News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

EU delegation in US over spying row

A delegation of MPs from the European Union is travelling to Washington today to seek a response to allegations of widespread spying by the US against EU citizens and governments. The 3-day mission comes amid fresh claims in the Spanish media that the NSA secretly monitored 60 million calls in Spain in just one month. There's also been a lack of clarity over how much President Barack Obama knew about the reported monitoring of the communications of 35 political leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The British MEP Claude Moraes is leading the European delegation: "the headline news that 35 leaders had their phones tapped is not the real crux of the issue. It really is the millions of citizens of countries that had their landlines and other communications tapped."

Narrow win for Social Democrats in Czech election

In the Czech Republic, the Social Democrats say they will look to a new centrist party, ANO, to help form a government after narrowly winning parliamentary elections over the week-end. The centre-right government of Petr Necas was brought down by a corruption scandal in June.

Poland's first post-Communist prime minister dies

Poland's first prime minister after the fall of communism Tadeusz Mazowiecki has died at the age of 86. He was one of the architects of talks that brought together the communist authorities and the opposition, paving the way for elections in 1989.

Call for more ambitious climate policies

13 European environment ministers and dozens of business leaders have urged the EU to adopt more ambitious climate policies. In a 40-page document presented at a conference in Brussels, they said adopting more ambitious energy and climate targets for 2030 would encourage investment as well as helping efforts towards a low-carbon economy.

Lou Reed dies at 71

The American singer, guitarist and songwriter Lou Reed has died at the age of 71. His agent said he died from complications from a recent liver transplant. In a career spanning nearly 5 decades, he was considered one of the most influential singers and songwriters in the rock industry. The founder of the band The Velvet Underground, Reed went on to have great success as a solo artist with hits including "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Perfect Day". Speaking at an awards ceremony in September, he said he wouldn't have picked any other career: "there's only one great occupation that can change the world - that's real rock 'n' roll. I believe to the bottom of my heart that rock 'n' roll can change everything."

The Weather

Much of the country will be sunny, windy and unusually warm with highs ranging between 17 and 26 degrees.

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