News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Reports of vote fraud in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, says his ZANU-PF party is the winner of yesterday’s parliamentary and presidential elections. Opposition leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called the election a sham and a farce. There have been widespread reports of vote rigging to ensure that Mugabe, who has led the country since 1980, remains in power. Political activist Noviolet Bulawayo says it is time for a new generation of political leaders: “I think the whole leadership is sort of old and outdated. I think it is time to just see new faces, not just young people but (also) more women represented.”

Spain’s PM denies corruption allegations

Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has spoken out about a political scandal in which he has been implicated. Rajoy has denied that he or any other leaders of his ruling People’s Party have received illegal payments of money. That is in contrast to the party’s former treasurer Luis Barcenas. He says he collected money from business leaders to pass onto Rajoy and other party leaders.

UN team to go to Syria

The United Nations says that Syria has agreed to allow investigators to visit three sites where chemical weapons have allegedly been used. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s office says a UN team will be sent to Syria as soon as possible.

Pakistan-US talks

Pakistan and the United States are trying to improve their bilateral relations which have been strained in recent years. US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Islamabad today for talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Ties have been strained over US drone strikes inside Pakistan, a NATO air raid four years ago in which 24 Pakistani troops were killed, and the US raid into Pakistan which killed Osama bin Laden.

France arrests Kazakh fugitive

A dissident oligarch from Kazakhstan has been arrested in the south of France. Mukhtar Abl-yazov is accused of stealing six million dollars from a bank he once ran. He now faces extradition to Ukraine. He is also a vocal critic of Kazakhstan’s longtime leader Nursaltan Nazarbayev.

Uruguay to approve marijuana

Uruguay’s parliament today is expected to approve the legalization of marijuana. The move has the support of President Jose’ Mujica, who says it will remove profits from drug dealers, but the plan has been criticized by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos: “Talking about legalization…I think it’s counter-productive.”

Protest turns violent in Brazil

In Brazil last night, anti-government demonstrators briefly occupied the city council building in Rio de Janeiro. Police eventually used tear gas and pepper spray to drive the protesters out of the building. They are demanding the resignation of state Governor Sergio Cabral whom they accuse of corruption.

Court considers Berlusconi allegations

A court in Rome has resumed deliberations in a tax fraud case against former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. If convicted, Berlusconi could be sent to prison for four years and could face a five-year ban from politics.

The weather

Mostly sunny and very warm, with high temperatures ranging from 24 to 32 degrees.

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