News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Many dead in Brussels terror attacks

Belgian authorities have placed Brussels on the highest state of alert and the city is in virtual lock down after a series of explosions at the Zaventem airport and the Maelbeek metro station. The Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel says that all three explosions were terrorist attacks. Thirteen people died and over 130 were injured, 35 of them seriously, in two blasts at the airport. The death toll from the metro attack currently stands at 15, with 55 others wounded. Belgian police had been on alert days after the capture in Brussels of Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the Paris attacks in November which killed 130 people. Terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank says it´s an attack on the heart of Europe: "This was a coordinated gun and bomb attack in the heart of Europe. At Brussels airport there were shots fired, cries of Allahu Akbar and then a suicide bombing, also some kind of explosion, apparent bombing, at Maelbeek metro station. That´s right underneath the European Parliament in Brussels."

Belgian capital in “lockdown”

Brussels airport has cancelled all flights until at least 6 a.m. on Wednesday. All three main long-distance rail stations in the Belgian capital have been closed and Eurostar train services from London to Brussels have been suspended. All public transport in Brussels has been shut down and the Belgian Crisis Centre has appealed to people to stay where they are. The European Commission has told staff to stay indoors, while security has been tightened at NATO headquarters.

Heightened security in many European cities

The Brussels blasts have triggered concern across Western Europe, with security being stepped up at the French, German and Dutch borders. Additional police are being deployed at airports and public transport services in Paris, London and other European cities. The Austrian Interior Ministry says more police are being deployed on the streets and at airports.

Obama wraps up historic Cuba trip

The US president Barack Obama will conclude his historic visit to Cuba today by meeting dissidents and giving a televised address. He´s made human rights and political reform a key element of engagements on the island, telling president Raul Castro in a press conference that relations between the two countries would only flourish when freedom had taken hold.

Suu Kyi to join Myanmar´s new government

Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in elections in Myanmar in November, is to be a member of the new cabinet. Suu Kyi´s name was on a list of 18 submitted to parliament by President-elect Htin Kyaw, a close ally.

The weather

A mix of cloud and sunshine, with isolated rain or hail showers east of Salzburg. Top temperatures from 5 to 13.

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