News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Syria’s dead over 93,000

The United Nations says at least 93,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war since the conflict began in early 2011. The UN said those were documented deaths and the true number is probably much higher. It says on average more than 5,000 people have been killed every month in the conflict since last July.

NSA chief defends surveillance programmes

The head of the United States National Security Agency, general Keith Alexander, has told a Senate hearing that secret telephone and internet surveillance programmes, revealed by a former CIA employee, Edward Snowden, have provided information which disrupted dozens of terrorist attacks in the US and abroad. Alexander is to give the entire Senate a rare classified briefing today on the alleged terror plots. He said Snowden’s actions in revealing the programmes have been immensely harmful. “Great harm has already been done by opening this up. There is no doubt in my mind that we will lose capabilities as a result of this and that not only the United States but those allies that we have helped will no longer be as safe as they were two weeks ago.” Meanwhile Snowden, who fled to Hong Kong before making the revelations, in an interview with the South China Morning Post, has said the US has been hacking computer systems in Hong Kong and mainland China for many years. He said the NSA had carried out over 60,000 hacking operations around the world.

Erdogan gives “last warning” to protestors

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a final warning to protestors camped out in Gezi park in central Istanbul to leave. The government had offered to hold a public opinion poll in Istanbul on plans to redevelop the Park, to try to end nearly two weeks of anti-government demonstrations across the country. Police broke up a protest in the Turkish capital Ankara last night, as demonstrators continue to call for Erdogan’s resignation.

Greek unions strike over ERT closure

Greece’s two main unions have called a 24 hour general strike in protest at a shock decision to close down the public broadcaster ERT on Monday night. Public transport has been brought to a standstill in Athens. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has invited his two coalition partners, who are opposed to the ERT closure, to talks to try to avert a political crisis.

Musharraf put under formal arrest

Police in Pakistan have formally arrested the former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in connection with the murder of the governor of Baluchistan province in 2006. Musharraf has been under house arrest for the past month.

Afghan police targeted by colleague

Six Afghan policemen have been killed in an attack by another policeman at their checkpoint in southern Helmand province. The Taliban said they had recruited the attacker.

The weather

Sunny and warm across the country, lively winds and top temperatures 21 to 30 degrees.

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