Good morning! I'm John Mazerolle, your guide to this morning's news.

Today we cast an eye internationally, from Sudan to Gaza to the Paralympics in Paris.

Let's dive right in.

A close look at the war you're not thinking about

Zahra Tarreel Adam, 19, and her one-year-old Abdallah are pictured April 19 in Adre, Chad, after fleeing their village of Kandobe in Darfur, Sudan. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have crossed the border from Darfur in Sudan into Chad during the Sudanese civil war. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

The forgotten war: The northeastern African country of Sudan is 500 days into a brutal civil war that has seen tens of thousands killed, millions displaced and famine looming over everything. Little global attention is being paid to the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, and there are few signs the situation will get any better. 

The biggest concern: An estimated 25.6 million people — more than half of Sudan's pre-war population — are at risk of acute hunger, according to the UN's World Food Program. The heads of three humanitarian organizations said the international community's "silence is deafening," and warned Tuesday that the people of Sudan were facing a "crisis unmatched in decades." A UN humanitarian response plan is only 41 per cent funded.

What it's like on the ground: Elizabeth Hoath, a senior producer at CBC Radio's The Current, travelled to a refugee camp in eastern Chad, in June, where people had set up shelters made of sticks, scraps of fabric and plastic sheets. One woman named Hawa Zakariya Yaya told Hoath she and her two children had no mats to sleep on in a makeshift shelter after escaping Sudan on foot with no belongings. Her husband and parents were still in Sudan, but she had no idea then if they were still alive. Yaya said she and her children had run out of food and wasn't sure how they were going to survive. One of her children had contracted malaria. One official told Hoath there is one doctor for every 25,000 people. 

What is Canada doing?: CBC News contacted Global Affairs Canada to ask about the government's involvement in attempts to end the fighting, but didn't receive a response before publication. Global Affairs Canada has previously imposed sanctions against six people and entities tied to the army and the paramilitary, and it accuses both groups of being involved in undermining peace, security and stability in Sudan, and committing human rights violations. In May, the government extended measures allowing family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who fled the conflict in Sudan to stay in Canada.

This 20-year-old says he was a human shield for Israeli Defence Forces

Mohamed Saad, 20, says he was forced to go out on house-clearing missions with Israeli troops, who, he says, made him search buildings for explosives and militants. (Mohamed El Saife/CBC)

The story: Palestinian civilian Mohamed Saad says he was unjustly detained by the Israeli Defence Forces and made to take part in house-clearing operations in Gaza, forced to search buildings for explosives and Hamas militants before Israeli troops were cleared to enter. Rights advocates say it's something the IDF has done before in this and past conflicts.

A definition: The International Criminal Court defines the term "human shield" as "utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations." Doing so is considered a war crime.

The wider view: Israel's high court banned the military from using Palestinians as human shields in combat in 2005. But accounts from Palestinians who've been detained and ex-IDF soldiers collected by human rights groups, media and a whistleblower organization of former soldiers suggest the practice has continued, including during the current war and past conflicts in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

IDF response: The defence forces did not comment directly on the allegations made in this story, but said in a statement to CBC News that the claims were forwarded to the "relevant authorities" to be evaluated. "Orders and directives of the IDF prohibit the use of Gazan civilians captured in the field for military missions that endanger them."

More Paralympic medals — and what to watch today

Greg Stewart of Team Canada competes during the men's shot put F46 final on Day 7 of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Stade de France in Paris today. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Total Canadian medals: 15

🥉7 bronze
🥈5 silver
🥇3 gold

Canada is replete with medal contenders today at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, including several competing as I type this. Greg Stewart has successfully defended his Paralympic title in the men's shot put F46 final, while cyclist Nathan Clement has won a silver medal in the men's T1-2 individual road time trial. 

Canada captured two medals yesterday, including a gold by wheelchair racer Cody Fournie in the men's T51 200 metres and a bronze by swimmer Katie Cosgriffe in the women's S10 100m butterfly.

Here's a look at three hopefuls who have starts you can watch later today:

Road cycling: Alexandre Hayward in the men's C3 individual time trial at 8:25 a.m. ET. Hayward is going for his second medal of the Games.

Swimming: Nicholas Bennett in the men's 200m individual medley SM14 final at 11:42 a.m. ET. Assuming he advances through the morning heats, which shouldn't be a problem, Bennett will have a great chance to win his second gold and third overall medal of the Games.

Tess Routliffe in the women's 100m freestyle S7 final at 1:28 p.m. ET. A silver medallist in the 200m individual medley on Saturday, Routliffe should contend for the podium again after taking bronze in this event at last year's world championships.

Canada urged to report climate cost of logging

A commercial logging facility is pictured near Fort McMurray, Alta., in September 2022. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)

The story: If carbon emissions from logging were reported separately by the Canadian government, they would be the third-highest emitting sector of the economy, behind only oil and gas production and transportation, according to a new report from several environmental groups. Because Canada doesn't break out those emissions, logging is unfairly portrayed as a sustainable industry, climate advocates say.

A 'behemoth': Aspects of that reporting mechanism have also been questioned by UN experts charged with reviewing Canada's annual emissions reports to the international community. "It's become clear that it's quite an emissions behemoth," said Jennifer Skene, an author of the report and the global forest policy manager for the Washington-based Natural Resources Defence Council. "The government is not being forthright about that."

Why it matters: Canada has one of the largest forestry sectors in the world — and about 10 per cent of the world's forests — so accurately measuring the industry's emissions has an outsized impact.

In case you missed it

• Access to a New Brunswick beach on the Bay of Fundy has been restricted by a landowner fed up with garbage, fires and even human waste.
   
• Ontario property assessments have been paused for years after COVID forced a halt. It's not clear when they'll begin again.
   
• Lena Usovich fled war in Ukraine, landing in the small community of Kemptville, outside Ottawa, in 2022. She writes about the cultural differences, big and small, that she's navigated as she adjusts to life in Canada. Like, why do Canadians talk so much about the weather?

And, in today's quirky news of the day...

Liberté, égalité, controversy

Forever ever?: People pose for a photograph in front of the Eiffel Tower and the Olympic rings on July 21 in Paris. The mayor of Paris would like to keep the rings in place indefinitely. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Faster, Higher, Stronger, Forever: Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo plans to keep the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower permanently. She told daily French newspaper Ouest-France that "the French have fallen in love with Paris again" and she wants "this festive spirit" to stay. "As mayor of Paris, the decision is up to me and I have the agreement of the [International Olympic Committee]," Hidalgo said. "So yes, they will stay on the Eiffel Tower."

Le contrecoup: The descendants of the man who designed the iconic structure say the rings can stay for a year or two, but not for good. "The Eiffel Tower is an old lady," said Savin Yeatman-Eiffel, great-great-great grandson Gustave Eiffel, the tower's architect. "She's been there for 125 years. You cannot take a decision like this, to modify it forever. That's taking it a step too far."

The city of light debate: Parisians are divided on the proposal. A petition opposing the plan had more than 34,000 signatures by Tuesday afternoon. But some people on the streets of Paris told Reuters they welcome the idea. Parisian Clemence Goulfier said the tower is "quite beautiful" with the rings. "The values ​​conveyed by these Olympic rings are quite fabulous," Goulfier told Reuters in a quote translated from French. "It is also a way of showing our attachment to these values, these Olympic, international values of peace, of solidarity. So yes, I think it is a great idea."