News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Separatists ignore Ukraine deadline

It´s being reported that at least 100 pro-Russian separatists have attacked the police headquarters in the city of Horlivka in eastern Ukraine. Pro-Russian militants also continue to occupy government buildings in Sloviansk and several other eastern towns and cities, ignoring a deadline to leave or face eviction by Ukrainian forces. Charles Hecker is the director of the independent consultancy Control Risks: "During the Crimean crisis Kiev was urging caution and I don´t think Kiev wants to start a full on shooting war. But they are going to try to stamp out these brush fires, as they erupt." Ukraine´s interim president Oleksander Turchinov says that the leadership in Kiev is "not against" holding a referendum on the future shape of the country, which has been one of the demands of separatists in the east.

Bombs kill dozens in Nigeria´s capital

Dozens of people have reportedly been killed by two bomb explosions at a busy commuter bus station on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital, Abuja, as hundreds were travelling to work in the morning rush hour. The blast destroyed more than 30 vehicles and caused secondary explosions as their fuel tanks exploded and burned. No-one has yet claimed responsibility but the Boko Haram terrorist network had been threatening to attack the capital.

Three dead in US shootings

Police in the United States say three people have been killed in two gun attacks at a Jewish community centre and school car park in the Kansas City area. The dead are said to include a 14-year-old boy. Authorities say it´s too early to determine if Sunday's killings were motivated by anti-Semitism, but an organisation which monitors hate groups has identified the 73-year-old suspect as a former senior member of the Ku Klux Klan movement.

Gaddafi´s sons set to go on trial

Prosecutors in Libya are preparing for the start of the trial of the sons of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi. Saadi Gaddafi and Saif al-Islam face charges of corruption and war crimes, alongside more than 30 other Gaddafi-era officials.

Thousands flee deadly fire in Chile

At least 12 people have died after a fire raged through the Chilean port city of Valparaiso, destroying over 850 hectares of forest and some 2,000 buildings. Thousands have been forced to flee and Chile´s president Michelle Bachelet has declared a state of emergency. There are fears that the fire will spread to the centre of the city, a Unesco world Heritage Site.

Robotic sub in search for missing airliner

Teams searching for the missing Malaysian airliner are to deploy a robotic submarine for the first time to search for wreckage on the sea floor. They continue to listen for signals from the plane's "black box" flight recorders in the southern Indian Ocean. But no new signals have been heard since 8 April, amid concerns the flight recorders' batteries have expired.

The weather

Some sunshine in the west and south, overcast in the north with some showers. Top temperatures from 9 to 21, warmest in the south.

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