N. Korea missile explodes in midair after launch

Reuters

A suspected hypersonic missile launched by North Korea exploded in flight on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, a development that comes as North Korea is protesting the regional deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier for a trilateral military drill with South Korea and Japan.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea launched a ballistic missile from its capital region around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday. It said the missile was fired toward the North’s eastern waters, but the launch ended in failure.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff later told South Korean journalists that the missile blew up as it flew over the waters of the North’s eastern coastal Wonsan city. It said the fragments of the missile were scattered in the waters, up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) away from the launch site. No damages were immediately reported.

Anti-tax protesters storm Kenya, parliament on fire, five dead as police open gunfire 

MINT

Protesters in Kenya demanded rejection of a finance bill introducing new taxes, leading to clashes with police. President Ruto vowed to suppress the unrest, deploying military support.

Thousands of demonstrators stormed Kenya’s parliament on Tuesday to protest against tax proposals. They set part of the building on fire, causing lawmakers to flee and prompting police to open fire. The unrest resulted in several deaths, and the president vowed to suppress the uprising. “We’re coming for every politician,” the protesters were heard saying.

Chinese envoy urges Israel to cease military action in Gaza

CGTN

A Chinese envoy on Tuesday urged Israel to “heed overwhelming international calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and stop its collective punishment” on the people living there.

The Gaza conflict has been ongoing for more than eight months, resulting in unprecedented destruction and a humanitarian disaster, Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said at a UN Security Council session.

There is an overwhelming international consensus on the Gaza conflict, with multiple UN resolutions demanding an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the removal of barriers to humanitarian access, and the protection of humanitarian workers, Fu said.

10 Children Lose Legs Every Day in Gaza, UNRWA Reports

Morocco World News

In addition to harrowing injuries, at least 40 Palestinian children have died in Gaza due to dehydration and malnutrition.

Palestinian child who lost her leg amid Israeli war on Gaza. Photo credit: Reuters

 The ongoing war on Gaza has led to a disturbing surge in child amputations, with an average of 10 children losing one or both legs each day, according to Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Speaking at a press conference in Geneva today, Lazzarini highlighted the dire conditions under which these amputations are performed, often without anesthesia.

Citing UNICEF data, Lazzarini said that approximately 2,000 children have undergone painful amputations over the 260 days of war. He emphasized that these numbers do not account for other severe injuries, including the loss of arms and hands, which are also prevalent.