News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Colombian president wins Nobel Peace Prize

This year’s Nobel peace prize has been awarded to Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos for his efforts to end the long civil war with the Marxist FARC rebels which began in 1964. Santos has said the peace process will continue even after a slim majority of Colombians rejected a peace deal in a referendum held last weekend. The announcement that Santos won the prize was made Nobel chairwoman Kaci Kullmann-Five: “The Norwegian Nobel Committee emphasizes the importance of the fact that President Santos is now inviting all parties to participate in a broad-based national dialogue aimed at advancing the peace process.” Political analyst Paul Rogers says it was a good selection: “It is not totally a surprise. You find with the history of the Nobel Peace Prize quite often it is often related to recent peace initiatives. Juan Manuel Santos has been really working extremely hard to try and get a peace deal going.”

US braces for hurricane Matthew

In the southeastern United States millions of people are fleeing coastal areas ahead of Hurricane Matthew. The storm is packing winds of up to 200 kilometers an hour. Meanwhile, over 300 people are confirmed to have been killed when the hurricane swept through Haiti earlier this week. Tens of thousands of survivors have been left homeless.

France puts forward Syria peace plan

Russia says it is studying a UN draft resolution on efforts to end the fighting in Syria. France put forward the plan and says it is specifically aimed at ending attacks on the city of Aleppo. Russia has called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council for later today. Yesterday it was announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will go to Paris for diplomatic talks on the Syrian war. In a related story, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling on Russia to use its influence with the Syrian government to help end the war.

Juncker urges tough line with UK

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says the EU must take a hard line with Britain during the upcoming Brexit negotiations. Juncker says Britain cannot expect fill access to European markets if it tries to close down the free movement of people into Britain from the 27 member states of the EU.

Morocco held parliamentary vote

Parliamentary elections are being held today in Morocco. The top contenders are a moderate Islamist party and a centrist party with links to the country’s royal family. The dominant issues have been rising unemployment and fears about religious radicalization.

More unrest in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, 11 factories and dozens of vehicles have been damaged in anti-government protest. It is the latest unrest linked to protests for wider freedoms in the east African country.

UN outlins bias against girls

A new report by the United Nations Children’s Fund says that girls spend about 40 percent more time doing unpaid housework than boys. UNICEF says girls have less time for education and less time to enjoy their childhood. They are also more at risk of sexual violence.

The weather

The afternoon will be mostly sunny in the northeast and in regions from Vorarlberg to Carinthia. Elsewhere it will be cloudy with highs from 5 to 13 degrees.

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