News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

New earthquake hits Nepal

A major earthquake hit Nepal today killing at least 4 people. The quake struck close to Mount Everest and the border with Tibet. The 7.3 quake hit the country which is still dealing with the aftermath of a massive earthquake late last month which left more than eight-thousand people dead. Some buildings damaged in April collapsed today. Jemma Gillie is with the charity Save the Children in the capital Kathmandu: “Very quickly we realized that it was much stronger, much bigger than anything we’ve had since April 25. Parts of the roof started to come down; we started to hear screaming and things falling from around the city elsewhere, so it was pretty, pretty terrifying.”

Greece taps emergency funds to repay IMF

Officials in Greece says Athens used emergency reserves in its holding account at the International Monetary fund to make a crucial debt payment of 750 million euros to the Fund. The announcement comes as Greece is trying to negotiate additional bailout funds from its creditors who are demanding reforms in exchange for more aid. Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis says Greece’s money is once again running out: “The liquidity issue is a terribly urgent issue. We’re talking about the next couple of weeks.”

EU seeks UN mandate on refugees

The European Union’s foreign policy chief has called for a United Nations mandate to use military force to stop human traffickers smuggling refugees across the Mediterranean Sea. Federica Mogherini made the request to the UN Security council in New York. She said the EU’s top priority is to save lives and to prevent migrants from making the risky journey from North Africa on over-crowded and unsafe boats.

Russia-US talks in Sochi

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Russia where he will meet in Sochi with President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. The conflicts in eastern Ukraine and Syria are expected to top the agenda at the meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Air strikes in Yemen before truce

Saudi-led air strikes have been launched on Houthi rebels in Yemen’s capital Sanaa. The coalition also attacked rebel positions in the port city of Aden. The air raids came just before a five-day truce was set to go into effect between the alliance of Gulf Arab states and the Houthis, who are supported by Iran.

Clashes in Burundi

In Burundi today, police have clashed with protesters in the capital Bujumbura. The unrest came during a protest against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s plan to seek a third term in office in violation of Burundi’s constitution which calls for a limit of two presidential terms. The latest crisis in Burndi began two weeks ago and 50,000 people have fled the country. East African leaders will discuss the situation in Burundi later today at talks in Tanzania.

French president visits Cuba and Haiti

French President Francois Hollande has called for an end to the United States’ trade embargo on Cuba. Hollande made the comment during a visit to Havana. US President Barack Obama has announced the resumption of diplomatic ties, which were broken off during the Cold War, but it is up to the U.S. Congress to lift the trade ban on Cuba. Later today President Francois Hollande will visit Haiti, a former French colony which became independent in 1804.

Picasso breaks art sales record

A 1955 oil painting by Pablo Picasso has smashed the record for the most expensive painting ever sold. The artwork, “Les femmes d’Alger”, sold for just over 179 million dollars last night at an auction in New York.

The weather

The afternoon will remain mostly sunny across Austria with highs ranging from 22 degrees in the east to 30 degrees in the west.

Übersicht

• News In English