News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Franco-German diplomatic mission to Moscow

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande travel to Moscow today for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on how to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Yesterday they met in Kiev with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. There have been unconfirmed reports of a one-day ceasefire in the east to allow for a civilian evacuation of Debaltseve, which has been the focus of intense fighting between government troops and Russian rebels. NATO commander Philip Breedlove says Russia is helping the rebels, but that diplomacy is the only way to end the fighting: „We do see support from Russian forces in key enabling areas like air defence. The solution to this problem in eastern Ukraine has got to be diplomatic and political.”

Jordan vows retaliation against IS

Syrian human rights activists say an Islamic State cleric from Saudi Arabia who opposed the group’s decision to burn to death a captured Jordanian pilot has been removed from his post and will be put on trial. Jordanian fighter jets continue to attack I-S positions in Syria. Amman has said it and its allies will retaliate until the militants have been eliminated. Jordanian foreign minister Nasser Judeh: “If there was any doubt these terrorists are brutal murderers and barbarians, then that doubt has gone. We all now know very, very clearly in the ugliest possible way who this enemy is and we’re going to go after them and we will eradicate them.”

Syrian jets hit rebels

Syrian air force strikes have killed 82 people in an opposition-held district near Damascus. This comes one day after rebels launched a rocket attack into the center of the capital.

New Taiwan crash data

Officials in Taiwan say black box data from the TransAsia plane which crashed in Taipei this week has shown that both engines lost power just before it fell into a river. 35 people were killed, 15 others survived and 8 remain missing.

Australia PM faces job challenge

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is facing a leadership challenge from within his own Liberal Party. Abbott’s popularity has collapsed since his election 18 months ago, but he says he expects to win next week’s leadership vote: “We will stand together in urging the party to defeat this particular motion and to vote in favour of the stability and the team the people voted for at the election:”

Timorese leader quits

East Timor’s Prime minister, Xanana Gusmao, has resigned. Gusmao is a former guerilla leader who helped lead the country to independence in 2002 after a 25-year occupation by Indonesia. At 68, he says he wants to see a younger generation come to political power in the former Portugese colony.

The weather

The afternoon will see snowfall between Tyrol and southern Syria. The rest of the country will be dry with some sun in the north. High temperatures are ranging from minus 5 to plus 3 degrees.

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