*) Israel’s war could kill nearly 86,000 more Palestinians in Gaza — study

At least 85,750 more Palestinians could die from physical trauma and disease if Israel’s ongoing war against besieged Gaza further escalates in the next six months, according to a joint US-UK study.

“The Crisis in Gaza: Scenario-Based Health Impact Projections”, a joint project from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Humanitarian Health tracks multiple scenarios, including a worst-case possibility in which the hostilities in Gaza raise the number of casualties to more than 115,000 Palestinians.

*) LA protesters welcome Biden with ‘genocide supporter’ chants

A group of pro-Palestine demonstrators welcomed US President Joe Biden to America’s second most populous city with chants ridiculing his hitherto unwavering support for Israel’s ongoing carnage in besieged Gaza.

“Genocide supporter!” protesters yelled as Biden’s motorcade pulled up to the Culver City Julian Dixon Library in Los Angeles, where he delivered remarks touting his efforts to reduce US student debt.

Protesters sought to interrupt the president as he concluded his remarks, but their words were not immediately discernible amid applause from the crowd.

*) NZ mosque attacker radicalised ‘earlier than thought’, new research reveals

Researchers have theorised that the white supremacist who murdered 51 people in the 2019 New Zealand mosque shootings was radicalised “earlier than previously thought,” based on violent posts written years before the atrocity.

Brenton Tarrant had shot and killed 51 Muslim worshippers across two Christchurch mosques in March 2019, carrying out New Zealand’s deadliest modern-day mass shooting.

New Zealand researchers have been pouring through Tarrant’s posts on notorious online message boards to understand what sparked the atrocity — and if it could have been prevented.

*) Ukraine humanitarian appeal only 10% funded for 2024 — UN envoy

The UN’s humanitarian appeal to meet needs in Ukraine is only 10 percent funded for 2024, out of $3.1 billion needed, according to the country’s resident coordinator.

Denise Brown, the UN’s top representative in Ukraine, said an estimated 8.5 million Ukrainians living in dire conditions near combat zones risk going without basic humanitarian deliveries, including food and water.

*) Türkiye’s first fighter jet KAAN conducts its maiden test flight

Türkiye’s first domestic fighter jet KAAN, designed and manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries, has successfully conducted its maiden test flight.

Temel Kotil, the head of Turkish Aerospace Industries, said on X that KAAN stayed in the air for 13 minutes and reached a speed of 230 knots at an altitude of 8,000 feet during the flight.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye has left behind another critical stage to produce its own fifth-generation fighter aircraft.