News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Czech Prime Minister resigns

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Necas has announced that he'll be stepping down today, following allegations that his Chief of Staff Jana Nagyova bribed several former MPs and ordered the military to spy on three people, including the Prime Minister's wife. Necas denies any wrongdoing, but says he must take responsibility for the scandal. “I know well what consequences this has for me. That’s why I announced to the Civic Democratic Party top management, and also to our coalition partners, that I will step down from the office of Prime Minister.”

G8 summit set to open with focus on Syria

Leaders from the world's eight largest economies are holding a two day summit in Northern Ireland, with the conflict in Syria set to dominate proceedings. G8 leaders are reported to be deeply divided over plans by the US to arm the Syrian rebels. The host of the summit, British Prime Minister David Cameron, says it's important to support moderate elements within the Syrian opposition. “If we don’t work with the Syrian opposition, then we shouldn’t be surprised when the only parts of the Syrian opposition that are proving effective are the most extreme and the most dangerous. I want to avoid that from being the case.”

Rift in Greek coalition over ERT closure

Greece's coalition partners are holding urgent talks this evening, amid disagreement over the controversial closure of the state broadcaster ERT. The Greek government says the move will help fulfil Greece's bailout obligations by reducing government spending, but analysts fear it could provoke a new political crisis.

Unions call snap strike over Turkish protests

Two of the largest unions in Turkey have called a nationwide strike today, in protest against what they describe as the heavy handed response to recent anti-government demonstrations. Turkish police have blocked all access to Taksim Square and Gezi Park in Istanbul, where the protests began over two weeks ago. Kivanc Eliacik is a spokesman for the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions or DISK. “DISK wants to send a warning to the government to listen to the voice from the streets and stop the violence and respect the freedom of speech of people.”

Ecuador to discuss the fate of Julian Assange

Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino says he wants to discuss the fate of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, during talks today with his British counterpart William Hague. Assange has been living at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for almost a year, after losing a legal battle to prevent his extradition to Sweden, where he's wanted for questioning over allegations of sexual assault.

Police break up World Cup protest in Rio

Police in Brazil have used tear gas to disperse hundreds of protestors outside the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. They were protesting about the high cost of hosting the 2014 football World Cup and the current Confederations Cup tournaments.

The weather

Hot and sunny conditions have been forecast today with the chance of thunderstorms. Top temperatures will range from 27 to 35 degrees.

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