News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

US surveillance leak source revealed

A former CIA employee has been identified by the UK's Guardian newspaper as the source of leaks about American surveillance methods. 29-year old Edward Snowden had disclosed that American intelligence agencies were using a secret programme to monitor millions of phone records, emails and other communications. The US Justice Department has launched an investigation. Snowden - who's in Hong Kong - explained why he had decided to reveal his identity: "I'm just another guy who sits there day to day in the office, watches what's happening and goes 'this is something that's not our place to decide' - the public needs to decide whether these programmes and policies are right or wrong."

Taliban launch attack near Kabul airport

In Afghanistan, Taliban fighters launched a pre-dawn attack near the country's main airport in Kabul. The 7 fighters were killed after a battle with Afghan security forces.

14 killed in Iraq attacks

Up to 14 people have been reported killed in a series of car bombings at a market in Iraq. They happened in the province of Diyala.

Flood evacuations in Germany

Several thousand people have had to be evacuated in eastern Germany following the bursting of a dam on the River Elbe near the city of Magdeburg. Water levels there have risen to record levels. Meanwhile, levels on the River Danube in the Hungarian capital Budapest are now reported to be receding.

North and South Korea to hold talks

North and South Korea have agreed to hold talks this week in the South Korean capital Seoul. The move is being seen as a sign of easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The meeting is expected to focus on the re-starting of operations at their jointly-run industrial park.

Mandela in "serious but stable" condition

Officials in South Africa say former President Nelson Mandela continues to be in a serious but stable condition. The 94-year old was admitted to hopsital at the week-end where he's being treated for a recurring lung infection.

Scottish author Iain Banks dies

The Scottish author Iain Banks has died of cancer at the age of 59. Banks made his literary debut with "The Wasp Factory" in 1984. Crime writer Ian Rankin paid this tribute: "the closest I can come is somebody like Robert Louis Stevenson - in history - who could write children's books, who could write poetry, who could write travel books and adult novels. And Iain had that, he had that unquenchable curiosity about the world and a child-like imagination and excitement about language and what language could do and what it could tell us about the world."

The Weather

It'll be rainy in Vorarlberg and parts of Tyrol - but elsewhere showers will gradually spread across the country bringing thunder storms, some of them heavy. There is the danger of severe weather conditions. It'll be windy and highs will be ranging between 11 in the West and 27 in the East.

Übersicht

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