News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Bottlenecks as Slovenia restricts migrant flow

Slovenia has restricted the number of migrants and refugees crossing its borders to 2,500 per day, raising tensions along the so called West Balkan route. Croatia, which borders Slovenia, says it could run out of emergency accommodation within days, as thousands of people continue to arrive. Melita Sunjic from the UN's Refugee Agency says the situation on the Serbia-Croatia border is also becoming increasingly desperate. “It’s raining, people are miserable, we have tents for maybe two, three hundred people to wait during rainy periods but we can’t accommodate two thousand or more people during rainy weather. So the bottleneck that has been created has dire consequences.” Around 550 people reportedly crossed over the border from Slovenia into Austria this morning.

Kerry calls for action on Middle East violence

US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on Israel and the Palestinians to take urgent action to curb a recent upsurge in violence. More than 40 Palestinians and 8 Israelis have been killed this month. Yesterday three people were killed, including an Israeli soldier, in an attack at a bus station in southern Israel that police say was carried out by an Israeli Arab.

Deadly storm strikes the Philippines

A slow moving typhoon has struck the Philippines, killing at least 9 people and causing extensive damage. Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes on the main island of Luzon in the wake of Typhoon Koppu. Justin Morgan from the charity Oxfam says rising flood waters are a major concern. “We are seeing damage as a result of wind, particularly to important infrastructure like hospitals but also in terms of the flooding. The flooding has been a metre deep in some locations, taking out crops that were in the field as well as going through townships.”

China’s economic growth continues to slow

Latest figures from China show economic growth falling to 6.9 percent, its lowest level since 2009. Beijing is under pressure to take action to stem the slowdown, amid structural changes to the Chinese economy.

Surge to the right in Swiss elections

The conservative People's Party has won parliamentary elections held over the weekend in Switzerland, increasing its share of the vote to an all time high of 29 percent. The pro-business Liberal Party also recorded gains with the Social Democrats set to lose seats, despite finishing second. The People's Party is expected to push for a tougher line on immigration after campaigning strongly on the issue.

Canada set for close parliamentary poll

Canadians are going to the polls today in what's predicted to be an extremely tight general election. Incumbent Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper is attempting to win a fourth term in office, but he faces a strong challenge from the Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau, the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

The weather

Heavy rain is expected in the east this afternoon, but showers should east in Tirol and Vorarlberg. Top temperatures will range from 3 to 11 degrees.

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