How many pieces of news in all have you just heard?

Here is the Nine O’clock News. Today there are four items on this program.
    President Absul Krim of Syria has said that danger of war in the Middle East is because Syrian people have waited too long for an end to the troubles with their neighbours. If war comes, says Mr. Krim, Syria will be ready. These remarks have been made in Damascus, the capital of the Syrian Arab Republic.
    Policemen in New York have gone on strike. Their leader Mr. Patti Angeli says that they will return to work only when they receive more money for working long hours, and doing what Mr. Angeli calls "the most dangerous job in the city".
    Ben Kitson, a writer of stories and plays for children, has died at his home in California. Mr. Kitson was 82. His most famous book of stories The Gentleman’s House sells all over the world in more than twenty-five languages.
    It has been a good year on the farm. The warm, wet spring and the fine summer have been very good for various food plants. This means that fruits and vegetables will cost less in the shops this year.