News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Obama undecided over Syria response

US president Barak Obama says he's not yet decided what course of action to take against Syria, despite his belief that the Syrian government is responsible for a recent chemical weapons attack near Damascus. Speaking on US television, Obama said it was necessary to send a strong signal to the Syrian regime. “If in fact we can take limited, tailored approaches, we send a shot across the bows saying stop doing this. That can have a positive impact on our national security over the long term.” UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is urging restraint in Syria, amid reports that the US, France and Britain are preparing for military action, telling a news conference in Vienna that he believed it was important for peace and diplomacy to be given a chance.

India arrests senior militant leader

Police in India say they've arrested a senior militant figure, who's believed to be behind a string of recent bomb attacks in cities including Mumbai and Delhi. Yasin Bhatkal, the alleged leader of the Indian Mujahideen, is reported to have been detained in the northern state of Bihar, near the border with Nepal.

US army psychiatrist sentenced to death

A US military court has sentenced former army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan to death, after finding him guilty of the killing of 13 soldiers in a rampage at a military base in Texas in 2009. Hasan says he acted to protect insurgents abroad from US aggression. The mother of one of the victims, James Hunt, says Hasan is nothing but a criminal “Anyone who would use their religion to commit acts of terrorism, serves no God except their own hatred and self-interest. As far as his claim that he was saving lives, he has done nothing but further deteriorate relationships with the US and Middle Eastern countries.”

US marks anniversary of civil rights speech

The United States has been marking the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on Washington, where civil rights leader Martin Luther King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech, in which he imagined a world free of racial prejudice. Among the thousands who joined President Obama in paying tribute to the marchers at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, was King's daughter Bernice. “50 years ago today, in the symbolic shadow of this great emancipator Abraham Lincoln, my father, the great liberator, stood in this very spot and declared to this nation his dream to let freedom ring.”

Colombia ready to begin peace talks with rebels

The Colombian government says it's ready to begin peace talks with the country's second largest left wing rebel group, the National Liberation Army. The announcement follows the release of a Canadian hostage being held by the group. Colombia's largest rebel group, the FARC, is already in negotiations with the government.

The Weather

It will become increasingly sunny this afternoon with showers easing. Top temperatures will range from 14 to 24 degrees.

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