News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Crash recovery continues in French Alps

Recovery efforts continue in the French Alps where a GermanWings Airbus 320 crashed yesterday, killing all 150 people on board. Most of the victims on board the Barcelona-to-Düsseldorf flight were from Germany and Spain. French investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder, which was damaged in the crash. Searchers are now looking for the plane’s data flight recorder. Julian Bray is an expert on aviation issues: “There’s a lot of very strange things going on with this. For example, the controlled descent, eight minutes it took and no body contacted air traffic control, the pilots didn’t radio other aircraft in the area. This is all very, very unusual.”

Yemen’s president reportedly flees

Yemen’s president, Abd Rabbu Mansour has fled the country. This comes as Houthi rebels are advancing on the southern port city of Aden. Mansour fled to Aden last year after the capital Sanaa fell to the rebels. There are also reports that Saudi Arabia is strengthening its military presence on its southern border with Yemen.

Rebels capture border town in Syria

In Syria, rebels have captured Bosra, a southern town close to the border with Jordan after four days of battles with the government forces of President Bashar al-Assad. The town is seen as strategically important because of its proximity to Damascus and the Jordanian and Israeli borders. Meanwhile, Assad has called for a united front with Iraq to better fight the so-called Islamic State fighters in both countries.

Afghan leader visits Washington

Afghan President Ashar Ghani is in Washington where he will give a speech later today to the United States Congress. His visit comes as the US has said it the more than nine-thousand American troops in Afghanistan will remain there into next year. President Barack Obama says stabilizing Afghanistan remains a top priority: “We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help Afghan security forces succeed…so we don’t have to go back.”

30 killed in Pakistan air strikes

Pakistani jet fighters have launched air strikes in the Khyber mountains. The air raids killed 30 militants who are allied with the Pakistani Taliban. 10 members of the Pakistani Taliban have also been killed by US drones in neighboring Afghanistan.

Australia detains suspected jihadists

Officials in Australia say counter-terrorism squads have prevented 230 suspected militants from leaving Australia for the Middle East this month, including three teenage boys. Up to 250 Australian citizens are thought to be fighting alongside militant groups in Syria and Iraq.

Militants attack Nigerian town

In northern Nigeria, Boko Haram militants have attacked the town of Damasak , killing 50 people. Around 500 others, mostly women and children, have been kidnapped by the militants.

The weather

The afternoon will be cloudy with scattered rain showers in the south. The rest of Austria will be sunny and windy. Highs today are ranging from 9 to 19 degrees.

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