News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Security Council calls for Gaza ceasefire

The United Nations Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to allow the delivery of aid. Eugene Richard Gasana is the UN ambassador from Rwanda, which currently holds the presidency of the Security Council. “The Security Council expresses strong support for the call by international partners and the Secretary-General of the United Nations for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire.” Israeli jets have reportedly struck 3 targets in Gaza, ending a lull in the fighting. Over a thousand Palestinians and 45 Israelis have now been killed in Gaza since July 8.

Yukos shareholders win compensation case

The European Court of Arbitration has ordered Russia to pay 50 billion dollars in compensation to the shareholders of the defunct Russian oil company Yukos. A panel of judges said that the Russian government had manipulated the legal system to bankrupt Yukos and jail its CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Malaysia jet downing could be war crime

The UN's Human Right's Chief Navi Pillay says the apparent shooting down of a Malaysia airlines passenger plane over eastern Ukraine may constitute a war crime. 298 people died in the disaster, mainly Dutch nationals. Fighting is reported to be continuing in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists, complicating efforts to secure the crash site. The Dutch Foreign Affairs Spokesman Han Ten Broeke says a ceasefire is urgently needed, so a full investigation can be carried out. “What the experts tell us is that it is still possible to retrieve a lot of evidence simply because it’s so scattered around the fields. But for that to happen we need to have some sort of troops or security on the ground in that very place and the offensive that was launched yesterday doesn’t help.”

Students describe ferry disaster ordeal

Survivors of a South Korean ferry disaster have been giving evidence at the trial of the captain and crew members of the ship. Several students told the court they were ordered to wait in their cabins, even after the ferry began to sink. 304 people died in the disaster back in April, many of them students.

Huge fire rages near Tripoli airport

Fire fighters in Libya are battling to contain a huge blaze near the main airport in the capital Tripoli. The fire began after rockets struck fuel storage tanks, during fighting between rival militia groups. Medical officials say violence in Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi over the weekend, left more than 50 people dead.

The weather

Mostly overcast conditions have been forecast for this afternoon, with some heavy rain showers and longer sunny periods in the west. Top temperatures will range from 20 to 29 degrees.

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