North Korea's Kim Jong Un scores near-perfect election win, memes follow
India Today
The latest parliamentary polls have delivered yet another near-perfect score for North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and the internet, unsurprisingly, has a lot to say.
If elections were graded like exams, North Korea would just keep topping the class - every single time. The latest parliamentary polls have delivered yet another near-perfect score for Kim Jong Un, and the internet, unsurprisingly, has a lot to say.
In the elections held on March 15 for the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly, candidates backed by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea didn’t just win, they swept every single seat. According to state media Korean Central News Agency, the numbers were nothing short of extraordinary.
Official figures claim that 99.93 per cent of voters supported the ruling establishment, with some reports even nudging that number up to 99.97 per cent. Voter turnout? A near-mythical 99.99 per cent. In most democracies, such numbers would raise eyebrows. On the internet, they’ve raised memes.
Social media users were quick to latch onto the near-perfect stats, joking about the microscopic fraction that didn’t fall in line. Many quipped that the “brave” few who didn’t vote in favour might be in for some “serious consequences,” while others compared the results to group projects where everyone mysteriously agrees with the leader.
Check out the memes:
According to official claims, only about 0.0037 per cent of registered voters missed casting their ballots due to being abroad or at sea. An even smaller fraction, around 0.00003 per cent, reportedly abstained altogether. Numbers so tiny, they’ve practically become punchlines online.
In an Instagram post titled, "The metro comparison nobody talks about," she described an experience that caught her off guard.
The world is facing an energy crisis as Iran blocked supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz after strikes by the US and Israel. Vital subsea cables that carry global internet traffic also pass through Hormuz. Any damage to them could trigger internet outages and hit financial systems across countries, including in India.
A techie used an immersion rod to cook curry after running out of gas, with the viral video showing an exaggerated version of people's realities amid the ongoing LPG crisis in India.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to the Civil Hospital and Jinnah Hospital for identification, the rescue members of Pakistan's largest non-profit social welfare organisation, The Edhi Foundation, told Reuters.
Following the detection of the drones, the US administration held high-level meetings with senior officials. In addition, a high alert was issued for the US Army, amid possibilities of Iranian retaliation.
Images of pre-Islamic Zoroastrian kings and warriors have been unveiled in Iran, evoking courage and resilience. Many say the Ayatollah regime in Iran revives the country's Persian identity during conflicts with Israel and the US. But this Persian heritage has always run deep, and is visible from time to time, in both dissent and unity.
Born of colliding continents and vanished seas, the Strait of Hormuz is the million‑year accident that turned buried oceans into oil, and a thirty‑mile gap in the rocks into the world's most dangerous chokepoint.
The US-Israel war was meant to decapitate Iran's hardline leadership, but the killing of the "pragmatic" Ali Larijani might have done the opposite. By eliminating consensus-builder Larijani, the Israelis might have removed any scope of talks and pushed Iran into deeper hardline control. This could be a ploy to keep the war going.
The newly launched Vande Bharat Sleeper train has sparked widespread commentary as passengers share initial experiences of its modernised amenities, particularly on the Howrah-Guwahati route inaugurated in January.
The assassination of Ali Larijani, one of Iran's most powerful decision-makers, marks a major escalation in the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war and comes amid a sustained campaign targeting the country's top leadership.
The assassination of Ali Larijani, one of Iran's most powerful decision-makers, marks a major escalation in the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war and comes amid a sustained campaign targeting the country's top leadership.
Expect Iran to become more hardline: Geopolitical expert and author Fareed Zakaria reflects on aftermath of US-Israel strikes
The newly launched Vande Bharat Sleeper train has sparked widespread commentary as passengers share initial experiences of its modernised amenities, particularly on the Howrah-Guwahati route inaugurated in January.