Market Updates Today: A day after the market crash following the Budget's provision to hike Securities Transaction Tax (STT), the domestic equity market on Monday reclaimed much of its lost territory. After opening nearly flat, the NSE Nifty rose to the day's high
Airtel Free Subscription: The service was introduced as a special, short-term benefit to enhance Airtel's prepaid plans and give users a taste of premium AI capabilities. Airtel Free Subscription: Bharti Airtel has quietly pulled the plug on one of its most popular digital perks
When it comes to women's empowerment, everyday stories often leave the strongest impact. Recently, a Hyderabad-based man shared an inspiring story after meeting a single mother working as an Uber driver in the city. Suresh Kochattil, who works as a journalist, shared his experience on Facebook
Zoom Security Issues: The US-based video conferencing app Zoom has classified this flaw as “Critical”, giving it a CVSS score of 9.9 out of 10, which makes it one of the most dangerous software vulnerabilities. Zoom Security Issues: If you often use Zoom for work meetings
In a significant hardening of its diplomatic and strategic posture, India has categorically rejected the authority of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague regarding the long-standing Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) dispute. As hearings continue in the Netherlands
Digital labour platforms – like fast food delivery and cab hailing services – are having a dramatic impact on people's labour rights and working conditions around the world. In western countries like the UK and the US, their rise has intensified a process of labour casualisation already
Oppo K14x India Launch: The upcoming model will succeed the Oppo K13x 5G, which was launched in June last year at a starting price of Rs. 11,999 for the 4GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. Oppo K14x India Launch: Chinese smartphone brand Oppo has announced that the Oppo K14x will officially launch
England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler etched his name deeper into the record books on Sunday, reaching a major milestone during England's second T20I against Sri Lanka in the ongoing three-match series. England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler etched his name deeper into the record books on Sunday
U.N. accuses Israel of West Bank ‘apartheid’
U.N. accuses Israel of West Bank ‘apartheid’
The United Nations on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) said decades-long discrimination and segregation of Palestinians by Israel in the West Bank were intensifying, and called on the country to end its "apartheid system".
In a new report, slammed by Israel, the U.N. rights office said "systematic discrimination" against Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territories had "drastically deteriorated" in recent years.
"There is a systematic asphyxiation of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank," U.N. rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
"Whether accessing water, school, rushing to hospital, visiting family or friends, or harvesting olives — every aspect of life for Palestinians in the West Bank is controlled and curtailed by Israel's discriminatory laws, policies and practices," he added.
This is a particularly severe form of racial discrimination and segregation, that resembles the kind of apartheid system we have seen before.
A number of independent experts affiliated with the U.N. have described the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories as "apartheid" but this marks the first time a U.N. rights chief has applied the term.
Israel's diplomatic mission to the U.N. in Geneva slammed the report's "absurd and distorted accusations of racial discrimination" against Israel, charging it exemplified the U.N. rights office's "inherently politically driven fixation ... on vilifying Israel".
The report said the Israeli authorities "treat Israeli settlers and Palestinians residing in the West Bank under two distinct bodies of law and policies, resulting in unequal treatment on a range of critical issues".
"Palestinians continue to be subjected to large-scale confiscation of land and deprivation of access to resources," it added.
This had led to "dispossessing them of their lands and homes, alongside other forms of systemic discrimination, including criminal prosecution in military courts during which their due process and fair trial rights are systematically violated".
Mr. Turk demanded Wednesday (January 7) that Israel "repeal all laws, policies and practices that perpetuate systemic discrimination against Palestinians based on race, religion or ethnic origin".
The discrimination was compounded by continuing and escalating settler violence, in many cases "with the acquiescence, support and participation of Israel's security forces", the rights office said.
More than 5 lakh Israelis currently live in settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967 and home to around three million Palestinians.
Violence has risen in recent years, surging especially since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which triggered the Gaza war.
Since the start of the war, Israeli troops and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, including many militants as well as dozens of civilians, according to an AFP tally based on figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry.
According to official Israeli figures, at least 44 Israelis, both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations in the same period.
Since the Gaza war began, Israeli authorities had also "further expanded the use of unlawful force, arbitrary detention and torture", the report said.
Increased "repression of civil society and undue restrictions on media freedoms (and) severe movement restrictions" had also characterised "an unprecedented deterioration of the human rights situation" in the West Bank, it said.
There had also been rapid expansions of settlements, considered illegal under international law, even as unlawful killings of Palestinians were taking place "with almost complete impunity", the report warned.
Of the more than 1,500 killings of Palestinians that took place between the start of 2017 and September 30 2025, Israeli authorities had opened just 112 investigations, resulting in only one conviction, it pointed out.
The report said it had found "reasonable grounds to believe that this separation, segregation, and subordination is intended to be permanent... to maintain oppression and domination of Palestinians".
This, it stressed, amounts to a violation of an international anti-racism convention, "which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid".
The U.N. rights office on Wednesday (January 7) urged Israel to end its "unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, including by dismantling all settlements and evacuating all settlers, and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination".
Published - January 07, 2026 06:44 pm IST
United Nations / Israel / Palestine
Source: TheHindu
Related Posts: Torres-like' Ekitike haunts long-term admirers Newcastle Hyundai achieves its highest-ever monthly domestic sales in January 2026 STT recalibration to encourage investors focus on long-term equity participation STT recalibration to encourage investors on long-term equity participation Kia sells 27,603 cars in January 2026, registers 10 No freebies, only long-term support for poll-bound states in Budget 2026 IGNOU extends last date for January 2026 admission India said to travel to Sri Lanka for Pakistan clash amid boycott call Bengaluru Teacher Said ‘She Loves Fruit’ Budget 2026-27 signals shift to ‘long-term vision’ from ‘short-term support’
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has dismissed the DMK's allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party is pressuring actor-turned-politician Vijay to join the NDA, asserting that the ruling party's anxiety itself shows how politically consequential he has become in Tamil Nadu
3 hours ago
Banerjee contended that ongoing SIR will lead to disenfranchisement of lakhs of voters and disrupt the level playing field for parties in elections. She urged the court to direct that polls be held on the basis of rolls prepared last year. New Delhi: Mamata Banerjee has petitioned Supreme Court
3 hours ago
MIAMI (AP) — An arbitrator has decided Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier should be receiving his $26.6 million salary for this season despite being on administrative leave while facing federal gambling-related charges, the National Basketball Players Association said Monday
3 hours ago
Delhi weather today: Delhi residents woke up to low visibility as dense fog enveloped the city on Tuesday morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange and red alert for parts of Delhi. IMD in its nowcast warning valid till 9:33 AM stated: “Very Dense Fog very likely
3 hours ago
Twenty years after the original, The Devil Wears Prada 2 reunites Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt for a high-stakes fashion world comeback. Washington: Twenty years after 'The Devil Wears Prada' became a cultural touchstone, 20th Century Studios has released the first full trailer for
3 hours ago
The tax holiday announced for data centres in the budget is expected to increase demand for large industrial land parcels, accelerate data centre leasing and campus development, and draw long-term foreign capital into India's industrial and commercial real estate markets
3 hours ago
The developer of Notepad++ has reportedly noted that its software update mechanism was covertly hijacked for several months last year, with evidence suggesting the operation was carried out by a Chinese state sponsored threat group. According to Bleepingcomputer
3 hours ago
The UK on Monday sanctioned 10 individuals, including Iran's interior minister and police chiefs, for their roles in "recent brutality against protesters", the British foreign ministry said. "The Iranian people have shown extreme courage in the face of brutality and repression over recent weeks
3 hours ago
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday told reporters he had “nothing to do with" the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and claimed that newly released Justice Department files showed a conspiracy aimed at damaging him politically and costing him elections
3 hours ago
US President Donald Trump announced that he agreed to a trade deal with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the US will lower tariffs on goods from India to 18% from 25%. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said India will reduce trade barriers to zero and will also stop buying Russian oil
3 hours ago
China has banned hidden door handles on electric vehicles (EVs), becoming the first country to outlaw the controversial designs that were first popularised by multi-billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla. It comes as EVs are facing scrutiny from safety watchdogs around the world after a spate of deadly
3 hours ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead agreed to multiyear contract extensions to stay with the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, extending their successful nine-year partnership. And with his long-term future assured
3 hours ago
Brussels would be "open‑minded" about discussing closer trade ties with the UK, including the possibility of working together on a customs union, the European Commissioner for finance has told the BBC. Valdis Dombrovskis said the bloc was "ready to engage" if the UK wanted to explore the move
3 hours ago
The announcement by US President Donald Trump to cut its reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to 18% marks a meaningful shift in India's export competitiveness. For several Indian export categories, the India-US trade deal is expected to provide a major relief
3 hours ago
Sometimes, even successful careers need a pause button. For R Madhavan, that pause lasted four years and it changed everything. The actor has now spoken openly about why he stepped away from films at the peak of his popularity, admitting that he no longer recognised himself in the work he was doing
3 hours ago
On the morning of January 21, a group of around 70 people stood in front of the Tanot Mata temple in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district, roughly 30 km away from the India-Pakistan border. After praying at the temple, the group began to beat drums and set off on a long march along the roads of the Thar
3 hours ago
Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar topped Netflix Pakistan after its OTT release, despite the film being banned theatrically. Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar's theatrical release was banned in Pakistan. While the movie did amazing numbers at the box office
3 hours ago
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal walked out of a crucial meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner, citing feelings of disrespect and humiliation. She called for an immediate cessation of the ongoing special intensive revision process of electoral rolls
3 hours ago
United States President Donald Trump on Monday said that India and the US had agreed to a trade deal and that he was cutting the so-called reciprocal tariffs imposed on New Delhi to 18% from 25% with immediate effect. The announcement came after Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on
3 hours ago
A Lok Bhavan official in Itanagar said on Monday that towering at 22,831 feet above sea level, Mount Aconcagua is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere and a formidable challenge even for seasoned mountaineers. This remarkable achievement marks yet another milestone in Yano's extraordinary
3 hours ago
ISRO plans another PSLV rocket launch in June. This follows two recent mission failures. Minister Jitendra Singh stated sabotage is not suspected. He assured that reasons for the failures were different. ISRO has set up committees to analyze the issues
3 hours ago
During the visit, Jaishankar will also meet senior members of the US administration. Details of those meetings were not disclosed yet. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in New York on Monday for a three-day official visit to the United States focused on cooperation in critical minerals
3 hours ago
Robotaxi pioneer Waymo has raised another $16 billion to help fuel its ambition for its fleet of self-driving cars to provide rides throughout the world while other deep-pocketed rival services backed by Tesla and Amazon try to catch up. The fundraising announced Monday values Waymo at $126 billion
3 hours ago
According to the police, they first considered giving Prachi up for adoption, but dropped the plan since it would not have solved the problem, she would still have been officially recorded as his child in the birth certificate. A 28-year-old man from Maharashtra allegedly murdered one of his three
3 hours ago
Step into any metro station and you expect order. There are yellow lines, recorded announcements and clear instructions. But one viral video from Chennai proves that civic sense often disappears the moment the train doors slide open. What should be a simple act of letting passengers exit first
3 hours ago
ET was the first to report that Jaishankar would be visiting the US in February. During the visit, the external affairs minister will also hold meetings with senior members of the US administration, according to the statement. NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar is visiting the United
3 hours ago
Defence Minister highlighted the deal as a major milestone in India-US relations, promoting stronger links and strategic collaboration. He also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on the agreement. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday lauded the India-US
3 hours ago
