International News
Kim Jong-Un Tearfully Begs North Korean Women For Higher Birth Rates [Video]
North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un became emotional during a National Mothers’ Meeting in Pyongyang, where he appealed to North Korean women to consider increasing the country’s birth rate.
In a carefully orchestrated event, the leader was spotted wiping his eyes with a handkerchief while addressing the crowd, expressing his concern over the declining population.
Speaking directly to the audience as “Dear Mothers,” Kim Jong-un said “preventing a decline in birth rates and good childcare are all of our housekeeping duties we need to handle while working with mothers.”
Kim Jong-un pointed out that North Korea was facing various societal challenges, urging mothers to actively engage in addressing these pressing issues together.
He emphasized the importance of their involvement in tackling these social tasks.
He said “These tasks include bringing up their children so that they will steadfastly carry forward our revolution, eliminating the recently-increasing non-socialist practices, promoting family harmony and social unity, establishing a sound way of cultural and moral life, making the communist virtues and traits of helping and leading one another forward prevail over our society, stopping the declining birth rate, and taking good care of children and educating them effectively.
“These belong to our common family affairs, which we need to deal with by joining hands with our mothers.”
Video below:
As of 2023, the United Nations Population Fund estimated North Korea’s fertility rate to be 1.8, reflecting a prolonged decline in recent decades.
Although this rate is higher than in some neighboring countries, North Korea, along with its neighbors, faces a similar downward trend in fertility.
South Korea reported a record low fertility rate of 0.78 last year, while Japan’s figure decreased to 1.26.
In South Korea, declining birth rates have led to a scarcity of pediatricians, prompting one city to organize matchmaking events aimed at boosting birth rates.
In North Korea, with a population of approximately 25 million, the country has grappled with severe food shortages, exacerbated by natural disasters such as floods that have damaged harvests.
This struggle includes a deadly famine in the 1990s, contributing to the nation’s challenges.
In the 1970s and 1980s, North Korea initiated birth control programs to curb postwar population growth.
Subsequently, the country witnessed a significant decline in fertility rates, notably after a famine in the mid-1990s that, according to a report by the Seoul-based Hyundai Research Institute in August, was estimated to have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
“Given North Korea lacks resources and technological advancements, it could face difficulties to revive and develop its manufacturing industry if sufficient labor forces are not provided,” the institute report said.
The United Kingdom is considering sweeping new restrictions that could limit or completely block children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, as part of a broader push to improve online safety and reduce excessive screen time among young users.
The proposal, currently under government consultation, is being led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and focuses on addressing concerns over how teenagers interact with platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
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Officials say the move is driven by growing evidence and public concern that algorithm-driven feeds and “endless scrolling” features may be negatively affecting children’s sleep patterns, concentration levels, and overall well-being.
The government is also reviewing whether additional measures such as app curfews and time limits should be introduced.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the consultation has already attracted widespread public input, with tens of thousands of responses from parents, teenagers, and advocacy groups.
She noted that the government is particularly interested in feedback on addictive platform design features and the use of AI tools targeting younger users.
The UK is also studying policies already implemented in other countries. Australia has introduced stricter age-based restrictions, while Greece and Indonesia have also moved toward tighter regulation of children’s access to social media.
Authorities emphasize that no final decision has been made, but the consultation process is expected to shape future legislation on how tech companies operate and how young users are protected online in the digital age.
U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked global reactions following his remarks about Pope Leo XIV after the Pope’s recent anti-war message calling for peace in conflict-hit regions.
The controversy began after Pope Leo XIV delivered a strong appeal at the Vatican, urging world leaders to end ongoing wars and prioritise dialogue over violenceviolence.
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The pontiff warned against the “idolatry of power” and called for global cooperation to restore peace.
Reacting to the message, Trump told reporters he is “not a big fan” of Pope Leo XIV, describing him as “very liberal” and questioning his views on crime and international security.
The U.S. President further criticised the Pope’s stance on global conflicts, suggesting his message overlooks serious security challenges linked to rising geopolitical tensions, including nuclear concerns.
In a follow-up post on Truth Social, Trump intensified his criticism, accusing the Pope of taking a weak position on foreign policy matters and suggesting political factors influenced his leadership position.
The comments have since triggered widespread debate across political and religious circles, adding to ongoing tensions between Washington and the Vatican over issues such as immigration policy, military action, and global diplomacy.
While both sides have previously denied any formal rift, the latest exchange has renewed global attention on their differing positions regarding war and peace efforts.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that Mohammed Wishah, an Al Jazeera journalist killed in a strike in Gaza on Wednesday, was a Hamas operative “operating under the guise of a journalist.”
According to Israeli forces, Wishah was “a key terrorist in Hamas’ rocket and weapons production headquarters” and had been planning attacks against soldiers in the area.
The military said he used his journalist identity to advance Hamas’ operations against Israel.
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Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based broadcaster, strongly condemned the killing. In a statement, the network described the attack as a “heinous crime of targeting and killing” its correspondent and insisted the strike was deliberate, not accidental.
The channel vowed to pursue “all necessary legal action to prosecute those responsible for the killing of its correspondents and staff in Gaza.”
Media rights organization Reporters Without Borders also condemned the incident, stating that Wishah’s name now joins “more than 220 journalists killed in two and a half years by Israeli forces in Gaza, at least 70 of whom were killed while performing their duties.”
The killing occurred despite a US-backed ceasefire in Gaza that has been in effect since October 2025, highlighting ongoing tensions and frequent accusations of truce violations by both Israel and Hamas.
Al Jazeera listed Wishah among 11 of its journalists killed in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
Past incidents include the killing of Mohammad Salama in August 2025 and the deaths of four Al Jazeera staff and two freelancers outside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City earlier that year, prompting widespread condemnation.
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