News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

U.S.A. and allies move closer to possible attack

The United Kingdom is to put a resolution to the UN Security Council later today authorising what it calls “necessary measures to protect civilians" in Syria. There are increasing signs that the United States and its allies are preparing a military strike against Syria… following last week’s suspected chemical weapons attack in a suburb of the capital Damascus. The Syrian government has strongly denied being behind the onslaught, in which hundreds of people reportedly died. But the US Vice-President Joe Biden says there is "no doubt" that the Assad administration has used chemical weapons and that action must be taken: “The president believes and I believe that those who use chemical weapons against defenceless men, women and children should and must be held accountable.” UN weapons inspectors have returned to the site of last week's suspected attack. Russia, an ally of Syria, has warned that any military solution could lead to further destabilisation in Syria and in the region. The U.N.-Arab League peace envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, says both the United States and Russia need to focus on a political solution before any military strike is launched: “There is no military solution. Please work harder together. We need a strong, joint political will from these two countries and everybody else.”

NYT suffers a cyber-attack

The New York Times website has gone offline after a cyber-attack. Reports say that a group supporting the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was behind the hacking.

Deadly bomb attacks in Iraq

A series of bombings in the Iraqi capital Baghdad has killed at least 65 people and wounded dozens more. The attacks are believed to have targeted mainly Shia neighbourhoods.

Fresh nuclear talks between the UN and Iran

The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna says it will hold a new round of talks starting September 27th over that country’s disputed nuclear program. It will be the first such meeting between the UN’s nuclear watchdog and Iran since the relatively moderate Hassan Rouhani took office as Iranian president.

50th anniversary of MLK speech

It was 50 years ago today that Martin Luther King delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington D.C. The speech is regarded as a turning point in U.S. race-relations. Today’s commemoration events will be attended by Barack Obama – the first African-American president of the United States.

Austria Vienna reach Champions League

Football - and Austria Vienna have reached the Champions League main draw for the first time ever. They were actually beaten in front of their home crowd 3-2 last night by Dinamo Zagreb but went through on aggregate 4-3.

The Weather

Overcast with some heavy showers and isolated thunder storms. Some sunshine is forecast in the west this afternoon between Vorarlberg and Upper Carinthia. Top temperatures are ranging from 13 to 22 degrees.

Übersicht

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