News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

EU summit on Mediterranean crisis

European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels for an emergency summit on ways to stem the number of people making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean. More than 800 people drowned off the Libyan coast on Sunday, bringing the estimated number of deaths this year to 1,750. 10,000 others were rescued from the waters between Italy and Libya in one week. The Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni says he hopes the latest tragedy will persuade EU leaders to act: "We all should feel ashamed because when you lose human lives, hundreds of human lives, as Europeans with our values - our values of liberty, our Christian roots - we should feel ashamed.

Austria declares Armenian killings “genocide”

Turkey says an Austrian parliamentary declaration describing the 1915 killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as "genocide" will permanently damage relations between the two countries. On Wednesday all six parties in parliament issued a joint statement on the killing of some 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey denies there was any systematic attack on civilians Ankara has recalled its ambassador to Vienna for consultations.

France foils five terror plots

The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says police have foiled five terror attacks since the killings at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish grocery store in January. Valls says the threat has never been so high. He was speaking a day after authorities announced the arrest of a 24-year-old Algerian national in Paris on suspicion of the murder of a woman at the weekend and a plot to attack churches.

US accuses Russia of breaking Ukraine ceasefire

The United States has accused Russia of deploying more air defence systems in eastern Ukraine in breach of a ceasefire deal. The US state department also said Russia was involved in training separatist forces in the area and building up its forces along the border.

Saudi airstrikes continue in Yemen

A Saudi-led coalition has reportedly launched fresh airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. On Tuesday the coalition announced an end to a month-old bombing campaign but said forces would continue to target the Houthi movement as necessary.

Chile volcano erupts

The Calbuco volcano in southern Chile has erupted for the first time in more than 50 years, sending a plume of ash and smoke nearly 20 kilometres into the sky. Authorities have declared a red alert and evacuated more than 4,000 people within a 20km radius.

The weather

Unsettled with heavy rain or thunderstorms, but some sunshine in the far west and the east. Top temperatures generally from 8 to 14, up to 23 in the sunshine.

Übersicht

• News In English