MSF sees genocide in Myanmar +++ EU summit in Brussels +++ Airline Niki insolvent +++ UN appeals to Russia

14. Jänner 2018, 02:00

MSF sees genocide in Myanmar

The medical charity MSF says that more than six thousand Rohinga Muslims were killed when Myanmar’s military launched a crackdown against them in late August. MSF’s Carlene Clayer says the deaths could be classified as genocide: “We talks about people being killed, burned alive in their houses, being beaten to death, so those numbers should at least raise a lot of questions.”

EU summit in Brussels

European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels for their final summit of this year. Defence and migration issues are on the agenda. Brexit will also be discussed with leaders set to vote on whether negotiations should advance to the next level. In a related story, British MPs have declared that Parliament will have the final say on the Brexit deal. The move is seen as a setback for Priminister Theresa May. Justice Minister Dominic raab says the move will not delay plans for Britain to leave the EU in 2019: “It is a significant setback. We obviously want to win all votes. We lost this vote. We’ll take another look. The key thing is it won’t frustrate the Brexit process and we’ll make sure we have the smooth Brexit that we all want to see.”

Airline Niki insolvent

The Austrian airline Niki has cancelled all its flights after filing for bankruptcy protection. Lufthansa dropped plans to acquire Niki after Brussels said such an acquisition would violate European Union anti-cartel laws. One thousand Niki employees are expected to lose their jobs. Austrian transport minister Jörg Leichtfried has said customers booked on Niki flights through the Christmas holidays will be re-booked on flights with other airlines.

UN appeals to Russia

UN Special Envoy Steffan di Mistura is urging Russia to persuade Syrian President Bashir al-assad to end the country’s civil war and hold free elections. He made the statement before the latest round of peace talks in Geneva.

Pence Mideast trip delayed

US Vice-President Mike Pence has postponed a visit to the Middle East which had been scheduled for next week. The move comes after Palestinian President Mahmoud abbas cancelled a meeting with Pence after President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel.

Attack in Somalia

In Somalia, 13 police officers have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the capital Mogudishu. The Islamist group al Shabab says it was behind the attack.

The weather

The weather will remain a mix of sunny and cloudy skies with rain in the Alps. Highs today are ranging from 2 to 10 degrees.

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