News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Shimon Peres dies at the age of 93

The veteran Israeli politician Shimon Peres has died at the age of 93 following a stroke two weeks ago. He served in several governments, twice as prime minister, and was also president. In the early part of his career, he helped to negotiate the arms deals and agreements that consolidated the military strength of Israel. But in the 1990s, he played a key role in reaching a political deal with the Palestinians for which he was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This is him speaking in 1993 at the signing of the Oslo accords: "what we are doing today is more than signing an agreement. It is a revolution. Yesterday a dream - today a commitment."

Investigators to issue MH17 report

Prosecutors in the Netherlands are about to issue a report on the downing of a Malaysian Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014. Almost 300 people died when the plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. At the time of the disaster, Ukrainian government forces were engaged in heavy fighting with pro-Russian separatists. An earlier inquiry by the Dutch Safety Board said a Russian-made Buk missile had hit the aircraft without saying who fired it. Among those following the inquiry is Hans de Borst who lost his 17-year-old daughter Elsemiek in the disaster: "I don't think ever that the ones who did it will go to jail. But on the other hand for me it's good that countries that have true genuine values work together to solve what can be solved."

Air strikes continue in Aleppo

As Syrian government forces press ahead with their campaign to re-take Aleppo, reports say fresh air strikes have hit a hospital and a bakery in the rebel-held eastern part of the city. A radiologist at the hospital told the Reuters news agency that the plane flew over the building and dropped missiles on it.

32,000 arrested over Turkey coup attempt

Turkish officials say a total of 32,000 people have been arrested as part of investigations into a coup attempt in July. The Justice Ministry also said around 70,000 people have faced legal proceedings over suspected links with the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who's been accused by the government of engineering the coup attempt. He denies any involvement.

18 killed in mine blast in China

Officials in China say 18 people have been killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine. Two miners are missing. Local authorities say an excessive concentration of gas and the collapse of the mine shaft had hindered rescue efforts.

The weather

Mainly sunny but with some cloud moving in from the north. A lively wind in Upper and Lower Austria and highs between 17 and 25 degrees.

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