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8. April 2017, 21:58

UN appeals for Gaza truce

The UN Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and has expressed strong concern over the growing number of casualties. The appeal came at an emergency meeting last night after the bloodiest day yet since the Israeli offensive against Palestinian militants began two weeks ago in response to rocket fire from Gaza. Over 100 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in Gaza on Sunday, most of them during heavy shelling in the eastern suburbs. 13 Israeli soldiers were also killed. Israel's Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor said Hamas's military infrastructure needs to be put out of action before any negotiations can take place: "only by demilitarising Hamas's weapons will we be able to move to the next stage and that is the political stage." The Palestinian representative to the United Nations Riyad Mansour said the UN had a responsibility to try and stop the escalating humanitarian disaster in Gaza: "if the Security Council - the body that is supposed to be responsible for international peace and security - is not stopping this killing against our people, where should we go in order to seek justice?"

Calls for full access to MH17 site

There've been further calls for international experts to be given full and unfettered access to the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines plane which was shot down last week over eastern Ukraine. The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says his government's priority is to recover and identify the bodies of those on board and he called on Russia to use its influence with the separatists in the area. Nearly 300 people lost their lives when the plane came down in rebel-held territory, 193 were Dutch nationals. The US says it has evidence that pro-Russia separatists shot down the plane with a Russian surface-to-air missile. Moscow has denied the allegation. In a televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin also stressed the importance of giving experts full access to the crash site, but he added that the downing of the plane must not be used for political ends.

18 killed in storm in China

In China, 18 people have been killed in the strongest typhoon to hit the country in 4 decades. Officials say tens of thousands of homes were destroyed in Typhoon Rammasun. Last week, 94 people in the Philippines were killed in the storm.

The weather

Showers and storms are forecast, some of them heavy. It’ll stay hot with some sunshine in the East for the time being. Highs are ranging between 14 in the West and 34 in the East.

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