News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Tributes paid to British MP Jo Cox

In the UK, vigils have been held for the Labour MP Jo Cox who was shot and stabbed in Yorkshire where she'd been holding a constituency meeting. The 41-year old, who had previously worked for aid groups, was a strong advocate for the rights of refugees. She'd also campaigned for the UK to stay in the EU. Police have arrested a 52-year old man and are trying to establish a motive for the attack. One eye witness said he had shouted "Britain first" during the assault. There are also reports that he had mental health problems. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is among those paying tribute to Jo Cox: "she's somebody who dedicated her life to human rights and to justice. She worked for anti-slavery campaigns and she worked for Oxfam. She became an MP for the area where she was born and grew up and loved. In parliament she was respected across the whole house."

Iraqi forces report gains in Fallujah

Reports coming out of Iraq say Iraqi forces have re-captured the main government building in Fallujah from Islamic State fighters. The reported development comes 4 weeks after the start of a government offensive against IS aimed at re-establishing control in the city.

MSF rejects EU funds over migrant deal

The Medical aid charity Médecins Sans Frontières says it will reject all funding from the European Union and its member states in protest at a deal the EU reached with Turkey aimed at stemming the influx of refugees and migrants. The group says the agreement went against the fundamental principles of providing assistance to people in need. Jerome Oberreit is MSF's Secretary General: "what we're seeing is a deal that's being presented as a success but that completely overlooks the true human cost of what we're facing today."

Austrian officials see no grounds for poll re-run

Austria’s federal election authorities say there are no grounds for a re-run of the presidential election. A challenge to the result had been mounted by the Freedom Party, whose candidate Norbert Hofer lost to Alexander Van der Bellen by an extremely narrow margin. The party alleged that there had been numerous irregularities in the counting of the postal votes. Electoral officials say the vote counting had been conducted correctly and that there was no suggestion of manipulation. The case is being heard by the Constitutional Court.

The weather

Occasional sunshine in the east and southeast. Elsewhere mainly cloudy with a few showers and thunderstorms. A lively to strong wind and highs ranging between 16 and 24 degrees, in the southeast up to 28.

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