Hello. Today I'm sharing a report from Ukraine by Sarah Rainsford, looking at the toll the war is taking on children. You'll read about 12-year-old Lera in the newsletter, but Sarah spoke to many other children for her piece - I invite you to read it in full. Meanwhile, we're waiting for a verdict from the 12 New Yorkers serving on the jury for Donald Trump's hush-money trial. We're also covering ballooning and paddleboarding - but maybe not in the way you'd expect.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

North Korea's rubbish balloons

Seoul authorities have warned residents not to touch any "unidentified objects". Credit: Reuters

North Korea has sent at least 260 balloons over the border into the South, scattering suspected excrement, rubbish and propaganda leaflets. Both countries have used balloons to spread propaganda since the Korean war in the 1950s.

What are these balloons?

South Korea’s army are saying the balloons are carrying what looks like excrement and all kinds of trash, such as bottles of detergent. Residents received alerts warning against leaving their homes, and have been asked to tell the authorities if they encounter one of these balloons.

Are they coming out of the blue? 

Not really. In recent years South Korean activists have also been sending balloons, usually carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets. Just this month an activist group claimed to have sent 20 balloons carrying 300,000 leaflets and USB sticks loaded with K-Pop music.

Why are they rubbish balloons then?

This weekend, North Korea's deputy defence minister warned that mounds of rubbish and waste would be scattered across the border. And that the authorities in South Korea would find out what a hassle it is to clean that up.

• Pyongyang crackdown: Earlier this year, BBC Korean got access to footage showing North Korean authorities publicly sentencing two teenage boys to 12 years of hard labour for watching K-dramas. 

• A TikTok hit: A North Korean propaganda tune became a viral sensation outside of the Communist state - and was banned by Seoul last week

THE BIG PICTURE

The democracy activists facing jail in Hong Kong

Sixteen of the 47 have pleaded not guilty and, if convicted on Thursday, could be jailed for life. Credit: BBC

From a 68-year-old former opposition lawmaker to a 27-year-old student activist, 47 Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners await a verdict on subversion charges on Thursday. Yvette Tan tells us who they are, and why they are facing charges in what was seen as the city's biggest crackdown under the National Security Law (NSL) imposed by China.

And finally... in the UK

Political leaders have little more than five weeks to get their points across to the British public. For the Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, this involved falling thrice while paddleboarding on Lake Windermere, where a massive sewage spill took place in February. Wednesday's campaign event was on the party's environmental policies. Take a look.