News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

EU ambassadors meet on the Egyptian crisis

European Union ambassadors are meeting in emergency session in Brussels to discuss the EU response to the on-going crisis in Egypt. The EU is the biggest donor of non-military aid to Egypt, a strategic partner in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Egyptian police say at least 35 Islamist protesters have been killed while attempting to escape from a prison convoy near Cairo. But the Muslim Brotherhood has alleged that its supporters were killed in cold blood and has called for an international inquiry. It´s also being reported that 25 off-duty policeman have been killed by suspected militants in an ambush in the Sinai Peninsula. Sinai, a strategic region bordering the Gaza Strip and Israel, has been witnessing almost daily attacks targeting security forces since last month´s ouster of President Mohammed Morsi.

Snowden journalist´s partner held in London

The Brazilian government has expressed 'grave concern' over the hours-long detention of one of its citizens at London´s Heathrow Airport under terror laws. David Miranda, who´d reportedly been returning to Brazil from Germany, is the partner of the Guardian journalist who published American surveillance documents leaked by the fugitive intelligence analyst David Snowden. Glenn Greenwald says his partner's detention amounts to a profound attack on press freedoms: “To detain a partner of a journalist for the purpose of interrogating him about the journalism that his partner is doing, I think is as irresponsible as it gets.”

Al-Qaida targeting Europe´s railways?

Germany´s Bild newspaper is reporting that Al-Qaeda is plotting attacks on Europe's high-speed rail network. Bild cites intelligence sources as saying the group could plant explosives on trains and in tunnels or sabotage tracks and electrical cabling. The newspaper says the information came from the National Security Agency in the United States, which had listened in to a call involving senior al-Qaeda operatives.

Hostage taking in Ingolstadt before Merkel rally

German police say that a gunman has taken several people hostage at the city hall in the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt. The area has been cordoned off. The man´s motive isn´t yet clear. The hostage-taking happened hours before Chancellor Angela Merkel was due in the city for a late afternoon election rally.

Oscar Pistorius formally charged with murder

The South African Olympic and Paralympic athletics star, Oscar Pistorius, has appeared before a court in Pretoria, to be formally charged with the premeditated murder of his girlfriend. Pistiorius has claimed he shot Reeva Steenkamp by mistake, believing she was an intruder at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day. The trial is set to start in March.

The weather

A cold front will spread across the country from the west, bringing with it rain. Showers or thunderstorms are expected in the east and south by evening. Highs today from 17 in the west to 34 in the east.

Übersicht

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