World News Roundup: Taiwan earthquake rescuers face threat of landslides, rockfalls; death toll at 12; UN rights body demands Israel be held accountable for possible war crimes and more

The inquiry found Israeli forces mistakenly believed they were attacking Hamas gunmen when drone strikes hit the three vehicles of the World Central Kitchen aid group late on Monday night, and that standard procedures had been violated. UN rights body demands Israel be held accountable for possible war crimes The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, although Israel dismissed it as a "distorted text".

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Iran vows to punish Israel at funeral for officers killed in embassy strike

Iran reiterated its pledge to punish Israel on Friday at a funeral for seven officers killed in a suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria this week. State television showed demonstrators carrying pictures of those killed and banners with slogans such as "Death to Israel" and "Death to America".

A life's work destroyed - Palestinian counts cost of Gaza war

Mohammed Al Safi said his business making bedding and mattresses in the Gaza Strip provided a decent living and employed 10 people until it was destroyed during an Israeli raid. Today, he depends on aid to survive - if he can find any. Safi, 51, said the fruits of 30 years of work had been lost in a single day. “I used to support myself, support my father, support my children ... We lived a good life, decent life,” Safi said.

Six months into Gaza war, Israel faces deepening isolation

Six months into the war in Gaza, the killing of a group of aid workers by an Israeli air strike summed up both the dire humanitarian crisis and the lack of a clear way out of a conflict that is leaving Israel increasingly isolated. The attack on Monday night that killed seven staff of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid group, including six foreigners, has angered even some of Israel's closest allies, adding to growing pressure for an end to the fighting.

Murder trial seen as test of Kazakh leader's pledge on women's rights

The trial of a former government minister charged with beating his wife to death has gripped public attention in Kazakhstan, and some see it as a litmus test of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's promise to build a fairer, more equitable society. Shocking footage played in the courtroom this week showed Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a former economy minister, repeatedly kicking and punching a slender young woman wearing only a coat and boots, and dragging her around by her hair.

Ukrainian forces try to hold Russians back from stronghold in east

Fighting raged on Friday between Ukrainian and Russian forces near the town of Chasiv Yar, a Ukrainian stronghold in the east, but Kyiv denied that Moscow's troops had reached the suburbs. Russian forces are inching forward in eastern Ukraine after capturing the bastion town of Avdiivka in February. Kyiv's soldiers are trying to dig in, facing long-term shortages of artillery shells with U.S. aid stuck in Congress.

Taiwan earthquake rescuers face threat of landslides, rockfalls; death toll at 12

Rescuers in Taiwan faced the threat of further landslides and rockfalls in Friday's search for a dozen people still missing from this week's earthquake, as the death toll rose to 12 while some of those stranded were brought to safety. Searchers discovered two more bodies after Wednesday's quake of magnitude 7.2 struck the sparsely populated, largely rural eastern county of Hualien, stranding hundreds in a national park as boulders barrelled down mountains, cutting off roads.

Israel sacks two officers after finding grave errors in strike on aid workers

An Israeli inquiry into the killing of seven aid workers in an air strike in Gaza this week found serious errors and breaches of procedure by the military, with the result that two officers have been dismissed and senior commanders formally reprimanded. The inquiry found Israeli forces mistakenly believed they were attacking Hamas gunmen when drone strikes hit the three vehicles of the World Central Kitchen aid group late on Monday night, and that standard procedures had been violated.

UN rights body demands Israel be held accountable for possible war crimes

The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, although Israel dismissed it as a "distorted text". Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives of the Council to cheer and clap.

Biden to survey collapsed Baltimore bridge, meet families of workers who died

President Joe Biden will visit Baltimore on Friday to survey the site of a collapsed bridge and meet families of the six construction workers who died, amid growing tensions in the U.S. Congress over using federal dollars to rebuild the bridge. A cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, sending it collapsing into the harbor. Work to clear the wreckage and restore traffic through the shipping channel is ongoing.

Israel approves reopening of Erez crossing into Gaza, use of Ashdod port for aid

Israel said it approved the reopening of the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and the temporary use of Ashdod port in southern Israel, following U.S. demands to increase humanitarian aid supplies into Gaza. During a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night, U.S. President Joe Biden demanded "specific, concrete" steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying conditions could be placed on U.S. aid if Israel did not respond.

(With inputs from agencies.)