World News Digest: Key Global Developments Unveiled

This summary highlights significant global events including Ukraine-EU security pacts, Julian Assange's return to Australia, Kenyan anti-tax protests, Gaza's food crisis, a failed coup attempt in Bolivia, updates from the Ukraine front line, US-South Korea talks on North Korea, a Russian satellite break-up, Israel's operations in Gaza, and expulsions of Chinese defense ministers for corruption.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine signs security pacts with EU, Lithuania and Estonia

The European Union and two of its member countries, Lithuania and Estonia, signed security agreements with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. The agreement with the EU lays out the bloc's commitment to help Ukraine in nine areas of security and defence policy - including arms deliveries, military training, defence industry cooperation and demining, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

Australian leaders celebrate Julian Assange's freedom but opposition says he is 'no martyr'

Julian Assange spent his first night in 14 years as a free man back at home in Australia as the conservative opposition on Thursday cautioned the government against hailing the WikiLeaks founder as a hero. Assange landed in Australia to an ecstatic welcome on Wednesday evening after pleading guilty to violating the U.S. Espionage Act. He was then freed by a U.S. court on the remote Pacific island of Saipan, having served more than five years in a British high-security jail.

Kenyan police face off against protesters day after president's tax climbdown

Kenyan police fired teargas at dozens of protesters and blocked off streets leading to the presidential palace on Thursday as small demonstrations continued in several cities, even after the president bowed to pressure to withdraw a tax hike bill. Turnout was well down from the height of the mass rallies sparked by the bill over the past week. President William Ruto withdrew the legislation on Wednesday, a day after clashes killed at least 23 people and parliament was briefly stormed and set alight.

Gazans struggle to feed their children under Israeli campaign

Famine approaches slowly for Gazans, who spend hours in queues for a few ladles of cooked food and the chance to fill plastic containers with drinkable water after nearly nine months of Israel's military campaign in the enclave. Sometimes there is nothing to queue for in the shattered streets and crowded schools that have been turned into shelters for the vast majority of Palestininans displaced by bombardment.

Bolivia coup attempt fails after military assault on presidential palace

Bolivian armed forces pulled back from the presidential palace in La Paz on Wednesday evening and a general was arrested after President Luis Arce slammed a "coup" attempt against the government and called for international support. Earlier in the day, military units led by General Juan Jose Zuniga, recently stripped of his military command, had gathered in the central Plaza Murillo square, home to the presidential palace and Congress. A Reuters witness saw an armored vehicle ram a door of the presidential palace and soldiers rush in.

In his home near Ukraine's front line with Russia, Yurii makes a stand

In Dolyna, there used to be 500 residents. Today, there are only a handful. The picturesque village, near the border of Ukraine's Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, was one of many in the area that became fierce battlegrounds in the spring and summer of 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Almost all of the residents fled.

South Korea's Yoon, US spy chief to discuss North Korea-Russia ties, report says

U.S. spy chief Avril Haines will be in South Korea and meet President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula and a recent pact between Moscow and Pyongyang pledging closer military ties, a news report said on Thursday. Haines will meet Yoon and discuss the deepening Russia-North Korea ties and Pyongyang's provocative moves, the Joongang Ilbo daily reported, citing an unnamed national security official.

Russian satellite blasts debris in space, forces ISS astronauts to shelter

A Russian satellite broke up into more than 100 pieces of debris in orbit overnight, forcing astronauts on the International Space Station to take shelter, U.S. space agencies said. There were no immediate details on what caused the break-up of the RESURS-P1 Russian Earth observation satellite, which was decommissioned in 2022.

Israel storms Gaza City neighbourhood, orders Palestinians to go south

Israel stormed a neighbourhood in Gaza City on Thursday, telling Palestinians as the tanks moved in that they must move south, and bombed the southern city of Rafah in what it says are the final stages of an operation against Hamas militants there. Residents of the Shejaia neighbourhood in Gaza City said they were taken by surprise by tanks rolling in and firing in the early afternoon, with drones also attacking after overnight bombing.

China's Communist Party expels two former defence ministers for corruption

China's Communist Party on Thursday expelled former defence minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe for "serious violations of discipline", a euphemism for corruption, state news agency Xinhua reported. Li was suspected of receiving "huge sums of money" in bribes as well as bribing others, and an investigation found he "did not fulfill political responsibilities" and "sought personnel benefits for himself and others", the report said, citing the Communist Party's Central Committee which ordered the investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)