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Israeli troops 'unlikely to leave Gaza before next week'
A truce involving the withdrawal of Israeli ground forces from Gaza is unlikely before next week, an Israeli cabinet minister said.
Science Minister Yaakov Peri told the Walla news agency the troops needed more time to destroy the network of tunnels used by Hamas militants.
– Israeli science minister Yaakov PeriI do not see a ceasefire in the coming days where the IDF leave.
I can say authoritatively that two or three days will not be enough to finish tackling the tunnels.
Peaches Geldof 'did not want to die'
A celebrity journalist who knew Peaches Geldof said she doubted the socialite "wanted to die" and her death from a heroin overdose had been a tragic accident.
Katie Hind, who had known Peaches since she was a 17-year-old, felt the young mother of two had been unhappy they day she died.
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Evidence of missile 'will come from MH17 wreckage'
Evidence of the alleged surface to air missile strike which may have brought down MH17 will come from "the wreckage itself", an air safety expert told Good Morning Britain.
Chair of the UK flight safety committee, Air Commodore Dai Whittingham, said key evidence of a missile strike would be found in the remains of the plane, which was why there was "so much concern about the bits of wreckage that have been moved".
Water-related deaths in Britain highest in four years
The number of people who died along Britain's coast in 2013 was the highest in four years, the RNLI said as it launches a campaign calling on people to Respect the Water.
Figures show that 167 people died in water-related accidents and a further 368 were rescued by lifeguard crews after getting into difficulties.
Cold water shock, rip currents and fatigue were common factors in contributing to accidents at the coast while alcohol played a part in 28 deaths last year.
As the temperature continues to soar RNLI coastal safety manager Ross Macleod called for people to stay safe around the water.
"We really feel that that number is too high and we need to do something about it," he said.
The campaign will be launched in Brighton today by England rugby player James Haskell who said: "This is about being smart and safe when you are there."
First day of Commonwealth Games gets underway
Athletes will take to the fields, courts, track and pool as the first day of the Commonwealth Games competitions gets under way today.
The men's triathlon, which kicks off at 3pm, will be an early chance to see some medals for the English team, with Olympic winning Brownlee brothers Alistair and Jonny going for glory in this gruelling event.
Alistair is the favourite for triathlon gold but Jonny is a strong rival.
Cycling champion Sir Bradley Wiggins will also be going for gold in the men's 4,000m team pursuit at precisely 12.09am.
Hamas 'ready to accept truce if Israel siege ends'
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal says he is ready to accept a truce, Reuters reports.
Speaking at a news conference in Qatar he said: "Everyone wanted us to accept a ceasefire and then negotiate for our rights, we reject this and we reject it again today."
But he said Hamas "will not close the door" to a humanitarian truce if Israel ended its siege of Gaza.
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Typhoon 'caused Taiwan plane crash' which killed 48
A typhoon is suspected of causing a Taiwan TranAsia Airways flight to crash on a small Taiwanese island killing 48 people, The Associated Press reports.
The ATR-72 aircraft was carrying 58 passengers and crew when it crashed into houses on the Penghu island between Taiwan and China last night.
Two of the passengers killed were French citizens and the rest Taiwanese, airline representative Phoebe Lu said.
Ten of the injured survivors of the flight have reportedly gone home. Five local residents were hurt on the ground but have since been released from hospital.
Special prayers said in Israel as conflict continues
Special prayers were said last night in Israel as the conflict in Gaza continues to rage.
Fighting displacing thousands more Palestinians in the battered territory as US Secretary of State John Kerry said efforts to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas had made some progress.
Israel announced that three of its soldiers were killed by explosive devices lifting the army death toll to 32.
The number of Palestinians killed is thought to be around 650.
Problem debt 'will not evaporate with return to growth'
A return to economic growth is not enough to make the household debts built up before 2008 "simply evaporate", a finance expert warned.
Matthew Whittaker, chief economist at the Resolution Foundation said:
– Matthew WhittakerIt would be a serious mistake to think that the legacy of problem debt built up in the pre-crisis years will simply evaporate with a return to economic growth.
The magnitude of the stock of debt is simply too large, given expectations that income growth will be gradual at best.
And while the mortgage market largely remains competitive, tighter lending criteria means that some highly-stretched borrowers face limited choices. There is a pressing need for regulation to respond to this new context.
Interest rate rise could force repayments 'up by £400'
Mortgage repayments could jump by at least £400 every year if interest rates rise by 1%, a think tank warned.
The Resolution Foundation gave indications of how changes in mortgage rates could impact on repayments.
- A rate of 3.2%, which corresponds with current average mortgage rates, means someone with a 25-year mortgage of £150,000 pays £727 a month.
- But if this rate increases to 3.7%, the monthly cost is £767, amounting to around £480 a year more.
- If the rate jumps another percentage point, to 4.7%, the monthly cost is £851 and the mortgage holder pays in the region of £1,488 more a year than they would on a rate of 3.2%.
- Moving the mortgage rate up to 5.7% means the mortgage holder pays £939 a month, or around £2,544 a year more than on a rate of 3.2%.
