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Releasing Iran frozen assets

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has announced the start of a process to unblock the country’s assets that were frozen in South Korea due to US sanctions. The ministry’s statement said Iran will use the released assets and funds to meet the country’s needs as it deems necessary. It added that a number of Iranians who have been illegally detained in the US on baseless accusations will be also released soon. The ministry said several American prisoners in Iran, whose freedom was sought by Washington, are still in Tehran. Earlier, Iran's mission at the United Nations had confirmed that five American inmates in Tehran Evin prison have been released to house arrest in preparation for a prisoner swap between the two countries.

Israeli settler violence

A human rights advocacy group says the increasing violence by Israeli settlers has caused many Palestinian communities to be wiped off the map in the occupied territories. The Norwegian Refugee Council said in a report that around 500 Palestinians from seven communities have been forcibly displaced over the past 20 months. It added that the rapid establishment of settlement outposts and takeover of Palestinian land is choking Palestinian communities, destroying their livelihoods, and putting their lives at risk. The report revealed that Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinians nearly 600 times in the occupied West Bank in the first half of this year, causing casualties and property damage. It warned that more and more Palestinian communities will be forcibly displaced if Israel is not held accountable.

UK doctors strike

Junior doctors in England have launched a new walkout over a pay dispute with the government, putting more strain on the National Health Service. The four-day industrial action, which starts on Friday and continues until Tuesday, is expected to significantly disrupt medical services. It comes amid record patient waiting times due to a large pandemic backlog and general strikes across all economic sectors. The British Medical Association says the junior doctors’ pay has fallen by 26-percent in the last 15 years. The government says a six-percent pay rise and an extra lump-sum payment announced in mid-June is final. Thousands of medical appointments have been postponed across England’s health service due to strike actions since last December. Britain has been rocked by public and private sector walkouts for months amid an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis and record-high inflation.

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