North Korea
North Korea Sentences Man to Death for Smuggling Copies of Squid Game
A man who allegedly smuggled copies of Netflix’s South Korean thriller Squid Game into North Korea has been sentenced to death after authorities caught high schoolers watching the show. RFA, a US-headquartered independent news agency, reported (via Variety) that the man carried episodes of Squid Game on USB flash drives obtained in China. The smuggler faces death by firing squad, which doesn’t sound too far off from the occurrences in the show. “A student who bought a drive received a life sentence, while six others who watched the show have been sentenced to five years hard labor, and teachers and school administrators have been fired and face banishment to work in remote mines,” RFA reported. Advertisement Related Video The smuggler’s actions go against North Korea’s “Eliminati...
North Korea Says Squid Game Proves Life in South Korea Is “Brutal”
Squid Game has officially taken over the pop culture world with its gruesome series of children’s games, and now even North Korea is weighing in on the massive Netflix hit. According to North Korean propaganda site Arirang Meari (by way of NBC News), the (fictitious) series proves that life in South Korea is “infested by the rules of survival of the fittest, corruption and immorality.” “The audience feel sad about the reality of South Korean society, which is becoming a brutal situation where humanity is destroyed in the extreme competition,” the article continues, also adding that the show depicts an “unequal society where the strong exploit the weak.” Notably, the nine-episode series touches on relations between North and South Korea, with one of the main protagonists being Jung Ho-...
Ireland’s health service IT systems shut down by ransomware attack
Ireland’s health service said it was under a ransomware attack on Friday that forced it to shut down its computer systems. A ransomware attack locks users out of their computer systems until they pay a fee to the intruder. There were few details, but the attack was described as significant by Ireland’s Health Service Executive. Motorists line up for fuel at one of the few remaining gas stations that still has fuel in Arlington, Virgina, on May 13, 2021. AFPBiden says oil pipeline back in operation after cyber attack It said it was shutting down all its IT systems to protect them from the attack while it consulted security partners. Covid-19 vaccinations would still go ahead as planned, the agency said. “We apologise for inconvenience caused to patients and to the public and will give furth...
U.S. says North Korea an urgent priority for the United States
North Korea’s nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs are an urgent priority for the United States and Washington remains committed to denuclearization of the country, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. The Biden administration’s lack of direct engagement with North Korea should not be seen as an indication that the challenge posed by its weapons programs was not a priority, department spokesman Ned Price said. “It in fact very much is,” he told a regular briefing. North Korea continued to make progress in its nuclear and missile programs in recent years “which makes this an urgent priority for the United States and one that we are committed to addressing together with our allies and partners,” Price said. “And … the central premise is that we remain committed to denuclearizat...
Joe Biden nominates veteran diplomats for top State posts
Democratic President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday nominated U.S. foreign policy veteran Wendy Sherman, a key negotiator of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, to be the No. 2 official at the State Department. Biden also nominated Victoria Nuland, a retired career foreign service officer who was the top U.S. diplomat for Europe, NATO ambassador and State Department spokeswoman, to be Under Secretary for Political Affairs, effectively the third-ranking U.S. diplomat. Sherman, who has a masters degree in social work, was the State Department counselor from 1997 to 2001, a period when she was also policy coordinator on North Korea. From 1993 to 1996 she served as assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs. Because of her association with the Iran deal, which was fiercely opposed by Repub...
Andrey Arshavin: Moses is a strong character for Russian championship
Former Russian attacking midfielder Andrey Arshavin says Victor Moses’ arrival has strengthened Spartak Moscow and expects him to help the club this season. Moses scored his first goal in Russian football as Spartak Moscow thrashed their hosts Krasnodar 3 – 0 last weekend. The former Nigerian international was also involved in the Moscow derby against CSKA eight days ago. Speaking on the impact of Moses on Spartak Moscow since his arrival, Arshavin who also played for the club during his days, said Moses is a strong character for the Russian championship and has improved the team. “I think it was clear that this is a strong footballer for our championship. Moses has strengthened the necessary position for Spartak.” Andrey Arshavin said “I remember how he played for Wigan against us. He pla...
Ransomware reportedly to blame for outage at US hospital chain
Health care provider Universal Health Services, one of the largest chains in the US, has been hit by an apparent ransomware attack, TechCrunch reported. UHS facilities in California, Florida, North Dakota, Arizona, and other locations began noticing problems early Sunday, with some locations reporting locked computers and phone systems. Some UHS hospitals had to use pen and paper to file patient information as a result, according to NBC News. The hospital system, which has more than 400 locations in the US and the UK, said in a statement on Monday that its IT network across several facilities was offline “due to an IT security issue.” No patient or employee data appears to have been compromised, according to the statement, which did not mention malware or ransomware. “We implement extensiv...
South Korea’s unification minister visits estuary to renew commitment to inter-Korean cooperation
Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul is to visit an estuary of the Han River near the border with North Korea on Wednesday in an effort to renew South Korea’s commitment to jointly using the waterway with the communist nation. Under a military agreement signed at a 2018 summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the two sides agreed on the joint use of the Han River estuary along their western border and conducted joint waterway research. But the project has stalled since the no-deal summit between the North and the United States in February last year. The unification minister’s visit to the estuary is seen as aimed at sending a message to the North that it remains committed to the project. “The visit has been arranged so that (the minister) can see for himself...
International borders: 10 remarkable frontiers
From mountains to libraries, we take a look at some of the most extraordinary international borders to be found across the globe Over the last few years, we’ve seen an impressive collection of new websites, blogs and social media accounts dedicated to ‘travel porn’. They’re filled with big, sweeping images of fairytale lands and precarious precipices. Sometimes, like this incredible piece on architectural density in Hong Kong, they’ll depict urban decay or stifling poverty – always gilded by the photographer’s lens. At Atlas & Boots, we always wanted to strike the right balance between travel porn and more in-depth content; the type that provided some previously unknown knowledge or insight. We’re using the current downtime to update some old content and came across this post about unu...
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Kim Jong Un: North Korea facing its ‘worst-ever situation’
Kim Jong Un says North Korea is facing its “worst-ever situation” and called on “grassroots” members of the ruling Workers’ Party to be more proactive and responsible in carrying out the country’s new five-year economic plan. The comments, reported by state media on Wednesday, came as experts warn Kim is facing perhaps his toughest moment as he approaches a decade in rule, with North Korea’s coronavirus lockdown unleashing further shock on its sanctions-battered economy. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim made the comments during an opening speech at a meeting of the Workers’ Party’s cell secretaries on Tuesday. “Improving the people’s living standards … even in the worst-ever situation in which we have to overcome unprecedentedly numerous challenges depends on the ...