24.06.2013

News in English

Snowden reportedly heading to Cuba / Berlusconi verdict expected / Violence in Lebanon / Mandela condition called “critical” / Alpine rescue efforts fail / The weather

8. April 2017, 21:58

24.06.2013

Snowden reportedly heading to Cuba

The United States is urging Russia to expel the former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Snowden fled Hong Kong for Moscow yesterday. He had been in the former British colony in hiding after revealing the details of the massive US surveillance program known as PRISM. Russian journalist Oleg Boldyrev says Moscow shows no sign of handing Snowden over to the US: “Russia does not see any grounds for his detention or deportation to the United States. So it seems Russian officials are waiting for him to leave the country before they come up with any definite statements.” Snowden has reportedly sought asylum in Ecuador. There are also reports that he will fly on to Cuba this afternoon to avoid being prosecuted in the United States on espionage charges.

Berlusconi verdict expected

A court in Milan is expected to issue a verdict today in a case against former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. He is accused of paying an under-age Moroccan teenager for sex. Berlusconi denies the allegation. Prosecutors are seeking a six-year jail term and a lifetime ban from politics.

Violence in Lebanon

12 Lebanese soldiers have been killed during a gun battle with Sunni militants. The fighting took place in southern Lebanon in the port city of Sidon.

Mandela condition called “critical”

The South African government says former president Nelson Mandela’s condition has deteriorated and his is now in critical condition at a hospital in Pretoria. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights icon was sent to the hospital on June 8th with a recurring lung infection. Earlier, President Jacob Zuma issued a statement on the man South Africans refer to as “Madiba”: “Madiba is 95 years old. As he ages, his health will begin to trouble him and I think what we need to do as a country is to pray for him.”

Alpine rescue efforts fail

The Austrian construction company Alpine is expected to be broken up after government-led talks to save the bankrupt firm ended this morning in failure. Banks and Alpine’s parent company in Spain both refused to provide the credit and capital to rescue the company, which employs 5000 people in Austria.