News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Final push in Scottish referendum

A final day of campaigning is underway in Scotland, ahead of Thursday´s referendum on independence from Britain. Latest polls suggest the result remains too close to call, with a slender lead of 52% to 48% for the "No" campaign. Up to 14% of Scots are said to be undecided. Nicola McEwan from Edinburgh University says Scottish identity is not the main issue: "It doesn´t seem to be driven by deep feelings of Scottish distinctiveness, much more about pragmatic concerns about what it would mean for me and my family, what it would mean for the economy, what it would mean for the society."

French premier survives confidence vote

The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has narrowly won a crucial confidence vote in parliament, despite a recent cabinet revolt over austerity measures. Deputies in the National Assembly voted 269 to 244 in favour of the Socialist government's policies. Meanwhile, opinion polls put President Francois Hollande's popularity rating at just 13%, with almost two-thirds wanting him to resign.

Ebola global security threat – Obama

President Barack Obama is warning that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is "a threat to global security." He´s announced a larger US role in fighting the virus, but says a global response is needed. Ebola has killed 2,461 people this year. The United Nations has called the outbreak a health crisis "unparalleled in modern times".

UN deal on Gaza reconstruction

The UN has brokered an agreement to enable the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, giving a lead role to the Palestinian Authority while also involving the private sector. The agreement includes UN monitoring to ensure that construction materials will not be diverted from civilian to military uses. An estimated 18,000 houses were destroyed or severely damaged during the recent Israeli offensive. Some 100,000 people have reportedly lost their homes. Over 100 UN facilities were damaged and more than 65,000 displaced Palestinians are still living in UN shelters.

NASA names partners for new “space taxis”

The US space agency NASA has named the companies it hopes can take the country's astronauts back into space. It´s awarding $6.2bn to Boeing and SpaceX, to help them finish the development of new crew capsules. Since the space shuttles were retired in 2011, America has relied on Russia to get to the International Space Station.

The weather

Mostly sunny but cloud will build in the south. Highs today from 16 to 27, warmest along the north of the Alps.

Übersicht

• News In English