News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

40 hurt in Czech blast

There’s been a powerful explosion at an office building in the Czech capital, Prague.
Up to 40 people have been injured and others are still buried in the ruins of the building. The cause of the blast is thought to have been a gas explosion.

Syrian prime minister escapes attack

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki escaped harm today when his convoy came under a bomb attack in central Damascus. One person in the convoy was reported to have been killed. It was the latest attack by rebels on government officials in the capital.

Italian stocks rise as new government takes power

Italy’s stock market is trading higher today after yesterday’s swearing in of a new coalition government led by Prime Minister Enrico Letta. Italy’s lower house of Parliament is voting today on the new government, while the Senate will vote tomorrow.

26 die in Iraqi attacks

Five cars bombs exploded earlier today in mostly Shiite areas in central and southern Iraq. 26 people were killed. No one has claimed responsibility. The violence comes amid growing tensions between the Shiite-led government in Baghdad and Iraq’s Sunni minority.

Two dead after ship collision near Greece

Two cargo ships collided this morning off the coast of Greece. Two people were killed and eight others are missing. A search continues for survivors.

Greece approves reforms demanded by EU

The Greek parliament today approved reforms which will help it receive over 8 billion in rescue loans from the European Union and International Monetary Fund. The reforms will cut 15,000 government jobs, further boosting the unemployment rate, which now stands at 27 percent, among the highest in the EU. There have also been demonstrations today in Athens and journalist Olinda Labropoulou says the protests are likely to grow: “We expect that protests will continue because the changes that are taking place are fundamental in terms of labour rights. Employers are allowed, as of now, to hire people for less than minimum wage. We expect that as these changes continue that this confrontation will also increase.”

No more survivors in Bangladesh tragedy

In Bangladesh, rescue workers say there are no more survivors from last week’s collapse of an eight-level factory building. 381 people are confirmed to have been killed, while dozens of survivors have been pulled from the wreckage over the past five days. Officials have now brought in heavy machinery to clear the rubble and look for bodies of the victims, mostly women who worked in garment factories at the site. Over the weekend, the owner of the building was arrested while trying to flee the country.

France to cut 34,000 defence jobs by 2019

France today said defence spending will not change over the next five years. However, flat spending will mean a loss of 34,000 defence jobs by 2019, something which has been opposed by many in industry and in the military.

Platter opens coalition talks in Tyrol

Yesterday’s elections in Tyrol saw the Peoples Party win the most votes, thus extending the dominant role which the party has had in Tyrol since 1945. Governor Günther Platter this week will be holding coalition talks with the Social Democrats, the Greens, the Freedom Party, and a new party, Vorwärts Tirol. Platter says he hopes a coalition deal can be reached with one of those parties by the end of the week.

The Weather

This afternoon’s weather in Voralberg, Carinthia and Tyrol will be cloudy with scattered rainshowers. The rest of Austria will remain variably cloudy to partly sunny. Highs temperatures today are ranging from 13 to 28, with it being warmest in the east.

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