Charles Michel says peace progress in Caucasus ‘encouraging’
President Emeritus of the European Council Charles Michel has said he is “confident” in the progress of peace efforts between Azerbaijan and Armen...
North Korea is increasingly using the death penalty, including against people caught watching or sharing foreign films and TV dramas, according to a new United Nations human rights report.
The UN Human Rights Office said Pyongyang has expanded its use of executions while subjecting citizens to harsher restrictions and forced labour, tightening state control over “all aspects of life.”
The report, based on more than 300 interviews with escapees over the past decade, found that at least six new laws since 2015 have broadened crimes punishable by death. These include distributing foreign media, which Kim Jong Un’s government views as a threat to its grip on information.
Interviewees said public executions, often by firing squad, have increased since 2020, intended to instil fear and deter violations. One escapee, Kang Gyuri, told that three of her friends were executed after being caught with South Korean content.
“When a 23-year-old friend was tried, he was sentenced to death alongside drug criminals. These crimes are treated the same now,” she said.
The UN report also warned of worsening food insecurity, with most people unable to eat three meals a day. Conditions deteriorated further during the Covid pandemic, when informal marketplaces were restricted and hunger spread nationwide.
Escapees described how border controls were tightened, with soldiers ordered to shoot those attempting to flee to China.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said North Koreans face “suffering, brutal repression and fear” unless conditions change. The report concluded that advances in surveillance technology have made state monitoring more pervasive, leaving citizens unable to make their own economic, social or political decisions.
One escapee said the government’s crackdown was meant “to block people’s eyes and ears,” eliminating any sign of dissatisfaction.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met King Charles III at Windsor Castle on 24 October, ahead of planned talks with European leaders in London.
Uzbekistan and the European Union (EU) are set to sign a new Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), marking a major step in bilateral relations and placing Uzbekistan among the EU’s closest partners in Central Asia.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said the United States and others must do more to push Israel to stop violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the possible use of sanctions or halting arms sales.
Southeast Asian leaders and global partners, including U.S. President Donald Trump, will gather in Kuala Lumpur from 26 to 28 October to discuss trade, regional conflicts and global security, with East Timor set to join ASEAN as its 11th member.
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