News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Kabul suffers major Taliban attack

Afghan officials say at least 28 people have been killed and more than 320 injured in a car bomb and gun attack carried out by the Taliban in the capital Kabul. They said most of those wounded were civilians and many are in critical condition. Police said the bomb exploded near an office of Afghanistan's main security agency in the centre of Kabul and was followed by a gun battle between the militants and security forces. It was the worst attack in the Afghan capital in almost a year.

Syrian truce ‘ended

Syrian rebel forces and activists are reporting intensified fighting in northern and central Syria, after rebels launched a new offensive against government forces because of what they said were repeated ceasefire violations. The reports come a day after the Syrian opposition said it was pausing its formal participation in the Geneva peace talks because of government truce violations. The head of the Syrian opposition coalition, Riad Hajib, has called on foreign ministers of the Syria support group to re-evaluate the truce, which he says has ended.

Ecuador rescue efforts continue

Rescue efforts continue in Ecuador to find survivors from Saturday’s earthquake. The death toll is now over 400. Grant Leatty from UNICEF says the number of dead is expected to rise as search teams reach isolated areas: “There are access problems. There are towns where there is no electricity, no telephone communication whatsoever.”

Pegida founder trial opens

The trial has opened in Dresden of the co-founder of the anti-immigrant Pegida movement. Lutz Bachmann faces charges of inciting racial hatred over posts he published on Facebook in 2014 calling asylum seekers "cattle" and "trash." He officially resigned as leader of Pegida after photos emerged of him in a pose copying Hitler, but he remains one of the most prominent members of the group.

Key New York vote for nominations

Polls have opened in New York in a crucial primary for the Democratic and Republican nominations for the United States presidential election. Democrat frontrunner Hillary Clinton has lost the last seven primaries and caucuses in smaller states to her rival, senator Bernie Sanders. Donald Trump on the Republican side looks likely to score a major win against his main rival, Ted Cruz.

China espionage death sentence

Chinese state media say a computer technician has been sentenced to death for leaking more than 150,000 classified documents to an unidentified foreign power. Huang Yu was reportedly apprehended in 2011.

The weather

Partly sunny with scattered showers. Top temperatures 8 to 19 degrees.

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