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8. April 2017, 21:58

Hundreds of civilians flee Mosul

The United Nations refugee agency says some 900 people have fled the Iraqi city of Mosul and crossed the border into Syria. It´s the first large group of civilians confirmed to have escaped since the Iraqi government began its offensive to liberate Mosul from the so-called Islamic State on Monday. As many as 1.5 million civilians are thought to be in Mosul. Aleksandar Milutinovic is the Iraq Director of the International Rescue Committee: "People are scared. They don´t know what is happening, but they are hearing loud explosions and they are hearing the fighting coming closer. We have around half-a-million children in Mosul city and they are all scared and terrified."

Merkel to host summit on Ukraine

The German Chancellor today hosts the first summit in over a year with the Russian, Ukrainian and French presidents to discuss peace efforts in eastern Ukraine. Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande, Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko will focus on ways of better implementing the 2015 Minsk peace accord. The German and French leaders are also expected to hold separate talks with Vladimir Putin on the situation in Syria.

Ecuador admits restricting Assange´s internet access

Ecuador´s government has acknowledged that it partially restricted internet access for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been taking refuge at its London embassy since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex assault allegations. Ecuador said Assange had in recent weeks released material about Hillary Clinton that could have an impact on the US presidential election.

Trump and Clinton in final TV showdown

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are taking to the debate stage tonight for one final TV showdown. The last of three presidential debates between the Democrat and Republican candidates, the contest in Las Vegas comes just three weeks before Election Day and with early voting already underway in several key battleground states.

Demolition of the “Jungle” can go ahead

A request to delay the demolition of the migrant camp known as the Jungle in Calais has been rejected by a French court. A group of charities claimed the planned closure was "an attack on the fundamental rights" of up to 10,000 people living there. But a court in Lille ruled the operation would put an end to the "inhuman and degrading" treatment of the Jungle's residents.

Moment of truth for European Mars probe

The European Space Agency is preparing to put a probe on Mars. If the Schiaparelli robot confirms it has survived the risky descent it will be the first time a European spacecraft has successfully made it to the red planet.

The Weather

Mostly overcast and wet, with heavy rain in the south east. Top temperatures from 6 to 14.

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