Archive July 29, 2025

North Korea says US must accept its status as a nuclear weapons state

Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Jong Un, has warned that dialogue will never result in its denuclearization. She has urged the United States to accept North Korea’s “irreversible” status as a nuclear weapons state.

Kim Yo Jong said acknowledging that “everything in the future” must be a prerequisite for “everything in the future” in a statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday.

Kim said, “Any attempt to refute the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state, which was established along with the existence of a potent nuclear deterrent and fixed by the supreme law reflecting the unanimous will of all the DPRK people, will be vehemently rejected” using the abbreviation for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is its official name.

The DPRK has the right to defend its current national position at any cost.

According to Kim Yo Jung, who directs the Workers’ Party of Korea’s propaganda efforts, a conflict between the US and North Korea would be “no means beneficial” and Washington should “seek another way of contact based on such new thinking.”

Kim added that any attempt to use her brother’s personal relationships to advance denuclearization would be interpreted as “mockery,” even though her brother’s relationship with US President Donald Trump was “not bad”.

The DPRK-US meeting will continue to serve as the US side’s “hope” if the US accepts the new reality and persists in the failed past, she said.

Kim’s comments come after a White House official who was unnamed was cited over the weekend by South Korean publication Yonhap News as saying that Trump was willing to work with Kim Jong Un to “fully denuclearize” North Korea.

She also comes a day after she criticizes Lee Jae-myung, the president of South Korea, for his efforts to bolster ties with Pyongyang, including forbidding propaganda broadcasts along the tense inter-Korean border.

Trump, who has met with Kim Jong Un three times in the past two years, has repeatedly expressed interest in restarting the dialogue with Pyongyang since returning to the White House in January.

Trump’s plans to expand on the “progress” made during his 2018 summit with the North Korean leader in Singapore were revealed last month by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The talks, along with Trump’s subsequent encounters with Kim in Vietnam and at the inter-Korean border, failed to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programs, even though the Singapore summit marked a historic first-ever meeting between a sitting US president and the leader of North Korea.

Kim Yo Jong’s most recent statement, according to Jenny Town, program director for the Korea program at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, is in line with recent Pyongyang messages.

It “eliminates naming Trump directly, leaving room for some kind of diplomacy in the future,” Town told Al Jazeera, “but dispels the notion that “denuclearization” talks can simply be picked up where they left off.”

There has been too much change since 2019, both in terms of North Korea’s development of WMD [weapons of mass destruction], the legal and policy changes surrounding its nuclear programme and status, and the wider geopolitical environment, for any suggestion of resuming discussions about denuclearization to be compelling.

The terms of engagement have fundamentally changed, Town continued.

Four killed in New York shooting, including police officer, suspect: Report

According to US media reports, at least four people have been killed in a shooting that occurred inside a Midtown Manhattan office complex, which houses the National Football League’s headquarters.

Police arrived at the scene on Monday at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan at around 6 p.m. local time (22:00 GMT), according to local media reports.

According to CNN, the suspected shooter, a Las Vegas resident who was initially identified as 27, was also discovered dead at the scene. Multiple law enforcement sources cited multiple sources who claimed the US network believes he died from a self-inflicted injury.

The shooter opened fire inside the skyscraper while wearing a bullet-resistant vest and an AR-style rifle, according to unnamed police sources, according to The New York Post. Possibly on the 32nd floor, he had reportedly barricaded himself inside the building.

According to CNN, the suspect was seen entering the building with the rifle in a photo. According to the report, preliminary background checks of the suspect did not reveal any significant criminal history, citing officials.

Jessica Tisch, the commissioner of the New York Police Department, claimed the situation had been “contained” and that the “lone shooter has been neutralized.”

In a video message posted on X, New York Mayor Eric Adams claimed that the shooting had caused “multiple injuries.”

The National Football League (NFL) headquarters, Deutsche Bank, KPMG, and the world’s largest hedge fund, are all located in the skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue, which also houses Deutsche Bank and Blackstone, the world’s largest hedge fund. Just a few blocks south of Central Park, it is close to Rockefeller Center.

Near the scene of a alleged shooter situation in New York City’s Manhattan borough, federal agents and NYPD officers cordon East 50th Street between Madison and Park Avenues [Bing Guan/Reuters]

Three people killed in the shooting at the Reno casino

Prior to that, according to authorities, a gun-armed attacker opened fire on a casino in Reno, Nevada, killing three people and seriously injuring two others. He was then shot and seriously hurt by police, according to authorities.

According to police, the shooting took place just before 7:30 am local time (00:30 GMT) in the parking lot of Nevada’s third-largest city’s high-rise casino and hotel complex.

Only an adult male suspect was identified as the suspect, whose identity has not been revealed.

Thai army accuses Cambodia of ceasefire violations

Developing a Story

Cambodia is accused of breaking an hours-old truce, and Thailand’s army claims that sporadic clashes continued despite a resolution to end deadly fighting between the two Southeast Asian nations.

Thailand’s army spokesman, Winthai Suvaree, said in a statement on Tuesday that the troops had retaliated “appropriately” and in “self-defence.”

The Thai side was aware that Cambodian forces had carried out armed attacks on several areas of Thai territory when the deal came into effect, according to Winthai.

He continued, “This is a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust and a deliberate violation of the agreement.”

Thailand is compelled to act appropriately while also exercising its constitutional right to self-defense.

At least 38 people were killed and nearly 300, 000 were displaced in the fighting along their 800km (500-mile) border, according to Cambodia and Thailand after peace talks in Malaysia.

A cross-border committee will be set up in Cambodia on August 4 to ease tensions after the peace agreement, which will see military commanders from both sides meet at 7am local time (00:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

Talks between both sides are currently scheduled for 10am local time (03:30 GMT), according to a spokesman for the Thai army.

According to Tony Cheng, a journalist from Surin province in Thailand, there have been “a few clashes in several areas along the border.”

They did publish a statement informing people that the Cambodian military had broken the ceasefire. However, Cheng said that for the most part, it appears to be holding.

An AFP journalist reported that the blasts stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight on Monday in Samraong, Cambodia’s capital city, 20 kilometers (12. 4 miles) from Thailand’s border, before the lull continued until dawn.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated in a Facebook message on Tuesday morning that “the front line has gotten a little easier since the ceasefire at 12 midnight.”

The ceasefire was “a crucial first step toward de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security,” according to a joint statement from both nations on Monday, as well as Malaysia, which hosted the peace talks.

As Trump’s August 1 deadline looms, tariffs are here to say, experts say

One thing is certain, according to experts, as US President Donald Trump stoops through tariff announcements: There is still a certain degree of duty.

Trump has announced a number of deals with the European Union, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines that have tariffs ranging from 15% to 20% in recent weeks.

He also threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil, announced duties of 30 and 35 percent on major trading partners Mexico and Canada, and mentioned close negotiations with China and India.

Nobody knows how many of Trump’s tariffs will change, but one thing is certain, according to Vina Nadjibulla, vice president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada: “No one is receiving zero tariffs.” There is no turning back.

Businesses have been stumbling through months of chaos as a result of Trump’s various announcements, which have forced them to pause investment and hiring decisions.

The World Bank has reduced its global growth forecast from 2.7% in January to a revised forecast for nearly 70% of economies, including those in the US, China, and Europe, and six emerging market regions.

The Group of Seven (G7) countries, which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the US, are all projected by Oxford Economics to experience a moderate recession in their capital spending from the second quarter to the third quarter of this year.

Robert Rogowsky, a professor of international trade at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, stated to Al Jazeera, “We’re seeing the Donald Trump business style: There’s lots of commotion, lots of claim, lots of activity, and lots of b*******.”

“He operates in accordance with his business model,” he said. He has caused so many of his businesses to go bankrupt because of this. It is neither tactical nor strategic. It is innate.

Rogowsky predicted that Trump would delay his tariff deadline by extending it from April to July, then to August 1.

In response to Robert Armstrong’s statement in early May, Rogowsky said, “Trump Always Chickens Out” is the abbreviation for the US president’s backpedaling on tariffs in the face of stock market turmoil.

Rogowsky said, “He will bump them once more.” He is merely putting forth power, he claims.

Trump’s frequent trade negotiations with China and the EU have been characterized by his repeated policy choices.

China’s tariff rate has increased from 20 to 54, 104 to 145, and then to 30 percent, and the implementation deadline has repeatedly changed.

Following the most recent trade agreement, the proposed tariff rates for the EU have increased by 20 percent, 50 percent, 30 percent, and then 15 percent.

A limited range of exports, including semiconductor equipment and some chemicals, are subject to the EU’s current tariff rate, which only applies to 70% of goods.

Trump has indicated that new tariffs may be enacted for pharmaceutical products, and that European steel exports will continue to be subject to a 50% tax.

Despite the trade agreements, it is still unclear how Trump’s tariffs will actually operate.

Analysts predict that the world has entered a new phase where nations are attempting to reduce their reliance on the US, regardless of whether Trump makes any further announcements.

There is a quiet determination to build resilience and become less dependent on the US now that Trump’s policies have subsided, Nadjibulla said, adding that Trump is pushing countries to address long-standing issues that have previously been untouchable.

According to Tony Stillo, director of Canada Economics at Oxford Economics, Canada is addressing historically politically sensitive issues like inter-provincial trade barriers, despite its preference for other countries to boost exports.

Given that the US is our largest market, giving it a reason for its insistence, Stillo said, “It would be foolish not to provide to the US.”

Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, has contacted the EU and Mexico to discuss ways in which his nation’s strained relations with China and India can be improved.

With its first shipment of cargoes to Asia this month, Canada expanded its liquified natural gas exports beyond the US market.

In order to prevent Trump’s tariffs from impacting Canadian businesses, including automakers, Ottawa has put a six-month pause on some US imports to give businesses time to reevaluate their supply chains.

Other nations “don’t seem to be imitating the Trump show] by levying their own tariffs,” adding to “some relief.” The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) senior fellow Anthony M. Solomon, Mary Lovely, said to Al Jazeera, “They’re witnessing this attempt to strong-arm the rest of the world, but it doesn’t seem to be working.”

However, Lovely said that the world is watching how the tariffs will impact the US economy because “it will also be instructive to other countries.”

As we anticipate, a slowdown turns into a cautionary tale for others if it occurs.

Although the US stock market is nearing its all-time high, the “magnificent seven” is a reference to the largest tech companies, Lovely said, and that only accounts for one aspect of the economy.

Re-entry of industrial policy

Trump’s tariffs add to China’s subsidies-heavy industrial policy, which gives its businesses the ability to outperform its competitors, and other growing issues facing exporters around the world.

With the reintroduction of industrial policies, Nadjibulla said, noting that more and more governments are likely to offer support for their domestic industries. “We’ve entered a period of global economic alignment.

Each nation will have to navigate these situations and find ways to reduce overreliance on the US and China.

Countries that want to support their own domestic industries must, according to Nadjibulla, take into account the World Trade Organization and rules-based trade agreements like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

“This wild mustang]Trump will need some tremendous leadership around the world,” Rogowsky said.

Israeli settler kills West Bank activist who worked on Oscar-winning film

Local officials and journalists reported that an Israeli settler shot and killed Palestinian activist and teacher Odeh Muhammad Hadalin in Masafer Yatta, in the occupied West Bank.

Hadalin was well-known for his activism, including helping to coordinate the Oscar-winning film No Other Land, which documents Israeli military and settler attacks on Masafer Yatta, Palestine.

The Ministry of Education of the Palestinian Authority posted a late-Monday post on social media saying that Hadalin “was shot dead by settlers… during their attack on the village of Umm al-Khair” close to Hebron.

Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and Palestinian journalist Basel Adra, the filmmakers behind No Other Land, both confirmed that the activist was killed.

Awdah, my dear friend, was killed this evening, Adra wrote on social media.

A settler shot a bullet that pierced his chest and killed him, he said, while he was standing in front of the village’s community center.

Israel “eliminates us,” one life at a time, according to the saying.

Awdah was praised by co-director Abraham as a “remarkable activist who assisted us with Masafer Yatta’s No Other Land.”

Additionally, Abraham added that “residents identified Yinon Levi, authorized by the EU and US, as the shooter,” in a video of the incident.

Abraham said, “This is him firing like a crazy person in the video.”

Israeli police made it known that they were looking into an “incident near Carmel]al-Karmil,” an illegal Israeli settlement close to Umm al-Khair.

According to a police statement, an Israeli national was detained at the scene before being detained by police for questioning.

According to the police, Israeli soldiers also detained four Palestinians and two foreign tourists while they were there, according to the police.

The police added that “a Palestinian’s death was confirmed following the incident and that he had been directly involved in the incident.

A second Palestinian was hurt in the attack after being beaten by a settler, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Wafa continued, “He was taken by ambulance to a hospital.”

After Israel designated the area as an Israeli military “firing” or training zone, residents of Masafer Yatta, a string of Palestinian hamlets south of Hebron, have fought for decades to remain in their homes.

No Other Land, which won best documentary at the Oscars in March, focused on their efforts to stop Israeli forces from destroying their homes.

The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem released a report on Monday, in which it accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

According to B’Tselem, there has been an “unprecedented spike in daily attacks on Palestinians by settlers, frequently armed and equipped with full military gear.”

According to B’Tselem, “These attacks include arson, theft, home invasions and takeovers, armed threats, beatings, and more,” and they are carried out with the assistance of the “Israeli government and law enforcement agencies.”

Nearly half a million Israelis reside in settlements, which are prohibited by international law, while nearly 3 million Palestinians reside in the occupied West Bank.

According to earlier reports from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Mohammad Samer Suleiman al-Jamal, 27, succumbed to his wounds on Monday night after being shot by Israeli forces at a checkpoint near Hebron’s northern entrance, according to the Wafa news agency. Suleiman al-Jamal was left to die by Israeli forces, according to Wafa, who prevented ambulance workers from reaching him.

Since Israel’s occupation of Gaza in October 2023, more than 1, 000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the occupied West Bank. In the same time, more than 30 Israelis were killed in the occupied West Bank, including soldiers and civilians.

Heavy rains, flooding kill at least 30 in Beijing as downpour continues

According to state media reports, at least 30 people have died in Beijing as a result of heavy rains pouring down the country’s capital.

28 people were killed in Miyun and two in Yanqing, according to the official Xinhua state news agency on Tuesday, according to a report released by Beijing’s mountainous northern districts.

According to Xinhua, the city’s municipal flood control headquarters, “30 people have died in Beijing as of midnight Monday due to the most recent round of heavy rainstorms.”

Beijing recorded up to 543mm (21. 3 inches) of rainfall in its northern districts on Monday, according to Xinhua, which started over the weekend and increased throughout the country’s capital and surrounding provinces.

According to Beijing’s national broadcaster CCTV, more than 80, 000 people have been relocated from areas where flooding has damaged dozens of roads and cut power to at least 136 villages.

Early on Tuesday, Beijing is expected to experience the heaviest rain, with up to 300mm (11.8 inches) of rainfall forecast for some areas.

On July 27, 2025, in the north of Beijing, members of the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force clean up the silt on a road. [Wang Xiqing/Xinhua via AP]

According to reports, authorities ordered the release of water from a reservoir in Beijing’s rural Miyun district, which had reached its highest level since 1959, with residents being warned to stay away from rivers downstream as their levels rose and heavy rain was forecast.

Authorities ordered people to stay indoors, close schools, halt construction work, and halt outdoor tourism and other activities until the emergency warning is lifted, as Chinese President Xi Jinping late on Monday night.

Uprooted trees lay in piles with their exposed roots in piles in Taishitun, which is located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of central Beijing, according to the Associated Press news agency.

“The flood rushed in very suddenly and quickly, just like that.” The place was quickly filling up, according to Zhuang Zhelin, a local resident who was clearing mud from their building materials store with his family.