News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Van der Bellen becomes Austria's new President

Austria's new President Alexander van der Bellen has been sworn into office. The 73-year old former Greens party leader won December's run-off presidential election, defeating Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party.

Mexico's President condemns Trump's wall plans

The Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has condemned President Donald Trump's order to build a wall along the US-Mexican border. He said Mexico did not believe in barriers and again rebuffed Trump's assertion that Mexico would end up paying for its construction. And he said his government would do everything possible to protect the rights of migrants in the US: "the 50 Mexican Consulates in the US will be converted into centres for the defence of the rights of immigrants. Our communities are not alone. The Mexican government will give them the legal advice they need to guarantee protection. Wherever there is a Mexican migrant at risk we must be there."

Trump says waterboarding works

In another development, President Trump has said he believes that torture works. In an interview with ABC news in which he discussed how he would handle the campaign against the Islamic State terror group, he said he would consult with his Defence Secretary James Mattis and CIA director Mike Pompeo on whether to re-instate interrogation techniques such as waterboarding: "when ISIS is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since medieval times - would I feel strongly about waterboarding? As far as I'm concerned, we have to fight fire with fire. Now with that being said, I'm going with General Mattis... I'm going to go with what they say."

Theresa May to visit Washington

The British Prime Minister Theresa May is to become the first foreign leader to meet President Trump. She's due to visit Washington tomorrow.

Anti-terror raids in Vienna and Graz

A series of anti-terror operations are being carried out in Vienna and Graz. Few details are being released but officials say the raids had been planned for some time. Unconfirmed media reports have spoken of around 10 arrests and suggested that radical Islamist circles have been targeted but it's thought they are not connected to last Friday's arrest of a 17-year old terror suspect.

Italia release final death toll from avalanche

Officials in Italy say the final death toll from last week's avalanche in the central region of Abruzzo is 29. Emergency crews pulled the last two bodies from the wreckage of the hotel that was buried in the disaster. 11 people survived the avalanche which followed several earthquakes earlier this month.

The Weather

Frequent sunshine on the northern side of the Alps - elsewhere some fog about with some light snowfall in places in the south and southeast. A lively wind and highs ranging between minus 7 and plus 5 degrees.

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