Â鶹´«Ã½

World

    • UN urges Israel to halt building of settlements immediately

    Share
    UNITED NATIONS -

    The United Nations on Thursday accused Israel of flagrantly violating international law by expanding settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, saying settlements are illegal and urging the country's new government to halt their enlargement immediately.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland reported on implementation of a 2016 Security Council resolution that declared settlements have "no legal validity." It demanded a halt to their expansion in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, lands the Palestinians want to include in a future state.

    Wennesland said in a briefing to the council on Guterres' 12-page report that he was "deeply troubled" by Israel's approval of a plan to add 540 housing units to the Har Homa settlement in east Jerusalem as well as the establishment of settlement outposts. He said that is "illegal also under Israeli law."

    "I again underscore, in no uncertain terms, that Israeli settlements constitute a flagrant violation of United Nations resolutions and international law," the UN envoy said. "They are a major obstacle to the achievement of a two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace."

    "The advancement of all settlement activity must cease immediately," Wennesland said.

    Israel disputes its settlements are illegal.

    Both Guterres and Wennesland also called on Israeli authorities to end the demolition of Palestinian homes and other property and the displacement of Palestinians -- another flashpoint -- "and to approve plans that would enable these communities to build legally and address their development needs."

    The December 2016 resolution, which the United States abstained on in the final weeks of the Obama administration, also called for immediate steps to prevent all acts of violence against civilians and urged Israel and the Palestinians to exercise restraint and refrain from provocative actions, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric.

    It also called on all parties to launch negotiations on final status issues and urged intensified international and regional diplomatic efforts to help end the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict and achieve a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live side-by-side in peace.

    Guterres and Wennesland made clear that four-and-a-half years after the resolution's adoption, none of these appeals have been met.

    Wennesland said the period between March and June covered in the report "witnessed an alarming increase in the level of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, including hostilities between Israel and factions in Gaza at a scale and intensity not seen in years."

    He said the cessation of hostilities after last month's 11-day Gaza war "remains very fragile," adding that the United Nations is working closely with Israel, the Palestinians and partners including Egypt "to solidify a cease-fire, allow the entry of urgent humanitarian assistance and stabilize the situation in Gaza."

    Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has demanded significant easing of the Israeli blockade. Israel has said it won't tolerate even relatively minor attacks from Gaza, including the launch of incendiary balloons, which triggered Israeli airstrikes last week.

    "I urge all sides to refrain from unilateral steps and provocations, take steps to reduce tensions, and allow these efforts to succeed," Wennesland told the council. "Everyone must do their part to facilitate ongoing discussions to stabilize the situation on the ground and avoid another devastating escalation in Gaza."

    He called on all Palestinian factions "to make serious efforts to ensure the reunification of Gaza and the West Bank under a single, legitimate, democratic, national government," saying that Gaza must remain part of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution.

    During the March to June reporting period, Guterres said 295 Palestinians, including 42 women and 73 children, were killed by Israeli security forces and 10,149 were injured during demonstrations, clashes, search-and-arrest operations, air strikes, shelling and other incidents in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

    The UN chief said 90 members of the Israeli security forces and 857 Israeli civilians were injured by Palestinians during the same period in clashes, incidents in which stones and firebombs were thrown, the indiscriminate firing of rockets and mortars and other incidents.

    The Gaza war was the worst escalation of hostilities since 2014, with Palestinian armed groups firing over 4,000 rockets and projectiles toward Israel and Israeli forces carrying out over 1,500 strikes from air, land and sea across the Gaza Strip, Guterres said, quoting Israeli sources.

    During the conflict, 259 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children and 41 women, while nine Israelis, including two children, were killed along with three foreigners. Hundreds of Israelis were wounded.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada’s institutions are slipping down its list.

    A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.

    A man who showed up at a rental car company only to be told his online reservation would not be honoured is entitled to compensation, B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ruled.

    Emotions boiled over after a judge acquitted two out of three defendants in a manslaughter case, while the third accused has since died.

    On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.

    Canada

    • An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada’s institutions are slipping down its list.

    • On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.

    • Vancouver police say they are conducting an investigation into a pro-Palestinian protest where they say speakers expressed "solidarity with terrorist groups."

    • A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.

    • More than two weeks have passed since Hassan Ali walked out of a Toronto courtroom a free man, after prosecutors decided not to move forward with a first-degree murder trial against the local rapper.

    • As the war in Gaza escalates, Nabila Manna watches from her home with feelings of fear and helplessness. Her mother, siblings, and extended family are all in Gaza.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    • Geoffrey Hinton, the British Canadian computer scientist whose machine learning discoveries have proved so profound he's known as the 'godfather of AI,' has won the Nobel Prize in physics.

    • A device used by researchers with Fisheries and Oceans Canada appears to have been the victim of an attack by a great white shark 300 metres under water off the coast of Nova Scotia.

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

    • A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.

    • A Winnipeg baker is hanging up his apron permanently because he won the lottery.

    Sports

    Autos

    • Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the provincial government to launch a new “incubator programâ€. One of the first three locations is Windsor, with the other two going to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.

    Local Spotlight

    Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

    Saskatchewan’s Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

    A B.C. couple is getting desperate – and creative – in their search for their missing dog.

    Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

    A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

    Bernie Hicks, known as the ‘Batman of Amherst,’ always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

    Bubi’s Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

    Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

    Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.

    • The leaders of B.C.'s main political parties sparred over health care, housing, and affordability Tuesday, pitching competing visions for how to address the most urgent issues facing the province in a debate punctuated by a few feisty exchanges.

    • UBC researchers are using artificial intelligence to determine the dangers of busy roads for pedestrians.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • More than two weeks have passed since Hassan Ali walked out of a Toronto courtroom a free man, after prosecutors decided not to move forward with a first-degree murder trial against the local rapper.

    • An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada’s institutions are slipping down its list.

    • Calgary police are searching for a suspect or suspects in a stabbing that occurred in the city's southeast on Tuesday evening.

    • If you were outside and looked up Monday night, you likely witnessed one of Mother Nature's most spectacular displays.

    • A teen recording artist from Fernie, B.C., who made music with the Flaming Lips has died. Nell Smith's family confirmed her death in a social media post earlier this week.

    • On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.

    • OC Transpo officials are satisfied with the start of a critical testing period required before opening Ottawa's new north-south train, despite some technical issues being identified on three trains on Monday.

    • An Ottawa man who stabbed his estranged wife to death in an attack that also injured his daughter in Ottawa's west end has been found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

    • A 10-year-old boy in Longueuil is recovering after his neighbour allegedly poured boiling water on him. Longueuil Police (SPAL) said the woman was arrested and could face assault charges.

    • An 18-year-old man has died following a collision with an STM bus on Tuesday afternoon in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

    • A 38-year-old Beaumont resident is dead after a crash involving a motorcycle over the weekend.

    • Edmonton's transit system is seeing record usage, with six million trips taken in September.

    • One of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s key advisers and the driving force behind the province’s recovery-focused addiction treatment policy is leaving the job.

    • Police in New Brunswick are trying to track down a man they consider “armed and dangerous†after he allegedly crashed a vehicle, waved a weapon at police, and fled in a stolen vehicle.

    • International award-winning editorial cartoonist Michael de Adder has been cut from the Halifax Chronicle Herald.

    • Concerns are being raised over a questionable PC campaign expense, after an invoice for a car rental was submitted by a company advertising sex and intimacy coaching.

    • There’s a new starting line-up at Canada Life Centre, which hockey fans and concertgoers will notice as soon as they walk in.

    • Manitoba RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Service are launching Manitoba's Most Wanted website.

    • Erin Folk and her family are dealing with a nightmare of a situation, after their pet dogs were shot last week.

    • The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (JHSS) appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada Tuesday challenging a regulation that it says lets provincial correctional workers discipline inmates without sufficient proof.

    • A memo from the Saskatchewan Government Employees Union (SGEU) has painted a picture of healthcare workers on the brink – with under-staffing and burnout directly impacting quality of patient care within the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (SCA).

    • Fire crews were called to respond to Mohawk Plaza shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday.

    • The future of a hybrid shelter in Waterloo is up for discussion.

    • An app developed at the University of Guelph is aimed at making accessible doors more accessible.

    • The province’s consumer watchdog is investigating a Saskatoon company selling luxury vacation condos in Mexico.

    • In the wake of a near-fatal overdose at the doorstep of Saskatoon’s safe consumption site last week, the province’s political leaders are weighing in with their strategies to help those struggling with drug addiction.

    • A Saskatoon mom is desperately fighting eviction after she discovered mould in her suite and reported it to her landlord.

    • A crash Tuesday afternoon on Highway 144 has closed the road north of Sudbury.

    • Police in Huntsville are investigating a deadly single-vehicle collision that happened Tuesday morning.

    • Speaking in front of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee, London Police Services (LPS) Chief Thai Truong gave an update on policing Tuesday.

    • Drivers and businesses along Wellington Street in London’s downtown area continue to feel the pain as the city works on the downtown loop for the bus rapid transit project (BRT).

    • A 20-year-old man who was behind the wheel of a speeding car that struck and killed an international student in Barrie last summer pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death on Tuesday but will not spend any time behind bars.

    • Police in Huntsville are investigating a deadly single-vehicle collision that happened Tuesday morning.

    • Police arrested a man accused of setting an animal on fire in Orillia, Ont. last month.

    • A Toronto couple pleaded guilty to involvement in a $13-million drug investigation that started in Windsor.

    • The Windsor Police Service is investigating two break-ins that took place at schools in the city last week.

    • The busiest international crossing in North America is about to get busier — and it’s put the City of Windsor in a position to prepare for potential worst-case scenarios.

    • A retrial date has been set for a man accused of fatally shooting a rival gang member and an innocent teen passerby in Vancouver in 2018.

    • The Sooke School District has acquired a 7.2-acre plot of land in North Langford to build a middle school, as enrollment within the district continues to grow.

    • Over the summer, Victoria software engineer Vedran Budimcic watched his wife spend a week trying to get a coveted BC Ferries reservation, refreshing the website hundreds of times a day hoping for a cancellation on sold out sailings.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.

    • Charges have been laid against a 44-year-old man following a traffic stop in Brocket, Piikani Nation RCMP said Tuesday.

    • A metal fabrication company west of Medicine Hat has been fined by Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) following a workplace fatality in 2023.

    • A Lethbridge police officer involved in a scandal involving former Lethbridge New Democrat MLA Shannon Phillips has been reprimanded.

    • A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.

    • The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is the latest organization to call on the Doug Ford government to re-open dialogue with an airline service that transports lower-income Canadians to crucial medical care far from home.

    • For decades, Mississauga First Nation has known that human remains from their land were at the Canadian Museum of History.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹´«Ã½. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹´«Ã½