World
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un reportedly ordered dozens of officials executed after deadly floods
![North Korea’s Kim Jong Un reportedly ordered dozens of officials executed after deadly floods North Korea’s Kim Jong Un reportedly ordered dozens of officials executed after deadly floods](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/Kim-Jong-Un.png)
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un may have ordered at least 30 government officials to be executed after the devastating floods over the summer that killed thousands, according to a new report from South Korea.
The South’s TV Chosun reported Tuesday that North Korean authorities sentenced between 20 and 30 people to capital punishment last month for their failure to stop the deadly flooding.
An official was quoted as telling the outlet, “Twenty to 30 cadres in the flood-stricken area were executed at the same time late last month.”
While it’s difficult to know the details given the North’s extreme secrecy, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported that Kim ordered authorities to “strictly punish” the officials after catastrophic floods hit the Chagang Province, near the border with China, in July.
FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH KIM JONG UN IS ‘NOT A BAD THING,’ TRUMP SAYS
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un during a press conference, June 19, 2024, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Contributor/Getty Images)
North Korean state media reported that heavy rains in late July left more than 4,000 homes as well as numerous other public buildings, structures, roads and railways flooded in the northwestern city of Sinuiju and the neighboring town of Uiju.
Kim blamed public officials who had neglected disaster prevention for causing “the casualty that cannot be allowed.”
![Kim Jong-un speaking](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/07/1200/675/kim_jong-un.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a meeting of Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea held from June 28 until July 1, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
The North has rebuffed offers of aid from China, Russia and even South Korea, with whom tensions remain at all-time highs.
Kim made a two-day tour of Uiju in early August to meet flood victims and discuss recovery efforts. While touring there, Kim was quoted by KCNA as accusing the South of exaggerating the extent of the damage from the floods, decrying it as a “smear campaign” and a “grave provocation” against his government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
World
2 Phoenix officers shot with 1 listed in critical condition, police say
![2 Phoenix officers shot with 1 listed in critical condition, police say 2 Phoenix officers shot with 1 listed in critical condition, police say](https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/dcac1a4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/700x394+0+28/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F90%2F29%2F4e3c1cc7446089a9101a7bdff4c8%2Fdefaultshareimage-copy.png)
PHOENIX (AP) — Two Phoenix officers were shot and wounded by a person suspected of breaking into a vehicle, one in critical condition and the other stable, likely saved by his ballistic vest, police said Tuesday.
One person has been detained, interim police Chief Michael Sullivan told a news conference hours after the shooting near downtown Phoenix. He said police do not believe there is an immediate danger to anyone in the community.
“This is a terrible night for the Phoenix Police Department and for those who love and care for officers and for members of our community,” he said.
Sullivan said he spoke to the officer in stable condition: “He was traumatized. He just been shot, and his partner had just been shot.”
The officers responded to a call of someone attempting to break into a vehicle around 6:30 p.m.
“When they arrived, the suspect took off running and jumped over a fence,” Sullivan said. “Our officers gave chase and were met with gunfire.”
The names of the officers shot have not been released, and Sullivan said it was too early to determine if they exchanged gunfire with the suspect. The person detained was found not too far from the scene, he said without elaborating.
Sullivan said the wounded officers were surrounded by family and other loved ones at the hospital.
“Our officers have been met by gunfire 11 times this year, protecting and serving this community,” Sullivan said. “What happened tonight is senseless. It angers me. I hope you share my anger.”
World
Back to school: France tests smartphone ban in 200 middle schools
![Back to school: France tests smartphone ban in 200 middle schools Back to school: France tests smartphone ban in 200 middle schools](https://static.euronews.com/articles/stories/08/70/13/48/1200x675_cmsv2_ce150975-40a1-51e1-8559-9f9a3c92d2b4-8701348.jpg)
If all goes well, the ban will be expanded to include all schools across the country.
Nearly 200 middle schools in France began testing a “digital break” this week —a complete ban on cell phones in the classroom. The aim is to reduce screen time and combat cyberbullying, a move welcomed by both school staff and students.
If the trial proves successful, the ban will be implemented in all schools starting January 2025.
At Claudine Hermann Middle School in the southern suburbs of Paris, students start their morning by handing in their mobile phones.
“It gets students used to being without their phones all day and teaching them to live differently even during recess instead of always being on their phones,” said Fabien Leroux, a school supervisor.
Victor, an 11-year-old student, said, “We’re here to have fun, so there’s no point in having a phone.”
Halima, another sixth-grade student, agreed, saying, “I think it’s a very good idea because phones can be distracting during lessons. It’s better not to have them in front of us during class.”
The mobile phones are stored in five heavy-duty briefcases throughout the school day. The middle school invested in these briefcases, each costing €300, with all expenses covered out of pocket. The State does not contribute to funding this test ban, leaving the financial burden to the country’s departments responsible for funding middle schools, some of which consider it too heavy.
François Sauvadet, president of the Association of Departments of France, estimates that if the ban were to be implemented nationwide, it could cost the country’s 7,000 middle schools around €125 million in new equipment, according to domestic media reports.
However, France’s outgoing Education Minister, Nicole Belloubet, disagrees. During a visit to Claudine Hermann Middle School on Tuesday, she said, “The financial costs seem fairly modest to me. The briefcases chosen by this school to store mobile phones cost about 60 euros each and were paid out of their own funds.”
“But of course, I wouldn’t want there to be any misunderstanding with the Association of Departments of France. I will contact them again if there needs to be any clarifications,” Belloubet explained in an interview with Euronews.
As a new government has yet to be formed following the early parliamentary elections called by President Emmanuel Macron, the caretaker administration is managing day-to-day affairs. The decision on whether this ban should be expanded nationwide next year will be decided by the future education minister.
World
Nvidia Hit With Subpoena From US Justice Department, Bloomberg News Reports
-
Politics1 week ago
Why won't Pennsylvania voters have results on Election Night?
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump sets intense pace with campaign events as questions swirl about Harris' policy positions
-
World1 week ago
Portugal coast hit by 5.3 magnitude earthquake
-
Politics1 week ago
VP Harris' tiebreaker votes in Senate were key to inflation-boosting Biden policies: expert
-
News1 week ago
Former national security adviser McMaster says he won’t work for Trump again
-
World1 week ago
Who is Telegram CEO Pavel Durov? What to know about his arrest in France
-
World1 week ago
Photos: 300,000 in emergency shelters after Bangladesh floods
-
Science1 week ago
How much more water and power does AI computing demand? Tech firms don't want you to know