Baek Kwang-soon, 53, is being held on espionage charges. The Love Rice Sharing Foundation, a Protestant charity he works for, says that “all sorts of Russians, Thai and North Korean workers” are “in need, and we provide them with clothes, food, and gospel.” Last month, North Korea sent 300 workers, despite a UN ban.
Seoul and Havana open ties at the UN, a move that further isolates North Korea. Cuba is the 193rd country with full relations with South Korea, leaving Syria as the only UN member state without relations with the East Asian country.
Today's news: protests continue in Pakistan over alleged electoral fraud; Tension between Taiwan and China after a fatal accident involving a Chinese boat; As lessons in South Korea approach, Kim Jong Un increases missile tests; The war against Hamas erodes Israel's economy; Japan, in recession, loses its place as the world's third largest economy to Germany; In Leningrad, all open-air demonstrations are banned, including ecological and sports events.
Today's news: Netanyahu rejects Hamas' truce proposal and orders troops to head for Rafah; Kataib Hezbollah commander in Iraq killed in US raid; Pyongyang rips up all trade and cooperation agreements with Seoul; In Uttarakhand, the Civil Code is standardised, eliminating distinctions between believers of different religions.
Today's news: Taiwan says it has detected six more Chinese spy balloons flying over the island; In May, construction will begin on a new mosque in Ayodhya, India; Putin says he plans to visit Pyongyang soon; Israeli Foreign Minister Katz and his Palestinian counterpart al-Maliki will attend the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels separately: Tajikistan continues the work of "de-Russification" of its civil code.
Today's news: Pyongyang tests a "new" undersea nuclear weapon; Islamabad holds emergency meeting after border tensions; In Thailand, a man faces 50 years for lese majesty; New allegations of human rights violations in Colombo over anti-drug campaign; Tehran and Delhi begin talks to defend trade from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
