News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Sharif set to form government in Pakistan

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif looks poised to return to office following his election victory at the week-end. His party, the Pakistan Muslim League, appears on course to secure a majority in parliament and form the next government. The former cricketer Imran Khan, whose PTI party had hoped to challenge decades of dominance by Sharif's party, says he now intends to form a strong opposition: "Unfortunately because we didn’t have a genuine opposition in the last ten years, Pakistan’s democracy has suffered. So we will now be a genuine opposition which will then provide the checks and balances that are needed in a democratic process and to keep the government in check.”

GERB wins Bulgaria election

In Bulgaria, the centre-right GERB party of former Prime Minister Boiko Borisov has emerged as the winner of yesterday's elections. However, it's not clear what sort of government will be formed as other parties have expressed reluctance to form a coalition with it. GERB resigned in February amid protests over living standards and corruption. Journalist Nick Thorpe: "Their resignation in response to those street protests was, if you like, a tactical resignation so that they could prepare better for these elections. But there are very few if any potential coalition partners for them. So I would think they will most likely go into opposition and their main rivals the Socialists will try and form a new government.”

10 killed in Afghanistan blast

Reports coming out of Afghanistan say at least 10 civilians have been killed in a roadside bomb blast. 12 people were injured.

Eurozone meets on bailouts

Eurozone finance ministers are due to meet in Brussels today to agree on bailout payments for Cyprus and Greece. Nicosia is expected to get approval for the first 3 billion Euros of its package. Ministers are also expected to sign off the latest instalment of Greece's bailout.

China investigates corruption case

The Chinese authorities have launched an investigation into a senior official in what's been seen as the latest move by the country's new leadership to crack down on corruption. The official under investigation is Liu Tienan, a top policy maker. Allegations against him first surfaced in December.

WHO concerned over coronavirus

The World Health Organisation has expressed concern over the coronavirus which causes pneumonia and sometimes kidney failure. It says it appears likely that it can be passed between people in close contact. Since last year there have been 33 confirmed cases across Europe and the Middle East - 18 people have died from it.

The Weather

Thick cloud will be moving in from the West bringing some rain. There’ll be a mix of sun and cloud in the East and South. There’ll also be a lively to strong wind and highs mostly between 9 and 17 degrees, in the south up to 20.

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