News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Rocket fire reported in Gaza during ceasefire

The Israeli military says at least three rockets have been fired from Gaza, during a five hour humanitarian ceasefire in the Palestinian controlled territory. Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed on the temporary truce, to allow Gazans to stock up on supplies. Palestinian officials say over 220 people have been killed in Gaza, since Israel began its air offensive on July 8. Chris Gunness is a spokesman for the UN's Relief and Works Agency. “We’ve opened 24 shelters in Gaza, where 22 thousand people have taken refuge: women, children, the sick, the elderly, the dying. And we will use this pause to step up our emergency work; water, food and hygiene are big priorities.”

EU leaders fail to agree on key posts

European Union leaders have postponed until August a decision on several key appointments, including a new Council President and Foreign Policy Chief for the 28 member bloc. There's widespread disagreement over who should be given the posts, with Italian foreign minister Federica Mogherini's nomination for the foreign policy portfolio particularly controversial.

Putin criticises the US over new Ukraine sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has strongly criticised new sanctions imposed by the United States against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, saying they would lead to a dead end in relations. The sanctions target senior Russian officials and corporations including the energy giant Rosneft. US President Barak Obama says Russia has failed to stop an escalation of violence in Ukraine. “I’ve repeatedly made it clear that Russia must halt the flow of weapons and fighters across the border into Ukraine, that Russia must urge separatists to release their hostages and support a ceasefire.”

Ukraine accuses Russia of shooting down jet

The Ukrainian military has accused the Russian air force of shooting down a Ukrainian jet. Security spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the attack occurred in Ukrainian airspace during a mission in the east of the country.

Australian lawmakers scrap carbon tax

The Australian parliament has voted to repeal a tax on carbon emissions, despite widespread opposition. The tax was introduced by the previous Labor government in 2012 in an effort to tackle climate change. However conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott says it has been ineffective and harmful for the Australian economy. “A useless destructive tax which damaged jobs, which hurt families’ cost of living, and which didn’t actually help the environment is finally gone.”

Militants kill 14 soldiers in Tunisia

Tunisia's defence ministry says 14 of its soldiers have been killed and around 20 wounded in an attack by militants armed with rocket propelled grenades on two checkpoints near the Algerian border. The Tunisian military has been waging a campaign over the past year against militants in the Mount Chaambi region.

The weather

Mostly sunny conditions are set to continue this afternoon, with some thundery showers in mountainous areas. Top temperatures will range from 23 to 33 degrees.

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