News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Likud wins Israel’s election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party has won a surprise victory in Israel's general election. Exit polls yesterday evening had predicted an extremely close contest, but with almost all the votes counted the results have given Likud a clear lead over its main rival, the centre-left Zionist Union. Netanyahu, who's heading for a 4th term as prime minister, will now seek to build a coalition government. He told his supporters it was a major achievement for the party: "against all odds we have achieved a big victory for the Likud Party. And now we have to create a strong and stable government that will take care of the security and welfare of all of Israel's citizens." During the campaign, Netanyahu had vowed not to allow the creation of a Palestinian state. In response to the election outcome, the chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Palestinians would step up their bid for statehood.

7 arrested over Srebrenica massacre

Police in Serbia have detained 7 men suspected of taking part in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia. The 7 are accused of killing 1,000 Muslims at a warehouse. They're among the first to be arrested by Serbia for carrying out the massacre. Altogether more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were executed in the atrocity which happened after the area fell to Bosnian Serb forces. A UN court ruled the massacre was genocide.

Riots at ECB in Frankfurt

A group of anti-austerity protestors in the German city of Frankfurt have clashed with police near the new headquarters of the European Central Bank. Several police cars were set on fire. The ECB was targeted because of its role in supervising efforts to restrain spending and reduce debt in troubled Eurozone economies. Over 300 people have been arrested. The main part of the demonstration is understood to have been peaceful.

Continuing concern over Vanuatu

International aid agencies say Cyclone Pam has wiped out crops and destroyed fishing fleets in Vanuatu. The category 5 storm tore through the South Pacific island nation flattening entire villages. The authorities say planes have taken food, water and medical supplies to the island of Tanna, which was directly in the path of the storm. Joe Lowry is an assessor for the United Nations and has just arrived on Tanna. He says much more aid will be needed there in the coming weeks: "they say they've got nearly one week of food left. And we're miles away from anywhere here. They've had no communication at all with the outside world since about two o'clock on Saturday morning."

Speed limits reduced in Paris

Police in Paris have lowered speed limits as part of a response to a rise in air pollution in the French capital. Officials say they've ordered a reduction in speed limits on highways in the metropolitan area. Paris is due to host a major international climate conference in November.

The weather

Mainly sunny with a few clouds in the West. A lively wind in the Danube region. And highs mostly between 8 and 14 degrees.

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