News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Suspects arrested in Beijing “terror attack”

Chinese state media say five suspects have been arrested in connection with a terror attack in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Monday. Police have also referred to the incident as a terror attack for the first time. They said the perpetrators who had died in the attack had been identified as a man with an ethnic Uighur name, his wife and his mother.

Egypt arrests Brotherhood deputy leader

Egyptian authorities have arrested the deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party, Essam El-Erian, in Cairo. He had been in hiding since the army ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July. Morsi, El-Erian and a dozen other top Brotherhood officials are due to appear in court on November 4th on charges of inciting followers to violence and murder.

Fears for residents of Damascus suburb

Reports from Syria say many civilians may still be trapped in a suburb of Damascus besieged by the army for nine months. Aid workers say hundreds of people allowed to leave yesterday had suffered severe deprivation and children had died from starvation. The government has said anyone who stayed behind will be regarded as the enemy. Syrian social affairs minister Kinda al-Shammat: “They are terrorists. Those people are not our responsibility, they are terrorists.”

US spy chiefs defend record

United States intelligence chiefs have publically defended their current spying programs. At a congressional hearing, the director of the National Security Agency, General Keith Alexander, said reports the agency had spied on millions of European citizens were completely false and that the US was given data by NATO partners. Alexander said agency activities were within the law: “Nothing that has been released has shown that we’re trying to do something illegal or unprofessional.” Spy agency chiefs also defended surveillance of friendly foreign leaders. A German delegation of intelligence officials is in Washington for talks at the White House today following allegations the US monitored Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone.

Russia denies spying at G20

Russia has denied reports that it spied on foreign delegations during the G20 summit in St Petersburg in September. Italian media are reporting that Russia gave delegates USB memory sticks and phone charging cables containing digital bugs able to steal and transmit data.

Israel frees Palestinian prisoners

Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners early this morning, the second of four groups to be released as a part of the current Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The prisoners were greeted by jubilant Palestinian crowds and president Mohammed Abbas. Shortly after the release, Israel announced plans to construct 1500 new settlement homes in East Jerusalem.

The Weather

Cloudy with rain showers over most of the country. Dry in parts of the west and south east. Top temperatures 4 to 14 degrees.

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