News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Italy mourns migrant deaths

The Italian government has declared today a national day of mourning for up to 300 people feared dead after a migrant boat caught fire and sank off the island of Lampedusa. Over 100 bodies have been recovered. Many more are believed to be trapped in the submerged wreck. Rescuers have saved over 150 people mostly from Eritrea and Somalia. Adrian Edwards from the UN High Commission for Refugees: “You have to think of the tragedy that lies behind this which is that these people, many of them are likely to have been fleeing war, fleeing persecution, fleeing human rights abuses in their own countries. So this is a tremendous tragedy of multiple layers.” Italian authorities said the boat had come from Libya, and that the Tunisian captain has been arrested. Italy has said the European Union must help deal with the problem of migrant boat arrivals.

Obama cancels Asia trip

United States president Barack Obama has cancelled his visit to Indonesia and Brunei, because of the US government shutdown. He was to have attended economic and security summits in the region with the Russian and Chinese leaders. The secretary of state, John Kerry, is to stand in for the president. Obama is calling on Congress to pass a budget bill immediately and to raise the US debt ceiling by October 17th, amid warnings that a government default could be catastrophic.

Police investigate White House incident

Police in the United States are investigating why a 34 year old woman attempted to breach a White House checkpoint yesterday, setting off a high-speed car chase to the Capitol. Police said the woman was shot dead and that a one-year-old child found in the car was unhurt. They said there appeared to be no direct link to terrorism.

Pope Francis calls for church of the poor

Pope Francis is visiting Assisi in central Italy on a pilgrimage to the tomb of his 13th century namesake, St. Francis. The Pope has said he believes today's Church should resemble St Francis's church of the poor and that he wants to use abandoned monasteries and convents to house refugees.

Berlusconi’s fate under discussion

Hearings have begun at an Italian Senate committee on whether to expel Silvio Berlusconi from parliament following his conviction for tax fraud. A full vote of the upper house is required if the committee votes to strip Berlusconi of his Senate seat.

German parties hold preliminary coalition talks

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the opposition Social Democratic Party are holding preliminary talks on forming the next government. They are expected to discuss how much common ground there is to create a "grand coalition".

The weather

Cloud and scattered rain showers in the west. Some fog in the south. Sunny over the rest of the country with lively winds. Top temps 7 to 20 degrees.

Übersicht

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