News in English

70 killed in factory collapse / Italy hopes for new government / Navalny trial opens in Russia / US interviews bomb suspect parents / Syrian bishops remain missing / 21 die in Chinese violence / The weather

8. April 2017, 21:58

24.04.2013

70 killed in factory collapse

In Bangladesh, at least 70 people are dead after an eight-story building collapsed in the Savar. The building housed several factories and businesses and more victims are still trapped in the rubble of the building. Severe cracks appeared on the building’s façade yesterday, but a factory manager convinced workers it was safe to go inside.

Italy hopes for new government

Italy’s president Giorgio Napolitano has been meeting in Rome with Enrico Letta, the deputy leader of the Democratic Party. Napolitano will ask him to form a new government, which would have the support of parties led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti. Italy has been in a political vacuum since an inconclusive general election in February.

Navalny trial opens in Russia

In Russia, the trial of opposition protest leader Alexei Navalny opened today. He’s accused of embezzling almost 400,000 euros from a state-owned timber company. He denies the charges and says the case is a set-up by President Vladimir Putin aimed at silencing him. As he entered the court in the city of Kirov, Navalny says he expects to be vindicated: “At the end of the process I’m sure we’re going to win, and I’m also sure my lack of guilt will be established, even if it is not acknowledged by the court, it will be clear to all of those at the trial.”

US interviews bomb suspect parents

Staying in Russia, US officials are in Dagestan to interview the parents of the Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Chechen immigrants accused of bombing the Boston marathon. The US wants to know if the two had links to radical Islamic groups active in the Muslim regions of southern Russia.

Syrian bishops remain missing

Two Syrian bishops kidnapped by gunmen on Monday are still missing. An earlier report said the two had been freed. Greek Orthodox archbishop Paul Yazgi and Syrian Orthodox archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim were seized near Aleppo, which has been the site of heavy fighting between rebels and government troops. Meanwhile, a European Union official has said that hundreds of EU citizens, mostly from Britain, Ireland and France, have gone to Syria to fight alongside the rebels. The EU’s counter-terrorism coordinator Gil DeKescho, says they could pose a security risk when they return to Europe: “Not all of them are radical when they leave, but most likely many of them will be radicalized there, will be trained, and this might create a serious threat when they get back.”

21 die in Chinese violence

In western China, 21 people have been killed in ethnic violence in Xinjiang province. It was the worst such violence between Han Chinese and Uighurs in four years.