News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

IS releases “video of beheading”

The Islamic State militant group has released a video online purporting to show the beheading of an American journalist James Foley, who went missing in Syria in 2012. The video has yet to be authenticated. The militants say the killing of Foley was revenge for the recent US air strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq. A militant spokesman, speaking in English with a British accent, has warned that another American journalist Joel Sotloff who also appears in the video may be killed. President Barack Obama is expected to make a statement about Foley's killing later today. Meanwhile Germany has said it is prepared to send arms to Kurdish forces fighting the Islamist militants, and will decide next week which weapons to send.

UN aid to north Iraq

The United Nations is beginning a huge relief operation for half a million people in northern Iraq displaced by conflict. Emmanuel Gignac is the head of the UN refugee agency in the Kurdish capital, Irbil: “What we’re doing now is rushing very basic items to people. What we’ll need to do that is organise things a bit better. Winter will be coming very soon which will be a great challenge.”

Gaza conflict resumes

A senior leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has said an Israeli airstrike has killed the wife and two year old daughter of the Hamas military chief, Mohammed Deif. At least 11 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the latest Israeli airstrikes, launched after militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel before a temporary cease-fire expired yesterday.

Second fatal shooting in Missouri

Police in Missouri in the United States have shot dead a second black man, as protests continue over the police shooting of an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson 11 days ago. 47 protestors were arrested at last night’s demonstration which was relatively peaceful.

Heavy fighting in east Ukraine

Heavy fighting is reported between government troops and pro-Russian rebels in east Ukraine, with street battles underway in the rebel stronghold of Luhansk. Kiev has claimed that a significant number of Russian military vehicles have been seen approaching the border.

Liberia imposes curfew

Liberia has imposed a curfew and ordered security forces to quarantine a slum area of the capital Monrovia in its latest measures to combat the spread of the Ebola virus. The World Health Organisation has said combatting Ebola in Liberia is essential to controlling the disease in the whole of West Africa.

Deadly mudslides in Japan

Authorities in Japan say over 30 people have been killed in Hiroshima in landslides caused by torrential rain. Japan's weather agency says a month's rain had fallen in 24 hours.

The weather

Mainly cloudy with scattered showers. Most rain in the south. Top temperatures 12 to 22 degrees.

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