News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Turkey identifies Istanbul nightclub suspect

Turkey says it has established the identity of the gunman who killed 39 people in an attack on an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day, but the attacker himself remains at large. The announcement was made by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who gave no other details. Police today detained a further 27 people as part of the investigation in the western city of Izmir. They reportedly include five suspected members of the Islamic State terror group, which has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Trump overrules US House Republicans

House Republicans in the United States have scrapped plans to remove the powers of an independent body which investigates allegations of corruption and misconduct after criticism from the president-elect Donald Trump. On Monday they had voted to back the weakening of the Office of Congressional Ethics. But they decided to drop the rule change after Trump questioned their priorities in a Tweet. He urged them to focus on tax reform, health care and other more important issues. Marsha Blackburn is a Republican Congresswoman and member of the Trump transition team: "This was one provision. You know when it comes to repealing Obamacare and putting patient-centred healthcare policies in place, there´s agreement. Tax reform - there´s agreement. And it´s a very aggressive agenda, and I´ll tell you, transition is moving forward beautifully."

Israeli soldier convicted over Palestinian shooting death

A military court in Tel Aviv has found an Israeli soldier guilty of manslaughter over the death of a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank in March. The soldier, Elor Azaria, was filmed shooting Abdul Fatah al-Sharif in the head as he lay on the ground. The incident happened in Hebron after another soldier was stabbed. The high-profile case has polarised Israel.

Britain´s EU ambassador resigns

The UK's most senior diplomat in Brussels, Ivan Rogers, has resigned. He had been expected to play a key role in Brexit negotiations. In a scathing email sent to his Brussels staff, Rogers took aim at Prime Minister Theresa May and leading Tory ministers, accusing them of "ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking".

Haiti finally has a new president

Electoral officials in Haiti have declared the businessman Jovenel Moise the winner of November's presidential election. It was held more than a year after the previous poll was annulled following allegations of widespread fraud. In his victory speech, Moise called for national unity and for measures to combat corruption.

The weather

Heavy snowfall along the north of the Alps, elsewhere scattered rain or snow showers but also some sunshine. There´ll be storm force winds in the east. Top temperatures generally from minus 3 to plus 5, up to 8 degrees in the south.

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