News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Conservatives record big win in UK elections

British Prime Minister David Cameron is poised to win a second term in office, with his party emerging as the clear winner of yesterday's parliamentary elections. The Conservatives appear on track to win an outright majority, which would enable them to govern alone. Speaking to supporters, Cameron hailed his party's victory. “I remember 2010, achieving that dream of getting Labour out and getting the Tories back in and that was amazing, but I think this is the sweetest victory of all.” The opposition Labour Party, which was expected to challenge the Conservatives, has suffered a major defeat, with leader Ed Miliband expected to announce his resignation. Miliband attribute the poor showing to a surge in support for the Scottish National Party. “This has clearly been a very disappointing and difficult night for the Labour Party. We haven’t made the gains we wanted in England and Wales, and in Scotland we’ve seen a surge of nationalism overwhelm our party.” The Conservative's coalition partner, the Liberal Democrats, saw their support plummet, while the UK Independence Party has won only one seat. The election result could have significant ramifications for Europe with Cameron promising to hold a referendum on Britain's EU membership.

Europe marks the end of World War Two

Ceremonies are taking place across Europe today to mark the 70th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany, which brought World War Two to an end on the continent. Here in Austria political leaders have been holding a memorial event at the Chancellor's office. A concert will be held this evening at Vienna's Heldenplatz organised by the committee that oversees the former Nazi concentration camp at Mauthausen.

US begins training Syrian rebels

The United States has begun training around 90 Syrian rebels, with the aim of building a force of more than 15 thousand over the next 3 years that can defeat the militant group Islamic State. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter says he has high hopes for the program. “We’re starting with the people that we have, that we’ve vetted very carefully. We’re figuring out what the best training is, what the best initial deployment is – we expect that to be successful and therefore to grow but you have to start somewhere.”

Ambassadors die in Pakistan helicopter crash

A military helicopter has crashed in northern Pakistan, killing at least six people, including the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines. The Pakistani military says the helicopter hit an army school building as it was attempting to make an emergency landing in mountainous terrain in Gilgit-Baltistan.

China’s economy continues to slow

There are fears that China's economy may be slowing faster than expected, with the latest figures showing a downturn in both imports and exports. Analysts say the Chinese government is under pressure to take action to halt the slump.

The weather

And generally sunny conditions will continue this afternoon with some isolated thundery showers. Top temperatures will range from 18 to 26 degrees.

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