News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Aid groups slam inaction on Syria

More than 20 international humanitarian and human rights organisations have accused the international community - and in particular the United Nations Security Council - of failing civilians caught up in the conflict in Syria. The report was released to mark the fourth anniversary of the war. The groups say that UN Security Council resolutions have been ignored or undermined and civilians have suffered their "worst year" yet. David Miliband is the president of the International Rescue Committee: "I think that the statistics on Syria´s descent into hell are shocking, but even more shocking is that the politicians around the world have given up on solving the Syrian crisis."

Ferguson police officers shot during protest

Two police officers have been shot and seriously wounded in Ferguson in the US state of Missouri, a town hit by riots over the killing of an unarmed black teenager last year. The officers were shot during a demonstration following the resignation of Ferguson's police chief, Thomas Jackson, in the wake of a damning report alleging racial bias in his department.

Five die in Russian shopping centre fire

Five people have reportedly died and up to 25 others are unaccounted for after a fire at a shopping centre in the Russian city of Kazan. More than 600 people were reportedly cleared from the building, which has partially collapsed.

Many feared dead in Bangladesh factory collapse

Officials in Bangladesh say around 100 workers are feared dead after a cement factory collapsed. Four bodies have been recovered. Rescuers also reportedly pulled about 40 survivors from the rubble of the factory, which was run by a subsidiary of the Bangladesh army.

Iraqi forces push further into Tikrit

Iraqi government forces are reportedly advancing into Tikrit on several fronts, forcing Islamic State militants to fall back to the centre of the city. Up to 30,000 personnel are involved in the operation, which is now in its 11th day.

IMF acts to support Ukraine´s economy

The International Monetary Fund has agreed to pump 16 billion euros into Ukraine´s troubled economy over the next year, as part of a larger four-year bailout. The IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde says the programme aims to provide quote "immediate economic stabilisation" to Ukraine.

Harvard tops world university rankings

Austria's universities have failed once again to make it into a ranking of the 100 most prestigious higher education institutions worldwide. The Times Higher Education World Reputation Ranking is based on the views of 10 thousand academics from 140 countries. Harvard University was ranked first, followed by the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

The weather

Changeable but plenty of sunshine in the west. Top temperatures from 1 to 12.

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