News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

4 injured in attack on German train

4 people have been injured, at least one of them critically, in an axe and knife attack on a train in southern Germany. The attacker - a 17-year old Afghan man who had come to the country as an unaccompanied asylum seeker - was shot dead by police. The so-called Islamic State has reportedly claimed responsibility. Officials in Bavaria say a hand-painted IS flag has been found among the teenager's belongings in the flat where he had been staying but add that investigations are continuing. Christoph Röckerath, a journalist with ZDF, explains how the investigation is being conducted: "what they're doing now is they're talking to the people who lived with the young man who came here as an unaccompanied minor. He lived with a foster family for the past weeks."

Death penalty discussion in Turkey

The UN's human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein says any decision to restore the death penalty in Turkey would be "a big step in the wrong direction" and a breach of Turkey's obligations under international law. The comment followed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement that he would be ready to reinstate the death penalty in the wake of Friday's failed coup "if people demanded it" and parliament approves the necessary legislation. Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party, which is in opposition, has said it will back the government if it does decide to restore it. Ankara scrapped the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the European Union. But EU officials have warned the practice is incompatible with EU membership.

IOC discusses Russian ban

The International Olympic Committee is holding an emergency meeting to discuss a recommendation from the World Anti-Doping Agency that Russia be excluded from the Rio games. The IOC president Thomas Bach said he'd been shocked by the latest report from WADA which said that the Russian sports ministry had orchestrated a systematic cheating operation across many sports. The Olympics begin on August 5th.

UN warns of malnutrition in Nigeria

The UN's children's agency says almost a quarter of a million children in parts of Nigeria's Borno state are suffering from severe malnutrition. The region was formerly controlled by the Boko Haram group. UNICEF has warned that tens of thousands of youngsters will die if treatment does not reach them soon.

26 die in bus fire in Taiwan

Reports from Taiwan say at least 26 people have died in a bus fire. The disaster happened when the vehicle, which was carrying Chinese tourists, smashed into a roadside barrier and burst into flames. A local guide and the driver were also killed.

The weather

Mainly sunny. Isolated thundery showers in the mountains. And very warm with highs ranging between 23 and 30 degrees, up to 32 in Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Carinthia.

Übersicht

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