News in English

21. April 2017, 02:00

Tusk calls summit on Brexit

European Council President Donald Tusk has called a special summit of 27 EU leaders, excluding Britain, to meet in Brussels on April 29th to discuss issues related to the Brexit. Yesterday British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she will trigger the beginning of the official process to leave the EU next Wednesday. The talks between London and Brussels on the British exit from the EU are expected to last around two years.

Macron seen as winner in French debate

Five French presidential candidates attended a spirited debate last night in Paris. France will hold the first round of its presidential contest at the end of next month to determine who will replace President Francois Hollande who is not standing for reelection. An opinion poll conducted after last night’s debate shows centrist candidate Emanuel Macron to be the winner, followed by leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon. Conservative Francois Fillon and the far-right’s Marine Le Pen tied for third place, while Socialist leader Benoit Hamon finished in last place

Northern Ireland’s Martin McGuiness dead at 66

Former Northern Ireland deputy first minister Martin McGuinness has died in Belfast. He was 66 and had been suffering from a rare heart condition. McGuiness was a commander of the Irish Republican Army in the 1970s and 1908s during its armed campaign to drive the British out of Northern Ireland, but he eventually renounced violence and was a key negotiator in achieving the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement which generally ended hostilities in the British province. Peter Taylor is a journalist who first met Martin McGuiness in 1972: “I remember being struck by his charm and his personality, but also by his commitment because underneath that affable exterior is pure steel. But if you had said to me that he would go on to become Northern Ireland’s deputy prime minister and would don white tie and tails to dine with Her Majesty the Queen I would have thought you were out of your mind.”

SPD overtakes CDU/CSU in new German poll

A new opinion poll in Germany shows the Social Democrats edging ahead of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats in popularity by 32 to 31 percent.

The Weather

The afternoon will be a mix of mostly sunny and partly cloudy skies with a t chance of rain from Vorarlberg to northern Lower Austria. Highs today are ranging from 10 to 20 degrees.

Übersicht

• News In English