News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Hariri murder trial begins

The trial of four men accused of murdering the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has begun at an unprecedented tribunal at The Hague. The four - all allegedly associated with the Syrian-backed Hezbollah militant movement - are being tried in absentia. Hariri and over 20 others were killed by a massive truck bomb in Beirut in 2005, an attack which almost tipped the country back into civil war. Norman Farrell is the prosecutor at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon: "The attackers used an extraordinary quantity of high grade explosives, far more than was required to kill their main target. Clearly their aim was not only to ensure that the target was killed, but to send a terrifying message and to cause panic among the population of Beirut and Lebanon."

Mass executions in northern Syria

The United Nations human rights office says that a "soaring" number of civilians and fighters in the custody of extremist armed opposition groups have been executed in northern Syria since the beginning of this year, in particular by the al-Qaida linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warned that such executions violate international humanitarian law and could amount to war crimes.

“High turnout” in Egypt´s referendum

Egyptian officials say that over 90 per cent of voters in a referendum have overwhelmingly approved a new constitution, a move that could set the stage for army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to declare his candidacy for president. The Muslim Brotherhood, which is sure to dispute the official numbers, had called for a boycott of the two-day vote, seeing it as part of a coup against the former president Mohammed Morsi. According to officials, turnout in the vote may exceed 55 per cent.

UN confronts Vatican on child abuse

A UN panel in Geneva has begun hearing a report by Vatican officials on the sexual abuse of thousands of children by Roman Catholic clergy. The Church has been criticised over its inadequate response to allegations of child sex abuse by priests.
Pope Francis has said dealing with abuse is vital for the Church's credibility.

Ecclestone to face F1 bribery charges

The Munich state court has announced that the Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is to go on trial on charges connected to the alleged payment of a $45 million bribe to a German banker.
The court says it has decided to send to trial the indictment against the 83-year-old on charges of bribery and incitement to breach of trust. The banker, Gerhard Gribkowsky, has already been convicted of taking the payment from Ecclestone in connection with the sale of a stake in Formula One motor racing.

The Weather

A mix of cloud and sunshine, with some persistent fog. Top temperatures from minus 1 to 10.

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