North Korean Leader Oversees Tactical Missile Weapons System

This picture taken on May 10, 2024 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 11, 2024 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Photo by KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

Asharq Al Awsat

06:59-15 May 2024 AD ـ 07 Thul-Qi’dah 1445 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

06:59-15 May 2024 AD ـ 07 Thul-Qi’dah 1445 AH

North Korean Leader Oversees Tactical Missile Weapons System

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday oversaw a tactical missile weapons system that will be newly installed at missile units of its army, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday.
Kim expressed satisfaction with missile system production in the first half of the year and emphasized it was important to carry out this year's military production plan, saying it would bring a breakthrough in the military's readiness for war, Reuters reported.
Missile launchers produced in the first half of this year will be installed at western fire strike units in charge of "important fire strike missions," KCNA added.
Last week, Kim inspected the country's artillery weapon system and attended the test-firing of such weapons

Police Warn Sydney Protesters ahead of Israeli President’s Visit

01 February 2026, Australia, Sydney: A protester holds a poster during a Free Palestine rally protesting the invitation of Isaac Herzog to Australia at the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne. (Jay Kogler/AAP/dpa)

07:26-7 February 2026 AD ـ 19 Sha’ban 1447 AH

Police Warn Sydney Protesters ahead of Israeli President’s Visit

Australian authorities warned protesters to avoid violence in Sydney's streets when Israeli President Isaac Herzog visits on Monday to honor victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting.

Police say they will deploy in large numbers for the Israeli head of state's visit following the December 14 attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration that killed 15 people.

"It's really important that there's no clashes or violence on the streets in Sydney," New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told reporters on Saturday.

"Our clear message is in an unambiguous way that we're hoping that people can remain calm and respectful during that presidential visit."

The state premier promised a "massive policing presence" in Sydney on Monday afternoon.

State police declared the Sydney visit to be a "major event", a designation that allows them to separate different groups to reduce the risk of confrontation.

Herzog has said he will "express solidarity and offer strength" to the Jewish community in Australia during his four-day visit, which starts Monday.

The trip has been welcomed by many Jewish Australians.

"His visit will lift the spirits of a pained community," said Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the community's peak body.

Pro-Palestinian activists have called for protests nationwide, however, including in parts of central Sydney where police have refused to authorize demonstrations under new powers granted after the Bondi Beach attack.

- 'Full immunity' -

Amnesty International Australia has also urged supporters to rally for an end to "genocide" against Palestinians, and urged Herzog be investigated for alleged war crimes.

High-profile Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti -- a member of a UN-established inquiry into rights abuses in Israel and the Palestinian territories -- called this week for Herzog's invitation to be withdrawn, or for his arrest on arrival.

The UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry found in 2025 that Herzog "incited the commission of genocide" by saying all Palestinians -- "an entire nation" -- were responsible for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Australia's federal police have ruled out an arrest, with senior officials telling lawmakers this week that they received legal advice Herzog had "full immunity" covering civil and criminal matters, including genocide.

Critics have accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left government of moving too slowly to protect Jewish Australians ahead of the Bondi Beach shooting despite a rise in antisemitic attacks since 2023.

Alleged Bondi Beach gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack.

An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.

His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen who remains in prison, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.

World

Cuba to Protect Essential Services as US Moves to Cut Off Oil Supply

People wait for transportation as Cubans brace for fuel scarcity measures after US tightens oil supply blockade, in Havana, Cuba, February 6, 2026. (Reuters)

07:17-7 February 2026 AD ـ 19 Sha’ban 1447 AH

Cuba to Protect Essential Services as US Moves to Cut Off Oil Supply

People wait for transportation as Cubans brace for fuel scarcity measures after US tightens oil supply blockade, in Havana, Cuba, February 6, 2026. (Reuters)

Cuba detailed a wide-ranging plan on Friday to protect essential services and ration fuel as the communist-run government dug in its heels in defiance of a US effort to cut off oil supply to the Caribbean island.

The rationing measures are the first to be announced since President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on the US-bound products of any country exporting fuel to Cuba and suggested hard times ahead for Cubans already suffering severe shortages of food, fuel ‌and medicine.

Government ‌ministers said the measures would guarantee ‌fuel supply ⁠for key sectors, ‌including agricultural production, education, water supply, healthcare and defense.

Commerce Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva struck a defiant tone as he laid out details of the government plan.

"This is an opportunity and a challenge that we have no doubt we will overcome," Perez-Oliva told a television news program. "We are not going to collapse."

The government will supply fuel to the ⁠tourism and export sectors, including for the production of Cuba's world-famous cigars, to ensure ‌the foreign exchange necessary to fund other basic ‍programs, Perez-Oliva said, adding, "If we ‍don't have income, then we will not overcome this situation."

Domestic ‍and international air travel will not be immediately affected by the fuel rationing, although drivers will see cutbacks at the pump until supply normalizes, he said.

The government said it would protect ports and ensure fuel for domestic transportation in a bid to protect the island nation's import and export sectors.

Perez-Oliva also announced an ambitious ⁠plan to plant 200,000 hectares (500,000 acres) of rice to guarantee "an important part of our demand," but acknowledged fuel shortfalls would push the country to depend more on renewable energy for irrigation needs and animal-power for tilling fields.

Education Minister Naima Ariatne, appearing on the same program, said infant-care centers and primary schools would remain open and in person, but secondary schools and higher education would implement a hybrid system that would require more "flexibility" and vary by institution and region.

"As a priority, we want to leave (open) our primary schools," Ariatne said.

Top officials said ‌health care would also be prioritized, with special emphasis on emergency services, maternity wards and cancer programs.

World

Trump Signs Order Preparing for Tariffs on Iran’s Trade Partners

A man walks past a mural depicting the US Statue of Liberty with the torch-bearing arm broken, painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy, in Tehran on February 6, 2026. (AFP)

05:32-7 February 2026 AD ـ 19 Sha’ban 1447 AH

Trump Signs Order Preparing for Tariffs on Iran’s Trade Partners

A man walks past a mural depicting the US Statue of Liberty with the torch-bearing arm broken, painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy, in Tehran on February 6, 2026. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order threatening tariffs on Iran's trade partners, after he pledged a further round of talks with Tehran next week.

The order, effective from Saturday, called for a fresh "imposition of tariffs" on countries still doing business with Iran.

It comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with an American naval group led by an aircraft carrier in Middle Eastern waters and indirect talks held on Tehran's nuclear program in Oman on Friday.

The levies "may be imposed on goods imported into the United States that are products of any country that directly or indirectly purchases, imports, or otherwise acquires any goods or services from Iran", the order said.

Trump issued a threat of 25 percent tariffs on any country trading with Iran last month.

This order establishes a process for his administration to impose tariffs on goods from those countries.

The rate is to be determined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, although the order specifies that it could be "for example" 25 percent, the level first mentioned by the US president in mid-January.

Tariffs would affect trade with a number of countries including Russia, Germany, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates.

More than a quarter of Iran's trade is with China, with $18 billion in imports and $14.5 billion in exports in 2024, according to World Trade Organization data.

The talks on Friday in Muscat, mediated by Oman, were the first between the two foes since the United States joined Israel's war with Iran in June with strikes on nuclear sites.

"We likewise had very good talks on Iran," Trump told reporters on board Air Force One en route to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, adding, "we're going to meet again early next week."

Diplomatic relations between Iran and the US broke down with the 1979 revolution that brought the current government into power after hostages were taken at the US embassy in Tehran for 444 days.

Direct engagement has been rare in the decades since.

Iran remains under an internet blackout amid a harsh government crackdown on economic protests that began in December across the country.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Friday it has confirmed 6,505 protesters were killed, as well as 214 members of the security forces and 61 bystanders.

North Korean Leader Oversees Tactical Missile Weapons System

North Korean Leader Oversees Tactical Missile Weapons System

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Police Warn Sydney Protesters ahead of Israeli President’s Visit

Police Warn Sydney Protesters ahead of Israeli President’s Visit

Cuba to Protect Essential Services as US Moves to Cut Off Oil Supply

Cuba to Protect Essential Services as US Moves to Cut Off Oil Supply

Trump Signs Order Preparing for Tariffs on Iran’s Trade Partners

Trump Signs Order Preparing for Tariffs on Iran’s Trade Partners

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