Presidential hopeful Donald Trump has clarified comments he made at a Milwaukee town hall event calling for women abort their babies to be punished.
MSNBC’s Chris Mathews questioned Mr Trump’s pro-life stance, asking whether there should be a punishment for abortion. Mr Trump conceded that there had to be “some form” of punishment but was unable – or unwilling – to specify what that might be.
As soon as his comment was broadcast, pro-choice supporters and political opponents attacked his stand. Hillary Clinton immediately labelled the comments horrific.
Mr Trump later backtracked and claimed his position has not changed.
His campaign HQ released a statement saying “The doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.”
Young boy held at Paris airport for more than a week
An unnamed eight-year-old boy from the Comoro Islands has been detained at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris since March 21 after arriving with a passport issued to his French cousin. France is trying to deport the boy back to Africa but child rights campaigners have accused the government of breaking international law. Catherine Daoud, a child protection lawyer, told a French radio station: “The imprisoning of children in the [airport] waiting area, especially young children like this, is against the international convention on child protection signed and ratified by France.”
Libya’s new government flies in to nation’s capital
Members of Libya’s UN-sponsored Government of National Accord have arrived in Tripoli to take up their duties despite threats from dissident factions. There were reports of gunfire and roadblocks being raised around the capital, causing uncertainty about the meeting’s chances of success. The UN plan was devised to restore stability to Libya, which descended into factional chaos after the overthrow of strongman Muammar Gaddafi by rebels backed by the US. Tripoli’s de facto rulers have refused to acknowledge it or allow members to fly in. Councillors were forced to arrive by sea and are operating from an old naval base.
Sea levels to rise quicker than expected
Newly published research suggests global warming could increase sea levels twice as fast as expected, reaching two metres by 2100. Scientists had believed snowfalls in Antarctica would balance the losses of the southern ice shelf. Prof Robert DeConto, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who led the work, warned that such a severe increase in sea levels would spell danger for many low-lying cities, forcing evacuation rather than the building of defensive walls. – Compiled from web sources and agency reports by Ben Rochlin
Photo of Donald Trump from Gage Skidmore’s flickr photostream.
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