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8. April 2017, 21:58

Hundreds evacuated from besieged Syrian towns

Operations have been carried out to evacuate around 500 wounded and sick people from 4 besieged towns in Syria. The towns of Zabadani and Madaya are being blockaded by pro-government forces whilst rebel groups have blockaded al-Foua and Kefraya. Jan Egeland, the chairman of the U.N. humanitarian task force for Syria says the evacuations have been complicated but successful: "this is the largest evacuation ever from the besieged areas of Syria so it is indeed a breakthrough. It was done mostly by the Syrian Red Crescent. But it was facilitated by the United Nations and it was also assisted by the International Committee of the Red Cross."

Regional security talks in Saudi Arabia

Regional security issues and the threat from the Islamic State group are on the agenda at a meeting of the US President Barack Obama and top officials from 6 Gulf Arab nations in Saudi Arabia. Obama has called for efforts to defeat IS to be stepped up.

Taxes to pay for rebuilding after Ecuador quake

The President of Ecuador Rafael Correa has announced a package of measures to raise money for reconstruction following Saturday's devastating earthquake in which at least 570 people lost their lives. The measures include a one-off tax on millionaires and a temporary increase in sales tax. Correa says the cost of rebuilding could be as high as 3 billion dollars.

Mitsubishi offices raided in Japan

The authorities in Japan have raided the offices of the car giant Mitsubishi following its admission that it had falsified the fuel efficiency data for more than 600,000 vehicles. A government spokesman said they were treating it as an "extremely serious case" and that the company had been ordered to submit a full report.

3 killed in oil facility blast in Mexico

A large explosion at an oil facility in Mexico has killed at least 3 people and injured dozens. The blast happened in the south eastern state of Veracruz. Hundreds of people have been evacuated. The cause of the explosion is unclear. This man was working in the plant when the explosion happened: "all of the lights started to go off and then suddenly there was a "boom". We were in front of the explosion and we all left in a panic."

Queen Elizabeth celebrates 90th birthday

Events are taking place in the UK to mark the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth. She'll spend some of the day greeting well-wishers near her Windsor Castle home. Later she'll light a beacon - the first of several hundred to be lit to mark the occasion. There will also be gun salutes at Hyde Park and the Tower of London.

The weather

Sunny with often cloudless skies. Highs ranging between 13 and 21 degrees, in the West up to 23 in places.

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