According to Khamis, this is the first time that the African native smaller mealworms' ability to decompose plastics has been recorded.

She stated that while Africa generates only 5 percent and uses 4 percent of global plastic, there is an increase in the usage of single-use plastic, making the continent the second most polluted.

Khamis said scientists tested the ability of the lesser mealworm to consume polystyrene, one of the major microplastics that is fast accumulating both in land and water bodies.

The Israeli army today confirmed that four members of its elite Unit 888, also known as the “Ghost Unit,” were eliminated during a resistance operation in northern Gaza. This ambush, led by Palestinian resistance fighters, resulted in the elimination of a commanding officer and three soldiers, with another officer critically injured in Jabalia.

Unit 888, established in 2019 as part of the “Tnufa” (Momentum) Plan spearheaded by former Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, is an elite combat unit designed for rapid, multi-dimensional warfare. Known for its versatility, the unit combines forces from various branches of the Israeli military—including infantry, armor, intelligence, and aerial units. Trained for all terrains and equipped with advanced weaponry, each Ghost Unit fighter is armed with personal drones, advanced night vision, and a real-time operational intelligence platform, the ZID 750, which integrates information from multiple fronts.

The Ghost Unit’s Key Features and Capabilities Ghost Unit 888 operates on a unique, high-speed combat philosophy called the “kill chain,” aimed at instantly detecting and killing targets. Its rapid response strategy is designed to close the detection-to-elimination cycle in mere seconds, far faster than traditional combat timelines. For instance, recent conflicts like Ukraine demonstrate a five-minute detection-to-response time, yet Unit 888 seeks to compress this to near-instantaneous action.

Security expert Omar Ashour describes Unit 888 as a multi-dimensional force capable of integrating five dimensions of warfare: ground, electronic, cyber, aerial, and subterranean. This high-level integration allows the unit to adapt swiftly to urban warfare challenges, such as those encountered in Gaza’s densely populated areas, where resistance forces like Hamas deploy complex underground networks.

A High-Stakes Debut and Strategic Significance Unit 888 first gained operational experience in 2020, focusing initially on Hezbollah-related activities near Israel’s northern border. However, Gaza has tested the unit in unprecedented ways, underscoring both its combat prowess and the high risks involved. During the October 7 military operation, Ghost Unit’s commanding officer Roy Levy, training chief Yotam Ben Bist, coordination officer Yonatan Gotin, and officer Itay Nahias were killed by Al-Qassam Brigades fighters. This loss underscores the true balance of power between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli army when modern technology is set aside.

Speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, at the quarterly open debate of the UN Security Council on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question.”  New York, October 29, 2024.

Mr. President:

We support the statements of Uganda, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement; of Cameroon, on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; and of Senegal, in its capacity as President of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

It is inconceivable that, more than a year after it began, the Security Council has not put an end to the genocide being committed against the Palestinian people.

More than 42,000 Palestinians have been massacred, 70% of whom are women and children. More than 2,500 Lebanese have been killed. These numbers are growing rapidly.

Far from an immediate and permanent ceasefire, Israel continues to attack hospitals, schools and refugee camps in the occupied Palestinian territories, in flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law.

At the same time, it is spreading the conflict in the Middle East region, expanding its aggression to Lebanon, indiscriminately bombing territories in Syria and Yemen and undertaking a new and dangerous escalation against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Israeli government attacks and disdains the UN and its Secretary-General, undermines the security of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and maintains the deadliest attacks in history against UN staff and humanitarian workers in Gaza.

The Occupying Power continues to obstruct humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. The recent passage by the Israeli Parliament of a law banning all activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in violation of the UN Charter and Israel's obligations under international law, will deepen the suffering of the Palestinian population.

How many more children and women must be massacred before the international community acts to end the aggression, end the illegal occupation and provide the international protection that the Palestinian people urgently need?

How much more destruction is needed before, instead of rhetorical speeches of support, practical action is taken against the ongoing genocide?

The impunity with which the Israeli government continues to act not only demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the Security Council, it undermines multilateralism and undermines the very essence of the United Nations Charter and International Law.

It also means that the Palestinian people face an existential threat. It means that more innocent people will continue to be killed, maimed, detained and displaced.

Such impunity is only possible because of the complicit political, military, logistical and financial support provided to the Occupying Power by the United States government, which acts with double standards and prevents the Security Council from acting.

Mr. President:

It is not possible to achieve peace in the Middle East without a just solution to the Palestinian question, which the Israeli government is trying to prevent by all means by destroying the State of Palestine in order to nullify the creation of two States.

A sovereign and independent Palestinian State is not possible without Gaza and the pre-1967 borders, just as it is not possible without East Jerusalem as its capital and without the return of refugees.

The International Court of Justice, at the request of the UN General Assembly, has issued a clear position: Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and its denial of the right of that people to self-determination are illegal actions that violate international law.

The immediate and unconditional admission of Palestine as a member state of the UN is an essential step towards a definitive solution to the conflict.

Why does Palestine have to continue waiting to become a full member of the United Nations, when Israel did so 75 years ago under a resolution that provided for the creation of two States?

In order to achieve peace and stability in the region, Israel's complete and unconditional withdrawal from the Syrian Golan and all occupied Arab territories is also necessary.

We demand an end to the aggressions against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the sister nations of the Middle East. External interference in that region must cease.

We reiterate the call for an immediate and unconditional end to the arbitrary and illegal unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States against sovereign countries in the Middle East.

Cuba will continue to contribute with all legitimate international efforts that contribute to a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict in the Middle East.

Joint action by all peoples and governments of the world is urgently needed to stop the aggressions of the Israeli government. Every minute of passivity will cost more innocent lives, more suffering and destruction.

Cuba will never be indifferent to injustice. The Palestinian cause and the sister nations of the region can always count on our firm solidarity and support.

Thank you very much.

(Cubaminrex)

Conor here: I don’t understand why this is so hard. If Europe doesn’t want or is unprepared for so many refugees, it should stop with the destruction of societies in the vicinity of the “garden” walls. The media always seems to ignore Europe’s role in creating these crises. The way the EU and/or some of its member countries keeps launching or supporting these bloody messes (Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon) is enough to make one wonder if it’s actually a conscious policy in order to bring in more exploitable refugee labor. But to believe that, you’d have to believe the current crop of European officials and their benefactors have the ability of such foresight.

[...]