News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Ukraine will not act militarily over Crimea

Ukraine’s acting president Oleksandr Turchynov has said Ukraine will not intervene militarily to stop Crimea from seceding, if the territory votes to join Russia in a referendum this Sunday. The interim Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk travels to the United States today for talks with president Barack Obama. The White House has said the meeting is meant to demonstrate US support for Ukraine and the legitimacy of its new government. Meanwhile officials in Crimea, who are not recognised by Kiev, say they will soon take ownership of Ukrainian state companies in the territory.

Search for Malaysian flight continues

Malaysia's air force says military radar detected what may have been the missing Malaysian Airlines plane in an area in the northern Malacca Straits, hundreds of kilometers from where the flight disappeared off civilian air traffic screens nearly five days ago. Civilian authorities have revealed that the last communication received from the plane suggested everything was normal minutes before they lost contact. Malaysian transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein has said the search will continue for the plane which vanished en route to Beijing with 239 people on board: “We will not spare any effort to find the missing plane. The search has been expanded and we are now searching nearly 27,000 square nautical miles.”

Mass funeral for Turkish protest victim

In Turkey, thousands of people have gathered in Istanbul for the funeral of a 15-year-old boy who has died of injuries he received during anti-government demonstrations last year. Berkin Elvan had been in a coma since he was hit on the head by a tear gas canister when he went to buy bread for his family. Riot police last night broke up mass protests in cities across Turkey ahead of the funeral.

Libya’s Zidan flees to Europe

Libya’s interim prime minister, Ali Zidan, is believed to have fled to a European country despite a ban on travel because of alleged corruption. Parliament removed Zidan from office yesterday, as Libya faces a series of crises, including the seizure of oil ports by militia in the east of the country.

Schumacher recovery signs

The family of Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher say he has been showing small signs of recovery from a medically induced coma. Schumacher suffered a severe head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps last December.

US death row inmate released

A man who spent nearly 30 years on death row in the US state of Louisiana has been released from prison after his murder conviction was overturned. 64 year old Glenn Ford, who is black, was convicted by an all-white jury.

The weather

Sunny and mild with top temperatures 12 to 19 degrees.

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