The Palestinians are appealing to the UN Security Council to take action to stop Israreli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian permanent observer to the UN has made the appeal following a closed-door session called to discuss the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Hamas-controlled Gaza has been escalating in recent days. A leading Hamas leader was killed in an Israeli strike on Wednesday, following a dramatic upstick in rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel. A large number of Israeli troops are massed along the border, leading to speculation there may be a ground incursion into Gaza. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has confirmed a second round of fiscal stimulus is going to be unleashed before the end of this month. Noda has been meeting with his economic policy officials today. However, details of the plan are still unclear. It's believed the Japanese Cabinet won't have the authority to use budget reserve funds for the stimulus package once parliament is dissolved on Friday. As a result, it's believed Noda's plan will have little immediate impact on the economy.
