News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Australia accused of paying people smugglers

Australia's navy has been accused of paying the crew of a boat carrying migrants to turn back to Indonesia, as part of the country's tough asylum policy. Speaking in a radio interview, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to deny the allegations brought by an Indonesian police chief. “We will do whatever is reasonably necessary to protect our country from people smuggling and from the effect of this evil and damaging trade.”

EU divided over asylum quota plans

European Union countries meanwhile are reported to be still deeply divided over plans to introduce an EU wide quota system for asylum seekers. Officials say only around 10 member states are in favour of the system, which is designed to ease the burden on countries with high numbers of asylum applications.

Charges considered over Germanwings crash

A new investigation has been launched by French prosecutors into the Germanwings air disaster, to determine if manslaughter charges should be brought. It's been revealed that several doctors treating the co-pilot Andreas Lubitz felt he wasn't fit to fly, but couldn't inform the airline because of secrecy laws. Lubitz is thought to have deliberately crashed the airliner in March. Dr Alan Diehl is an air safety expert. “It sounds like the prosecutor is going to do a very thorough job to find out who knew what when and whether or not that could be criminally sanctioned or not.”

Dominique Strauss-Kahn acquitted of pimping

A French court has acquitted the former International Monetary Fund boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The 66 year old was accused of procuring prostitutes for sex parties in France, Belgium and the US.

South Korea reports 11th MERS death

South Korea says an 11th person has now died from Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome, making the outbreak the worst outside of Saudi Arabia. Health officials say the outbreak may have peaked with fewer new MERS cases reported.

Nigeria enlists neighbours in Boko Haram fight

Nigeria has agreed to set up a joint military force with neighbouring Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin, to tackle the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Nigerian government spokesman Garba Shehu says the force will also have a humanitarian mission. “It’s not going to be war, war, war. Whatever the military will be doing is going to be supplemented by developmental projects to reduce poverty and raise the standard of living.”

UN says peacekeepers paying for sex with locals

A new United Nations study claims that UN peacekeepers regularly pay for sex with local women, despite a ban on such activity. A survey conducted by the UN in Haiti and Liberia has revealed that women often exchange sex for cash or gifts because of hunger and poverty.

Germany drops Merkel phone tap investigation

Germany has dropped an investigation into the alleged tapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone by the US. Prosecutors say the US National Security Agency has failed to provide enough evidence to proceed with legal action.

The Weather

Mostly sunny conditions are set to continue this afternoon, with the chance of some thundery showers in mountainous areas. Top temperatures will range from 26 to 33 degrees.

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