Helen Clark

The expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts in the West Bank, alongside the ongoing horror of life in Gaza, makes the need for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine more urgent and necessary than ever. International dithering and procrastination must stop to preserve any chance of sustainable peace. This was our conclusion after visiting the West Bank as part of a wider Middle East trip that included meetings with Palestinian, Israeli, Lebanese, and Jordanian leaders.

NEW DELHI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Oil prices inched up on Friday after the United States threatened an indefinite naval blockade of Iran, reviving concerns about supply of crude after the previous session's fall on a weaker outlook for demand and a large build in U.S. stocks. Brent futures rose 1 cent, or 0.1%, to $87.08 a barrel by 0247 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 6 cents to $81.31 a barrel.