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8. April 2017, 21:58

Strategic pause in battle for Mosul

Iraqi special forces say they have delayed an advance that's part of the offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State terror group, following a request from Kurdish peshmerga forces for more time to achieve their objectives. The large and complex operation to recapture Iraq's largest city is expected to last weeks or months. Concerns have been raised for the safety of some one-and-a-half-million civilians still trapped in the area. Lisa Grande is the United Nations deputy special representative for Iraq: “Civilians are going to be at extreme risk from crossfire. They´ll be at extreme risk from artillery barrage. They´ll be at extreme risk from snipers. We understand that ISIL, or Daesh, has put booby-traps all over the city.”

Russia announces “humanitarian pause” in Aleppo

Russian and Syrian warplanes have reportedly halted their airstrikes on the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo in preparation for a temporary truce. The Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu says the move should help pave way for the opening of humanitarian corridors on Thursday, when Moscow has announced a "humanitarian pause" to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city.

Future of CETA trade deal hangs in the balance

European Union trade ministers meeting in Luxembourg have been forced to postpone their approval of CETA - the bloc's free trade deal with Canada - because of objections by a regional government in Belgium. The Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement needs the unanimous backing of all EU states. However politicians in Belgian´s Wallonia region have opposed the deal, citing fears about its social and environmental impact.

New initiative to end the Ukraine conflict

The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to meet in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the Minsk peace plan that was supposed to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Clashes between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists have continued and efforts to reach a political settlement have stalled.

Experts oppose demolition of Hitler´s birthplace

Prominent members of an expert panel have spoken out against the demolition of the house where Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 in Braunau, Upper Austria. A report by the panel has concluded that it would amount to a denial of Austria´s Nazi history. The Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka had earlier said the building should be razed to the ground to prevent it from being a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis. He now says the house could be retained, but not in its current form.

The weather

Overcast with some rain but also some sunshine in the west. Top temperatures from 8 to 16.

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