News | 12 October 2018

Gay marriage to become law in Austria in January +++ Claims of video evidence in alleged murder of Saudi reporter

Gay marriage to become law in Austria in January +++ Claims of video evidence in alleged murder of Saudi reporter +++ US denies deal with Turkey over Christian pastor +++ Hurricane Michael causes "unimaginable destruction" in Florida +++ Officials investigate Soyuz rocket failure +++ The weather

News | 12 October 2018

Paul Brennan

Gay marriage to become law in Austria in January

Austria's ÖVP-FPÖ coalition has given up its battle against gay marriage and confirmed that it will abide by last December’s Constitutional Court ruling that same-sex couples be allowed to tie the knot as of January 1st next year. The government - mainly at the insistence of the FPÖ - had wanted to maintain marriage as a union between a man and a woman but found no support among the opposition to build the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to make that happen. Meanwhile by coincidence Austria’s first gay marriage took place this morning in Vienna. It involved two women. They were one of the five couples whose case led to the Constitutional Court decision and who were given dispensation to marry immediately after the ruling. The change in law will also allow heterosexual couples to form registered partnerships as an alternative to marriage.

Claims of video evidence in alleged murder of Saudi reporter

U.S. media reports say the Turkish government has audio and video recordings they say prove that the missing Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul when he disappeared ten days ago. The recordings reportedly show that a Saudi security team killed the reporter and dismembered his body. Riyadh has denied all involvement. The case is being seen as a key test of the Trump administration's relations with Saudi Arabia. Jon Alterman is a Middle East analyst and friend of Khashoggi. He says the U.S. is more important to Saudi Arabia than Saudi Arabia is to the U.S.: “If it turns out that this is linked directly to (the Saudi Crown Prince) Mohammad bin Salman and if the family decides that this was a profound strategic mistake, the consequences may not be U.S.-Saudi relations. The consequences may be Mohamed bin Salman’s future.”

US denies deal with Turkey over Christian pastor

A court in Turkey has resumed hearing the case of the American evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson. He’s been detained in Turkey for two years on charges of supporting terrorism. His continued detention has damaged relations between Washington and Ankara… with both sides imposing sanctions on the other. The U.S. State Department has dismissed media reports that there’s been a secret deal to release Brunson.

Hurricane causes "unimaginable destruction" in Florida

The governor of Florida, Rick Scott, says Hurricane Michael has left "unimaginable destruction" after it ploughed into coastal areas of the U.S. state. At least six people are known to have died. Governor Scott says Florida's northwest coast was the worst-hit region: “So many lives have been changed forever. So many families have lost everything. Homes are gone. Businesses are gone. This hurricane was an absolute monster and the damage left in its wake is still yet to be fully understood.”

Officials investigate Soyuz rocket failure

Investigations are underway into yesterday's malfunction of a Soyuz rocket which was supposed to take two astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. The Russian spacecraft failed in mid-air two minutes after lifting off from Kazakhstan, leading to a dramatic emergency landing. The crew – one Cosmonaut and one U.S. astronaut - were unharmed. Scientist Bruce Betts says for the time being no one will be able to get up to the space station: “There are three astronauts on the station right now. They’re safe. They’ve got supplies. They’ve got their own Soyuz capsule to return to earth – right now scheduled for December. They might extend that a little but they can’t extend it too much.”

The weather

Widespread sunshine throughout the afternoon. Top temperatures are ranging from 16 to 25 degrees. The outlook for the weekend is sunny and unusually warm.

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