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8. April 2017, 21:58

Thai military declares martial law

Thailand's military has responded to the country's worsening political crisis by declaring martial law, but insists that it is not staging a coup. Troops have taken over TV and radio stations and have been deployed on the streets of the capital Bangkok, amid sweeping new powers. The move follows months of tensions between supporters of the government and opposition. Political commentator Pravesh Roganprok says it remains unclear who is really in control. “We don’t really know who’s in charge now. Is it the army chief, which had just declared martial law at 3am in the morning, or is it the acting caretaker Prime Minister? It could be a coup in the making. So we will see in the hours ahead as to who is really in charge.”

Credit Suisse ordered to pay record fine

The Swiss bank Credit Suisse has agreed to pay a record fine of 2.6 billion dollars to the US government, after admitting that it helped US nationals evade paying taxes. In a statement the bank's management said it deeply regretted the past misconduct.

Flooding continues to devastate the Balkans

Serbia has ordered the evacuation of towns along the Sava River, as flooding continues to devastate the Balkans. At least 20 people have now died in Serbia as a result of the disaster, and the country's largest power station remains under threat. In neighbouring Bosnia, around half a million people are believed to have been displaced by the flooding. Bosnia's Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdizja says the damage is similar to that inflicted by the war of the 1990s. “The landslides are absolutely destroying the country. We have registered about more than 2000 landslides. We have about 9,400 minefields under landslides.”

Putin seeks to deepen ties during visit to China

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting China today, where he's expected to sign a raft of new trade agreements and kick off joint naval exercises. Moscow is eager to negotiate a new multi-billion euro gas deal with China, amid rising tensions with its European trading partners over the crisis in Ukraine.

Ukrainian oligarch urges protest

Ukraine's richest man Rinat Akhmetov has called on workers in the east of the country to stage a mass rally today for peace, saying people were tired of living in fear and terror. A similar initiative last week in Mariupol led to pro-Russian separatists losing control of the city.

Huge profits through forced labour

The International Labour Organisation says people trafficking, forced labour and sexual exploitation are generating illegal profits of 150 billion dollars per year. In a new report, the ILO says there are 21 million victims worldwide, with migrant workers the most vulnerable.

The Weather

Mostly sunny conditions should continue this afternoon with the chance of some isolated showers. Top temperatures will range from 18 to 27 degrees.

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