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8. April 2017, 21:58

No progress in US-Russia talks on Syria

Talks between the US and Russia on reviving the collapsed ceasefire in Syria have broken up without progress. The UN said the meeting in New York was "long, painful and disappointing". Meanwhile, the Syrian army has announced a new offensive in Aleppo with jets pounding rebel positions in the city. Jan Egeland is the advisor to the UN's special envoy for Syria: "it shows me that now the arms are speaking and that we're into a futile military game again. There will be no military solution here there will only be more pain, more suffering for the civilian population. It has to end diplomatically."

CETA talks in Bratislava

European Union ministers are meeting in Bratislava to discuss the controversial trade agreement which is being negotiated between the EU and Canada. Austria has expressed strong reservations about the deal but there are differing positions within the ruling coalition with the junior coalition partner, the ÖVP, saying it doesn't share all the concerns being raised by the Social Democrats. CETA could enter into force next year if member states and the European Parliament approve it.

US confirms IS used mustard agent in Iraq

The US military has confirmed that a rocket launched by Islamic State miliants near a US base in Iraq did contain a mustard agent. Noone was hurt in Tuesday's attack near the IS stronghold of Mosul. The military said whilst the group's ability to use chemical weapons was rudimentary, it was a cause for concern.

Protests continue in North Carolina

Protests have been continuing in the US city of Charlotte in North Carolina over the death of a black man who was shot by police on Tuesday. Police say Keith Scott was holding a gun when he was killed. Earlier this week, his family said that he was unarmed. Last night's demonstrations were largely peaceful.

Yahoo reveals massive data theft

The internet giant Yahoo says hackers stole information from about 500 million users two years ago in what appears to be the largest publicly disclosed cyber-breach in history. The company says the data taken included names, email addresses, telephone numbers and dates of birth but not credit card data. Yahoo says it believes the hackers were "state-sponsored". Computer security expert Robert Schifreen: "would it be state-sponsored? It does seem a strange thing for a foreign government to want to do is to know 500 million people's Yahoo details. Having said that, Yahoo is a large American company and it might well be that if you hacked them it's bad for their reputation. So it could be that or it could just be a hacker in their bedroom who managed to get hold of the information, managed to exploit one of the security loopholes."

The Weather

Mainly sunny in the east and southeast. But cloud developing in the west with isolated brief showers. Highs between 15 and 22 degrees.

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