CHINA: Strong winds and heavy rain whipped southern China’s Hainan island and nearby parts of Guangdong province today, as Typhoon Kajiki passed to the south and headed toward Vietnam’s central coast.

About 20,000 people were evacuated from potentially hazardous areas ahead of the storm, China’s Xinhua News Agency said. 

Kajiki gained strength with maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour, China’s National Meteorological Centre said.

MIGRATION: Three young sisters have died after an overcrowded rubber dinghy took on water in bad weather while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, a German non-profit organisation reported today.

Volunteers with the German group Resqship found their bodies after rescuing some 65 people from the unseaworthy boat in international waters north of Libya on Friday night.

AUSTRALIA: Tens of thousands of people marched through Australia’s cities and towns today demanding action to save dying and starving Palestinians.

Peaceful rallies were held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and dozens of other cities across the country, with protesters urging sanctions on Israel and an end to Australia's arms trade with Israel.

Police estimated about 10,000 people took part, while organisers said 100,000 marched in Sydney alone. They put the total figure at 300,000 across the nation.

RUSSIA: At least one person was killed today in an explosion at a prominent retail building in central Moscow, emergency services said.

The blast happened on the third floor of the Central Children’s Store shopping mall, on Lubyanka Square.

Emergency services said the blast was caused by a gas cylinder, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.