News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Snowden requests airport meeting

The fugitive American intelligence analyst Edward Snowden has requested a meeting with representatives of human rights groups and lawyers at the Moscow airport where he's been since arriving from Hong Kong. It's understood the meeting will take place in the transit zone. Meanwhile, senior US and Chinese officials have disagreed sharply over China's handling of the case. US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said he should have been sent back to the US from Hong Kong: "we were very disappointed with how the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong handled the Snowden case which undermined our efforts to build the trust needed to manage difficult issues." But a Chinese official - Yang Jiechi said Hong Kong did the right thing in allowing Snowden to fly to Moscow: "with regard to the Snowden case, the central government of China has always respected the way the Hong Kong government handles these issues. It has handled the Snowden case in accordance with the law and its approach is beyond reproach. Others should respect this."

Senior Free Syrian Army member killed

In Syria, a senior member of the opposition Free Syrian Army is reported to have been killed by a rival rebel group linked to al-Qaeda. Kamal Hamami was apparently shot after meeting members of the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant". Observers say this is part of an escalating struggle within the opposition as fighting against President Assad's forces continues.

Calls for more protests in Egypt

Supporters of the ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi have called for protests today to call for his reinstatement. Anti-Mursi demonstrators are also expected to hold rallies. Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he's concerned over the issuing of arrest warrants for senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Washington has raised similar concerns. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki: “the arrests we've seen over the past few days targeting specific groups are not in line with the national reconciliation that the interim government and military say they are pursuing. If politicised arrests and detentions continue it's hard to see how Egypt will move beyond this crisis."

Irish parliament votes on abortion

The lower house of the Irish parliament has voted to legalise abortion under limited circumstances. The move would allow a termination if doctors certified that a woman’s life was in danger - including from suicide. The bill does not allow abortion in cases of rape or incest.

Malala to address the United Nations

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who was shot in the head by the Taliban, is to address the UN in New York today, her 16th birthday. She'll use her speech to call for better access to education for children and young people across the world.

The weather

The forecast this afternoon is for frequent sunshine, but there'll also be some cloud and isolated showers as well as thunder storms in eastern Tyrol and Carinthia. There'll be a fresh wind and highs are ranging between 18 and 26 degrees, in Tyrol and Carinthia up to 28 degrees.

Übersicht

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