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Sunday 17 October 2021
Kim Jong Un called for improved living conditions in a speech on the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party.
Pyongyang resumed missile tests in September after a six-month hiatus.
The Korean Central News Agency said the missile met key technical requirements set out by defence scientists.
It is the latest in a series of mixed messages from Pyongyang, coming days after the rogue state dangled the prospect of an inter-Korean summit.
North Korea calls the complex “the heart” of its nuclear programme.
Kim Yo Jong criticised the South Korean president for describing North Korean weapons demonstrations as a provocation.
The reactor referred to in a report produces plutonium, one of the two key ingredients used to build nuclear weapons.
Diplomats said yesterday that France, Estonia, Ireland, Norway and Britain asked for a closed-door meeting of the council to be held on Tuesday.
Pyongyang is pushing to bolster the country’s military power.
US officials played it down as not a violation of UN resolutions.
Malaysia gave North Korean diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.
Kim Yo Jong warned Washington against further provocations if it wants a ‘good night’s sleep for the next four years’.
Federal prosecutors said the hacks include an attack targeting an American movie studio and an extortion scheme.
The state is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party.
If confirmed, Jo Song Gil would be the highest-level North Korean official to defect since the 1990s.
South Korea denied the North’s accusation.
The official was shot dead on Tuesday by North Korean soldiers.
Pyongyang claims testing has shown the person is “suspected to be infected”.
A propaganda war is fuelling the escalating tensions between the two countries.
Tensions on the peninsula have heightened in recent weeks.
North Korea’s military has recently threatened to move back into zones that were demilitarised under inter-Korean peace agreements.
Defectors have sent leaflets to the North by balloon and bottle criticising Kim Jong Un over his weapons programmes and human rights abuses.
The fire exchange took place a day after North Korea reported its leader Kim Jong Un’s first public appearance in some 20 days.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim attended the ceremony Friday in Sunchon with other senior officials.
There has been speculation over Kim’s health following his absence from a key anniversary last week.
Speculation has been rife since the leader skipped the April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather.
CNN cited a US official saying that Washington was “monitoring intelligence” on the matter.
South Korea said that the missiles were fired towards the sea.
This comes as a hiatus in disarmament talks between the two nations drags on.
The lack of testing activity in past months had experts wondering whether the North was holding back its weapons displays.
The US was swift to respond, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging Kim to “take a different course”.
Kim spoke for seven hours during the ruling Workers’ Party meeting in Pyongyang.
Talks about denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula have been deadlocked since earlier this year.
Three bodies with heads, two heads without bodies and two bodies without heads were discovered.
Nuclear talks between the US and North Korea have been stalled since a February summit fell apart.
North Korea continues to pressure the Trump administration over an end-of-year deadline to salvage faltering nuclear negotiations.
This comes as Pyongyang said it had carried out a major new weapons test.
Pyongyang has carried out a number of launches at the same site where the latest test occurred.
The isolated state also called Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the “most stupid man ever known in history”.
It was not immediately clear what had provoked Pyongyang’s attack.
EARLIER THIS MONTH, the HSE launched its flu vaccination programme for this winter.
At-risk groups including pregnant women and people aged over 65 are being urged to get a free flu vaccine to protect against serious illness from the virus.
People who wish to get a flu jab who are not in one of the recommended groups can arrange it privately but the service is not free of charge, as it is for those in the recommended groups.
Flu vaccines usually reduce the risk of infection by 40-60%. The inoculation starts to work within two weeks.
“We have all learned so much throughout the pandemic about how to prevent the spread of infections and it will be important that we remember these lessons during the upcoming flu season. Everyone should be aware that single most effective action you can undertake is to avail of a vaccine as early as possible,” Irish Pharmacy Union president Dermot Twomey said.
So, today we want to know… Do you plan to get the flu vaccine this upcoming winter?
Poll Results:
Share your story: voices@thejournal.ie
Our columnist says Biden is doing OK but has taken a major hit on the back of Afghanistan.
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