07.02.2017

News in English

Thousands allegedly executed in Syrian prison / US court to rule on controversial travel ban / Former French President Sarkozy to stand trial / Israel’s parliament passes settlement law / Romania facing political crisis says president / EU agrees to extend special border controls / The weather

8. April 2017, 21:58

07.02.2017

Thousands allegedly executed in Syrian prison

The human rights group Amnesty International says up to 13,000 people in Syria, mostly opposition supporters, were secretly executed between 2011 and 2015 with the knowledge of the Syrian government. The allegations are based on interviews with dozens of officials and prisoners from Saydnaya jail, where the executions are said to have taken place. Nicolette Waldman is the lead author of the Amnesty report. “What we found was that, not only was there no due process, there wasn’t even any semblance of a trial. Before they are hanged, detainees face a one or two minute procedure where they are condemned to death.”

US court to rule on controversial travel ban

A US federal appeals court is set to rule today on whether to restore a temporary travel ban issued by President Donald Trump, targeting citizens from 7 mainly Muslim countries. On Friday a judge in Washington State ordered the president's executive order to be halted on the grounds that it was unconstitutional and harmful to state interests.

Former French President Sarkozy to stand trial

A French magistrate has ordered the former French President Nicholas Sarkozy to stand trial over allegations of illegal campaign financing. Sarkozy is accused of exceeding spending limits during his failed 2012 re-election bid, by getting a public relations firm to invoice his UMP party. Sarkozy claims he was not aware of the overspending.

Israel’s parliament passes settlement law

Israel's parliament has passed controversial legislation retrospectively legalising more than 3000 homes built on occupied land in the West Bank. Under the law, Palestinian landowners will be compensated. However the UN says it will greatly diminish the prospects for peace. Palestinian Tourism Minister Roula Ma'ayah called on the international community to oppose the bill. “Nobody can legalise the theft of Palestinian land. Building settlements is a crime. Building settlements is against all international laws. I think it’s time now for the international community to act concretely, to stop the Israelis from these crimes.”

Romania facing political crisis says president

Romania's president Klaus Iohannis has accused the Social Democrat government of plunging the country into a political crisis. His comments follow days of mass street protests, prompted by a government decree, decriminalising lower level corruption offenses. The decree has now been withdrawn. Iohannis told a joint session of parliament that most Romanians believed the country was going in the wrong direction.

EU agrees to extend special border controls

The European Union has agreed to extend special border controls within the Schengen Zone for an additional three months. Germany, Austria and several Scandinavian countries will now be able to run border checks until mid-May. The EU has urged the countries to only impose control that are ‘proportionate and necessary’.