News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Syrian opposition condemns rebel commander

The Syrian opposition and Human Rights Watch have strongly condemned a video that was posted on the internet which appears to show a rebel commander desecrating and eating part of the body of a government soldier. The opposition coalition said the commander, identified as Abu Sakkar, would be put on trial. The video has not been independently verified. Meanwhile the Syrian government has said it wants more details on an international conference proposed by the United States and Russia to find a diplomatic solution to the civil war, before it decides whether to attend. The opposition coalition has taken a similar stand.

Rohingya die in boat tragedy

Dozens of people are feared drowned after a boat carrying up to 200 Rohingya Muslims capsized off the coast of Myanmar, or Burma, at the start of a mass evacuation ahead of a cyclone. The passengers were among more than 130,000 Rohingya who had been living in camps after fleeing sectarian violence last year.

Jolie speaks out on breast cancer

Actress Angelina Jolie has revealed that she has had a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer, and has gone public with the news to raise awareness. In an article in the New York Times, Jolie said doctors told her she had a defective gene that gave her a nearly 90% chance of developing breast cancer, the disease that killed her mother. Head of Cancer Research in Britain, Jack Cuzick: “The average risk of breast cancer is still very high. It is the cancer epidemic of our century. About one in ten women will get breast cancer.”

AP condemns Obama administration

The Associated Press news agency has strongly criticised the Obama administration, for secretly obtaining two months' worth of phone records of calls made by reporters and editors. The seizure of records is reportedly related to a justice department effort to track down a source who gave information to the agency on an alleged terrorist plot in Yemen.

Fekter drops blockade on tax talks

Austria’s finance minister Maria Fekter has said she is ready to drop a blockade of European Union talks on greater exchange of information for tax purposes, with non EU countries. Speaking ahead of the EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels, Euro group chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem said he’s pleased to see Austria agree to the talks.

Firms back Bangladesh safety pact

Some of the Europe’s largest fashion retailers have said they will sign an accord to improve safety for clothing workers in Bangladesh. More than 1100 people died in the collapse of a factory building near Dhaka three weeks ago, in Bangladesh’s worst industrial accident. Major United States retailers have declined to back the accord.

The weather

This afternoon, partly sunny with scattered showers. Top temperatures 16 to 23 degrees.

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