settlements

Progress toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians requires that Israel freeze its settlement-building in the West Bank, the U.N. secretary-general said Tuesday, calling the settlement activities “an affront to the Palestinian people and to the international community.”

The New York City comptroller’s office unveiled a new tool, ClaimStat, which will publish data on the thousands of legal claims made against the city every year.

Dutch Bank ING has reached a $619 million settlement agreement with U.S. law enforcement officials after an investigation uncovered scores of corrupt financial transactions, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.