News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Last minute deal in US budget row

The US Congress has agreed to release budget funds and raise the government's borrowing limit, just hours before a deadline that would have seen the country default on its debt repayments. The compromise bill easily passed both houses, after leaders of the Republican Party begrudgingly agreed to support it. The deal is only temporary however, and raises the prospect of another showdown early next year. US president Barak Obama welcomed the agreement but warned that lawmakers needed to win back the public's trust. “I want to thank the leaders of both parties for getting us to this point. There’s a lot of work ahead of us, including our need to earn back the trust of the American people that’s been lost over the last few weeks and we can begin to do that by addressing the real issues they care about.”

Syria names date for peace conference

Syria's deputy Prime Minister Kadri Jamil says a proposed peace conference involving the Syrian government and opposition is tentatively scheduled to take place in Geneva on November 23rd and 24th. The US and Russia have been pushing for talks aimed at ending the two and half year Syrian conflict, since agreeing on a plan to secure Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons. Austria meanwhile has offered to send five chemical weapons experts to assist the team working in Syria

Slavery still a major problem worldwide

A new report claims that around 30 million people worldwide are living in slavery, with almost half of those in India. The Global Slavery Index uses a definition of slavery which includes forced marriage and human trafficking, as well as debt bondage and forced labour. Nick Grono from the Walk Free Foundation, which compiles the Index, says children are particularly affected. “There’s horrendous situations where children are exploited in modern slavery. They’re sold into forced labour, they’re sold into prostitution. I’ve been around villages in northern India where whole communities are enslaved.”

The UN appeals for a boost to Mali mission

The United Nations says its peacekeeping force in Mali is severely understrength and has appealed for more troops and equipment to help tackle the growing Islamist insurgency. The peacekeepers took over from French soldiers, who led an operation earlier this year to regain control of the north of the country.

Global warming: claim in New Zealand

A man from the Pacific island of Kiribati is seeking asylum in New Zealand, on the grounds that his homeland is threatened by global warming. Ioane Teitiota says his family would suffer if forced to return to Kiribati, because rising sea levels have made the low lying country unsafe.

The weather

Mostly sunny conditions should continue this afternoon in the west and south, with some showers possible elsewhere. Top temperatures will range from 9 to 19 degrees.

Übersicht

• News In English