News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

EU and Turkey work on migration deal

E.U. leaders are meeting the Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, in Brussels to try to finalize a deal aimed at ending the European migration crisis. Ankara is being offered financial aid and political concessions in return for taking back all migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey. Jan Techau is the director of the think tank Carnegie Europe. He believes Turkey has many incentives to strike a deal with Brussels in the coming hours: “They’re not as needy as the EU is in this specific situation but yet they also still want some additional money and, above all, they want visa-free travel to the E.U. There is a motivation on the Turkish side to also, you know, come to a deal today.”

Germany keeps Embassy and schools in Turkey closed

Germany says it will keep its diplomatic missions and German schools in Turkey closed until the weekend due to – what it calls - a highly credible security threat. Der Spiegel magazine has reported separately that American, Turkish and Kurdish security sources informed Berlin that a suicide attack, linked to Islamic State, was planned against German targets in Turkey.

The U.S. accuses Islamic State of genocide

The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has accused the Islamic State group, otherwise known as Daesh, of committing genocide against religious minorities in the Middle East. Kerry says Yazidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims have been the targets of the genocide: “Daesh is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology, and by actions in what it says, in what it believes and what it does.” It's only the second time that a U.S. administration has made a genocide accusation during a conflict.

Geert Wilders on trial

In the Netherlands the right-wing politician Geert Wilders has appeared in court in Amsterdam for the start of his trial on charges of discrimination and inciting hatred against the Dutch Moroccan minority. Wilders, who denies wrongdoing, could go to prison for up to a year, if convicted.

North Korea test fires missiles

North Korea has fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its eastern coast – days after the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, ordered more nuclear warhead and missile tests. U.S. officials say the medium-range missiles flew about 800 kilometers before falling into the water. The moves come amid ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.

Brazilian police clash with anti-government protesters

Police in Brazil have fired teargas and stun grenades to keep protesters away from the headquarters of Dilma Rousseff. They accuse the president, who faces impeachment proceedings, of corruption. Earlier a judge blocked Rousseff’s attempts to appoint her predecessor, Luis Inacio Lula de Silva, as her chief of staff. Lula is also facing charges of corruption and a ministerial post would offer him some immunity from prosecution.

The weather

Mostly sunny and clear with strong winds in the east. Highs will range from 8C to 16C. The weekend will be sunny in the south and west, while the east will see cooler and more overcast conditions.

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