News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Putin given military powers for Syria

Russia’s Federation Council has voted to give President Vladimir Putin the right to deploy military forces to Syria to support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The Kremlin says the move applies mainly to air power and does not mean that Moscow plans to send ground forces to Syria. There have been media reports that Russian military jets have already carried out air strikes on Islamic State rebels inside Syria.

NATO joins battle for Kunduz

NATO special forces troops have been sent to the northern Afghan city of Kunduz to help Afghan troops take back Kunduz, the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban since 2001. Commandos from the United States, Britain and Germany have arrived at the Kunduz airport where Afghan troops are trying to regroup after being driven out of the city by the Taliban. That has been confirmed by Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook:“US forces did conduct an air strike on the outskirts of Kunduz earlier today. There are limited coalition forces in the Kunduz area training, advising and assisting.” Waheed Massoud is a journalist in Kabul. He says the fall of Kunduz is a major setback for the Afghan government and its Western supporters: “The capture of Kunduz by the Taliban is an embarrassment for the Afghan government because Kunduz is also strategically important. It shares a long border with Tajikistan and is in the proximity of Uzbekistan.”

OSCE announces new peace moves for eastern Ukraine

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has welcomed a new agreement for both sides to pull back their weapons from the front lines in eastern Ukraine. Speaking following talks in Minsk, the OSCE’s Martin Sajdik said the weapons will be pulled back in two stages.

Timbuktu case goes before ICC

An alleged Islamic radical charged with the destruction of historic sites in Timbuktu three years ago has appeared before the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Ahmad al-Mahdi is accused of being among the rebels who occupied the town in northern Mali until being driven out by Malian and Frence troops.

Violence continues in CAR

Violence continues in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, despite an official curfew. Muslims and Christians have been attacking each other since the killing of a Muslim man in the city four days ago.

US State of Georgia executes woman

In the United States, the state of Georgia has executed a woman for the first time since 1945. Kelly Gissendaner was on death row for the murder of her husband in 1997. She was executed despite appeals from death penalty critics and an appeal from Pope Francis issued by Archbishop Wilton Gregory: “I make an urgent appeal on his behalf for a commutation of the death sentence of Miss Kelly Gissendaner.”

The weather

The weather will remain cool. The northern side of the Alps this afternoon will be mostly sunny. The east and south will be variably cloudy with a chance of rain showers. Highs today are ranging from 8 to 18 degrees.

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