Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Feb. 21

JERUSALEM -- The UN human rights chief urged on Tuesday Israel's far-right ruling coalition to halt a contentious plan to overhaul the country's judiciary, saying it might undermine the rule of law, human rights and judicial independence.

"These changes risk weakening human rights protections for all, but especially the most vulnerable communities and groups less able to vindicate their rights," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement. (Israel-UN-Judicial Reforms)