North Korea continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs during the past year and cyberattacks on cryptocurrency exchanges were an important revenue source for Pyongyang, according to an excerpt of a confidential United Nations report seen on Saturday (Feb 5) by Reuters. The annual report by independent sanctions monitors was submitted on Friday evening to the UN Security Council North Korea sanctions committee. Although no nuclear tests or launches of ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) were reported, DPRK continued to develop its capability for production of nuclear fissile materials,” the experts wrote. North Korea is formally known as the Democratic … Continue reading North Korea continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The first US troops reinforcing NATO allies in Eastern Europe amid a Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s border arrived on Saturday (Feb 5) at Rzeszow military base in southeastern Poland. A small plane carrying what a Polish military source said were US chain of command personnel landed in the morning at Rzeszow-Jasionka airport as preparations continued at the base, which is near Poland’s border with Ukraine. TV footage showed temporary accommodation being prepared at the G2A Arena in the nearby town of Jasionka, while workers could be seen building a fence around the venue. “As announced, the first elements of the brigade … Continue reading United States Army have arrived in Poland,” a Polish military spokesman said.

Iran is ready for more talks with Saudi Arabia if Riyadh is willing to hold the talks in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect, the semi-official news agency Fars quoted Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as saying on Saturday (Feb 5). Regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, which severed diplomatic ties in 2016, launched direct talks hosted by Iraq last year at a time when global powers are trying to salvage a 2015 nuclear pact with Tehran, and as UN-led efforts to end a war in Yemen stall. Iran is ready to continue these negotiations until reaching an outcome, provided … Continue reading Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that Iran is ready for talks with Saudi Arabia.

Joe Rogan, the popular U.S. podcaster, issued an apology for the second time in a week, this time for using racial slurs after a montage video surfaced showing him repeatedly saying the N-word. In an apology video posted on Instagram on Saturday, Rogan said it was the “most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.” During the video, Rogan said footage that emerged of him using the epithet had been taken out of context, but looked “horrible, even to me. Rogan’s apology came after Grammy award winning singer-songwriter India Arie pulled her music from the … Continue reading U.S. podcaster Joe Rogan, issued an apology for the second time in a week.

Authorities in Iceland have found a small plane at the bottom of a lake two days after the aircraft went missing with three tourists and a pilot on board, police said on Saturday (Feb 5). The three tourists on the Cessna 172N plane – who departed for a sightseeing tour on Thursday – were from Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States, Iceland’s Morgunbladid newspaper reported. Iceland’s coastguard said in a statement the plane crashed into Lake Thingvallavatn some 40km east of the capital, Reykjavik, and was located with the help of an unmanned submarine. The plane has not been … Continue reading Iceland have found a small plane at the bottom of a lake two days after the aircraft went missing.