News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

National Guard troops deployed to halt US unrest

The governor of the US state of Missouri, Jay Nixon, has ordered the National Guard to restore order in the town of Ferguson, amid violent protests there over the killing of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, just over a week ago. Protestors clashed with police overnight in Ferguson, in what's being described as the worst night of violence so far. Captain Ron Johnson is a police spokesman. “There were multiple additional reports of Molotov cocktails being thrown, police were shot at, makeshift barricades were set up to block police, bottles and rockets were thrown at police. Based on these conditions, I had no alternative but to elevate the level of our response.”

Missiles hit Ukrainian refugee convoy

The Ukrainian military says a convoy of refugees, fleeing fighting in the east of the country has been hit by rebel missile fire near the city of Luhansk. The rebels have denied responsibility for the incident. Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov meanwhile says agreement has been reached on providing humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine, at talks with his Ukrainian, French and German counterparts in Berlin.

Assange to leave London embassy soon

The founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange says he plans to leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London soon, where he's been seeking refuge for the past two years. The 43 year old is wanted in Sweden for questioning over alleged sexual assaults. Speaking at a press conference, Assange did not say why he was planning to leave the embassy. He said however that his health had suffered from the long confinement. “It is an environment in which any healthy person would find themselves soon enough with certain difficulties.”

Kurdish fighters claim control of Iraqi dam

There are conflicting reports that Kurdish troops have retaken control of Iraq’s largest dam near the city of Mosul, which was captured by Islamic State militants earlier this month. If confirmed, it would be a major blow to the Islamic State, which has seized large areas of northern and western Iraq.

Liberia to boost security amid Ebola panic

The Liberian government says security has been stepped up, following an attack on an Ebola quarantine centre in the capital Monrovia. More than 400 people have died from the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia, sparking fears among the local population.

Truce unlikely as Gaza deadline looms

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are reported to be no closer to reaching agreement on a permanent truce in Gaza. A five day ceasefire is set to expire this evening, but correspondents say both sides appear unwilling to resume all out fighting.

The weather

Mostly sunny conditions should continue this afternoon, except in the north and the west, where there'll be some thundery rain showers. Top temperatures will range from 20 to 28 degrees.

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