News | 8 March 2018

UK spy probe police investigate nerve agent +++ Gun control bill in Florida +++ South Korean envoys take message to Trump

UK spy probe police investigate nerve agent +++ Gun control bill in Florida +++ South Korean envoys take message to Trump +++ International Women's Day +++ White House outlines steel tariff exemptions +++ Vienna police investigate two knife attacks +++ The weather

News | 8 March 2018

Elisabeth Kervarrec

UK spy probe police investigate nerve agent

Investigators in the UK are trying to establish the origin of a rare nerve agent was used to target the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The pair were found unconscious last Sunday in the city of Salisbury and are critically ill in hospital. A police officer is also being treated. Skripal had been convicted in Russia of spying for Britain in 2006 but was sent to the UK four years later as part of a prisoner swap. Moscow has denied suggestions that it was behind the attack. The British Home Secretary Amber Rudd says she wants to avoid speculation: "I'm not going to be drawn on that at the moment because the most important thing is the scene and the safety of people around it. If we move to attribution then we need to make sure that we've got all the details of what happened along the way so that we can be absolutely clear about it."

Gun control bill in Florida

Lawmakers in the US state of Florida have approved a bill to strengthen gun control after one of the worst school shootings in US history. The bill raises the age to buy a gun from 18 to 21. It also imposes a three-day waiting period on all gun sales. The legislation - which has already been passed by the Senate - will now go to the state governor. Last month, 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

South Korean envoys take message to Trump

2 South Korean envoys are travelling to Washington to convey a message to President Donald Trump from the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The envoys met Kim earlier this week during a visit to North Korea. During that meeting, Kim is reported to have expressed his willingness to end the country's nuclear programme in exchange for security guarantees.

International Women's Day

Events have been taking place around the world to mark International Women's Day. "Press for Progress" is the motto of this year's event with demonstrations in several countries drawing attention to a number of issues including wage discrimination and domestic violence. A group of prominent Roman Catholics have gathered in the Italian capital to call for women to be given leadership roles in the Catholic Church. The former Irish President Mary McAleese is taking part in the meeting: "the Catholic Church is one of the last great bastions of misogyny in the world - it's an empire of misogyny. There are so few roles in the church currently available to women in which they can exemplify their leadership role and that's a big problem for the church."

White House outlines steel tariff exemptions

The White House has announced that some countries may be exempt from President Trump's plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium. A spokeswoman said the exemptions included Canada and Mexico.

Vienna police investigate two knife attacks

Austrian police are investigating two separate knife attacks in Vienna which left 4 people with serious injuries. The attacks happened in the capital's second district. A 23-year old man is being questioned.

The weather

Mainly sunny but some cloud about in some places. A lively wind in the mountains and in the east and highs ranging between 5 and 14 degrees.

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