17.09.2013

News in English

France and Russia hold Syria talks / Costa Concordia set upright / Gunman kills 12 in Washington DC / Dozens freed amid Philippine clashes / Armed man fires shots during police chase/ The weather

17.09.2013

France and Russia hold Syria talks

The French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is holding talks over the situation in Syria with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. The meeting follows yesterday's report from UN weapons inspectors which said that the nerve gas sarin was used against civilians in a suburb of Damascus last month. The two diplomats are discussing a possible UN resolution on the agreement to place Syria's chemical weapons under international control. Speaking at a press conference, Fabius said the UN report left no doubt that the Syrian government was responsible for the attack. France is trying to win support for a resolution which includes the threat of serious consequences. But Russia says President Assad's government should first be given the chance to give up its chemical weapons. Lavrov said Moscow still suspects the attack was a - quote - "provocation" by opposition forces and says the UN report does not answer all its questions about the attack.

Costa Concordia set upright

Engineers in Italy have succeeded in setting the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia upright - 20 months after it ran aground off the Italian coast. The operation took most of yesterday and last night. Cables and metal boxes were filled with water to roll the ship onto a platform. 32 people were killed when the ship capsized in January 2012.

Gunman kills 12 in Washington DC

In the US, a gunman who died after killing 12 people at a naval installation in Washington DC has been identified as a former Navy serviceman. The 34-year old died following a gun battle with police. 8 others were injured in the attack. President Barack Obama has ordered flags be lowered to half-mast at the White House and on Capitol Hill. Washington police chief Cathy Lanier described the scene that confronted her officers: "there was gunfire still going on. This is what we train for - we were able to pull active shooter teams together. We were able to pull officers from different agencies, put them in a single team and get them in the building within seven minutes."

Dozens freed amid Philippine clashes

Reports coming out of the Philippines say dozens of civilians held by rebels in the south of the country have been freed. The army says it's taken 70% of the area held by fighters from the Moro National Liberation Front. A military spokesman said they'd been able to rescue 116 people.

Armed man fires shots during police chase

In Lower Austria, an armed man has fired shots during a police chase. The man – a suspected poacher - has now barricaded himself inside his farmhouse near the town of Annaberg near Melk. Police have surrounded the building.

The weather

Most of the rain will be in Styria, Burgenland and Lower Austria. Conditions should improve in much of the rest of the country where there'll be some sunshine. Staying windy and highs ranging between 8 and 17 degrees.

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