News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

EU seeks support for its Mediterranean plan

The EU's foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini is seeking backing from the UN Security Council to use force against people traffickers in the Mediterranean. The move follows concerns about the growing number of migrants making the perilous sea journey to Europe. Libya's UN ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi described the plan as worrying and said his government had not been consulted. “We want to know exactly what their intentions are and how they can distinguish between the fishing boats and the trafficker’s boats.”

Migrants stranded off Thai coast

The International Organisation for Migration says thousands of refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar are stranded at sea off the coast of Thailand, following a crackdown by the Thai authorities on illegal arrivals. Hundreds of migrants have been rescued in neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia. Leonard Doyle from the IOM has called on Thailand to take immediate action. “These are people in a state of great distress. They’re trying to get to a better life and they’re being blocked from doing so because of blocked land routes. But the bottom line is that they need to be rescued and we need to save lives first and then argue about the politics of it later.”

Talks on Greek debt crisis as payment looms

Eurozone finance ministers are holding talks today in Brussels, focussing on the Greek debt crisis. Athens wants the EU to release a final 7.2 billion euro instalment of bailout funds, something the ministers are reluctant to do, until a new list of reform proposals are agreed. There are fears that Greece could soon run out of money with a 750 million euro debt repayment due to be made tomorrow to the International Monetary Fund.

South Korea urges halt to missile program

South Korea says it is very concerned about reports that North Korea is developing a submarine fleet capable of launching ballistic missiles. The South Korean government says it believes the technology could be operational within five years. Kim Min-seok is a South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman. “We judge North Korea’s underwater test firing of a submarine launched ballistic missile to be very serious and a matter of concern. We urge North Korea to immediately stop developing these missiles, which hinder the stability of the Korean peninsula and North-East Asia.”

Poland’s presidential election set for run-off

Poland's presidential election is expected to go to a runoff, after a surprisingly strong showing by the conservative challenger Andrzej Duda. Exit polls show Duda with 34 percent of the vote compared to 33 percent for the centre-right incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski.

Concern about deadly clashes in Macedonia

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called for a full investigation into clashes over the weekend in the northern Macedonian town of Kumanovo that officials say left 8 police and 14 members of an armed insurgent group dead. Some reports claim the attackers were from neighbouring Kosovo, raising fears of a renewal of ethnic violence.

The weather

Sunny conditions have been forecast across Austria this afternoon. Top temperatures will range from 20 to 28 degrees.

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