Central African Republic
The death toll from the collapse of a gold mine in the Central African Republic (CAR) has risen to more than 100 people, according to officials and the Red Cross. An investigation has begun to determine the cause of the disaster, identify victims and establish potential criminal liability, the prosecutor’s office in the Baboua sub-prefecture, where the incident took place, said. The number of deaths was likely to rise, Bertrand Be Yangué, a member of the local youth council, said. “Finding them alive would be a miracle,” Yangué said. “We are saddened and heartbroken to see young men and women perish after coming to the mines to save their families from despair.” Artisanal mine collapses are common in CAR.
More from AP here.
Listen to The Proximities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong has rubbished Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s assertion that Pyongyang is about to send 50,000 more troops to fight for Russia. Zelensky made the claim on X earlier this month, calling on South Korea to provide support for his country’s air defenses. Kim Yo Jong called the Ukrainian president’s statement "groundless" and "a self-staged incident." North Korea has already sent an estimated 14,000 troops to fight alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, as well as supplying Moscow with artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems. Memorial services attended by Kim Jong Un have been held in Pyongyang for North Korean troops killed in the war.
More from Reuters here.
Gaza
Israeli attacks on a police station and a refugee camp in Gaza killed at least 10 people on Wednesday, reporters and officials said. The al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said it had received nine bodies following a strike on the municipal police headquarters in the city, while at least one person was killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The attacks came a day after Israeli drone strikes on a seaside café killed seven people, including a child, the force of the explosion throwing people into the sea. Israel and Hamas agreed a ceasefire in October but Israel has repeatedly violated it, killing at least 1,273 people since it was signed.
More from Al Jazeera here.