News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Fillion denies corruption allegations

Conservative French presidential candidate Francois Fillon has been giving a press conference in Paris. He has already been summoned to meet with magistrates investigating corruption allegations against him. He has been accused of providing a government job for his wife who allegedly did little or no work. Fillon has denied any wrongdoing and says he is the victim of a political assassination.

Juncker presents paper on EU’s future

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker is presenting a paper today which outlines the commission’s position on the future of the EU. Juncker has said the EU needs a vision of its role in today’s world and must face the challenge of meeting Europeans’ expectations in such areas as security and their standard of living. Juncker has also praised the EU and its various institutions for helping keep the peace in most of Europe since 1945.

Taliban attacks in Kabul

In Afghanistan, the Taliban says it carried out two attacks in different parts of the capital, Kabul. A suicide car bomb caused an explosion, killing one person outside the offices of Afghanistan’s national security service in eastern Kabul. 35 people were wounded in a separate attack on a police station in the western part of the city.

Trump gives first State of the Union speech

President Donald Trump has given his first State of the Union speech to the US Congress and Supreme Court. Trump repeated some of the promises he made during his presidential campaign:“Dying industries will come roaring back to life, our military will be given the resources its brave warriors so richly deserve, crumbling infrastructure will be replaced, and our neglected inner cities will see a rebirth of hope safety and opportunity.” In the Democrats’ official response, former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear condemned Trump for seeking closer ties with Russia at the expense of European allies. He also criticized Trump’s confrontational approach to those who criticize him: “President Trump also needs to understand that people may disagree with him from time to time, but that doesn’t make them his enemies. When the president attacks the loyalty and credibility of our intelligence agencies, the free press, individual Americans… he’s eroding our democracy.”

Budapest says No to hosting the Olympics

In Hungary, the Budapest city council has voted to withdraw the city’s bid to host the Olympic games in 2024. The move leaves only Los Angeles and Paris in contention. The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city in September.

German politicians seek to bar Erdogan

In Germany, politicians from across the political spectrum have called for a ban on allowing Turkey’s president Recip Tayyip Erdogan to travel to Germany to campaign among Turkish citizens ahead of a referendum next month on constitutional changes which would greatly expand his powers. Berlin has also condemned Erdogan’s crackdown on the media, including the arrest of a Turkish-German journalist.

The weather

The weather this afternoon will remain variably cloudy with some scattered rain and snowfall. Highs today are ranging from 4 to 13 degrees.

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