them into a ravine

The death of a mentally ill teenager after he drank excessive amounts of water may have been prevented if his care and treatment had been delivered differently, an investigation has found. The 18-year-old was admitted out of hours to an adult mental health service inpatient unit in a health board neighbouring his own on 5 December 2018 as there were no local beds available – a move described in the report as a “high-risk action”. On the evening of 7 December, he suffered a seizure after drinking too much water and was transferred to intensive care. He died three days later from the consequences of water intoxication. The teenager, referred to as Mr D, had previous contact with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), where he had been treated after drinking an excessive quantity of water. He was diagnosed with early onset psychosis and received two years of community-based CAMHS care. An anonymised investigation by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland concluded there were “aspects of the care and treatment delivered by each health board which had it been conducted differently, might have prevented Mr D’s death”. The report, which made 10 recommendations, also said: “A more assertive approach to the treatment of Mr D’s psychotic illness in the two years before his death was warranted.” Mr D’s death came almost two years after he was first admitted as an emergency to an acute general hospital in January 2017 following a seizure due to water intoxication, aged 16. The seizure was induced by drinking large quantities of water, which he believed would remove toxins from his system. This affected his sodium metabolism (blood salts) with near fatal consequences. He later spent more time as an inpatient and turned 18 while still under the care of the CAMHS specialist psychosis service. The transfer of a very unwell young man with a complex clinical history to another health board area during the night was a high-risk action Suzanne McGuinness, Mental Welfare Commission The service was moving away from a treatment model that supported young people with first onset psychosis for at least three years from the point of diagnosis, towards one in which transition to adult mental health services began around the age of 18. He was admitted to a hospital in Scotland in December 2018 while detained under the Mental Health Act. The investigation also found that during the 70 hours after that admission to hospital, Mr D’s case records from his years of contact with the CAMHS community team were unavailable. The report said: “The failure to impart key clinical details to the treating ward staff during his final admission, both in the provision of all relevant case files and the creation of an informed and updated risk assessment and care plan, meant Mr D was able to engage in risky and ultimately fatal psychosis-driven behaviour without mitigations having been put in place.” The report makes recommendations for change to bodies including the health boards involved, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, NHS Education Scotland and the Scottish Government. They include that the Government should set standards within the next six months for the safe transfer to, or management of patients who present from other health boards. Suzanne McGuinness, executive director for social work at the Mental Welfare Commission, said: “This was a tragic death of a young man while he was being cared for in hospital. “Our report details the actions and decisions taken by teams at the two health boards involved in the lead-up to his death.” She said the risks associated with psychotic illness were “not coherently managed”. She added: “We also found that there were problems in Mr D’s transition from child and adolescent mental health services to adult mental health services. Existing guidance was not adhered to. “We found that although the service had no other viable option, the transfer of a very unwell young man with a complex clinical history to another health board area during the night was a high-risk action. “Mr D’s family told us they felt that they had not been listened to. They felt their concerns were not given due credence.” She urged mental health services across Scotland to read the report and take action where they believe they can make improvements. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The death of any person in care is not acceptable. “It is vital that people using our mental health services feel safe and know they will receive the right help, in the right place when they need it. “The relevant health boards and health and social care partnerships in this case have been issued with specific recommendations and learning points alongside general recommendations for all health boards and HSCPs. We expect the commission’s recommendations to be fully implemented. “The Mental Welfare Commission recommended that the Scottish Government set standards for the safe transfer of patients between health boards. “We will publish core mental health standards in the coming weeks to set clear expectations for transitions between and within mental health services.” Read More More parents letting children skip school and take term-time holidays post-Covid Student accused of fatally shooting UNC professor may be mentally unfit for trial Family of man who died while being admitted to psychiatric hospital agrees to $8.5M settlement Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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Vladimir Putin has accepted an invite from Xi Jinping to visit China for a Belt and Road Summit being held in October in his first known trip abroad since an arrest warrant was slapped against him for the deportation of children from Ukraine. The Russian president recently met North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and is looking to cement ties with a handful of allies after being isolated on the world stage due to his invasion of Ukraine. Russia and China are “integrating our ideas of creating a large Eurasian space”, Mr Putin said, adding that the Chinese-led Belt and Road initiative is a part of that. He announced his intention to visit Beijing after a meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, who is in Moscow this week for a strategic diplomatic visit. Mr Putin told the top Chinese diplomat that the Belt and Road strategy “fully meets and coincides” with Russia’s interests, according to a statement by the Kremlin. He will be attending the summit in Chinese capital Beijing. “We believe in merging our vision of creating a Greater Eurasian space with the idea of our Chinese friends as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, and we have been quite good at synchronising our efforts,” he said. After invading Ukraine in February last year, Mr Putin has increasingly relied on seeking support from his allies in Asia, prominently China and North Korea. Russia has also amped up trade with China by selling it more energy and showing diplomatic bonhomie by carrying out joint military exercises. The talks in Beijing will be thorough, said Nikolai Patrushev, a close aide to the Russian president and the secretary of Russia’s Security Council. He said Russia and China should deepen cooperation in the face of the West’s attempt to contain them both. Both countries also have strained relations with the US, with Mr Xi briefly becoming the only foreign leader to have paid Mr Putin a visit in Moscow until recently, when Mr Kim revelled in his own six-day sojourn to Russia’s far east. A flagship initiative of Beijing, the Belt and Road project has been a key prospect for China to expand its influence in developing countries through infrastructure projects. On the continuing war in Ukraine, China has shown a neutral stand and has gone to the extent of criticising Western sanctions against Moscow and the arming of Kyiv by several Western nations. It also accused Nato and the US of provoking Russia’s military action and declared last year that it had a “no-limits” friendship with Russia. Earlier this year, CIA director William Burns said Russia was becoming more and more dependent on China and was even at risk of becoming its “economic colony” in time. Read More Why Vladimir Putin needs Xi Jinping now more than ever Why Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are desperate for each other’s help Ukraine kills 130 Russian soldiers in single day in southern push Chinese foreign minister visits Russia for ‘security’ talks day after Kim Jong-un leaves country

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