News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Pakistan and Taliban start peace talks

Reports from Pakistan say the first formal meeting between a Pakistani government delegation and a team nominated by the Taliban has begun in an undisclosed location. They are to try to chart a roadmap for peace talks. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since militants from the Pakistani Tehreek-e-Taliban group launched an insurgency inside the country a decade ago.

US envoy in Ukraine

The United States assistant secretary of state Victoria Nuland is in Ukraine for talks with president Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leaders on how to resolve the country’s political and economic crisis. Russia’s envoy to Ukraine Sergei Glazyev in a newspaper interview has accused the US of funding and arming the Ukrainian opposition. Meanwhile opposition activist Dymtro Bulatov who claims he was kidnapped and tortured says he was accused by his interrogators of being a US spy: “They asked me how much the American ambassador has given us. They also asked who gave us orders. They accused me of being an American spy.”

Sochi Olympics get underway

Preliminary events are underway at the Winter Olympics in the Russian resort of Sochi amid tight security, ahead of the official opening tomorrow. The United States has issued a terror alert for airlines with direct flights to Russia, warning that explosives could be smuggled on board planes in tubes of toothpaste. Meanwhile more than 200 prominent international authors, including Günter Grass, Salman Rushdie and Elfriede Jelinek have published an open letter condemning what they say are limits on freedom of expression under Russia's anti-gay, blasphemy and defamation laws.

Egyptian army quashes Sisi report

The Egyptian army has dismissed as inaccurate a report published in a Kuwaiti newspaper that army chief Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is to run for president. An army spokesman said any announcement will be made directly to the Egyptian people.

Migrants rescued south of Lampedusa

The Italian navy has rescued more than over 1,100 migrants from boats in the waters south of Lampedusa. They include 50 children. Meanwhile, at least seven migrants have died trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.

Turkey tightens internet controls

Turkey’s parliament has approved changes to a law regulating use of the Internet, enabling authorities to block access to web pages without obtaining a court order. Critics say the law is an attack on freedom of expression. The internet was widely used last year by anti-government protesters to spread information about demonstrations.

The weather

Mainly dry this afternoon with sunny spells, cloudier in the south east. Top temperatures 2 to 12 degrees.

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