News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Zimbabwe declares drought disaster

The President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe has declared a state of disaster in large parts of the country which have been hit by drought. The government says over a quarter of the population are in need of food aid. The country has experienced abnormally low rainfall since October. Jan Vossen is a spokesman for the charity Oxfam: "with rain failing almost completely this year, the situation is getting desperate. Stocks are very low."

Syrian troops continue Aleppo offensive

Syria's state news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say pro-government troops have taken another village as part of a week-long offensive aimed at encircling the country's largest city Aleppo. The Observatory said the capture of Rityan was backed by shelling and airstrikes, some of which were carried out by Russian warplanes.

Britain and Sweden reject UN report on Assange

Britain and Sweden have rejected the conclusions of a UN report which said that the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's stay in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London amounted to arbitrary detention and that he should be compensated. Assange has spent over 3 years there in order to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning over allegations of rape, which he denies. The UN panel also criticised the Swedish legal authorities, saying there had been a "lack of diligence" in its investigations. UN panel spokesman Christophe Peschoux: "the investigation is still preliminary. No charges have been filed against him. But still he's deprived of his liberty. If that is not arbitrary, what is arbitrary detention?" The British and Swedish governments deny Assange is being deprived of his freedom, saying he had entered the embassy voluntarily.

US announces aid for Colombia

The US President Barack Obama has announced a new plan to support a peace agreement in Colombia which the government and Farc rebels are expected to sign next month. Obama says he will ask the US Congress for 450 million dollars in foreign aid and humanitarian assistance for the country.

Clinton and Sanders clash in debate

In US politics, the two Democratic contenders for the White House Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have clashed over several issues in their first one-to-one debate ahead of the New Hampshire primary. They confronted each other over subjects including foreign affairs and funding for education and healthcare. Clinton said Sanders was an idealist who would not get things done, whilst Sanders accused her of being too tied to the establishment to achieve real change.

The weather

Occasional sunshine in the south and east. Elsewhere cloudy but conditions should improve with rain and snow showers easing off. Windy and highs ranging between 1 and 9 degrees.

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