- Germany into Nations League quarters, France and Italy win
- Nagelsmann lauds 'supercharged' Germany's 'best half of the year'
- 'Pandas are coming': Two new bears depart China for US capital
- Dodgers pitcher Kershaw plans to return for 2025
- Mbappe 'investigated for rape' in Sweden: report
- Revived Italy sweep past Israel in Nations League amid high security
- Trudeau slams India as tensions soar over Sikh separatist's murder
- Harris courts Black voters as Trump makes inroads
- Wall Street stocks hit fresh records as oil prices slide
- Nigerian team return home after boycotting AFCON qualifier in Libya
- Nigeria refuse to play in Libya as Algeria, Cameroon qualify
- Strike-hit Boeing leaves experts puzzled by strategy
- Leweling rockets Germany past Dutch and into Nations League quarterfinals
- Kolo Muani double fires France to win in Belgium
- Italy sweep past Israel in Nations League amid high security
- UN peacekeepers to 'stay in all positions' in Lebanon
- NASA launches probe to study if life possible on icy Jupiter moon
- 'Unique' Ronaldo an example to everyone, says Martinez
- New lawsuits against Sean Combs allege sex assault, including of minor
- Italy begins migrant transfers to Albania with first group of 16
- Google signs nuclear power deal with startup Kairos
- Carsley open to foreign England manager amid Guardiola links
- Pogba hungry to have his football cake after doping ban
- India and Canada expel top envoys in Sikh separatist killing row
- Mbappe says victim of 'fake news' after 'rape' report in Sweden
- Lebanon says 21 killed in strike on northern village
- Netanyahu vows no mercy after deadly Hezbollah drone strike
- Russia could be able to attack NATO by 2030: German intelligence
- EVs seek to regain sales momentum at Paris Motor Show
- Clarke backs Scotland to bounce back from 'tough' run
- Harris, Trump target crucial Pennsylvania as US vote looms
- NASA probe Europa Clipper lifts off for Jupiter's icy moon
- Lebanese Red Cross says 18 killed in strike in north
- Mendy borrowed money from Man City team-mates for legal fees
- Palestinian officials say Israeli forces kill two in West Bank
- Football leagues, unions file EU complaint against FIFA in calendar dispute
- Nigeria boycott AFCON qualifier in Libya after 'inhumane treatment'
- India to recall top envoy to Canada: foreign ministry
- Hezbollah, Israeli troops in 'violent clashes' after drone strike
- China insists won't renounce 'use of force' to take Taiwan as drills end
- Painkiller sale plan to US gives France major headache
- Italy begins landmark migrant transfers to Albania
- Russia jails French researcher for three years
- 'Unsustainable' housing crisis bedevils Spain's socialist govt
- Stocks shrug off China disappointment but oil slides
- New Zealand 4-0 up in America's Cup but British show signs of life
- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years prison for French researcher
- 'Innocent' British nerve agent victim caught in global murder plot: inquiry
- Afghan Taliban vow to implement media ban on images of living things
- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years, 3 months jail for French researcher
US Congress acts on gun violence after setback for activists
US lawmakers were expected to break a decades-long stalemate with the passage of a limited package on firearms safety Friday, in a watershed week for gun control after the Supreme Court bolstered the right to carry weapons in public.
The highest judicial body in the United States struck down a century-old New York law Thursday that required a person to prove they had a self-defense need for a permit to carry a concealed handgun outside the home.
Hours later, the Senate defied the odds to pass a bipartisan gun bill, with 15 Republicans crossing the aisle to join all 50 Democrats in the first significant piece of legislation to regulate firearms since 1994.
The legislation includes enhanced background checks for younger gun buyers and federal cash for states introducing "red flag" laws that allow courts to temporarily remove guns from those considered a threat.
Billions of dollars have been allocated to crack down on "straw purchasers" who buy firearms for people who are not allowed them and to curb gun trafficking.
Gun control is a touchstone issue for both conservatives and liberals that has consumed Washington amid daily mass shootings in recent years.
The issue was reignited by two massacres in May that saw 10 Black supermarket shoppers gunned down in upstate New York and 21 people, mostly young children, slain at a school in Texas.
A vote to rubber-stamp the 80-page package is expected around midday (1600 GMT) in the House, where Democrats have a 220-210 margin and could afford to lose just four votes if they face a united opposition.
In reality, a handful of Republicans are expected to defy their leader Kevin McCarthy to cross the aisle and approve the measure.
- 'Long-sought triumph' -
Democrats and some gun rights activists have voiced disappointment at the modest scope of the legislation, which doesn't include universal background checks and omits any ban on semi-automatic weapons or high-capacity magazines.
The Supreme court voted along party lines, with the six Republican appointees in favor of bolstering the constitutional right to bear arms and the three Democratic appointees dissenting.
The ruling was hailed by campaigners for boosted gun rights, but took the shine off what was expected to be a day of celebration for weapons control activists.
"This decision won't stop our grassroots army from doing what we’ve done for a decade: fighting to keep our families safe," added Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action.
"Just as we're breaking the logjam in Congress, we're going to work day-in, day-out to mitigate the fallout in New York and any other states impacted by this decision and elect gun-sense lawmakers up and down the ballot."
Eric Tirschwell, chief litigation counsel at Everytown Law, said the Supreme Court had misapplied fundamental constitutional principles, and said the group was "ready to go to court" to defend restrictions
Top Republicans celebrated the court's decision.
"This is not just a long-sought triumph for lawful gun owners across America, it is a victory for all citizens and our constitutional order itself," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
McCarthy hailed the ruling as a victory that "rightfully ensures the right of all law-abiding Americans to defend themselves without unnecessary government interference."
"The decision comes at an important time -- as the Senate considers legislation that undermines Second Amendment freedom," Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association's executive vice president, said in a statement.
"This decision unequivocally validates the position of the NRA and should put lawmakers on notice: no law should be passed that impinges this individual freedom."
F.Pedersen--AMWN