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North Korea: New Song Praises Kim Jong Un As ‘Friendly Father’, ‘Great Leader’
North Korea has unveiled a new song in praise of Kim Jong Un. It’s another attempt to bolster his image in North Korea this time through a song that has the lines such as “Let’s sing, Kim Jong Un the great leader” and “Let’s brag about Kim Jong Un, a friendly father”. The music video for the song premiered on Wednesday on the state-controlled Korean Central Television. It showcases individuals from various walks of life in North Korea, including children, soldiers, and medical personnel, enthusiastically singing lines from the song.
5 Japanese Nationals Escape Attack In Pakistan
Five Japanese nationals had a narrow escape in Pakistan’s Karachi. They survived a suicide bomb attack on their car. Police in Karachi intercepted the attacker and shot dead the gunman accompanying the bomber. The five Japanese nationals are unhurt but two passers-by have been injured in the incident. Though no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, it comes in the backdrop of foreign nationals being targeted by separatist organisations in Pakistan. PM Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the attack.
Israel Attacks Iran, Drones Shot Down Over Isfahan
Less than a week after Iran sent a barrage of missiles and drones to Israel, Tel Aviv has retaliated with a military operation of its own. Iran state media said a strike had hit a military base near Isfahan, 2000km south of Tehran. The Iranian airspace was closed for sometime before flight operations could resume. Iran has said it shot down drones. Isfahan is where Iran has several nuclear sites. IAEA has confirmed that there is no damage to any of them. The decades-long shadow-war between the two arch rivals is now out in the open. The tit-for-tat strikes have only heightened tensions in a region that has been unsettled for months.
US Vetoes Palestine’s Bid For Full UN Membership
The United States used its veto power in the Security Council to prevent the United Nations from officially recognizing a Palestinian state. This stopped a draft resolution that proposed granting full membership to Palestine in the UN. The resolution recommended to the 193-member UN General Assembly the admission of the State of Palestine to UN membership. The UK and Switzerland abstained from voting, while the remaining 12 UN council members voted in favour of the resolution. The US said the vote is not an opposition to Palestinian statehood, but an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties. The US said it supports the two-state solution. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the US veto “unfair, unethical, and unjustified.”
Trump Trial: 12-Member Jury Finalised
The 12 members of the jury that will decide if former US President Donald Trump is guilty or innocent, has been finalised. This is the first of four criminal cases that Trump faces.
The jury selection process started on April 15 and out of the 194 probables, more than half were dismissed after they said they were unsure of staying impartial. In this particular case in New York, Trump is accused of covering up a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says they had a decade earlier. Trump has denied these allegations calling the trial politically motivated. The judge presiding over the case has said the names of the jurors will not be made public to shield them from possible harassment.
