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Kim Jong Un shows off ‘most powerful’ ballistic missile as foreign leaders watch North Korea military parade

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Kim Jong Un shows off ‘most powerful’ ballistic missile as foreign leaders watch North Korea military parade

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un displayed a new long-range intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in Pyongyang that included foreign leaders on Friday. 

The yet-to-be-tested Hwasong-20 was described by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency as having the “most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system.”

The government also displayed shorter-range ballistic, cruise and supersonic missiles at the military parade, which marked 80 years since the founding of the Worker’s Party.

PUTIN, KIM JONG UN BEGIN BILATERAL TALKS IN BEIJING AFTER ATTENDING MASSIVE CHINESE MILTARY PARADE

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Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, left, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman and United Russia party head Dmitry Medvedev, attend a reception marking the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday. (Ekaterina Shtukina, Sputnik, Pool Photo via AP)

Kim said at the parade that the military “must continue to evolve into an invincible force that eliminates all threats.”

The foreign dignitaries at the parade included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam. 

Kim also met with Medvedev on Friday, who praised the sacrifice of North Korean soldiers fighting with Russia in Ukraine. 

NUCLEAR THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA LOOM QUIETLY BEHIND WARS IN GAZA AND UKRAINE AT UNGA

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A North Korean government photo shows what it says is a new intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20, during a military parade, Friday, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

Kim said he hoped to strengthen ties with Russia and work together toward common goals. 

Last summer, Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong warned the U.S. to not attempt to restart talks centered around denuclearization, adding that Pyongyang would view any attempt to pressure North Korea to denuclearize as “nothing but a mockery.” 

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, fourth right, and Vietnamese General Secretary of Communist Party To Lam, fourth left, hold a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

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“If the U.S. fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK- U.S. meeting will remain as a ‘hope’ of the U.S. side,” Kim Yo Jong said, referring to the nation by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

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Indonesia receives bodies of peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon

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Indonesia receives bodies of peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon

Foreign Minister Sugiono told reporters that Indonesia wants a thorough UN investigation into the deaths of the peacekeepers.

Indonesia has received the bodies of three United Nations peacekeepers who were killed in southern Lebanon during Israel’s invasion of the country, amid the ongoing United States-Israel war on Iran.

The coffins of the killed soldiers arrived in Indonesia on Saturday. They were carried on the shoulders of uniformed officers for a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto.

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After the ceremony, Foreign Minister Sugiono told reporters that Indonesia wants a thorough UN investigation into the deaths of the peacekeepers who were part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

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“This is a peacekeeping mission. Incidents such as this should not happen,” the minister told reporters at the airport.

“There must be a security guarantee for peacekeeping soldiers,” he added.

Last week, peacekeeper Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, was killed after a projectile exploded. A UN security source told the AFP news agency anonymously on Tuesday that fire from an Israeli tank was responsible for the attack.

A day later, two more Indonesian peacekeepers, Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, 33, and Muhammad Nur Ichwan, 26, were killed after an explosion struck a UNIFIL logistics convoy in southern Lebanon.

Iskandar’s father said he was shocked that peacekeepers were losing their lives in the conflict.

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“We were really sad and regretful, because this is a UN troop, a peacekeeping troop, not deployed for war,” Iskandarudin, 60, told reporters at his house in West Java province.

The three men are expected to be laid to rest on Sunday, and the government has promised financial support for the families.

On Friday, UNIFIL announced that three peacekeepers were wounded after a blast at a UN facility near Adeisse and were taken to hospital.

The UN information centre in Jakarta said the “origin of the explosion” was unknown, but identified the injured soldiers as Indonesian.

“Repeated attacks or incidents of this kind are unacceptable,” the Indonesian foreign ministry said in a statement.

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The government urged the UN Security Council “to immediately convene a meeting of troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL to conduct a review and take measures to enhance the protection of personnel serving with UNIFIL”.

The US-Israel war on Iran spread to Lebanon after Iran-aligned Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war on February 28.

Israel has bombarded the country for weeks and launched an invasion, with Israeli officials saying the mission intends to set up a security zone extending 30km (18.6 miles) from the Israeli border.

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Ye attempts a comeback with sold-out LA-area concert, support from Lauryn Hill

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Ye attempts a comeback with sold-out LA-area concert, support from Lauryn Hill

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The artist formerly and possibly again known as Kanye West reveled in support from one of his musical idols, Lauryn Hill, as he staged a sold-out Southern California concert meant to mark a comeback from years of controversy.

Eleven months after releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler” and just over two months after publishing an apology letter for his antisemitism, Ye let two decades of hits — and 70,000 screaming loyal fans — speak the loudest on Friday night at SoFi Stadium.

“I want to thank y’all for sticking by me all these years. Through the hard times, through the low times,” he told the crowd. “I love you for that.”

Hill joined Ye on a stage for the first time ever for an energetic rendition of his 2004 hit “All Falls Down,” which originally sampled her voice. Ye left the stage as she performed “Lost Ones” and “Doo Wop (That Thing)” before rejoining for his 2021 “Doo Wop”-sampling song “Believe What I Say.” They hugged as she exited.

Travis Scott, CeeLo Green and Ye’s tween daughter North West also strapped on safety harnesses to join Ye high above the stadium floor atop a striking half-orb stage, which alternately depicted a moon, a rotating Earth and a smoking sphere throughout the two hours-plus livestreamed performance.

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A loud singalong of “Heartless” midway through the more than 40-song Good Friday show seemed to boost Ye’s spirits: “That’s what 80,000 people sound like, ladies and gentlemen. … They said I’d never be back in the States. Two sold-out concerts, baby!”

The first SoFi show Wednesday, his first major U.S. performance in nearly five years, turned out to be more of a warm-up as Ye was tentative in his rapping and drew attention to technical mishaps.

Fans at that show said they separated the 48-year-old performer’s personal beliefs and public statements from his music — and were ready to forgive after his January apology letter.

“You gotta back your family no matter what,” said Vince Da Prince, a rapper from Downey, Calif. “He’s a part of our fam since we were little kids.”

Added fan Yovani Contreras: “I don’t really bring into politics or the way someone’s personal opinion are. I’m into the music artistry … Like, I just, to me, Ye is always gonna be Ye. Kanye is always gonna be Kanye.”

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Luis Velasquez said he’d been a longtime fan and had been put off by controversies in recent years, but felt the apology was sincere.

“Yeah he did apologize,” he said. “He’s taking the medication I think is what he mentioned. … For me as a fan that’s, like, respect, right? Like I think that’s cool enough to bridge that gap.”

Ye released his latest album, “Bully,” under both the names Ye and Kanye West, at the end of March. He dominated hip-hop and pop charts in the 2000s and early 2010s, winning 24 Grammy Awards despite public outbursts and a polarizing personality. He lost nearly all his major business partnerships and many fans after a string of controversies in the last several years including antisemitic remarks and social media posts.

He closed Friday night’s show with his “toast to the douchebags” hit “Runaway,” and walked out of the stadium behind his wife Bianca Censori and two of his children.

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Cuba releases 2,000 prisoners amid Trump pressure, energy crisis

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Cuba releases 2,000 prisoners amid Trump pressure, energy crisis

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Cuba’s government released more than 2,000 prisoners as the island faces mounting economic pressure linked to U.S. sanctions and worsening fuel shortages.

The Cuban Embassy in Washington said authorities granted pardons to 2,010 inmates under provisions of the country’s constitution, citing factors such as good behavior, time already served and health conditions.

“This humanitarian and sovereign gesture was based on a careful analysis of the nature of the offenses committed by the inmates, their good conduct while in prison, [and] the fact that they had served a significant portion of their sentences,” the embassy said in a statement posted on X.

RUSSIA SHIPS FUEL TO CUBA USING ‘SPOOFING’ TACTIC CHALLENGING TRUMP EMBARGO: REPORTS

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Inmates celebrate as they walk free from La Lima prison in Havana on April 3, 2026, after Cuba announced it would pardon 2,010 prisoners amid mounting U.S. pressure. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)

Officials said those released include young people, women, older adults, as well as foreign nationals and Cuban citizens who live abroad but were imprisoned on the island.

The government said it excluded prisoners convicted of serious crimes, including murder, sexual assault, violent robbery, drug offenses and corruption of minors, as well as repeat offenders.

CUBA’S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL GRID COLLAPSES, LEAVING WHOLE ISLAND WITHOUT POWER

The move marks the second prisoner release this year and comes during Holy Week, which Cuban officials described as a customary period for such actions.

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The release comes as Cuba grapples with a deepening economic and energy crisis driven in part by a renewed pressure campaign from the Trump administration aimed at cutting off the island’s access to foreign oil. The restrictions have contributed to widespread fuel shortages, blackouts and growing unrest across the country.

WATCH: Cuban power blackout sparks protests as Trump hints at US intervention

President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on any country that sends oil to Cuba and has pressured nations such as Mexico to halt shipments as part of a broader effort to squeeze the island’s energy supply.

The U.S. also allowed a tanker to deliver fuel to Cuba earlier this week after months of severe shortages, with the White House framing the move as a humanitarian exception rather than a shift in policy.

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A man embraces a loved one after being released from La Lima prison in Havana on April 3, 2026, as Cuba began freeing more than 2,000 inmates. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump has also escalated his rhetoric, recently saying “Cuba’s next” while discussing U.S. actions abroad, though he later sought to downplay the remark.

The deepening crisis has also sparked protests and clashes across the island.

Cuba has been under communist rule since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, and is now led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who succeeded Raúl Castro in 2018.

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