News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

60th Anniversary of Austrian State Treaty

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Austrian State Treaty. The agreement brought an end to the occupation of Austria in the aftermath of the Second World War and re-established it as an independent and democratic sovereign nation. A ceremony to mark the occasion was held this morning in Vienna’s Belvedere Palace, where the original treaty was signed in 1955.

Leader of failed coup arrested in Burundi

Unconfirmed reports from Burundi say that Major General Godefroid Niyombare, who led a failed coup against the country’s president, has been arrested. The attempted power grab against President Pierre Nkurunziza was launched on Wednesday, following weeks of protests against his decision to seek an apparently unconstitutional third term in office. The president is said to be on his way back to the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, where he’s expected to address the nation.

Sinking migrants rescued off Aceh

More than 800 migrants, mainly from Bangladesh and Myanmar, have arrived in the Indonesian province of Aceh after being rescued by local fishing boats when their vessel sank nearby. Thousands more are thought to be trapped at sea after being abandoned by people smugglers. Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are reluctant to take them in. Joe Lowry is the spokesperson for the International Organisation for Migration in the Asia Pacific: “Smaller numbers of people are being taken ashore by local fishermen – 20, 60 at a time. But there are still certainly larger boats out there and up to 8,000 people perhaps on the high seas.”

U.S. promises support for Persian Gulf leaders

The U.S. President Barack Obama has vowed to stand by Washington’s allies in the Persian Gulf, following a two day summit at Camp David with leaders from the region. Gulf nations fear that lifting sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme might empower the Iranian government to increase its support for armed Shia groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. But Obama reassured the Arab leaders that Washington had their backs: “The United States is prepared to work jointly with G.C.C. member states to deter and confront an external threat to any G.C.C. state’s territorial integrity that is inconsistent with the U.N. charter.”

Wreckage of missing U.S. helicopter found in Nepal

Officials in Nepal say army search teams have found the wreckage of a US military helicopter that crashed earlier this week on a relief mission. They say none of the six US marines and two Nepali soldiers on board the helicopter survived the crash near the border with China.

BB King dies

The American blues guitarist and singer BB King has died in Las Vegas at the age of 89. In a career that spanned more than 65 years, King won a total of 15 Grammys and his playing style influenced a generation of guitarists – including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.

The Weather

Overcast with increasing rain in most of Austria. Regions north of the Danube should see the driest conditions. Top temperatures will range from 7C to 18C.

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