North Korea's Kim Jong Un orders military to "thoroughly annihilate" U.S. if provoked, state media say
CBSN
Seoul, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his military to "thoroughly annihilate" the United States and South Korea if provoked, state media reported Monday, after he vowed to boost national defense to cope with what he called an unprecedented U.S.-led confrontation. Kim is expected to ramp up weapons tests in 2024 ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November. Many experts say he likely believes his expanded nuclear arsenal would allow him to wrest U.S. concessions if former President Donald Trump is reelected.
In a five-day major ruling party meeting last week, Kim said he will launch three more military spy satellites, produce more nuclear materials and develop attack drones this year in what observers say is an attempt to increase his leverage in future diplomacy with the U.S.
In a meeting on Sunday with commanding army officers, Kim said it is urgent to sharpen "the treasured sword" to safeguard national security, an apparent reference to his country's nuclear weapons program. He cited "the U.S. and other hostile forces' military confrontation moves," according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
An Air India passenger plane crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, not long after departing for London's Gatwick airport, Indian media reported. The airline confirmed only that the London-bound flight had been involved in "an incident."
Unprecedented footage of an elusive deep-sea creature came to light this week. On an expedition through the Southern Ocean last Christmas Day, researchers discovered the Gonatus antarcticus, a mysterious species of squid known to roam the freezing waters around Antarctica but never seen alive before in its natural habitat.
More than 85 million years ago, a smaller-bodied ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus rex roamed the plains of Mongolia. The dinosaur's identity was unknown — until now.
London — President Trump declared on Wednesday morning that a U.S. trade "deal with China is done." The American leader offered a few key details of the agreement reached between senior U.S. and Chinese trade representatives in London on Tuesday, but he acknowledged that both he and Chinese President Xi Jinping were both yet to formally sign off on the agreement.
Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica may be declining faster than the most pessimistic predictions, scientists said after analyzing satellite images of a key part of the continent.
Jerusalem — Israel deported activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, the country's Foreign Ministry said, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on with 11 other people was seized by the Israeli military. Thunberg left on a flight to France and was then headed to her home country of Sweden, the Foreign Ministry said in a post on X. It posted a photo of Thunberg, a climate activist who shuns air travel, seated on a plane.
Vienna, Austria — Several people were killed Tuesday in a school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz, the federal government in the European nation said.
Mysterious white particles that washed up onto a small section of southeast Spain's Valencian coast prompted authorities to close a handful of beaches on Monday as a precaution.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won his second-straight French Open men's title after a thrilling five-set match against Jannik Sinner on Sunday.
A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck central Colombia early Sunday, sending residents, the U.S. Geological Survey said. No casualties were immediately reported.
Another series of unmarked graves — this one containing 14 individuals from Greece's civil war era — have been dug up in a park in a suburb near the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, local officials said Saturday.
Passengers on an American Airlines flight from the United States to Italy were forced to take a bus to their final destination after their aircraft was forced to land 140 miles away because it was too big to land at the original destination.
A Colombian right-wing opposition senator and candidate in next year's presidential election was shot and wounded in Bogota on Saturday, various media reported, while the government denounced an "attack."