News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

German trains in deadly head-on collision

At least nine people have been killed in a head-on collision between two trains in the southern German state of Bavaria, close to the Austrian border. Over 100 others were injured, many of them seriously. The collision happened on a single track line between a river and woodland. Boats and helicopters are involved in the emergency operation. The German television reporter Dana Regev is at the scene: "The reason for this accident is still not clear. The number of commuters on the train was probably lower than usual due to the Carnival, the celebration season in Bavaria. So potentially a bigger disaster could´ve happened."

Turkey allows in some Syrian refugees

Turkey has reportedly begun allowing Syrian refugees into the country. Some 10,000 have now been let in, but around 40,000 remain massed at the Turkish border, after fleeing the fighting around the Syrian city of Aleppo. The European Council President Donald Tusk says Russian air strikes in Syria are making a bad situation worse by helping President Bashar al-Assad, weakening the moderate opposition and triggering a fresh wave of refugees.

Austria´s Foreign Minister visits Serbia

The Austrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz is continuing his tour of the Balkans with a visit to Serbia. He is hoping to persuade Balkan leaders to agree a common approach to tackling the refugee crisis. During talks in Bosnia Herzegovina on Monday, Kurz expressed understanding for concerns about Austria´s plan to cap refugee numbers.

New Hampshire votes in key US primary

The first votes are being cast in the presidential primary election in the US state of New Hampshire. The Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is hoping for a better performance than in last week's Iowa caucuses, which were won by Senator Ted Cruz. The main Democratic race is between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

Arrest in Taiwan over apartment block collapse

Prosecutors in the southern Taiwan city of Tainan have arrested the developer of an apartment block which collapsed during an earthquake on Saturday killing at least 39 people. Rescue work has focused on the wreckage of the 17-storey building, where more than 100 people are listed as missing. No survivors have been brought out since Monday evening. Questions have been raised about the building's construction.

Violence mars Hong Kong´s New Year festivities

Protesters and police have clashed during Hong Kong's Lunar New Year celebrations, leaving dozens injured. Riot police used batons and pepper spray and fired warning shots into the air after authorities tried to clear illegal street vendors in the Mong Kok district.

The weather

A mix of sunshine and cloud, with some rain in the west and south. Top temperatures from 4 to 16.

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