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U.S. Sends Carrier To Aid Philippines
Officials said the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "U.S.S. George Washington" was ordered to depart Hong Kong, where it had been visiting, and join relief efforts.
The ship, with some 5,000 sailors and 80 aircraft, will be accompanied by five other U.S. ships to provide humanitarian assistance, supplies, and medical care.
The Pentagon said the carrier was expected to arrive in the disaster zone in 48 to 72 hours.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (US AID) meanwhile has announced it will provide $20 million in relief, including food, shelter, and sanitation kits.
Elsewhere, Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain was sending a Royal Navy warship and donating some $16 million worth of aid to the typhoon’s victims.
The United States and Britain are just two of dozens of countries and organizations that have pledged tens of millions of dollars in aid since the typhoon devastated large swaths of the Southeast Asian island nation on November 8.
The United Nations has estimated that about 660,000 Filipinos were displaced by the typhoon.
"There are an estimated 660,000 people that have been displaced by this typhoon, and now all of our efforts are of course on mobilizing very quickly, and on a huge scale, a response," John Ging, director of the Operational Division at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters, citing an estimate that has also been reported by the United Nations.
Ging said an immediate priority is to help bury the thousands of dead to prevent a public health problem.
He added that officials were preparing for "the worst," saying: "As we get more and more access, we find the tragedy of more and more people killed in this typhoon."
The UN’s humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, was expected on November 12 to visit the Philippines to formally launch an emergency appeal for global aid. The UN has already released $25 million in emergency funds.
Much of the relief operation is focusing on Tacloban on Leyte island. Reports say most of the city is now in ruins after it was overwhelmed by the massive winds and tsunami-like sea surges caused by the typhoon.
Reports have spoken of desperate Tacloban residents raiding abandoned homes and businesses to obtain food and other goods.
Thousands of Tacloban residents have thronged the airport there, seeking to leave the devastated area.
"We're still surviving, even though it's pretty hard in here," one young resident, who gave her name as Maridoll, said. "Everything is gone, our houses, everything. There's nothing to eat, there's nothing to drink."
Officials have estimated that a total of around 9.8 million Filipinos in 41 provinces have been affected by the typhoon. .
Based on reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP
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Bosnia Postpones Local Elections In Areas Hit By Deadly Floods
Voters in Bosnia-Herzegovina cast their ballots in local elections on October 6 as rescue efforts are under way in the Balkan country following devastating floods that killed at least 18 people.
More than 25,700 candidates are competing for seats in local legislatures and the voters will also elect 142 mayors.
The Central Election Commission put the number of eligible voters at 3.4 million.
Authorities postponed voting in municipalities affected by the October 4 floods, which left some villages completely cut off and prompted officials to declare a state of disaster.
On October 6, rescue teams from Bosnia-Herzegovina’s neighbors and European Union countries joined efforts to clear the rubble and find people still missing from floods and landslides.
To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.
Pakistan Bans Pashtun Civil Rights Movement As Threat To Security
Pakistani authorities have banned a popular civil rights movement that campaigns for the country's ethnic Pashtun minority. The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has been engaged in “certain activities” that are harmful to public order and security in the country, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on October 6 without providing details. The PTM had in recent days reported a series of police raids and arrests targeting its leaders and members ahead of a “curial jirga” or people's assembly on October 11 in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The PTM has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of the country’s estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns. Many of Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtuns live in areas close to the border with Afghanistan, where the military has conducted campaigns it says defeated the Pakistani Taliban. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here.
- By RFE/RL
Israel Launches Massive Strike On Beirut While Weighing Response To Iran Missile Attack
The Israeli Air Force launched massive consecutive air strikes on a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on October 6 at a time when the country is also weighing options for its response to a recent Iranian missile attack.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant threatened Iran that it might eventually find itself looking like Beirut or Gaza -- which has also been battered over the past year -- if Tehran attempts to further harm Israel.
"The Iranians did not touch the air force's capabilities. No aircraft were damaged, no squadron was taken out of order," Gallant said in reference to the Iranian missile strike, which caused few injuries and slight damage to two air force bases.
"Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action should take a look at [Israel’s operations] in Gaza and Beirut,” where Israel is battling fighters of Hamas, which has been deemed a terrorist organization by the United States and EU.
Israel earlier said conducted a series of “targeted strikes” on “weapons storage facilities” and infrastructure sites that belong to Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has been designated by the United States as a terror group, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political unit, which holds seats in the Lebanese parliament.
Lebanon's official National News Agency said Hezbollah's stronghold in the area was hit by more than 30 strikes. A petrol station and a medical supplies warehouse were hit by the air raids.
Video footage showed huge flames and plumes of smoke billowing into the night sky, as residents fled their homes in panic with explosions echoing in the background.
Israel has bombed Beirut suburbs for days, killing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and possibly his potential successor, Hashem Safieddine.
Security sources have said Safieddine had been out of contact since October 4, after an Israeli air strike near Beirut’s international airport that was reported to have targeted him. Hezbollah has not commented on Safieddine.
Israel says Nasrallah was killed in a strike on the group's central command headquarters in Beirut on September 27.
The Israeli said on October 5 that its forces had killed 440 Hezbollah fighters in ground operations in southern Lebanon and destroyed 2,000 Hezbollah targets. Nine Israeli soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon so far, the authorities said.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the latest conflict, most of them since September 23.
Israel says the attacks on Hezbollah are aimed at enabling the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to homes in northern Israel, bombarded by the group since last October.
The Israeli forces were on high alert ahead of the first anniversary of an attack on October 7 last year, which sparked the war and was carried out by Hamas.
According to Israel tallies, some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage in the unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Israeli police on October 6 said several people had been injured in a suspected shooting attack in Beersheba, a city in southern Israel. One attacker was killed, the ambulance service said.
Separately, health officials in Hamas-run Gaza reported on October 6 that at least 41,870 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in the yearlong war between Israel and Palestinian militants.
Palestinian officials said that an Israeli strike on a mosque in Gaza early on October 6 killed at least 19 people who were sheltering after being displaced from their homes near the town of Deir al-Bala.
The Israeli military said the strike was targeting militants. The reports could not immediately be confirmed, but the Associated Press said one of its journalists counted the bodies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital morgue.
AP also reported that hospital records showed that the fatalities from the mosque strike were all men.
Israel said its forces on October 6 surrounded the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza in response to indications that Hamas was rebuilding “its operational capabilities in the area.”
Israel is also considering a retaliatory strike on Iran, which fired at least 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1.
Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad visited Kharg island on October 6, amid concerns that Israel could target Iran's largest oil terminal there.
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] Navy plays an important role in the security of oil and gas facilities," Paknejad was quoted as saying at the facility, from which around 90 percent of Iranian oil exports are shipped.
In Syria, state media and local rights monitors said an Israeli air strike targeted three cars in the city of Homs, although details remained sketchy.
Israeli forces have for years been striking Iran-linked targets in Syria and have intensified such actions since the October 7 attacks.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
- By AP
Russian Prosecutors Seek 7-Year Sentence For U.S. Man Accused Of Fighting For Ukraine
Russian prosecutors have asked for a seven-year sentence in the trial of a U.S. citizen accused of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine against Russia, Russian news agencies reported on October 5. Prosecutors asked the court to take 72-year-old Stephen Hubbard’s age into account and said he has admitted guilt, according to Interfax. They asked that Hubbard serve the sentence in a maximum-security penal colony. Prosecutors accuse Hubbard of signing a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, for which he allegedly was to receive at least $1,000.
- By Reuters
Russia Has Decided 'At Highest Level' To Remove Taliban From Terrorist List, TASS Reports
Russia's Foreign Ministry said a decision to remove the Taliban from a list of terrorist organizations had been "taken at the highest level," the TASS state news agency reported. The decision needs to be followed up with various legal procedures in order to make it a reality, President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, was quoted as saying on October 4. Putin said in July that Moscow considered Afghanistan's Taliban movement an ally in the fight against terrorism. Russia has been slowly building ties with the Taliban since the extremist group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
Russia Launches Nearly 90 Drones At Ukraine Overnight, Targeting Kyiv, Other Cities
Russia forces launched 87 drones and four missiles on Ukraine overnight, targeting the capital, Kyiv, and other cities, Ukrainian authorities said on October 6.
Ukraine’s air defense units shot down 56 of the drones and two of the missiles, the country’s air force said on Telegram.
Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv's military administration wrote on Telegram that the Russian drones entered the Ukrainian capital "in several waves and from different directions.”
The strikes kept Kyiv and the surrounding areas under an air-raid alert for more than five hours during the night.
The air attacks also hit the Black Sea port of Odesa, causing several blasts in the southern city, according to local authorities.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the overnight strikes.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Kherson, said earlier on October 6 that one civilian had died and 15 were injured in Russian attacks on the southern region in the past 24 hours.
To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.
Kazakhs Vote In Controversial Nuclear Referendum Amid Government Crackdown
Polls have closed in Kazakhstan as citizens voted in a contentious referendum to decide whether the Central Asian nation should build its first nuclear power plant, which supporters say will help end its reliance on coal but which opponents argue is too expensive and will be an environmental danger.
Voters were presented with a single yes-or-no question in the October 6 referendum: "Do you agree with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan?"
About two hours before polls closed, the Central Referendum Commission said voter turnout was more than 61 percent, easily surpassing the required 50 percent level to be considered valid.
It said the lowest turnout was in Almaty, with 23 percent, while the figure in Astana was 49.3 percent.
More than 12 million citizens were eligible to vote in the referendum, which took place at some 10,000 polling stations in Kazakhstan and at about 70 diplomatic outposts abroad.
Despite widespread opposition, many expect the referendum to pass, given Kazakhstan's tightly controlled political environment.
Two days before the referendum, authorities detained at least 26 activists as authorities cracked down on dissent leading up to the vote, Almaty-based human rights activist Bakhytzhan Toreghozhina said on October 4.
The wave of arrests has drawn attention to the increasing restrictions on public dissent surrounding the controversial nuclear-power project.
The referendum will determine whether Kazakhstan proceeds with the construction of the nuclear facility in the village of Ulken in the Almaty region on the shores of Lake Balkhash.
Proponents argue that the new facility would provide clean and affordable electricity, enabling the country to maintain low energy tariffs.
However, the project has faced significant opposition from environmental groups and concerned citizens, who argue that the plant poses risks to both the environment and national security.
Critics fear that the plant could be built by Russia's state-owned nuclear agency, Rosatom, making Kazakhstan more dependent on Russia and potentially turning it into a strategic target in the event of a future conflict.
Many Kazakhs are also wary of the involvement of Rosatom due to the legacy of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and Russia's recent actions at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
While Kazakh officials have refrained from commenting directly on which foreign company might lead the project, Rosatom, along with China's CNNC, South Korea's KHNP, and France's EDF, have been named as a potential partner.
After casting his vote in Astana, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev said that “an international consortium” might be involved in the construction, though he did not provide further details.
- By RFE/RL
Moscow's Ambassador To U.S. Concludes Term, Returning Home
Russian state-run news agencies TASS and Interfax on October 5 reported that Anatoly Antonov “is concluding” his stint as Russia’s ambassador to the United States and returning to his home country, citing the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. No mention was made of a successor, with the move coming at a time of high tensions between the two nations. In July, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported that Antonov had at that time suggested his term was reaching its conclusion, quoting him as saying: “My assignment is coming to an end. I hope together we will continue to defend the interests of our Fatherland!" Antonov, 69, was appointed as the Kremlin’s envoy in Washington by President Vladimir Putin in August 2017.
Magyar-Led Protests Demand Media Freedom In Hungary, End To State 'Propaganda Factory'
BUDAPEST -- Thousands of Hungarians gathered in Budapest on October 5 to protest against what they called the “propaganda factory” run by authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s state television operation and to demand a free media in the Central European nation.
Peter Magyar, the leader of the center-right Tisza opposition party, had called for protesters to gather at the headquarters of state broadcaster MTVA in the Hungarian capital.
Demonstrators demanded the dismantling of the "propaganda factory" and the restoration of genuine public media, along with the immediate firing of MTVA chief Daniel Papp, among other actions.
"We have had enough of the malice, the lies, the propaganda, our patience has run out," Magyar told the crowd.
"The public service media in Hungary today is an international scandal. We have had enough," the 43-year-old opposition leader said.
Independent parliamentary deputy Akos Hadhazy said the MTVA headquarters is the strongest bastion of power in the country. He called for news directors who falsify news to resign and for government propaganda to be prohibited by law.
Orban's cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his refusal to condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, as well as his attacks on the rule of law and accusations of corruption, have turned Hungary into the European Union's black sheep.
Since taking power in 2010, the increasingly authoritarian prime minister has clamped down on civil rights and taken much of the media under his control.
Over the past months, Magyar has gone from being the unknown husband of the former justice minister to becoming the great new hope for Hungary's opposition. He is also possibly the most dangerous challenger that Orban has faced since taking power.
Human Rights Watch has said that media freedom has “been under attack in Hungary” since Orban took the reins in the country.
“The Hungarian government’s interference with media freedom and pluralism, part of its systematic attack on the rule of law, obstructs the work of independent journalists in holding the authorities to account and prevents the public from accessing information."
- By Reuters
India Rules Out Bilateral Talks At Regional Summit In Pakistan
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will not discuss bilateral relations when he visits Pakistan this month, the first such visit in nearly a decade, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on October 15-16. "I expect there would be a lot of media interest because of the very nature of the relationship," Jaishankar said in response to a query at an event in New Delhi. "But I do want to say it will be for a multilateral event. I am not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations," he added. Relations between the two countries have gone through periods of thaw from time to time but have been largely frozen since they downgraded diplomatic ties in tit-for-tat moves in 2019.
Pakistani Police Lock Down Islamabad As Ex-PM's Supporters Gather For Protest
Islamabad appeared to be in lockdown mode on October 5 as supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan sought to bypass police barricades and enter the Pakistani capital to demand his release.
Local media reported that police had arrested Ali Amin Gandapur -- the chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province and a top Kahn ally -- who was leading a convoy of supporters into the capital on October 4 amid clashes with security forces.
The Interior Ministry has said the deployment of army troops into Islamabad is designed to ensure security ahead of the 17th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which is slated to begin on October 15 in the capital.
“I appeal to every member of my nation…to reach Islamabad and be a part of Ali Amin's convoy,” a message posted on Khan’s X account read.
“I am so proud of all our people. Thank you for keeping the faith.”
A spokesman for Khan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on October 5 said in a video message that the protests were continuing and added that the demonstrations would be taken to all parts of the Punjab region.
PTI’s official X page, which featured videos of what it said were marching supporters, said large numbers of security forces were attempting to block the protesters’ progress.
Islamabad police chief Ali Nasir Rizvi told reporters he had arrested dozens of PTI supporters. Mobile phone services have been suspended in most parts of the Pakistani capital.
Video showed containers that had been installed on various routes inside Islamabad, impeding motorcycle riders and PTI supporters.
Khan, 71, a retired cricket superstar who was prime minister from 2018 to 2022, was ousted in a no-confidence vote that he says was orchestrated by the powerful military and arrested last year after a judge sentenced him to a three-year jail sentence in a corruption case.
Amnesty International last month called on Pakistani authorities to "immediately release" Khan from "arbitrary detention."
"A year on from Imran Khan’s conviction and sentencing, Amnesty International has found several fair trial violations under international human rights standards which have resulted in his arbitrary detention, denying his right to liberty," it said in a September 21 statement.
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Khan's main political adversary, previously deployed paramilitary rangers and extra police forces and closed schools in Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi after the PTI refused to withdraw its call for the protest.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the media late on October 3 that authorities will not let Khan's supporters "storm Islamabad."
Naqvi urged the PTI to postpone the protest in order to allow the government to continue with preparations for the summit of the SCO, a regional intergovernmental organization that also includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, India, and Iran.
Pakistan has been struggling with a severe economic crisis and a deteriorating security situation amid an increase in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban.
The nuclear-armed country has recently received a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to prop up its faltering economy.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Rescue Teams Search For Missing After Deadly Floods In Bosnia-Herzegovina
Rescue teams are searching for up to 40 people still missing following deadly flash-flooding in Bosnia-Herzegovina that has left some villages completely cut off and prompted officials to declare a state of disaster.
At least 18 people were killed after heavy rainstorms early on October 4 triggered floods and landslides in central and southern areas of the Balkan country.
RFE/RL's Balkan Service is covering developments on its live blog.
Fifteen of the deaths were in Herzegovina and three in Bosnia, and bridges and roads were destroyed in both entities, hampering rescue workers.
On October 5, Bosnian authorities said the two latest fatalities were discovered in the area of Donja Jablanica, a village of some 450 people near the hard-hit municipality Jablanica.
The Civil Protection Service has estimated that between 20 and 40 people are missing.
Cleanup efforts began on October 5 in Jablanica, where 12 deaths were reported, and neighboring Konjic, where one person died.
The two municipalities are located halfway between the southern city of Mostar and the capital, Sarajevo.
The sudden rains hit as many residents were sleeping, and water rose over the roofs of houses and left entire villages buried in mud. Crews in Jablanica were working to remove piles of rocks and debris as the floodwaters subsided.
The municipality, a major tourist destination situated along the Neretva River and Jablanica Lake in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, was devastated by flooding. Roads and railway links have been destroyed, cutting off the area. In the village of Donja Jablanica, rocks from a nearby quarry reportedly buried homes.
Six people have been reported missing in the Jablanica area and four in Konjic.
The three remaining deaths were recorded in Fojnica in central Bosnia, the Civil Protection Service told RFE/RL.
Early reports had put the death toll at 19, but this was reduced after authorities in Herzegovina clarified that some victims had been counted twice.
Darko Jukan, spokesman for the authorities in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, said on October 4 that "in some cases only parts of roofs can be seen.”
“I cannot remember a crisis of such a magnitude since the [1992-95] war," he said.
Emir Begovic, a resident of Donja Jablanica, told RFE/RL that "when we saw the storm coming we expected this…Water came through the front door, the door immediately broke and [water] "pushed" us into one of the bedrooms."
"My wife, child, and I -- we had our granddaughter [with us] -- we were waiting, wondering if we should we escape [from the house]. Water flowed like two rivers above the house."
Anel Steta, a volunteer worker from Mostar, said the situation in the Jablanica region was "catastrophic."
"The mud does not allow us to work," he told RFE/RL.
"The conditions are difficult. One lifeless body was found. Unknown person, unknown identity...it is disastrous," he added.
Bosnian media footage taken from drones showed villages and towns completely covered by water, while videos on social networks showed muddy torrents and damaged roads. On October 5, locals and emergency workers attempted to divert flood waters that had blocked access to villages.
Flash floods caused by heavy rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, while in Croatia strong winds and torrential rains closed several roads.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
Zelenskiy Prepares To Present 'Victory Plan' To Allies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will present Kyiv’s “victory plan” during an upcoming meeting of Western allies in Germany.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
"We will present the victory plan, clear, specific steps for a just end to the war," Zelenskiy wrote on October 5, referring to the all-out war with Russia that began when Ukraine was invaded in February 2022.
The 25th meeting of more than 50 allies and partners, collectively known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, will take place at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany on October 12.
Referring to the strategy as “peace through strength,” Zelenskiy said that the “victory plan provides for the necessary strengthening of Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy added that Kyiv had already begun discussions with the United States, Ukraine’s leading supporter during the war with Russia, and that “we are involving all partners."
Zelenskiy began teasing Ukraine’s “victory plan” in August, and later announced that it was nearly complete and consists of “four main points and one that must be implemented after the war.”
During his visit to Washington last month, he presented the plan to U.S. President Joe Biden as well as to both candidates in the November 5 presidential election -- current Vice President Kamala Harris (Democrat) and former President Donald Trump (Republican).
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department said at the time that the plan contained "a number of productive steps."
Little else is known about the plan, although The Wall Street Journal has cited anonymous U.S. officials as saying it was essentially a renewed request for more weapons and for countries that donate long-range missiles to lift restrictions on using them to strike deeper into Russian territory.
In late September, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine and its partners should “determine joint steps and a common vision of how to increase pressure on Russia" during the Ramstein meeting.
Zelenskiy also said that Ukraine’s military faced a “very, very difficult” situation as it continues to fend off invading Russian forces that have made significant gains in Ukraine’s east in recent weeks.
However, Zelenskiy stressed the importance of Ukraine’s military making gains itself ahead of the Ramstein meeting to assure allies of its capabilities.
Zelenskiy is scheduled to meet again with U.S. President Biden during the gathering.
Meanwhile, the Russian military claimed on October 5 to have taken another village near the strategically important eastern town of Kurakhove, one of the focal points of Russia's slow advance through the industrial Donetsk region.
Russia's Defense Ministry identified the settlement taken as Zhelanne Druhe, which had a prewar population of about 200 people located along the Vovcha River.
Meanwhile, a Russian warplane crashed near the Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, with a source within Ukraine’s military claiming that Russian air defenses mistakenly shot it down.
Video footage showed a downed Russian fighter jet, but details of the incident were not immediately available and there was no acknowledgment from the Russian side of what happened.
The Ukrayinska Pravda news website, citing an air force source in Kyiv, said the jet was over occupied territory and was preparing to release glide bombs when it was hit by Russian missiles.
The battlefield reports could not immediately be verified.
6 Pakistani Soldiers Killed In Attack By Islamist Militants
Pakistan’s military has said that six of its soldiers, including a high-ranking officer, were killed on the evening of October 4 when a military convoy was attacked by Islamist militants in the country’s restive northwest.
The military identified the slain officer in an October 5 statement as Lieutenant-Colonel Muhammad Ali Shoukat. Six militants, whose affiliation was not named, were also killed in the clash that took place in North Waziristan, a tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province near the Afghan border.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Search and rescue operations continue, according to the statement. A source within the district’s intelligence agency told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal on condition of anonymity that 24 soldiers were injured in "an intense exchange of fire."
North Waziristan has long been a hotbed of militants operating on both sides of the border. In recent years, civilians and security forces have been killed in targeted killings, and Pakistani officials say attacks have risen in recent months. Many have been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
After the Afghan Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces from the country, many TTP members have reportedly found sanctuary in Afghanistan, using it to launch more frequent attacks on Pakistani troops and civilians.
The unrest in North Waziristan and other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province has led to mass protests by civilians who have called for greater security but also expressed concerns that civilians could be harassed or arrested during a military offensive.
The central government and the Pakistani military have said they are committed to ending terrorism in the region and will continue to target militants.
In 2014, the Pakistan military launched a two-year military operation in North Waziristan that it claimed resulted in militants being cleared from the region.
The offensive significantly disrupted the lives of civilians, millions of whom were left homeless. Many returned to the area in 2016, but the peace was broken when militant attacks resumed in 2018.
- By RFE/RL
Israel Hits Hamas Leaders In Lebanon As World Awaits Potential 'Significant' Strike On Iran
As the world awaits a potentially “significant” Israeli strike against Iran, fighting continued in and around Beirut and throughout Lebanon, with Tehran-backed militant groups acknowledging the deaths of additional leaders from the latest attacks.
An Israeli official told the French news agency AFP on October 5 that the military was "preparing a response" to the massive Iranian missile barrage that struck Israel earlier this week, although most projectiles were shot down and caused few injuries and little property damage.
"The IDF is preparing a response to the unprecedented and unlawful Iranian attack on Israeli civilians and Israel," the military official told AFP, referring to the Israeli Defense Forces.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official did not elaborate on the specifics or timing of any potential action.
The Israeli Haaretz newspaper, citing unnamed military officials, said the response would be "significant."
Meanwhile, Israeli forces targeted several sites late on October 5 and early on October 6 in the suburbs of Beirut after warning people to evacuate five specific buildings.
"For your safety and that of your family members, you must immediately evacuate the designated buildings and those adjacent to them and move away from them at least 500 meters," spokesman Avichay Adraee said.
Earlier, Hamas, the Gaza-based militant group that has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU, said an Israeli strike killed one of its commanders in a refugee camp in northern Lebanon on October 5.
"Commander" Saeed Attallah Ali, his wife, and two daughters were killed in a "Zionist bombardment of his house in the Beddawi camp" near the northern city of Tripoli, Hamas said.
It is the first reported occasion that the area has been hit as part of the latest military activity, which began with the militant group’s mass assault into Israel on October 7, 2023. More than 1,200 people were killed and some 250 taken hostage in Hamas's rampage, prompting Israel’s brutal retaliation against the militants in Gaza.
The Israeli military reported on October 5 that Muhammad Hussein Ali al-Mahmoud, who it said was Hamas’s executive authority in Lebanon, was also killed in an air strike.
Over the past several days, Israeli forces have pounded areas near Beirut and southern Lebanon as they targeted Hezbollah strongholds, killing dozens of the militant group’s leaders, including chief Hassan Nasrallah on September 27.
Hezbollah has also been designated by the United States as a terror group, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political unit, which holds seats in the Lebanese parliament. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are considered to be Iranian proxies in the region.
The whereabouts of Nasrallah's likely successor, Hashem Safieddine, who is a cousin of the slain leader, remained unknown on October 5 following the latest Israeli air strike that targeted a meeting of Hezbollah leaders on October 4.
As fears of an all-our war in the Middle East grow, French President Emmanuel Macron on October 5 urged a halt of arms deliveries to Israel, which has faced criticism and street protests abroad over the magnitude of its retaliatory actions in Gaza, which reportedly have killed more than 42,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
"I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza," Macron told French TV. He added that France was not sending weapons to Israel at this time.
He also assailed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his decision to launch the ground operations inside Lebanon despite pleas from Washington and Paris to avoid doing so.
"I regret that Prime Minister Netanyahu has made another choice," Macron said.
Netanyahu lambasted the French leader for urging a halt to arms supplies to Israel.
"As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel's side. Yet, President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them," Netanyahu said.
Israel has claimed the operation in Gaza was necessary to wipe out Hamas militants and to protect its security following the October 7 terror attacks.
On October 4, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used a rare public sermon to defend his country’s October 1 missile attack against Israel, saying it was "legitimate and legal" and that "if needed," Tehran will do it again, prompting fears of further Israeli retaliation.
U.S. President Joe Biden on October 4 said there had been no decision yet on what type of response Israel should mount against Iran but advised against striking Iran's oil facilities.
"If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields," Biden said in the White House briefing room a day after saying such strikes were being discussed.
Biden also told reporters that Netanyahu should remember U.S. support for Israel when deciding on next steps. He added that he had been trying to rally the world to avoid all-out war in the Middle East.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Kyiv Says Russia Has Executed 93 Ukrainian POWs Since Start Of War
Ukraine has documented evidence related to the execution of 93 Ukrainian prisoners of war, according to a law enforcement official tasked with investigating war crimes related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Yuriy Belousov, who heads the Prosecutor-General's Office’s department in charge of investigating crimes committed in armed conflict, provided the latest figure during a live television appearance on October 4.
"Now we have information about the death of 93 of our soldiers who were executed on the battlefield," Belousov told Yedyniy Novyny, a broadcast that unites multiple Ukrainian television channels.
Belousov said that about 80 percent of the executions were recorded this year, but that the number of executions began rising in November “when there were changes for the worse in the attitude of Russian servicemen toward our prisoners of war."
On October 1, the Prosecutor-General’s Office announced it had opened an investigation into what it described as the "largest mass execution" of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian troops since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
According to an official statement published on the office’s Telegram channel, Russian forces recently killed 16 Ukrainian "prisoners of war" near the villages of Mykolayivka and Sukhiy Yar in the Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region.
Videos circulated on various Telegram channels appear to show Ukrainian soldiers, freshly captured by Russian troops, emerging from a forested area.
After the prisoners have lined up, Russian forces appear to open fire. The videos then appear to show Russian soldiers approaching those who were only wounded and shooting them again at close range with machine guns.
The videos have not been independently verified.
Under international humanitarian law, executing soldiers who have surrendered is considered a war crime.
Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said he had contacted both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross over the deaths, citing violations of the Geneva Conventions, which govern the treatment of prisoners of war.
In March, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine published a report that recorded the execution of at least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war in 12 separate cases from December 2023 to February 2024.
Activists Sentenced For Drone Attack On Russian Military Plane In Belarus
Twelve people were sentenced in Minsk to prison terms of between two and 25 years on October 4 for "acts of terrorism" and "treason against the state" in connection with an attack in February 2023 that damaged a Russian plane. The defendants, most of whom were sentenced in absentia, although it's unclear how many, were accused of using a drone to damage a Russian A-50, an aircraft used for military reconnaissance. The main defendant, Nikolai Shvets, was released to Ukraine in a prisoner exchange in June but was still handed the longest sentence in absentia of 25 years. The leader of the Belarusian anti-government group ByPol said last year that the attack at the Machulishchy Air Base was a joint operation by ByPol and Ukraine's Security Service. Russia has used the air base in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
- By Reuters
Azerbaijan Rejects 'Disgusting' U.S. Human Rights Criticism Before COP29
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on October 4 rejected what he called a "disgusting" letter from U.S. lawmakers who criticized his country's human rights record and urged it to free political prisoners before it hosts next month's COP29 climate conference. The letter, signed by nearly 60 lawmakers, urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, to enable a more conducive environment for successful diplomacy at COP29." It said that "provocative" Azerbaijani statements toward Armenia risked undermining peace negotiations between the two countries, which have fought two wars since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Speaking in Cabrayil, a town recaptured from Armenian forces in the 2020 war, Aliyev called the letter "a disgusting appeal that cannot influence our will" and said it had been drawn up "to threaten and accuse us."
EU Court Hands Down Landmark Victory For Transgender Rights
The European Union's top court has ruled that member states must accept changes of first name and gender obtained in other countries in the bloc, a landmark ruling brought about by a case involving Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi, a transgender man with dual citizenship in Romania and Great Britain.
The decision, which establishes a significant legal precedent, will affect millions of transgender people across the bloc, ensuring their identities are respected and recognized, regardless of where they live or travel within the EU.
"Gender, like a first name, is a fundamental element of personal identity. A divergence between identities resulting from such a refusal of recognition creates difficulties for a person in proving his or her identity in daily life as well as serious professional, administrative and private inconvenience," the court said in its decision.
After undergoing gender transition in the U.K. in 2020 while the country was still part of the EU, Mirzarafie-Ahi's name and gender marker were changed in their British documents.
However, Romanian authorities refused to issue a new birth certificate reflecting the transition, citing national law.
The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that this refusal was illegal under EU law, as all members must recognize legal gender transitions made in any other member state.
"I cried, really. It was indeed a victory that we have been waiting for for many years," Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi said via video from Britain on October 4 as his supporters held a press conference in Bucharest.
The decision is seen by rights groups as a victory for transgender rights across the entire European Union.
They said it sets a new standard for the legal recognition of transgender individuals and has far-reaching implications for their ability to live without discrimination or unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles.
The ruling is crucial for transgender people who move between countries for work, education, or personal reasons.
Previously, they faced challenges when their identity documents were not recognized in different member states, leading to difficulties in accessing services, traveling, or even basic tasks like opening a bank account or enrolling in school.
The court decision also carries deep symbolic significance by affirming that transgender rights are fundamental human rights.
This aligns with the EU's broader commitment to equality and nondiscrimination, as outlined in its Charter of Fundamental Rights.
However, challenges remain in ensuring that it is implemented effectively across the EU.
While all member states are now legally required to recognize name and gender changes made in other EU countries, this does not automatically reform national laws regarding how individuals can change their gender markers within each country.
Governments, rights activists say, may attempt to delay or complicate the process of recognition, even though they are legally bound to comply with the decision.
At Least 16 Dead In Bosnian Floods Following Heavy Rain
At least 16 people were killed in flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainstorms in central and southern Bosnia-Herzegovina on October 4, authorities said.
Early reports had put the death toll at 19, but this was reduced after authorities in Herzegovina clarified that 13 people had been killed in the flooding there.
It had previously been reported that 16 people had perished in the floods in that region, but it was later discovered that three of the bodies had been reported twice.
Out of the 13 who died, 12 people were killed in Donja Jablanica and one in Konjic. With rescue searches ongoing, six more people continue to be missing in Jablanica and four in Konjic.
Three more people died in Fojnica in central Bosnia, the Civil Protection Service told RFE/RL.
Darko Jukan, spokesman for the authorities in Neretva Canton, said that in addition to the 16 confirmed dead, many others were missing and "a lot" of people had been injured.
"In some cases only parts of roofs can be seen. I cannot remember the crisis of such a magnitude since the [1992-95] war," he said.
The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo offered its sympathies, saying on X that it "extends its sincere condolences to all people in the communities affected by this devastating disaster."
The U.S. Agency for Investment and Development is closely coordinating with partner relief agencies in affected areas to assess damage and determine needs, the embassy said.
The heavy rainfall and landslides prompted authorities to declare a state of natural disaster in the Jablanica and Konjic areas, located halfway between the southern city of Mostar and the capital, Sarajevo, with the water in some villages rising over the roofs of houses.
Jukan said road access to the region was completely cut off, while telephone services had been partially interrupted.
Bosnian Defense Minister Zukan Helez told local TV that the army has been called in to help as the number of casualties mounted.
"Hour after hour we are receiving news about new victims…. We sent everyone we could," he said. "Our first priority is to save the people who are alive and buried in houses where the landslides are."
Bosnian media footage taken from drones showed villages and towns completely covered by water, while videos on social networks showed muddy torrents and damaged roads.
Landslides and overflowing rivers also destroyed bridges over the southern Drezanjka River while the road connecting the southern towns of Jablanica and Prozor-Rama collapsed and was swept into the water together with a railway line by a landslide, authorities said.
The road connects Sarajevo with the Adriatic coast and is one of Bosnia's busiest.
In the town of Komadonovo Vrelo, 10 kilometers south of Jablanica, a 50-meter stretch of the town's main road collapsed into the Neretva River.
Train services south of Sarajevo toward Mostar and the southern city of Capljina have been suspended, Bosnia's railways told RFE/RL.
Flash floods caused by heavy rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, while in Croatia strong winds and torrential rains closed several roads. Croatia's capital, Zagreb, was taking emergency measures in expectation of the Sava River overflowing its banks, local authorities reported.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Moscow Pushes For Lifting Sanctions On Taliban-Led Afghanistan, U.S. Remains Cautious
Russia has urged the West to lift sanctions on Taliban-led Afghanistan and called for the inclusion of its government in discussions about the country's future in direct opposition to the U.S. position of keeping sanctions against the regime in place. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a session of the "Moscow Format" consultations on October 4 that it's necessary to engage with the Taliban administration despite its lack of formal recognition by Moscow. Despite the Taliban being unrecognized internationally, the Taliban administration's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi participated in the forum, highlighting Russia's ongoing engagement with the Taliban. The U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, Karen Decker, said a day earlier that Washington remained opposed to easing sanctions or recognizing the Taliban, stressing that progress on human rights, particularly women's rights, was necessary before any steps toward legitimacy or economic engagement could occur.
Kazakhstan Detains Activists Ahead of Nuclear Referendum
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Two days before Kazakhstan holds a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant, authorities detained at least 26 activists, Almaty-based human rights activist Bakhytzhan Toreghozhina said on October 4.
The detentions come amid heightened tensions as authorities crack down on dissent leading up to the vote.
Some of the detained activists were handed jail terms ranging from 10 to 20 days on administrative charges, which they strongly reject.
Others were fined or instructed not to leave their towns and cities while investigations against them continue, particularly over allegations of planning mass unrest.
Five prominent activists -- Nurlan Zhaulybaev, Nurlan Temirghaliev, Zhanat Qazaqbay, Fazylzhan Sydyqov, and Aidar Mubarakov -- were placed in a pretrial detention center in Almaty and accused of attempting to organize mass riots.
This wave of arrests has drawn attention to the increasing restrictions on public dissent surrounding the controversial nuclear-power project.
Security measures in the country's largest city, Almaty, have been heightened to prevent what authorities describe as "illegal activities" during the referendum period.
In a related move, a court in western Kazakhstan fined the Uralskaya nedelya newspaper 110,760 tenges ($230) on October 3 for conducting a survey of residents of the city of Oral about the construction of the nuclear plant.
Deputy Prosecutor-General Zhandos Omiraliev said on October 4 that 24 cases of "illegal polls" related to the nuclear-power issue had been officially registered, with all individuals involved facing administrative punishment.
The referendum, scheduled for October 6, will determine whether Kazakhstan proceeds with the construction of a nuclear power plant in the village of Ulken in the Almaty region on the shores of Lake Balkhash.
Proponents of the project argue that the new facility would provide clean and affordable electricity, enabling the country to maintain low energy tariffs.
However, the project has faced significant opposition from environmental groups and concerned citizens, who argue that the plant poses risks to both the environment and national security.
Critics fear that the plant could be built by Russia's state-owned nuclear agency, Rosatom, making Kazakhstan more dependent on Russia and potentially turning it into a strategic target in the event of a future conflict.
Many Kazakhs are also wary of the involvement of Rosatom due to the legacy of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and Russia's recent actions at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
While Kazakh officials have refrained from commenting directly on which foreign company might lead the project, Rosatom, along with China's CNNC, South Korea's KHNP, and France's EDF, have been named as a potential partner.
Despite widespread opposition, many expect the referendum to pass, given Kazakhstan's tightly controlled political environment.
- By RFE/RL
Dutch Citizen Reportedly Detained In Moscow For Assaulting Police
A Dutch citizen has been detained in Moscow after striking a police officer in the face following a disagreement over a knocked-down road sign, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on October 4, citing a law enforcement source in the Russian capital. The alleged altercation took place near the Smolenskaya metro station, leading to the immediate detainment of the man, the source said. Law enforcement agencies have opened a criminal case under Article 318 of the Russian Criminal Code, which addresses the "use of violence against a government official," which is punishable by up to five years in prison. A day earlier, Mash Telegram channel identified the Dutch citizen as Harry Johannes van Wurden, 64.
Nuclear Security Chief in Ukraine's Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhya Killed In Car Bombing
The head of security at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine was killed in a car bombing on October 4, according to Ukrainian and Russian authorities. Andrei Korotky (Andriy Korotkiy) died after a homemade explosive device was planted under his car and detonated when the vehicle began moving, authorities said. Korotky was also the former head of the Moscow-installed local council of deputies in the city of Enerhodar, where the blast occurred. Ukrainian intelligence accused him of war crimes and organizing pro-Russian events during the occupation. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a probe into the deadly bombing. The incident highlights ongoing tensions and resistance efforts in occupied Ukraine, where local officials cooperating with Russian authorities are increasingly being targeted. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.
Government Orders Army To Deploy In Islamabad Amid Standoff With Ex-PM Khan's Supporters
The Pakistani government has ordered the deployment of army troops in Islamabad beginning on October 5 amid a tense standoff as Pakistani security forces blocked the main access roads and cut off the mobile phone signal in order to prevent thousands of supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan from entering the city and rallying for his release.
The Interior Ministry order said the army deployment was meant to ensure security ahead of the 17th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which is slated to begin on October 15 in the capital.
Khan, who was jailed on numerous charges of corruption that he and his supporters say are politically motivated, asked activists from his Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party to stage a protest on October 4 in the high-security zone of Islamabad.
Several protests were held in and around Islamabad, and police reportedly arrested several PTI activists.
Roads and bridges leading into the city were blocked with large shipping containers as Khan's supporters have been planning to descend upon the capital from the country's ethnic Pashtun-majority Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province bordering Afghanistan, where his PTI party rules.
Khan, 71, a retired cricket superstar who was prime minister in from 2018 to 2022, was ousted in a no-confidence vote that he says was orchestrated by the powerful military and arrested last year after a judge sentenced him to a three-year jail sentence in a corruption case.
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Khan's main political adversary, previously deployed paramilitary rangers and extra police forces and closed schools in Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi after the PTI refused to withdraw its call for the protest.
Outside of Islamabad, Khan's supporters on October 4 massed in Swabi, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, to begin a march toward Islamabad to be reportedly led by the province's PTI head, Ali Amin Gundapur.
According to provincial officials, the marchers have acquired heavy technical equipment to dispose of the containers blocking the access roads into the capital.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the media late on October 3 that authorities will not let Khan's supporters "storm Islamabad."
Naqvi urged the PTI to postpone the protest in order to allow the government to continue with the preparations SCO summit.
Pakistan has been struggling with a severe economic crisis and a deteriorating security situation amid an increase in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The nuclear-armed country has recently received a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to prop up its faltering economy.
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