News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Assange condemns Manning verdicts

The trial of Bradley Manning, the American Army Private found guilty by a military court on 19 counts of handing over classified data to the Wikileaks website, is scheduled to move into the sentencing phase today. Manning, who´s 25, had admitted leaking thousands of classified documents but said he did so to spark a debate on United States´ foreign policy. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 136 years. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange: "This is the first ever espionage conviction against a whistleblower in the United States. It is a dangerous precedent. It is a short-sighted judgement that cannot be tolerated." Manning was found not guilty on the most serious charge of aiding the enemy.

Zimbabwe goes to the polls

People in Zimbabwe are going to the polls today in fiercely contested presidential and parliamentary elections. Zimbabwe´s 89-year-old President, Robert Mugabe, has said he will step down after three decades in power if he and his Zanu-PF party lose. Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change have shared an uneasy coalition government since 2009 under a deal brokered to end the deadly violence that erupted after a disputed presidential poll the previous year.

Obama asks Republican senators to visit Egypt

The US President, Barack Obama, has asked two senior Republican senators to travel to Egypt to meet with its military leaders and the opposition, as efforts continue to address the turmoil there following the ouster of the Islamist leader, Mohammed Morsi. John McCain and Lindsey Graham are expected to visit Egypt next week. More than 200 people have been killed since Morsi's removal on July 3.

Austrian peacekeepers end Golan mission

The last remaining 44 Austrian peacekeepers who’d been stationed on the Golan Heights have arrived back in Vienna, ending a mission that dates back almost 40 years. The Austrian defence ministry announced in June that it was pulling out all of its roughly 380 troops after fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces spread into the politically sensitive region between Syria and Israel.

Civilian deaths up in Afghanistan

A new report by the United Nations has found that violence against civilians is on the rise in Afghanistan. The UN says that over 1,300 civilians were killed in the first half of the year, with more women and children among the victims of the 12-year-old war.

Better jobless figures for the Eurozone

And figures released today by the European Union´s statistics office, Eurostat, show that unemployment in the Eurozone fell by 24,000 in June to just over 19 million. That's the first fall since April 2011.

The weather

Mostly sunny and warm, with isolated showers and lively winds in the east. Highs today from 23 to 32, warmest in the south.

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