News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Greek MPs to vote on bailout plan

MPs in Greece are preparing to vote on the reform package which Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has sent to the country's creditors in a bid to secure a third bailout. Eurozone finance ministers will examine the new proposals, which are said to include pension reforms and tax rises, ahead of a full EU summit planned for Sunday. Henning Meyer is Editor-in-Chief of the online analysis site Social Europe: "the Greek government has effectively accepted a lot of the austerity measures that the referendum actually declined to accept just a few days ago, in return for what they call some measures on debt sustainability."

Iran talks continue

Talks on Iran's controversial nuclear programme are to resume in Vienna, despite missing another deadline. Diplomats from France, Russia, China, the US, Germany and Britain had been hoping for a deal by today but obstacles to an agreement remain. The aim of the negotiations is to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in return for relief from sanctions. Richard Nephew is a former negotiator for the US. He says he believes some progress has been made: "it sounds to me as if issues - for instance, dealing with transparency and monitoring Iran's nuclear programme under a deal - have now been largely resolved. I think though that the issues that remain are pretty essential and they're also pretty sensitive for all parties concerned. Things like the timing of sanctions relief as well as how Iran is going to answer questions about its past weapons programme."

23 killed in stampede in Bangladesh

Officials in Bangladesh say at least 23 people have been killed and 50 injured in a stampede which happened whilst free clothing was being distributed. Hundreds of people rushed through a small gate into a factory compound, causing a crush. 6 people have been detained, including a businessman who organised the charity hand-out.

2 shot dead by gunman in Bavaria

Reports coming out of the German state of Bavaria say a gunman in a car has shot dead at least 2 people in the district of Ansbach. German police say a suspect has now been arrested.

Volcano erupts in Indonesia

3 airports remain closed in Indonesia, including one on the tourist island of Bali, after the eruption of Mount Raung, a volcano in East Java. A number of flights between Bali and Australia have been cancelled in recent days because of the danger from volcanic ash.

China evacuates thousands ahead of storm

The authorities in China have evacuated 60,000 people in the wake of an approaching typhoon with winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour. The storm is heading towards the south eastern coast. Flights and rail travel have been cancelled.

The weather

Frequent sunshine with some cloud in places. A lively wind at times and highs ranging between 21 and 29 degrees.

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