News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Black Sea crash recorder found

Russian authorities say one of the black boxes from the plane that crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday has been recovered. The Russian transport ministry has said the crash, in which all 92 people on board died, was probably caused by pilot error or a technical fault, rather than an act of terrorism. The flight crashed minutes after it took off from a stopover in Sochi, en route to Syria.

Syrian talks ‘on possible ceasefire’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the Syrian government is holding talks with the opposition ahead of possible peace negotiations in Kazakhstan. Russian media reports say the current talks on how a possible nationwide ceasefire might work in Syria are taking place in Ankara and include representatives from the Russian and Turkish militaries. The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, has said it has no connection with the talks.

Abe visits Pearl Harbour memorial

Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe is in Hawaii where he is to make an historic visit with United States president Barack Obama to the memorial that honours US forces killed in Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941. He is the first Japanese prime minister to visit the memorial to the attack, which drew the US into the Second World War. Japanese government spokesman Tomohiko Tanaguchi says Abe’s visit it to confirm the continuing importance of Japan’s alliance with the US: “For Shinzo Abe the purpose of the trip is to look not only back to the past but also look at the future.”

North Korea ‘nearing nuclear weapons’

A senior North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in the summer, Thae Yong Ho, has predicted Pyongyang will have a functioning nuclear arsenal by the end of next year. Thae has said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s determination to acquire nuclear weapons is the top priority of his regime.

Coup plot trial opens in Istanbul

In Turkey, the trial has opened in Istanbul of 29 former police officers accused of aiding the failed military coup in July, the first of alleged plotters to take place in Istanbul. Over 40,000 people have been arrested in Turkey and many more sacked from their jobs since the failed coup.

ECB warns on Italian bank

The European Central bank has warned that Italy’s third largest bank, Monte de Paschi di Sienna, will need a larger bailout than originally estimated. The ECB says the bank’s capital shortfall is around 8.8 billion euros, well above the 5 billion estimate.

Astronomer Rubin dies

The pioneering American astronomer Vera Rubin, whose work was central to establishing the theory of dark matter, has died aged 88. Rubin was a strong advocate of women in science after being refused entry to Princeton university’s graduate astronomy programme because of her gender.

The Weather

Cloudy in the east and north with scattered showers, sunny spells elsewhere, stormy winds and top temperatures minus 1 to plus 10 degrees.

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