Hurricane Irma blasts Florida coast +++ UN sees "ethnic cleansing" in Myanmar

12. Oktober 2017, 02:00

Hurricane Irma blasts Florida coast

In the US, Hurricane Irma is moving up the west coast of Florida after buffeting the city of Miami with serious flooding along long stretches of coast. At least 3 people have been killed in the storm which is now heading for the city of Tampa. More than 3.4 million homes in the state are without power. Major Richard Rand from the North Miami Beach Police describes the impact of the storm on Miami: "we have power lines down all over our city. The majority of our city is without power. We're getting some emergency calls where transformers and power lines are catching trees on fire and catching homes on fire. People are calling us and they're scared and they want to know if it's ok to come outside. They want to know if it's ok to drink their water." President Donald Trump has declared a major disaster for Florida, freeing up emergency federal aid for the state. Last week, Irma devastated parts of the Caribbean killing at least 28 people. The Netherlands is sending personnel to the shattered island of St. Maarten to support the humanitarian relief effort there, where 70% of homes were badly damaged.

UN sees "ethnic cleansing" in Myanmar

The UN human rights chief has said a crackdown by security forces in Myanmar could amount to ethnic cleansing. Neighbouring Bangladesh says it's facing a massive challenge in providing shelter and humanitarian assistance to around 300,000 Rohingya Muslims who've fled the recent violence. Myanmar's military says it's been responding to attacks by Rohingya militants. But speaking to the UN's Human Rights Council, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein made this statement: "because Myanmar has refused access to human rights investigators, the current situation cannot yet be fully assessed but the situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. The Myanmar government should stop pretending that the Rohingyas are setting fire to their own homes and laying waste to their own villages."

British MPs to vote on next stage of Brexit

The British parliament is due to hold a vote today on whether to allow legislation concerning the UK's departure from the European Union to go onto the next stage of the Brexit process. The minister in charge of Brexit negotiations David Davis has called on MPs to support the bill, saying a vote against it would mean a "chaotic exit" from the EU.

Security Council to vote on N Korea resolution

The UN Security Council is set to vote later today on a US-drafted resolution imposing fresh sanctions on North Korea. Diplomatic sources say the document - drafted in response to Pyongyang's latest nuclear test - has been watered-down. It's not yet clear whether China and Russia will support it.

The Weather

Mostly cloudy and increasingly rainy. Only a bit of rain in Vorarlberg and northern Tyrol. Highs ranging mostly between 12 and 20 degrees, a bit warmer in the far east.

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