News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

More US Troops sent to northern Iraq

In Syria, extremists from the Islamic State group have captured two towns in Aleppo province close to the border with Turkey after intense fighting with other rebel groups. The Islamic State now controls larges areas of eastern Syria and northwestern Iraq. Meanwhile, 130 troops have arrived in northern Iraq to assess a humanitarian crisis which has left thousands of people stranded on Sinjar Mountain. They are ethnic Yazidis who fled their homes ahead of IS fighters. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel: “We’re not going back into Iraq. This is not a combat boots-on-the-ground operation.” Meanwhile in Baghdad, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said that efforts to remove him from power violate Iraq’s constitution and, in his words, “have no value”. President Fouad Massoum earlier named Haider al-Abadi to replace Maliki as prime minister.

Russian convoy nears Ukrainian border

A convoy of almost 300 Russian trucks is nearing the border with Ukraine. Moscow says the convoy is carrying humanitarian aid for civilians caught up in the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Officials in Kiev say the Russian trucks will not be allowed to cross the border and accuse Moscow of trying to provoke an incident to justify a military intervention by the Russian Federation. Five people were killed today in fighting near Donetsk, bringing to 60 the number of people killed this week alone in the conflict.

Gaza talks continue in Cairo

A 72-hour truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is set to end at 9 PM this evening. Meanwhile, Egypt continues to mediate indirect talks in Cairo between the two sides. Egypt is hoping to negotiate a more stable ceasefire to end the month-long war in Gaza, which has killed over 1900 Palestinians and 67 Israelis. Sources close to the talks describe them as “difficult”. Israel wants Hamas to be disarmed, while Hamas wants an end to the embargo which was imposed on Gaza in 2006. Israeli President Shimon Peres says he does not expect a new ground offensive if the talks fail: “We should look for a better solution. We don’t want to raise the flames. We don’t want to increase the number of victims.”

Canada sends Ebola vaccine to Africa

The World Health Organization has said that it is ethical to use untested drugs and vaccines in the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This comes as Canada is sending an experimental drug to the region. The virus has already killed over 1,000 people in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Lauren Bacall dies at 89

American film and stage actress Lauren Bacall has died in New York City at the age of 89. She began her career in 1944 in the film “To Have and Have Not” alongside her future husband Humphrey Bogart.

Woman wins top math prize

For the first time in its 78-year history, the Field Medal, regarded as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, has been won by a woman. The Iranian-born mathematician, Maryam Mirzakhani, a professor at Stanford in California, was chosen for her contributions to geometry and dynamic systems.

The weather

The afternoon will remain mostly cloudy with scattered rain, but it should remain dry in the east. Today’s high temperatures are ranging from 14 to 28 degrees.

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