News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Postal votes to decide Austria's election

Postal votes will decide the outcome of Austria's presidential election after results announced yesterday put the Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer and the former Greens party leader Alexander van der Bellen neck and neck at 50 per cent each. Hofer is in the lead following the direct ballot count, but that could change given the very large number of postal ballots. The Interior Ministry will announce the winner after the postal vote count is completed later today. Jeremy Cliffe is a journalist with the Economist magazine. He says whether or not the Freedom Party - or FPÖ - wins the presidency, its rise in popularity has strong implications for the current coalition of the Social Democrats and ÖVP: "Austria has done better in the last few years than many European countries, but it still has big problems. Unemployment is rising when in many European countries it's now falling. And the new Chancellor Mr Kern wants to liberalise the economy, he wants to shake things up, he wants to reform the government finances. And doing that will be much harder if the FPÖ has the sort of influence that it looks like it will have - regardless of whether or not it wins the presidential election. It is now such a big force on the Austrian political scene."

100 reported killed in attacks in Syria

A series of car bombings and suicide attacks have hit two coastal cities in Syria in the government heartland of Latakia. According to reports, more than 100 people have been killed. There were several explosions in Jableh and Tartous. A hospital in Jableh is also reported to have been hit. The so-called Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Iraqi military announces Fallujah offensive

The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced the start of a military operation to retake Falluja from the Islamic State group. The military has already warned civilians to leave the town. Fallujah is one of the group's two remaining strongholds in Iraq.

18 girls killed in fire in Thailand

Police in Thailand say 18 girls ranging from 5 to 12 years old have been killed in a fire at a boarding school dormitory in the north of the country. Fire-fighters took three hours to put out the blaze. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Humanitarian summit opens in Turkey

An international summit aimed at improving humanitarian aid and responses to global crises has opened in Turkey. The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is using it to urge governments, businesses and aid groups to make a commitment to halving the number of refugees and displaced people by the year 2030. The event is trying to mobilise funds and get international leaders to agree on a range of issues including managing refugee crises and renewing commitments to international humanitarian law.

The weather

Rain and storms - some of them heavy with strong winds – will be moving in from the West. Still some sunshine in the east and southeast which should stay mainly dry until the evening. Highs ranging from 3 in the West to 29 in the East.

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