News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Dozens killed in Nigeria school attack

Reports from Nigeria say dozens of people have been killed in a bomb blast which ripped through a school in a town in Yobe State. The blast happened as students gathered for morning assembly. Some reports are putting the death toll as high as 47 with many injured. There's been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. But Boko Haram has been active in the area and has in the past targeted schools.

Catalonia independence poll

An informal non-binding vote on independence for the Spanish region of Catalonia has shown that more than 80% of those who cast ballots in Sunday's poll are in favour of breaking away from Madrid. More than 2 million people took part, out of an estimated 5.4 million eligible voters. The Spanish government dismissed the poll. But the leader of the regional government in Catalonia Artur Mas said it should pave the way for a formal referendum: "like Quebec, like Scotland, Catalonia also wants to decide its political future. And we have the same right to decide it."

China and Japan hold key talks

The leaders of China and Japan have met for formal talks after more than two years of tension over a territorial dispute. The Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met on the side-lines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Beijing. Relations have been soured by the row over a group of islands in the East China Sea.

Rising concerns over eastern Ukraine

The US and the EU have expressed concern at reports of a build-up of separatist reinforcements in eastern Ukraine. Shelling around the city of Donetsk over the week-end followed an intense artillery bombardment. Observers and journalists have reported seeing unmarked convoys carrying heavy weapons, tanks and fighters in the area. Moscow has denied claims that it's supplying the pro-Russia separatists. Russia and Eastern Europe analyst Gerhard Mangott says the ceasefire agreement is looking extremely fragile: "we had very intense fighting over the week-end. Actually we're also in a situation where the cease-fire isn't only unravelling on the ground - it's unravelling politically."

MH17 memorial in the Netherlands

Meanwhile, a national memorial is taking place in the Netherlands today in honour of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines disaster in eastern Ukraine. Nearly 300 people lost their lives when the aircraft was brought down over rebel-held territory, two-thirds of them were Dutch nationals.

Albanian PM visits Serbia

The Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is in Serbia for a landmark visit, the first by an Albanian leader for nearly 70 years. Ties have been strained over the issue of Kosovo, the majority ethnic Albanian province that declared independence from Belgrade in 2008.

Monday's weather

It’ll be partly overcast and foggy, partly sunny. There’s some thick cloud in the West with a bit of rain in places. Highs - depending on where it's foggy and where there's a föhn wind - between 7 and 20 degrees.

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