News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Ukraine’s PM move to appease protesters

Ukraine’s parliament has voted to scrap controversial anti-protest legislation during an emergency debate on the country’s crisis. President Viktor Yanukovych had already agreed to drop the law which had led to an upswing in clashes between anti-government demonstrators and police. Hours earlier Ukraine's Prime Minister, Nikolai Asarov, offered to resign in a bid to try to end the unrest across the country. One protester, Morosco Shenko, says he won’t be happy until Yanukovych himself steps down: “In Ukraine the role of the prime minister is very symbolic. It doesn’t really change much because I mean pretty much the whole power is controlled by the president.”

Egypt’s ousted president in court

A new trial of Egypt's ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi has begun. He’s charged with organizing a mass prison break during the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak – as well as murdering police officers during the breakout. Meanwhile a top official from Egypt’s Interior Ministry was shot dead on his way to work today. The killing came hours after the country’s top military body gave its backing for the army chief, Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, to run for president later this year.

Mladic refuses to testify for Karadzic

The one-time Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic had called on his former deputy Ratko Mladic to give evidence at his trial at the UN Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague. But when he appeared in the Court this morning Mladic refused to testify, claiming that doing so could harm his own case.

Bhutto’s son calls military action against Taliban

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of the assassinated former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, has called on the country's politicians to wake up to the threat posed by militant groups - including the Taliban. In an interview with the BBC, he called on Pakistan’s leaders to take military action against such organisations: "Dialogue is always an option but how do you talk from a position of strength? You have to beat them on the battlefield. How long do you want to wait? I had thought that the assassination of my mother would finally wake this country up."

Folk Singer Pete Seeger dies

One of the most important figures in American folk music - the singer and activist Pete Seeger - has died in New York. He was 94 years old. Renowned for his protest songs, Seeger was blacklisted by the US Government in the 1950s for his leftist stance. In later life he campaigned for the environment. Seeger once explained his philosophy of good music: “Music at its best helps us not only to forget our troubles. But at its best helps us understand our troubles.”

The Weather

Some sunshine in Vorarlberg and Tirol. Elsewhere frosty and overcast, with some snow – especially in the south-east. Top temperatures will range mainly from -3C to +3C degrees… although the west could see a high of +6C.

Übersicht

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