National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that it "would not be out of character" for North Korea to use US soldier Travis King as a propaganda tool or bargaining chip.

An Italian court on Monday convicted more than 200 mobsters and their white-collar helpers, the culmination of a historic, nearly three-year trial...

The 15-year-old granddaughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is collaborating on a picture book tribute to the late civil rights leader and his wife, Coretta Scott King

China exported small amounts of two minerals crucial to high-tech manufacturing in October, marking a resumption in sales

A man paralysed in a bicycle accident more than a decade ago has regained the ability to stand and walk naturally, using technology developed by researchers in Switzerland. Neuroscientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) have created what they call a “wireless digital bridge” which is able to restore the connection lost between the brain and the spinal cord. This digital bridge is a brain–spine interface which allows Gert-Jan Oskam to regain control over the movement of his legs, enabling him to stand, walk and even climb stairs. The team said their technology also enabled Mr Oskam to recover some of the brain function he had lost since his accident, where he was able to show motor skills when the digital bridge was turned off. According to the researchers, this “digital repair of the spinal cord suggests that new nerve connections have developed”. Mr Oskam, 40, an engineer from the Netherlands, was living and working in China when he had a cycling accident in 2011. He injured his spinal cord and lost movement in his legs. Neurosurgeon Jocelyn Bloch, who is a professor at the EPFL, said: “When we met Gert-Jan, he was unable to take a step after a severe spinal cord injury.” Gregoire Courtine, a professor of neuroscience at the EPFL, said: “To walk, the brain must send a command to the region of the spinal cord responsible for the control of movements. For the first time after 10 years (I was able) to stand up and have a beer with some of my friends, so that was pretty cool Gert-Jan Oskam “When there is a spinal cord injury, this communication is interrupted. “Our idea was to re-establish this communication with a digital bridge – an electronic communication between the brain and the region of the spinal cord that is still intact and can control the leg movements.” Mr Oskam underwent two surgeries to implant electrodes in the brain and the spinal cord to make the digital bridge. The technology uses artificial intelligence to convert movement thoughts into actions, establishing a direct link between the brain and spinal cord regions involved in walking. Prof Courtine said: “For the first time this digital bridge bypasses an injury, restoring the communication between two regions of the central nervous system that are disconnected.” The team said their findings, published in the journal Nature, establish a framework where natural control of movement can be restored after paralysis. Mr Oskam said he is able to walk at least 100 metres or more, depending on the day. He is also able to walk on crutches, when the implant is switched of, raising hope that technologies such as these could restore lost nerve function. Prof Courtine said: “What we observed is a digital repair of the spine, a recovery of neurological function that he has lost for many years.” Mr Oskam said: “For the first time after 10 years (I was able) to stand up and have a beer with some of my friends, so that was pretty cool.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Meta Ireland to cut about 490 jobs Netflix begins crackdown on password sharing in the UK and US Netflix begins sending emails to UK customers about account sharing

Some Afghan refugees promised UK visas have been waiting in Pakistan for over a year, according to charities.

Canada’s House of Commons gave a rousing standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran who fought in the Second World War – unaware he had served in a Nazi SS unit. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, was sitting in the gallery when he was described as a “Ukrainian hero” and a “Canadian hero” to applause from prime minister Justin Trudeau and president Volodymyr Zelensky. However, leaders were left red-faced when House speaker Anthony Rota subsequently apologised after it emerged that Hunka served in the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division, a voluntary unit made up mostly of ethnic Ukrainians under Nazi command. In a statement, Mr Rota said that on 22 September “in my remarks following the address of the president of Ukraine, I recognised an individual in the gallery. “I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so.” Mr Rota said that “no one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them. This initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding [district] and having been brought to my attention.” “I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my actions,” the speaker added. The Canadian Jewish group CIJA said it was “deeply troubled” that a Nazi veteran had been celebrated, and said “proper vetting is imperative to ensure such an unacceptable incident does not occur again”. The remarks came shortly after Mr Zelensky delivered a passionate speech to the Canadian parliament to bolster support from his Western allies. Mr Rota then hailed Hunka as “a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians” and “a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero”. Following the address, Mr Zelensky, who is Jewish and lost family members during the Holocaust, raised his fist in acknowledgement as the veteran saluted. Hunka’s Nazi unit are accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, and were visited by SS leader Heinrich Himmler in 1944 who said his men would be “eager” to “liquidate the Poles”. The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre said Mr Rota's remarks ignore “the horrific fact that Hunka served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well-documented”. Since his invasion in February 2022, Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine “harbours neo-Nazis”. Read More Putin gives defence chief one month deadline to stop Ukrainian counteroffensive in its tracks Russian airstrikes kill 2 and wound 3 in southern Ukraine as war enters 20th month Russian foreign minister lambastes the West but barely mentions Ukraine in UN speech Canadian parliament accidentally honours Nazi - with Zelensky and Trudeau applauding Opposition lawmakers call on Canada's House speaker to resign for honoring man who fought for Nazis Trudeau and Zelensky give Ukrainian Nazi war veteran standing ovation in parliament

A Tunisian naval guard has shot and killed a colleague and two civilians as he tried to enter a synagogue on the island of Djerba during an annual Jewish pilgrimage

Julian Sands, whose body was identified Tuesday after he disappeared in January while hiking in California, was a British actor who shot to fame as the romantic hero in 1980s...

'Sister Wives' star Meri Brown said she was criticized online for having Robyn Brown's back

Towering models parade down a three-metre (10-foot) high catwalk overlooking the rusting tin roofs of Kibera, the Kenyan...

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Sergio Rico has been hospitalized with a head injury after being hit by a loose horse in an accident in Spain