News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Ukraine main focus of Obama EU talks

United States president Barack Obama is meeting leaders of the European Union and NATO in Brussels to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. In a major policy speech later in the day, Obama is expected to emphasise the importance of European security for the United States, and warn Russia against further threatening international stability, after its annexation of Crimea. This is Obama’s first official visit to EU headquarters. The talks will also focus on increased trade links and allegations of US spying on its EU allies.

North Korea fires missiles as rivals meet

North Korea has test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles. The United States and South Korea have condemned the action as a “provocative escalation”. The missiles were launched as president Obama met the leaders of Japan and South Korea at a nuclear summit in The Hague to discuss the threat from North Korea's nuclear programme.

Missing plane search continues

Malaysia says new satellite images provided by France have identified 122 potential objects in the southern Indian Ocean where it's believed the missing Malaysia Airlines plane crashed 18 days ago. Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, says the air and sea search for wreckage from the plane will continue: “Obviously we are throwing everything we have at this search. We owe it to the families to do everything we can to finally locate some wreckage.” Some relatives of the passengers are refusing to accept statements from Malaysian authorities on the fate of the flight until some physical evidence is found.

Arab League focus on Syrian war

The Arab League at a summit in Kuwait has condemned the Syrian government for killings and massacres committed during the civil war. The crisis in Syria has dominated the summit.

Turkish court lifts Twitter ban

A court in Turkey has ordered the government’s ban on Twitter to be lifted. Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan imposed the ban on Twitter last week after users shared corruption allegations against him.

Pakistan to meet Taliban for talks

In Pakistan, government representatives are en route to a secret location in the northwest of the country for the first direct talks with Pakistani Taliban militants. The two sides have so far held indirect talks through clerics associated with the Taliban. They hope to end violence that has killed thousands of people in recent years.

Oso death toll rises

In the US state of Washington, the death toll from the mudslide which buried most of the town of Oso on Saturday now stands at 24 confirmed dead. Over 170 people remain unaccounted for.

The Weather

Partly sunny in the east and north of the Alps, scattered shows in the south. Top temperatures 5 to 14 degrees.

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