Politicians across the spectrum praise Helen Haines after alleged attack

The education ministers of North Korea and Russia have met in Pyongyang and discussed ways to expand exchanges in the education field, the North's state media reported Tuesday, amid deepening cooperation between the two nations. North Korean Education Minister Ri Yong-chol and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Kravtsov, held talks the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). A Russian delegation, led by Kravtsov, arrived in Pyongyang on Monday. "At the talks, the successes and experience gained by the two countries in the field of education were shared, and the issues of further boosting bilateral exchange and cooperation were discussed," the KCNA reported, without disclosing other details. In a separate dispatch, the KCNA said the Russian delegation toured the Pyongyang University of Education No. 2, a major educational institution for training teachers in the North, the previous day. The two nations signed a "supplementary agreement" to establish and operate a Russian education center in North Korea under a partnership between the Pyongyang university and Russia'

South Korea decided to withdraw some embassy staff from Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday, citing Kyiv’s failure to take steps to resolve a weekslong diplomatic dispute and persistent airstrike threats across the war-torn country. The move marks a further escalation in the diplomatic row, after Seoul recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang last week, over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public disclosure, Sept 23. of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. “We have conveyed our government’s position to Ukraine through various channels, but judged that it has not taken constructive steps,” a ministry spokesperson said during a regular briefing. “The decision was made after comprehensively considering the circumstances, including the continuing risk of airstrikes throughout Ukraine.” The spokesperson did not specify how many staff members would leave or when the withdrawal would take place. He said necessary diplomatic communication will continue through the chargé d’affaires. All consular personnel will rem

The unification ministry on Tuesday urged North Korea to refrain from escalating tensions along the inter-Korean border and respond to Seoul's efforts to resolve issues related to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The appeal came a day after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to deploy more tactical weapons near the southern border and consider resuming loudspeaker broadcasts targeting South Korea in response to the South Korean military's warning shots and broadcasts over North Korean troops' repeated crossings of the MDL. "To fundamentally resolve tensions and the risk of clashes related to the MDL, the two sides need to reconcile their positions on the MDL and establish a communication system for its peaceful management as soon as possible," the ministry said. The ministry also called on Pyongyang to respond to efforts "to prevent unnecessary escalation and achieve an effective resolution of the issues," stressing that North Korean acts violating the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War must cease immediately. In a state

Several government-led environmental and historical initiatives inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) have been stalled for over two years as the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC) continues to withhold clearance, citing safety risks, Seoul officials said Tuesday. South Korea launched a series of DMZ initiatives in 2020, ranging from ecological and forestry studies to the recovery of lost villages and exploring potential UNESCO World Heritage candidate sites, to implement a 2018 inter-Korean summit agreement to transform the tense border area into a peace zone. The projects had proceeded throughout the years, except for the winter seasons, and continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the projects were suspended in May 2024 after the UNC, which holds authority over DMZ entry control under the Armistice Agreement — a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War — refused to give clearance, citing changes to the security situation along the heavily fortified border. Tensions had flared up between the two Koreas at the time, triggered by South Korea-based civic groups' sending of anti-

South Korea's top military officer ordered troops on Tuesday to sternly respond to any enemy provocations, a day after North Korea threatened to deploy more weapons along the inter-Korean border and resume propaganda broadcasts. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung gave the directive during his visit to a central front-line unit, slamming Pyongyang for shifting the blame on Seoul for heightened inter-Korean tensions following the Sept. 21 land mine explosion that injured three South Korean troops. "The chairman stated it is unacceptable that North Korea yesterday characterized our legitimate operational measures as a provocation, laying the blame for heightened military tensions on our armed forces," the JCS said in a release. "He ordered troops to respond decisively if the enemy launches further provocations by using our legitimate measures as a pretext," the JCS said. Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said in a statement her country is considering resuming propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts against Seoul and deploying mor

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a garment and footwear exhibition, highlighting achievements in light industry production under his signature regional development policy, state media reported Tuesday. Kim toured the 2026 National Garment and Footwear Exhibition the previous day and expressed satisfaction that products on display showed "rapid and substantial" development in light industry, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). According to photos published by the state media, Kim was accompanied on the tour by his daughter, Ju-ae, and his wife, Ri Sol-ju. On display were more than 70,700 items of clothing of over 30 types and more than 170,000 pairs of shoes of over 60 kinds, produced at light industry factories across the nation under Kim's regional development policy, according to the report. "This is a clear demonstration of the validity and vitality of the Party's policy aimed at eliminating the differences between the central and local areas and between urban and rural areas and achieving simultaneous and balanced development of the whole country," the Nort

Ajay Malik, 37, remains in hospital after two dogs mauled him in a Chermside park.

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 20An estimated Rs 3 billion to Rs 4 billion will be required to restore the Beni-Jomsom-Korala road after floods, landslides and river erosion damaged sections o...

Students at North Sydney Girls High said the final mathematics extension 2 question was not without its hiccups but were able to solve it.

Follow live as shaping the city and innovation and education are in focus at The Age’s landmark civic forum.

A female friend of Beau Lamarre-Condon, who was with him in a white van when he allegedly tried to dump two bodies, has started giving evidence in the double murder trial.

China has lodged a formal representation with the UK after British border authorities subjected Chinese citizens to extended questioning and seizures of personal electronic devices, including mobile phones. According to a statement from China’s embassy in Britain, multiple Chinese nationals – including trade delegates, tourists and people visiting relatives – have experienced long delays, as well as questioning by Border Force officers and confiscation of phones and other devices. The embassy...