The president called for comprehensive change on gun control in an extraordinary meeting
Hello, this is Anna bringing you today's top stories.
Gun control U-turn - Donald Trump stunned fellow Republicans and Democratic opposition when he endorsed a series of gun control proposals, putting him at odds with the National Rifle Association and members of his own party. The president made an almost U-turn during an extraordinary White House meeting on Wednesday with congressional Republicans and Democrats amid the aftermath of the massacre at a Florida high school earlier this month. Trump called for a comprehensive bill that would expand background checks on gun purchases, remove guns from the mentally ill, improve security on school campuses and restrict young people from purchasing certain weapons.
Cover-up - New Zealand police will re-examine an attempted assassination of the British Queen during her 1981 tour of the country, according to The Guardian. On 14 October 1981, Christopher John Lewis, a New Zealand teenager, aimed his rifle at the British monarch in the South Island city of Dunedin. The bullet missed, but according to an investigation by reporter Hamish McNeilly for the website Stuff, the 17-year-old became obsessed with wiping out the royal family, while the government tried to cover up how close the self-styled terrorist had come to killing the head of state.
South Korean working hours slashed - South Korea has passed a law which will cut the maximum weekly work hours to 52, down from the ‘inhumanely long’ 68 hours per week. The law comes into force in July. The slash of hours was a campaign promise of President Moon Jae-in, who also introduced a 16% increase in minimum wage this year. The law faced opposition from businesses, but was seen as necessary to improve living standards, create more jobs and boost productivity. It is also hoped that it will increase the country’s birth rate, which hit record lows last year.
Disgraced grandfather - A French grandfather has been arrested and charged after confessing to raping and sexually assaulting ‘around 40’ women since the 1990s. The 57-year-old was arrested on Monday after police used his number plates to connect him to the rape of a woman last week in Belgium. DNA evidence then matched him to several other rape victims.
Putin’s mighty words - Russia has developed a new cruise missile that is invincible, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech today. He made the announcement in his annual state of the nation address in Moscow, claiming that the weapon could reach anywhere in the world. The speech is his last before an election he is expected to win in 17 days. Putin faces seven challengers on 18 March although no one is expected to pose a threat.