Six In The Morning Sunday 22 May 2022

 

Russian officer reveals why he risked it all to quit Putin's war

EXCLUSIVE by Uliana Pavlova, CNN

Updated 0801 GMT (1601 HKT) May 22, 2022

It took a few weeks of sleeping on crates of grenades for a bed and hiding his face from Ukrainians amid a growing sense of guilt, for the Russian junior officer to come to his conclusion: This wasn't his battle to fight.

"We were dirty and tired. People around us were dying. I didn't want to feel like I was part of it, but I was a part of it," the officer told CNN.

He said he went to find his commander and resigned his commission on the spot.

CNN is not naming the officer or including personal details that would help to identify him for his security.

I didn't want to feel like I was part of it, but I was a part of it

Russian officer

His story is remarkable, but it could also be one of many, according to opponents of the war in Russia as well as in Ukraine who say they have heard of a lot of cases of soldiers -- both professional and conscript -- refusing to fight.

In the firing zone: evictions begin in West Bank villages after court ruling

Palestinians in Masafer Yatta – or Firing Zone 918 to the Israelis – vow to rebuild as homes are bulldozed

Bethan McKernan and Quique Kierszenbaum in Masafer Yatta, West Bank

Below the dusty plateau, home to Khribet al-Fakhiet village, on the southern edge of the occupied West Bank, sheep, goats and camels belonging to Palestinian Bedouin roam the hills. The Israeli town of Arad glitters in the distance and, across the valley to the east, the mountains of neighbouring Jordan rise up to meet the sky. Much closer to home, the illegal Israeli settlement of Mitzpe Yair looms from the next ridge.

Bone-shattering unpaved roads crisscross this poverty-stricken, hilly semi-desert, part of the 60% of the West Bank that is under full Israeli control. Palestinians call it Masafer Yatta, a collection of villages with a population of about 1,000. To the Israeli state, however, this is Firing Zone 918, a military training area in which civilians are prohibited. The fight for control of this 3,000 hectares (7,410 acres) is one of the fiercest battles of the Israeli occupation.

Taking StockA Look at the Worst Mistakes Germany Made in the Coronavirus Pandemic

From the tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths, to neglected children and a helpless vaccination campaign, German politicians deserve poor marks in many aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. Experts look back at the worst mistakes made and offer advice for the autumn.

By Rafaela von Bredow und Veronika Hackenbroch

When Germany's first coronavirus patient , a 33-year-old employee of German automotive supplier Webasto, was admitted to a hospital in Munich’s Schwabing neighborhood on Jan. 27, 2020, a highly qualified team was on hand. With regular disaster drills and a special isolation ward, staff was well-prepared to treat patients with Ebola and Lassa fever.

"We were aware that this was a special patient," says Clemens Wendtner, the hospital's chief physician for infectious diseases. "So, it was good that we could go through our routines." The patient would go on to spend 18 days in isolation, with doctors and nurses protecting themselves with FFP3 masks. A task force was also immediately established at Webasto. Because the 33-year-old had contracted the virus from a coworker from Wuhan who was in Germany on business, all employees who had close contact with the woman were tested.

Turkey's Erdogan sets conditions for Finland, Sweden's NATO bids

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey would not look "positively" on Sweden and Finland's NATO bids unless its terror-related concerns were addressed, despite broad support from other allies including the United States.

Turkey has long accused Nordic countries, in particular Sweden which has a strong Turkish immigrant community, of harbouring outlawed Kurdish militants as well as supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based preacher wanted over the failed 2016 coup.

Erdogan's threat throws a major potential obstacle in the way of membership for the hitherto militarily non-aligned Nordic nations since a consensus is required in NATO decisions.

‘Urgency’: WHO expects more monkeypox cases globally

World Health Organization reports 92 confirmed monkeypox cases and 28 suspected ones in 12 nations as the mysterious spread continues.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it expects to identify more cases of monkeypox as it expands surveillance in countries where the disease is not typically found.

As of Saturday, 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox were reported from 12 member states that are not endemic for the virus, the UN agency said, adding it will provide further guidance and recommendations in the coming days for countries on how to mitigate the spread of monkeypox.

Australia election: Anthony Albanese signals climate policy change

Australia's new leader has vowed to take the country in a new direction, with a big shift in climate policy.

Anthony Albanese, who won Saturday's election with the opposition centre-left Labor Party, said Australia could become a renewable energy superpower.

He is to be sworn in as PM on Monday, but it is not clear whether his party will have a majority in parliament.

Climate change was a key concern for voters, after three years of record-breaking bushfire and flood events.