News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Germany France and Italy discuss Brexit

The leaders of Germany, France and Italy are holding talks to discuss the future of the EU in the wake of the UK's vote to leave the bloc earlier this year. The Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande are meeting on the Italian island of Ventotene. EU analyst Guntram Wolff: "the main topic will certainly be Brexit. But I think linked to this is also the question: what exactly do we as continental Europeans want to do differently to convince voters who are getting dispassionate about the European project."

Many children among the victims of Turkey attack

Officials in Turkey say at least 22 victims of a bomb attack at a Kurdish wedding party at the week-end were under the age of 14. Over 50 people were killed in the blast which the authorities say was carried out by a suicide bomber aged between 12 and 14. The Islamic State terror group has been blamed for the attack.

YPG militia launches assault against Syrian army

Reports coming out of Syria say the Kurdish YPG militia has launched a major assault aimed at seizing the last government-controlled parts of the north eastern city of Hasaka. Last week the Syrian army deployed warplanes against the group for the first time.

Landmark trial begins at ICC

An Islamist militant has pleaded guilty at the International Criminal Court to charges of organising the destruction of cultural heritage in the city of Timbuktu in Mali in 2012. Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi was accused of leading the destruction of 14 mausoleums when an al-Qaeda linked group seized larges areas of northern Mali. The case marks the first time that destroying cultural heritage has been prosecuted as a war crime.

Rio Olympics end with spectacular ceremony

The Rio Olympics have ended with a spectacular closing ceremony. The event featured the symbolic handing over of the Olympic flag to Japan which hosts the summer games in 2020. The head of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach said the Rio Games had been a "marvellous Olympics in a marvellous city" and announced the closure of the 2016 games: "I declare the games of the 31st Olympiad closed. In accordance with tradition, I call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in Tokyo Japan. "

Jazz great Toots Thielemans dies at 94

The renowned Belgian jazz musician Toots Thielemans has died at the age of 94. Thielemans played with a wide range of musicians including other jazz stars such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald.

The weather

Occasional sunshine in the far west and in the south. Elsewhere quite cloudy with a bit of rain at times but also some sunny periods. Windy and relatively cool with highs mostly between 16 and 24 degrees.

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