News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Aircraft debris found on Indian Ocean island

Malaysian officials are heading to the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion to determine whether debris washed up there is from a Malaysian plane which vanished last year. It´s understood to be part of a wing from a Boeing 777. Each aircraft part reportedly has a unique serial number and investigators should be able to tell quickly whether the debris is from the missing aircraft. MH370 disappeared en route to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Russia vetoes MH17 tribunal at UN

Russia has used its veto at the United Nations to block a draft resolution to set up an international tribunal to try those who shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine a year ago. All 298 people on board were killed when the plane was hit by a rocket during a flight from the Netherlands to Malaysia. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other. The US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power criticised Russia's veto: "By vetoing this resolution Russia has tried to deny justice to the 298 victims on that plane and deny their families the chance to hold accountable those responsible. Russia has callously disregarded the public outcry in the grieving nations, the appeals of the families affected."

Tsipras proposes party referendum amid divisions

The Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras has proposed a referendum in his ruling Syriza party on Sunday, amid serious divisions over further austerity measures needed to secure a third bailout deal. He says Syriza is facing a major dilemma - whether to succumb or go ahead with a compromise it was forced into.

Britain´s PM warns Calais migrants

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that Britain will not become a "safe haven" for migrants in Calais, after hundreds continued their attempts to reach the UK. Speaking after people gathered for a third night at fencing at the Channel Tunnel freight terminal, Cameron said illegal immigrants would be deported.

AI requests Traiskirchen inspection

The Austrian Interior Ministry says it is considering a request from Amnesty International to inspect the severely-overcrowded reception centre for asylum seekers at Traiskirchen in Lower Austria. 4,500 people are currently housed at the centre, with many forced to sleep in tents or out in the open. The UN Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, has described conditions at Traiskirchen as intolerable, dangerous and degrading.

Three die in attack on Turkish soldiers

The Turkish military says three soldiers have been killed in an attack by the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK on an army battalion in the province of Sirnak. Turkey has launched raids against PKK positions in northern Iraq and south eastern Turkey, and the militants have escalated attacks against Turkish security forces in the past week.

The weather

Mostly overcast with scattered showers in the west and south. Highs today from 14 to 24.

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