News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

UK focuses on bomb theory in plane crash

The BBC is reporting that British investigators looking into the crash of a Russian airliner in Sinai in Egypt last week-end believe that a bomb was put into the hold before the aircraft left the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The intelligence is said to be based on intercepted communications among militants in the Sinai Peninsula. Both Egypt and Russia say it's too early to draw conclusions about the cause of the crash, whilst the US President Barack Obama made this comment: "I don't think we know yet. You know whenever you get a plane crash first of all you've got the tragedy, making sure there is an investigation on site. I think there is a possibility that there was a bomb on board and we're taking that very seriously." Meanwhile, Egypt's civil aviation ministry has denied reports that they're stopping British airlines from flying into Sharm al-Sheikh to bring stranded British tourists back home. A spokesman said flights were limited but that was because of the airport's capacity.

Dozens missing in Brazil dam burst

At least two people have died and dozens are missing in south eastern Brazil after a dam at an iron ore mine burst, flooding nearby homes. Officials say the dam, which was holding sludge from the mine, ruptured yesterday afternoon, sending torrents of mud and debris into a nearby town.

Ukraine talks in Berlin

The foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France are meeting in Berlin today to discuss ways of solving the conflict in eastern Ukraine. They’ll be focussing on the implementation of the Minsk peace accord. Yesterday international monitors in the region reported truce violations near the airport in the rebel-held city of Donetsk.

Campaigning wraps up in Myanmar

A final day of campaigning has been underway in Myanmar ahead of elections on Sunday which will be the first openly contested polls in 25 years, following decades of military rule. Many observers and analysts say they expect the party of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi - the National League for Democracy - to do well. Andrew Patrick, the British Ambassador to Myanmar, says the election will be a test of the reform process which started 4 years ago: "there were some flaws which we knew about from the beginning, which arise from the constitution and there have been some things that have developed during the campaign that we've been worried about. But if they manage to have a credible election and they hand over power to whoever's won that election, that's really a significant test of the reform process."

Lufthansa strike begins

Cabin crews at the German airline Lufthansa are going on strike at Frankfurt and Duesseldorf from this afternoon. Lufthansa says it's cancelled nearly 300 flights today - including 15 long-haul departures. The development follows the failure of talks aimed at resolving a row over early retirement benefits and pensions.

The weather

Frequent sunshine and mild with highs ranging between 12 and 20 degrees.

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