UN chief warns against dangerous trend of using civilian objects in military operations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against the dangerous trend of using civilian objects in military operations at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York City on Wednesday.

The death toll in explosions of wireless communication devices across Lebanon on Wednesday rose to 14, with injuries up to 450, said the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The explosions followed an attack a day ago, in which the Israeli military allegedly targeted pager batteries used by Hezbollah members, resulting in the deaths of 12 individuals, including two children, and approximately 2,800 injuries.

In the attacks, communicative devices for civilian use were exploited as the medium. At the press conference, when asked whether it could be a dangerous precedent for the future war, Guterres said "Indeed, I think it's very important that there is an effective control of civilian objects, not to weaponize civilian objects. That should be a rule that everywhere in the world governments should be able to implement."

In a statement on Tuesday, Hezbollah accused Israel of being "fully responsible for the criminal aggression that also targeted civilians," threatening to retaliate. Israel has not yet commented on the explosions.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that Israel is at "the beginning of a new stage of the war" against Hezbollah.  

UN chief warns against dangerous trend of using civilian objects in military operations

UN chief warns against dangerous trend of using civilian objects in military operations

UN chief warns against dangerous trend of using civilian objects in military operations

UN chief warns against dangerous trend of using civilian objects in military operations

UN chief warns against dangerous trend of using civilian objects in military operations

China will build a national comprehensive space-time system by 2035, with the next-generation BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) at its core to provide secure and reliable positioning and navigation, said the chief designer of the system.

China on Thursday launched two new satellites of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province.

The two satellites, the 59th and 60th satellites of the BeiDou system, were launched at 09:14 (Beijing Time) by a Long March-3B carrier rocket and the Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upper stage attached to the carrier rocket.

According to the China Satellite Navigation System Office (CSNO), the two satellites launched this time will ensure the stable operation of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), while also conducting trials and testing of new technologies for the next-generation BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.

"This is our future development goal. More specifically, it is to achieve seamless connectivity from deep space to deep sea, to underground and from indoor to outdoor, ensuring that every corner is covered by navigation and positioning. This goal is set to be realized by 2035." said chief designer Yang Changfeng, who is also an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), in a recent interview.

Yang also said that the next-generation BeiDou Navigation Satellite System will expand its coverage and be more reliable for users.

"Our future direction in system development will be centered around the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, integrating satellite and non-satellite navigation methods. This will provide all users with a highly reliable, practical, and convenient experience, enabling seamless satellite navigation connectivity. People will be able to go anywhere in the world and receive precise guidance on their path forward. This is the goal we aim to achieve in the future," said Yang.

China to build national comprehensive space-time system with next-generation BDS system by 2035: chief designer