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North Korea Lifts Mask Mandate after Covid 'Victory'

People wearing protective face masks commute amid concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pyongyang, North Korea March 30, 2020, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
People wearing protective face masks commute amid concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pyongyang, North Korea March 30, 2020, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
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North Korea Lifts Mask Mandate after Covid 'Victory'

People wearing protective face masks commute amid concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pyongyang, North Korea March 30, 2020, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
People wearing protective face masks commute amid concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pyongyang, North Korea March 30, 2020, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

North Korea has lifted a mask mandate and eased other virus restrictions, state media said Saturday, days after leader Kim Jong Un declared "victory" over Covid-19.

The announcement comes after Pyongyang earlier this week blamed Seoul for causing the Covid-19 outbreak in the North and threatened to "wipe out" the South Korean authorities, if necessary.

Virus restrictions were eased as "the public health crisis created in the country was completely defused and its whole territory was turned into a clean one free from the malignant virus in the shortest period," Pyongyang's official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"The step for obligatory mask-wearing was lifted in all areas except frontline areas and borderline cities and counties, given that the whole country was turned into an epidemic-free zone," KCNA said.

North Korea declared a "shining victory" over Covid earlier this week just months after announcing its first cases in May.

Social distancing and other anti-virus measures were also lifted except for border regions, AFP reported.

But people with symptoms of respiratory disease were recommended to wear masks and North Koreans were urged to "remain vigilant" against "abnormal things" -- apparently referring to propaganda leaflets from the South.

Despite a ban that took effect in 2021, South Korean activists for years have flown balloons carrying propaganda leaflets and dollars over the border, which the North has long protested against.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong Un, on Wednesday blamed these activities for the North's Covid outbreak, vowing "deadly" retaliation against Seoul.

Kim Yo Jong also revealed that the top leader himself had fallen ill during the outbreak and suffered from a "high fever".

North Korea has recorded nearly 4.8 million "fever" cases -- while only identifying a fraction of those as Covid -- since late April, with just 74 deaths, according to KCNA.

Experts, including the World Health Organization, have long questioned Pyongyang's Covid statistics and claims to have brought the outbreak under control.

North Korea has one of the world's worst healthcare systems, with poorly equipped hospitals and few intensive care units, experts say.

It is not believed to have vaccinated any of its 26 million population, although it may have received some vaccines from China, Seoul-based specialist site NK News has reported.

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World

EU to Give Greenland a Cash Boost amid Trump Annexation Drive

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (R), President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (C), and Greenland's government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen (L) visit the inspection ship Thetis in Nuuk, Greenland, 06 September 2026. EPA/Mads Claus Rasmussen DENMARK OUT
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (R), President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (C), and Greenland's government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen (L) visit the inspection ship Thetis in Nuuk, Greenland, 06 September 2026. EPA/Mads Claus Rasmussen DENMARK OUT
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EU to Give Greenland a Cash Boost amid Trump Annexation Drive

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (R), President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (C), and Greenland's government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen (L) visit the inspection ship Thetis in Nuuk, Greenland, 06 September 2026. EPA/Mads Claus Rasmussen DENMARK OUT
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (R), President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (C), and Greenland's government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen (L) visit the inspection ship Thetis in Nuuk, Greenland, 06 September 2026. EPA/Mads Claus Rasmussen DENMARK OUT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to unveil on Monday a boost in EU investments in Greenland and closer political ties with the Danish Arctic territory, which Donald Trump has insisted should belong to the United States.

Von der Leyen arrived in Greenland on Sunday for a two-day visit serving as a show of support for the governments of Greenland and Denmark, which have strongly rebuffed Trump’s campaign to annex the world’s largest island, said Reuters.

The head of the 27-nation European Union's executive body, von der Leyen is expected to unveil plans to invest in sectors including critical minerals, satellite communications and renewable ‌energy in ‌Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Danish realm.

On Sunday in Nuuk, ‌the ⁠capital, von der ⁠Leyen said the package would be "substantial" but gave no details. Greenland Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen said his country wanted to build on its "close friendship and good partnership" with the EU.

Von der Leyen's visit reflects the increasing geopolitical importance of the Arctic to major powers, such as the United States, Russia, China and Europe, as melting ice opens new shipping routes to make the region’s mineral wealth more accessible.

"Greenland's stunning landscapes and natural beauty will stay with me for ⁠a long time. But so will the visible scars of climate ‌change on the ice sheet," von der Leyen ‌posted on X after a boat trip under clear blue skies in a fjord scattered with ‌chunks of ice.

"As the ice melts, a new reality is taking shape."

TRUMP'S PUSH ‌TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND SPARKED CRISIS

Trump, the US president, sparked a crisis in US-European ties and turmoil within the transatlantic NATO military alliance this year when he stepped up his demands for the US to control Greenland, arguing that fellow NATO member Denmark could not defend it.

European officials stressed Greenland ‌is part of NATO territory, meaning it is covered by the alliance’s mutual defense pact, and that the US already has ⁠the right to increase ⁠its military presence there under a longstanding treaty.

Tensions lowered after Trump and NATO boss Mark Rutte agreed in Davos in January that the United States, Denmark and Greenland would begin talks to resolve their differences and NATO would step up its role in Arctic security.

However, the trilateral talks have yet to yield an agreement and, at a NATO summit in Türkiye in July, Trump restated his insistence that the US should control Greenland.

While Denmark is a member of the EU, Greenland left the bloc in 1985. But its people, as Danish citizens, are also citizens of the EU.

The EU has long provided funding to Greenland, mainly to pay for fishing rights and support its education system. The package to be announced by von der Leyen will represent not only a big increase in funding but a broadening of the sectors that will receive EU cash, according to EU officials.

World

Jakarta Airport Extends Closure after Volcano Eruption

Mount Krakatau (Krakatoa) in the Sunda Strait, in South Lampung, Lampung province, spewing smoke and volcanic ash during an eruption. Handout / Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation/AFP
Mount Krakatau (Krakatoa) in the Sunda Strait, in South Lampung, Lampung province, spewing smoke and volcanic ash during an eruption. Handout / Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation/AFP
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Jakarta Airport Extends Closure after Volcano Eruption

Mount Krakatau (Krakatoa) in the Sunda Strait, in South Lampung, Lampung province, spewing smoke and volcanic ash during an eruption. Handout / Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation/AFP
Mount Krakatau (Krakatoa) in the Sunda Strait, in South Lampung, Lampung province, spewing smoke and volcanic ash during an eruption. Handout / Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation/AFP

Jakarta's main airport and three others delayed reopening on Monday after halting operations due to a volcanic eruption and leaving hundreds of thousands stranded.

Mount Anak Krakatau, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Indonesia's capital, erupted on Saturday, spewing a fountain of lava and a plume of volcanic ash, AFP said.

Eight airports had halted operations over the weekend after ash was detected in their airspace, disrupting thousands of flights and leaving more than 270,000 passengers stranded, the transport ministry reported Monday.

"These figures are the cumulative operational impact since 5 September 2026 and cover flights that have been canceled, delayed, or diverted," the ministry said in a statement.

Italian tourist Michel Miegge was on holiday with his girlfriend and due to fly home in time for work on Tuesday, but their flight was cancelled.

"We don't have any news from the airline. We don't know if we stay another day in Jakarta or find another flight," the 32-year-old software engineer told AFP.

"I don't think it's possible now. We found a nearby hotel, but we saw that many hotels were fully booked. Fortunately, we booked a hotel last night, but it's a difficult situation."

Another tourist, French painter Carol Odile, said she came with a group of friends, excited to see Komodo dragons in Flores, when she was notified that her flight was cancelled.

"We discovered our flight was delayed yesterday morning when we arrived at the airport because we didn't know about the volcanic eruption. We are disappointed, but our group is optimistic, so we hope we can go to Flores Island very soon," the 60-year-old told AFP.

At least four airports, including Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, extended their closure from Monday morning to 6:00 pm (1100 GMT), airport operator Angkasa Pura said in a social media post.

Halim Perdanakusuma, a smaller airport that caters to both civil and military flights, will also remain closed.

Another small airport in south Sumatra resumed operations as of Monday morning 9:00 am, the transport ministry said.

-- Threat remains high --

More than 240 domestic and international flights had been cancelled or delayed due to volcanic ash on Monday morning alone, Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport said, adding that nearly 30,000 passengers were affected.

"We understand that this situation affects passengers' travel plans. Therefore, from the start of the temporary closure, we have focused on ensuring that passengers' needs continue to be met," airport spokesman, Yudhistiawan, who like many Indonesians only has one name, said in a statement.

The probability of an eruption remains high until Monday morning, the country's geology agency warned.

"The threat from an eruption comes from the ejection of incandescent rocks accompanied by heavy ashfall. Another potential hazard arises from lava flows if the eruption resumes and continues," agency head Lana Saria said.

Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Krakatau, sits in a strait that separates the islands of Java and Sumatra.

The volcano has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea at the beginning of last century in the caldera that formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatau.

A 2018 tsunami triggered by a collapse of parts of Anak Krakatau killed 429 people and left thousands displaced.

World

Trump Suggests Renaming New Mexico State 'New America'

US President Donald Trump speaks during an End of Summer BBQ event with Republican lawmakers in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 02 September 2026. EPA/Samuel Corum / POOL
US President Donald Trump speaks during an End of Summer BBQ event with Republican lawmakers in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 02 September 2026. EPA/Samuel Corum / POOL
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Trump Suggests Renaming New Mexico State 'New America'

US President Donald Trump speaks during an End of Summer BBQ event with Republican lawmakers in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 02 September 2026. EPA/Samuel Corum / POOL
US President Donald Trump speaks during an End of Summer BBQ event with Republican lawmakers in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 02 September 2026. EPA/Samuel Corum / POOL

US President Donald Trump's name-changing spree found an unlikely new target on Sunday when he suggested the state of New Mexico could become "New America."

His proposal, which was immediately dismissed by the state's governor, comes days after he signed an order to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America" in the middle of a trade war with neighboring Canada, said AFP.

"Many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico... to NEW AMERICA," the Republican president posted on social media. "So much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I Love It!!!"

The White House reposted an image showing the Mexico part of the state's name crossed out and replaced with "America."

Some US media reports said the idea originated as an internet hoax.

State governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told Fox News that the name "isn't up for debate -- it's been ours since before the United States existed."

She said the president wanted to "distract Americans" from issues such as soaring gas prices.

Trump last week suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as "Trump Strait" as the war with Iran continues -- then hours later implied he was not serious about the plan.

He renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" on his first day back in the White House in 2025 in a move rejected by Mexico.

Canada has also rejected the attempt to rename Lake Ontario.