28.03.2014

News in English

Russia isolated in UN vote on Crimea / Obama calls for a Russian military pull-back / Turkey defends YouTube blockade / New focus in search for Malaysian airliner / UK and Germany want fair EU reforms / S & P confirms Austria´s credit Rating / The Weather

8. April 2017, 21:58

Russia isolated in UN vote on Crimea

The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity and calling the referendum that led to Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula illegal. 100 countries voted in favour of the resolution, with 11 against and 58 abstentions. But Russia's UN Ambassador Vitali Churkin insisted that the referendum and Russia's annexation of the region were legal: "Following the referendum in the Crimea, during which the overwhelming majority of the Crimean population voted in favour of being with Russia, there was a reunification of Crimea and the Russian Federation. We call on everyone to respect that voluntary choice, just as Russia has done."

Obama calls for a Russian military pull-back

The US President Barack Obama has described Russia's troop build-up on the Ukraine border as out of the ordinary. He called on Moscow to pull its military back and begin talks to defuse tensions.

Turkey defends YouTube blockade

The Turkish government has defended its attempt to block access to YouTube, after an audio recording of a government security meeting on Syria was leaked on the video-sharing website. The move follows similar action against the social media site Twitter, which has been used for links to recordings suggesting government corruption.

New focus in search for Malaysian airliner

The search for the missing Malaysian airliner has now shifted to another part of the Indian Ocean, following what Australian officials say is a "credible lead". The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says the search will now focus on an area 1,100km north-east of the original zone. The move is based on further analysis of radar data that showed the plane was going faster, thus using more fuel.

UK and Germany want fair EU reforms

Germany has joined Britain in calling for European Union reforms that are fair to countries outside the euro zone, bolstering British Prime Minister David Cameron's attempts to placate euro-sceptics at home. In a joint editorial in the Financial Times newspaper, the British and German finance ministers George Osborne and Wolfgang Schaeuble said it was important that EU countries outside the euro zone - like Britain - are not disadvantaged by deeper integration of the currency union.

S & P confirms Austria´s credit rating

The US-based ratings agency Standard and Poor's has confirmed Austria's double A-plus credit rating with a "stable" outlook. The agency said it reflected the government's economic policies. S & P also expects Austria to profit from the international economic upturn and urged the government to continue with its programme of consolidation.