The Israeli military has used Palestinians as human shields in Gaza, soldier and former detainees say
The Israeli military has forced Palestinians to enter potentially booby-trapped houses and tunnels in Gaza to avoid putting its troops in harm’s way, according to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier and five former detainees who said they were victims of the practice.
The soldier, who said his unit held two Palestinian prisoners for the explicit purpose of using them as human shields to probe dangerous places, said the practice was prevalent among Israeli units in Gaza.
“We told them to enter the building before us,” he explained. “If there are any booby traps, they will explode and not us.”
‘Crunch time for real’: UN says time for climate delays has run out
Means to stop catastrophic global heating exist, says UN chief, but political courage is needed to end world’s fossil fuel addiction
Thu 24 Oct 2024 15.00 BST
The huge cuts in carbon emissions now needed to end the climate crisis mean it is “crunch time for real”, according to the UN’s environment chief.
An unprecedented global mobilisation of renewable energy, forest protection and other measures is needed to steer the world off the current path towards a catastrophic temperature rise of 3.1C, a report from the UN environment programme (Unep) has found. Extreme heatwaves, storms, droughts and floods are already ravaging communities with less than 1.5C of global heating to date.
Venezuelan pro-democracy figures win EU's Sakharov Prize
Two key figures in the opposition to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro have won the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for dedication to the defense of human rights and freedom of thought.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Thursday announced Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela's leading pro-democracy figure, and the country's widely recognized President-elect Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, as the winners of this year's Sakharov prize.
The parliament recognized them as "representing all Venezuelans inside and outside the country fighting to restore freedom and democracy."
From isolation to battlefield: North Korean troops could face reality shock in Ukraine
The US and NATO on Wednesday confirmed that hundreds, possibly thousands, of North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia, raising fears they are headed to fight in Ukraine. Experts warn it could backfire, as their exposure to the outside world and realization they will serve as “cannon fodder” may spur what Kim Jong-un fears most: defections.
"There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia," US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday, for the first time confirming an October 18 report by South Korea’s intelligence agency (NIS) that Pyongyang was propping up Moscow with manpower, and had, as a first step, sent around 1,500 soldiers to Russia’s Far East to train for the trenches. The transfers had taken place between October 8-13, NIS reported, and warned that more were expected soon.
“[It’s] very, very serious,” Austin said.
Chikungunya surge in Pakistan: What we know about the mosquito-borne virus
The virus causes severe joint pain, and cases have been steadily rising in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi since May.
Hospitals in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, are brimming with chikungunya virus patients.
Major government hospitals throughout the city are reporting 500 to 750 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease every day, as noted by local media earlier this month, further straining an already struggling public health system.
Turkey strikes Kurdish sites after attack kills five near Ankara
Vicky Wong, Ian Casey and Seher Asaf
Turkey's government says its military has struck sites in Iraq and Syria linked to Kurdish militant group the PKK, after blaming it for an attack near Ankara that killed at least five people.
The Turkish government said that the strikes since Wednesday had killed 59 people it described as "terrorists". A Kurdish-led militia in Syria said 12 civilians died in the north and east of the country.
Various videos from the attack earlier on Wednesday show at least two people firing guns around the entrance of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which is located some 40km (25 miles) outside the capital.
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