North Korea has sent ‘1,000 containers of weapons’ to Russia for war in Ukraine, White House says

Published

2 years ago

October 17, 2023

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North Korea has sent large amounts of weapons to Russia to help Moscow fight its war in Ukraine, the White House has said.

Pyongyang has delivered more than 1,000 containers of “equipment and munitions” in recent weeks, National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.

Washington released pictures that it said showed containers loaded with arms on a Russian-flagged ship before being moved by train to southwestern Russia.

The containers were shipped between 7 September and 1 October, between Najin, North Korea, and Dunay, Russia, according to the White House.

Speculation Pyongyang would start sending arms to Russia has been rife since North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, visited Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and see key military sites.

In return, North Korea wants sophisticated Russian weapons technologies to use in its nuclear weapons development programme, Mr Kirby said.

Satellite photos showing a sharp increase in rail traffic along the North Korea-Russia border were published last week by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Images dated 5 October, the Washington thinktank said, showed “a dramatic and unprecedented level of freight railcar traffic” at the Tumangang Rail Facility, on the country’s border with Russia.

More than 70 railcars were identified, the centre said, whereas only around 20 were visible over the previous five years.

The US has accused North Korea of previously providing ammunition, artillery shells and rockets to Russia.

Last month, after meeting Mr Putin, the North Korean leader demanded an exponential increase in his country’s production of nuclear weapons.

It was time, he said, for Pyongyang to play a larger role in a coalition of nations confronting the US in a “new Cold War”, North Korean state media reported.

The Korean Central News Agency said Mr Kim made the comments during a two-day session of the country’s parliament, which changed the constitution to include his policy of expanding the country’s nuclear weapons programme.

Mr Kim deepened “comradely fellowship and friendly ties” with Mr Putin, during his six-day trip to Russia, North Korean state media said.

The two countries said they discussed boosting their defence ties but did not disclose any specific steps.

US

Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

Published

9 hours ago

August 5, 2025

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Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.

The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.

It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.

In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.

Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”

Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.

But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.

The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.

In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.

Trump knows all publicity is good publicity

They say all publicity is good publicity, and Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad is certainly notching up the column inches, especially now Donald Trump has intervened.

The US president must have been breathlessly excited when he found out Sweeney was a registered Republican because he wrote a Truth Social post in support of her before deleting it twice and reposting three times to correct various spelling and grammatical errors.

He clearly could not wait to get involved in the discourse.

“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there,” he wrote. “Go get ’em Sydney!”

In any other era, the president weighing in so heavily on one side of a pop culture issue would’ve been unusual.

But the current president knows people are talking about the ad around their dinner tables and at parties right now. By injecting himself into the discussion, they will now be talking about him too.

In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.

“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.

Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.

US

Soulja Boy arrested on suspected weapons charge during traffic stop

Published

1 day ago

August 4, 2025

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Soulja Boy arrested on suspected weapons charge during traffic stop

Soulja Boy has been arrested and charged with possession of a firearm during a traffic stop.

The rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was a passenger in the car that was stopped in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles early on Sunday morning, the LAPD said.

“A passenger was detained and police arrested DeAndre Cortez Way for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm,” the statement added.

Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon is a felony.

The 35-year-old was booked into jail in the LAPD’s Wilshire Division shortly after 6am. It is not clear if he has since been released.

Police did not provide information on what prompted the traffic stop and who else was in the vehicle with Way.

Soulja Boy is yet to publicly comment on the incident.

Soulja Boy is best known for his 2007 hit Crank That, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and landed him a nomination for best rap song at the Grammys.

The rapper was arrested and charged with a felony in 2014 for carrying a loaded gun during a traffic stop in LA.

In April this year, the Chicago hip-hop artist was ordered to pay more than $4m (£3m) in damages to his former assistant after being found liable for sexually assault, as well as physically and emotionally abusing them.

US

Tennessee: Man tries to detonate 14 explosive devices while being arrested

Published

2 days ago

August 3, 2025

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Tennessee: Man tries to detonate 14 explosive devices while being arrested

Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.

Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.

After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.

On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.

Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.

O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.

He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.