News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Orban claims referendum victory

The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared victory following yesterday's referendum on mandatory EU quotas for asylum seekers. Nearly 98% of those who voted supported the government's call to reject the plan but turnout was too low for the vote to be valid. The opposition said that made it clear that most Hungarians didn't support the government. But Orban has urged EU decision makers to take note of the result.

Voters in Colombia reject peace deal

Voters in Colombia have narrowly rejected a landmark peace deal with Farc rebels. In a referendum held yesterday, just over 50% voted against it. The accord was signed last week by President Juan Manuel Santos and the Farc leader known as Timochenko after nearly four years of negotiations. However, it needed to be ratified by Colombians in order to come into force. Santos says he will continue working for peace: "as head of state, I am the guarantor of this nation's stability. As president, I continue to uphold my ability and my responsibility to maintain public order and to continue to seek and negotiate for peace." The former president of Colombia - Alvaro Uribe - who headed the "No" campaign - said all Colombians wanted peace, but that the deal was not tough enough on those Farc members who'd committed atrocities.

EU proposes new aid plan for Aleppo

The EU has proposed a new plan in coordination with the UN to get medical supplies, water and food into the Syrian city of Aleppo. However it said it required cooperation from all parties to the conflict. The UN spokesman for humanitarian affairs, Stephen O'Brien, says basic resources are in extremely short supply: "prices are sky-rocketing and people have very very few resources left, if they have them at all."

Taliban launches assault on Kunduz

Officials in Afghanistan say Taliban militants have launched an assault on the northern city of Kunduz. The militants are also reported to have taken an important district in the southern province of Helmand.

Nobel Prize for Medicine awarded

The Nobel Prize for Medicine has been awarded to Yoshi-nori Oh-sumi of Japan for his discovery of how cells break down and recycle their content. His work could lead to a better understanding of diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's and type 2 diabetes.

The weather

Cloud and a few showers moving in from the northwest. Sunny periods in between with most of the sunshine in the region between eastern Tyrol and southern Burgenland. Very windy. And highs ranging beteen 9 and 18 degrees.

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