News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Deadly Attack on Egypt’s security forces

Egyptian security forces have been targeted in a wave of attacks across the country. Gunmen killed five Egyptian soldiers at a checkpoint close to the Suez Canal. A large car bomb struck offices of the security forces in southern Sinai, killing two people, while a rocket attack hit a satellite station in a suburb of the capital Cairo. The attacks come a day after more than 50 people were killed in clashes in Cairo between security forces and supporters of the ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi. The Egyptian writer, Mahdi Abdul Hadi, says one of the main problems in Egypt right now is that the police force is poorly trained to deal with demonstrators: “And that remains one of the biggest challenges facing Egypt: how to turn the old police state into a modern police force. And that will take some time to achieve.”

Kerry credits Syria over chemical weapons

The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has praised the Syrian regime for complying quickly with a United Nations resolution for it to eliminate its chemical weapons. He was speaking in Bali after international monitors said the destruction of Syria's chemical stockpile had begun. However Kerry told reporters that the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was not completely off the hook: “Credit to the Assad regime for complying rapidly – as they are supposed to. Now we hope that will continue. I’m not going to vouch today for what happens months down the road but it’s a good beginning.”

Pakistan bomb targets polio campaign

A bomb in north-west Pakistan has killed at least six people near a hospital which was marking the start of a new anti-polio campaign. Militants have previously attacked health workers vaccinating children against the disease.

More bodies recovered off Lampedusa

Divers in Italy have recovered more than 80 bodies from a boat carrying African refugees which sank last Thursday off the island of Lampedusa. Over 300 refugees, mainly from Eritrea and Somalia, are feared to have died. The Deputy Police Commissioner Catarina Betulia says the process of identifying the victims is now underway: “We are now conducting the first examinations of the corpses, taking pictures of them. Then we take samples of DNA for possible identification of the persons.”

Nobel Prize for Medicine announced

Two Americans, James Rothman and Randy Schekman, have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine – along with the German-born researcher Thomas Südhof. The Nobel committee in Stockholm says the three scientists were chosen for their research into how the body’s cells organise their transport systems.

Typhoon Fitow hits China

State officials in China say at least two people are dead after Typhoon Fitow rammed into the south-east of the country. Homes are said to have collapsed and more than half a million residents have been evacuated.

The weather

Any remaining cloud and fog should disappear, leaving sunshine in most of Austria. The odd shower is possible in parts of the west and south. Highs are ranging from 10C to 20C, with those warmest temperatures in the west.

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