News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Canada´s PM condemns attacks

The Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has condemned what he called the "brutal and violent" shooting of a Canadian soldier in Ottawa and the killing of another soldier on Monday in Quebec. He was speaking in a televised address to the nation late on Wednesday: "Fellow Canadians, in the days to come we will learn more about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had. But this week´s events are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terrorist attacks we have seen elsewhere around the world." Harper spoke hours after a gunman killed a soldier guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa and then stormed the Canadian parliament building before he was shot dead. He has been identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a Canadian in his 30s who had converted to Islam. He´d reportedly been deemed a "high-risk traveller" by intelligence services and had recently had his passport confiscated.

Baby dies in Jerusalem “terror attack”

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the police presence in Jerusalem to be stepped up, after a three-month-old baby was killed and eight people were injured when a car slammed into pedestrians at a tram stop. Israeli authorities have described it as a "terror attack". It is being reported that the 21-year-old driver, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, was shot by officers as he tried to run away and later died of his injuries in hospital.

Iraq´s Kurds to send forces to Kobane

The parliament of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region has agreed to send Peshmerga forces to help defend the Syrian border town of Kobane from the Islamic State Group. The move, which still needs presidential approval, comes after Turkey said it would allow the Iraqi Kurds to cross Turkish territory.

EU summit on energy and climate change

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels for a two-day summit on the bloc´s long-term energy and climate change policies. The European Commission has proposed a 40% cut in CO2 emissions by 2030. The expansion of renewables and a reduction in energy consumption are also under discussion. The 28 member states want to set the groundwork for UN talks next year in Paris on a global pact to manage climate change.

Viennale film festival opens

The 52nd Viennale film festival opens tonight in Vienna. For the first time in five years it's opening with an Austrian film - Jessica Hausner's "Amour Fou." Austria's biggest film festival will be showcasing 300 films and documentaries over the next two weeks.

The weather

More rain or snow in the west. Highs generally from 2 to 10, up to 13 in lower-lying areas and the south.

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