News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Syria to dominate UN meeting

The conflict in Syria is at the centre of intense diplomatic activity in New York, where world leaders are attending the UN General Assembly. The Russian President Vladimir Putin - who's reiterated his support for the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - has called for a co-ordinated effort in the military campaign against the Islamic State group. Putin will be holding talks with the US President Barack Obama later today. Moscow has already suggested that there are plans to form an international contact group on Syria that would include Russia, the US, Iran, Turkey and other regional powers.

Taliban attacks northern Afghan city

Taliban fighters have launched a new offensive in northern Afghanistan. They entered the city of Kunduz from 3 directions, burning buildings and briefly taking over a hospital. It's the second time this year that the Taliban has attacked Kunduz.

Pro-independence parties dominate Catalan poll

In Spain, pro-independence parties in Catalonia are celebrating a victory in yesterday's regional elections. Artur Mas is Catalonia's acting regional government head and leader of the main separatist alliance: "we have a clear mandate because we were not allowed by the Spanish institutions to hold a specific referendum on independence but we tried to transform these elections into a plebiscite." The government in Madrid says it will challenge any unilateral moves towards independence in the courts.

FPÖ makes big gains in regional poll

Turning to Austrian politics and the Freedom Party has scored a major victory in regional elections in Upper Austria. The FPÖ won over 30% of the vote. The ÖVP remains the strongest party in the province but suffered major losses. Its coalition with the Green Party has lost its majority. Future coalition possibilities include the ÖVP and the Freedom Party or the ÖVP and the Social Democrats which also lost votes. Analysts say the poll was dominated by the refugee crisis.

Shell stops Alaska oil exploration

Royal Dutch Shell has announced it will stop looking for oil and gas off the coast of Alaska for the foreseeable future. The company says exploratory tests have shown that there isn't enough oil in the region. Environmental groups have opposed drilling in the area, arguing that it could lead to oil spills as well as posing a threat for polar bears, walrus and ice seals. Greenpeace spokesman Ben Ayliffe has welcomed the decision: "Greenpeace has been saying that the risks are too high, the costs are too high and now it seems that Shell agrees with us so it means that there won't be the inevitable arctic spill."

The weather

Mainly sunny in the east and far west. Elsewhere cloudy. A strong wind at times. Highs ranging between 10 and 18 degrees.

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