
Kim Jong-un kneels at grave of mentor who called him ‘Jong Unny'
But for the third year in a row, North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, has bent his knee in honour of a man almost unknown to the rest of the world, who knew him by the nickname 'Jong Unny'.
Photographs in state media showed Kim laying a flower at the at the grave of Hyon Chol-hae, a senior military officer who died in 2022 at the age of 87, in a gesture that offers intriguing insights into Kim's personality and leadership style.
Hyon served under Kim's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and his father, Kim Jong-il. As a mentor to the current

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Reuters
2 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia and Belarus to hold joint military exercises in September, Minsk says
MOSCOW, Aug 12 (Reuters) - The Russian and Belarusian armies are set to hold joint strategic exercises in Belarus from September 12-16, the Belarusian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. The aim of the drills is to test the capabilities of Russia and Belarus and "ensure the military security of the Union State and their readiness to repel possible aggression," the ministry cited Major General Valery Revenko as saying. The Union State is a borderless union and alliance between the two former Soviet republics and neighbours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned earlier this year, without giving details or citing evidence, that Russia was "preparing something" in Belarus this summer under the guise of routine military exercises. In an interview with Time Magazine last week, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had decided to move the location of the joint military drills away from Belarus' western borders with European Union countries, citing security concerns raised in Poland and the Baltic nations. Lukashenko called the idea that Belarus would utilise the drills to attack the three Baltic countries and Poland "complete nonsense." Revenko, the Major General, said the Belarusian-Russian drills were "being used as a pretext for ongoing militarisation" in neighbouring NATO countries, citing upcoming joint NATO drills in Poland involving at least 34,000 troops. Belarus, Russia's closest ally, has seen its relations with western neighbours and Ukraine deteriorate over the last few years after Moscow used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for an assault on Kyiv it launched in February 2022.


BreakingNews.ie
32 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
US and China extend trade truce for another 90 days
US President Donald Trump has extended a trade truce with China for another 90 days, delaying once again a dangerous showdown between the world's two biggest economies. Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he signed the executive order for the extension, and that 'all other elements of the Agreement will remain the same'. Advertisement Beijing at the same time also announced the extension of the tariff pause, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The previous deadline was set to expire at 12.01am on Tuesday. Had that happened the US could have ratcheted up taxes on Chinese imports from an already high 30%, and Beijing could have responded by raising retaliatory levies on US exports to China. The pause buys time for the two countries to work out some of their differences, perhaps clearing the way for a summit later this year between Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and it has been welcomed by the US companies doing business with China. Advertisement China said on Tuesday it would extend relief to American companies who were placed on an export control list and an unreliable entities list. After Mr Trump initially announced tariffs in April, China restricted exports of dual-use goods to some American companies, while banning others from trading or investing in China. The Ministry of Commerce said it would stop those restrictions for some companies, while giving others another 90-day extension. Reaching a pact with China remains unfinished business for Mr Trump, who has already upended the global trading system by slapping double-digit taxes – tariffs – on almost every country on earth. Advertisement The EU, Japan and other trading partners agreed to lopsided trade deals with Mr Trump, accepting once unthinkably US high tariffs (15% on Japanese and EU imports, for instance) to ward off something worse. US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House (Alex Brandon/AP) In June, the US and China reached an agreement to ease tensions. The US said it would pull back export restrictions on computer chip technology and ethane, a feedstock in petrochemical production, and China agreed to make it easier for US firms to get access to rare earths. 'The US has realised it does not have the upper hand,' said Claire Reade, senior counsel at Arnold & Porter and former assistant US trade representative for China affairs. Advertisement In May, the US and China had averted an economic catastrophe by reducing massive tariffs they'd slapped on each other's products, which had reached as high as 145% against China and 125% against the US. Those triple-digit tariffs threatened to effectively end trade between the US and China and caused a frightening sell-off in financial markets. In a May meeting in Geneva, America's tariffs went back down to a still-high 30% and China's to 10%. Ms Reade does not expect much beyond limited agreements such as the Chinese saying they will buy more American soybeans and promising to do more to stop the flow of chemicals used to make fentanyl and to allow the continued flow of rare-earth magnets. Advertisement But the tougher issues will likely linger, and 'the trade war will continue grinding ahead for years into the future', said Jeff Moon, a former US diplomat and trade official.


Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
US and China extend tariffs deadline again
The world's two largest economies, the US and China, have again extended the deadline for tariffs to come into effect. A last-minute executive order from US President Donald Trump will prevent taxes on Chinese imports to the US from rising to 30%. Beijing also announced the extension of the tariff pause at the same time, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Those tariffs on goods entering the US from China were due to take effect on Tuesday. The extension allows for further negotiations with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and also prevents tariffs from rising to 145%, a level reached after tit for tat increases in the wake of Trump's so-called liberation day announcement on 2 April. 1:21 The countries reached an initial framework for cooperation in May, with the US reducing its 145% tariff on Chinese goods to 30%, while China's 125% retaliatory tariffs went down to 10% on US items. A tariff of 20% had been implemented on China when Mr Trump took office, over what his administration said was a failure to stop illegal drugs entering the US. Sector-specific tariffs, such as the 25% tax on cars, aluminium and steel, remain in place. The Shanghai Composite stock index rose 0.46%, and the Shenzhen Component gained 0.35%.