News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Syria chemical equipment destroyed

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says Syria has destroyed or dismantled all of its declared chemical weapons production facilities - meeting a key deadline in its disarmament programme. The chemicals themselves are yet to be disposed of. The disarmament deal was brokered by the US and Russia. The head of the OPCW's team in Syria Jerry Smith says the operation has been tough: "it's been a particularly challenging job. Obviously in any chemical weapons programme you have the obvious dangers of working within a potentially toxic environment. You add this into the environment that we have here in Syria with the ongoing conflict and you're adding an additional layer of activity that is required to ensure the safety of the team members."

Migrants’ bodies found in the Sahara

Rescue workers in Niger say they've found the bodies of 87 people who died of thirst after their vehicles broke down as they tried to cross the Sahara desert. It's thought they were migrant workers and their families. John Ging is the director of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs: "sadly this is a typical migration that has been going on in recent years. We estimate that there are 80,000 that make that journey every year across the Sahara from Niger. They're basically economic migrants in search of work."

New claims over NSA surveillance

Google has reacted angrily to a media report that the US National Security Agency has been hacking into information travelling to and from Google and Yahoo's data centres. The allegations were reported in the Washington Post. A spokesman for Google said the report showed that there was an urgent need for reform. The NSA has denied illegally accessing the servers of Google and Yahoo.

EU criticises Israel settlements plan

The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has criticised Israel's plan to build more than 1,500 homes in Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. She said the move would violate international law and be a potential obstacle to peace negotiations. Israeli and Palestinian officials resumed direct talks in August after a three-year break. Yesterday, Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal for the resumption of talks.

Eurozone jobless rate stays high

Officials figures have shown that the unemployment rate in the Eurozone has remained unchanged at a record high of 12.2%. Figures released for September also showed that the jobless rate for those under 25 is around 24%.

The Weather

There'll be a mix of sunshine and fog with the fog in the Danube area and around the Bodensee in Vorarlberg lifting only gradually. In eastern Tyrol, Carinthia, Lungau and Styria it'll stay overcast. Highs this afternoon are ranging between 7 and 17 degrees.

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