News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Pakistan mourns school massacre victims

Funerals are being held in the Pakistani city of Peshawar after an attack by Taliban gunmen at a military-run school killed 148 people, nearly all of them children. Pakistan´s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has declared three days of national mourning. He also announced an end to the moratorium on the death penalty for terrorism cases. World leaders have condemned the attack, which even the Afghan Taliban have criticised. Shireen Mazari is a Pakistani journalist, political scientist and Member of Parliament: "This is an inhuman act. These are animals who have carried it out and it´s time for the whole nation to stand together and fight the terror of those Taliban who have refused the offers earlier by the government for talks."

EU removes Hamas from terror list

The General Court of the European Union has annulled the bloc's decision to keep the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on a list of terrorist groups, saying the decision to include it was based merely on media and internet reports. But the court said EU member states could maintain their freeze on Hamas's assets for three months to give time for further review or to appeal against the ruling.

UN to vote on Palestinian statehood

The Palestinian foreign minister Riad Malki says that an Arab-backed draft resolution on ending Israel's occupation of lands captured in 1967 is to be submitted to the United Nations´ Security Council later today. But Malki says the vote on the resolution might be put off, suggesting a compromise may be in the works to avoid a clash in the council.

Abbott pledges review after Sydney café siege

The Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced a review into the background and security checks on the gunman behind the Sydney café siege. Abbott says questions must be asked about how Man Haron Monis was not on a watch list despite a history of violence and mental instability. Monis died along with two hostages on Tuesday when police raided the café.

Rouble gains amid nervous trading

The Russian rouble appears to be regaining some of its catastrophic losses in early trading, boosted by the finance ministry's intervention to support the currency. The rouble lost over 15 percent of its value this week despite a massive interest rate hike by the Russian central bank. It has lost more than 50 percent of its value this year.

New York premiere of The Interview cancelled

The New York premiere of The Interview, a Sony Pictures comedy about the assassination of North Korean president Kim Jong-Un, has been cancelled amid threats from hackers. The hackers say they were also responsible for seizing control of Sony Corp's computer system last month.

The weather

A mix of sunshine and cloud in the east and south. Increasingly overcast in the west with some rain or snow later. Top temperatures from 0 to 12.

Übersicht

• News In English