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Friday, 09 July 2021 4:35 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 09 July 2021 4:35 PM ]

Israeli war crimes

A UN human rights investigator says Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank amount to a war crime. Michael Lynk said Israel is defying international law and international opinion. He is the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. Lynk called on the international community to make it clear to Israel that its illegal occupation cannot be cost-free. He made the comments in an address to a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds. Israel has recently stepped up its settlement activities backed by the United States and in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 23-34. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

Taliban offensive

The Taliban say they have seized Afghanistan's key border crossing with its northern neighbor Turkmenistan amid a blistering offensive by the militant group. A Taliban spokesman said the Torghundi border port had been fully captured. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said security forces at the port had been temporarily relocated. It added that efforts are underway to recapture the crossing. Russia also says the militant group controls more than two thirds of the Tajik border in the northeast. Moreover, the Taliban captured Afghanistan's main conduit for trade with Iran in the west. The Taliban claim to be in control of 85% of Afghanistan now. Afghan authorities have dismissed that figure and vowed to retake all the districts lost to the militants. The US says it will complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31st after invading the country 20 years ago.

Ukraine clashes

Ukraine says one of its soldiers has been killed and another wounded in clashes with pro-Russian forces in the country’s war-torn east. In a statement, the Ukrainian army said pro-Russian fighters have launched 11 attacks on troops with mortars, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns over the past 24 hours. The renewed clashes in eastern Ukraine have left the ceasefire, brokered last year, in tatters. Government forces have been battling with pro-Russian groups in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions since 2014 when they declared independence. According to the United Nations, the fighting has claimed more than 13,000 lives ever since.

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