News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Kern to become chancellor next week

Christian Kern, the CEO of Austria's national railway company the ÖBB, looks set to become the new head of the Social Democrats and Austria's next chancellor. Ahead of a meeting of SPÖ state leaders, Vienna mayor Michael Häupl said Kern has the full backing of the party. He's expected to be sworn in as chancellor next week, after an SPÖ leadership meeting on Tuesday.

Top Hezbollah commander killed in Syria

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah's top commander in Syria, Mustafa Badreddine, has been killed. Media reports say he died in an explosion near Damascus airport. He'd been accused by the international criminal court of committing war crimes and of being behind the killing of the former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri.

Aid convoy to Damascus suburb blocked

Syrian government forces have prevented an international aid convoy from going to the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya. It would have been the first aid delivery there in three and a half years. Christa Armstrong, from the International Committee of the Red Cross, says people are living in desperate conditions: "There's no electricity or water for the past three years, so people have been, you know improvising, burning plastic sort of as an alternative fuel to boil water. The hospital is running with very little provision."

Drop in number of migrants arriving in Greece

The EU border agency Frontex has announced that the number of migrants and refugees arriving in Greece dropped by 90 percent in April, compared to March. The organisation says it's a clear sign that the EU's migrant deal with Turkey is working.Meanwhile, Italian coastguard officials say they've helped to rescue around 800 refugees from two boats off western Sicily, which are thought to have come from Egypt. They said many of those on board were Syrians.

Paul Ryan closer to endorsing Donald Trump

The most senior elected member of the US Republican party, Paul Ryan, says he's "very encouraged" by a meeting with the party's presumptive nominee for the White House, Donald Trump. Ryan - who previously said he could not endorse Trump as the Republican candidate - said differences remained between them, but they were committed to party unity: "I was very encouraged with this meeting, but this is a process, it takes a little time. You don't put it together in 45 minutes. So that is why we had, like I said, a very good start to a process on how we unify."

The weather

Generally overcast and rainy, with most of the rain on the northern side of the Alps. Top temperatures between 8 and 16 degrees - and up to 20 when the sun comes out.

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