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8. April 2017, 21:58

Tributes paid to Shimon Peres at state funeral

The funeral for the Israeli leader Shimon Peres has been taking place in Jerusalem. Around 70 foreign dignitaries have been attending the service including the US President Barack Obama and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. During the 1990s Peres played a key role in reaching a political deal with the Palestinians for which he was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In a 20-minute eulogy, Obama said Peres had always strived for a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that treated both sides equally: "Shimon accomplished enough things in his life for a thousand men. But he understood that it is better to live to the very end of his time on earth with a longing not for the past, but for the dreams that have not yet come true: an Israel that is secure in a just and lasting peace with its neighbours."

First anniversary of Russian air strikes in Syria

A monitoring group that tracks the conflict in Syria says a year of Russian airstrikes have killed more than 9,000 people. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says those killed included civilians and fighters including militants from the Islamic State group and an al-Qaida-linked faction. Russia began its air campaign backing Syrian government forces a year ago today. Opposition activists have blamed Moscow for the recent air campaign against rebel-held neighbourhoods of Aleppo which has killed more than 200 civilians in the past two weeks.

Tensions rise over Kashmir

India has evacuated more than 10,000 villagers living near the border with Pakistan amid renewed tensions in the region. There've been concerns of a military escalation after Indian special forces launched a cross-border operation which it said had targeted militants in Kashmir who were preparing to carry out attacks in India. Disputed Kashmir has been a flashpoint for decades between India and Pakistan.

Rosetta mission comes to an end

A twelve year mission into deep space will come to an end today when scientists from the European Space Agency will crash the Rosetta space craft into the comet it's been studying for the past two years. The course has been set and Rosetta is sending back its final photographs. Project scientist Matt Taylor: "it's sad on the one hand that this is over but we've achieved something fantastic. We will have decades of work still. So the operations end now, but the science continues."

Van Gogh paintings recovered

Italian police say they've recovered two paintings by Vincent Van Gogh which had been stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2002. They say the works had been removed from their frames but appeared largely undamaged.

The weather

Mostly sunny. A few clouds in the west and southwest. Highs ranging between 18 and 26 degrees, in the east up to 28.

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