New Saudi Crown prince Named / Human Smuggler Trial Opens in Hungary +++ Belgian Police Name Terrorist Suspect

22. Juli 2017, 02:00

New Saudi Crown prince Named

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has named his 31-year old son Mohammad bin Salman to be the kingdom’s new crown prince. He will replace the king’s nephew, Mohammad bin Nayef. It is thought the move comes now because the king wants to avoid a later power struggle between his nephew and his son. Rami Khouri is a political scientist at the American University in Beirut: “He seems to be popular with younger people because he is young himself. This is a generational shift. It is an effort by the Saudi leadership to maintain the political order which they have favoured for the last 50, 60 years.”

Human Smuggler Trial Opens in Hungary

Eleven men are going on trial today in Hungary. They are accused of causing the deaths of 71 refugees who suffocated in the back of a truck, which was abandoned in Austria, close to the Hungarian border, in August of 2015. The men on trial are from Bulgaria, Lebanon and Afghanistan and face charges of being part of a criminal smuggling network.

Belgian Police Name Terrorist Suspect

Counter-terrorism officials in Belgium are investigating the background of a man shot dead by police last night at the main train station in Brussels. He was killed after detonating a small explosive. The suspect was a 36-year old man from Morocco.

EU to Honour Helmut Kohl

The European Union will hold a special memorial ceremony at the European Parliament in Strausbourg on July 1st to honour former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl who died last week at the age of 87. Seen as the father of German reunification, Kohl also pushed for greater European integration and for the creation of the euro to replace national currencies such as the German Deutschmark.

Queen Presents Government Agenda to Parliament

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is presenting the government’s agenda this afternoon to both houses of Parliament in London. This comes as Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to operate a minority government. Her Conservatives lost their majority in parliament following this month’s general election. May has been seeking the support of Unionists in Northern Ireland to support her government’s agenda. John McDonnell of the opposition Labour Party says May’s government is in disarray over its weakened position and opposition to the Brexit:“This government can’t agree amongst itself, they’re falling”.

Progress Seen in Fight Against Fires in Portugal

Emergency services in Portugal say they are making progress in containing wildfires which have killed 64 people since a thunderstrike ignited the fires last Saturday. Over 2000 firefighters have been deployed and 24 planes are being used to drop water on the flames.

The weather

The afternoon will remain mostly hot, humid and sunny, but there is also a chance of scattered heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms. Highs today are ranging from 25 to 34 degrees.

Übersicht

• News In English