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North Korean Leader, Daughter Try Out New Tank

A photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2-L) and his daughter Kim Ju Ae (L) visiting the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 of the Capital City Defense Corps of the North Korean Army in North Korea, 19 March 2026 (issued 20 March 2026). EPA/KCNA
A photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2-L) and his daughter Kim Ju Ae (L) visiting the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 of the Capital City Defense Corps of the North Korean Army in North Korea, 19 March 2026 (issued 20 March 2026). EPA/KCNA
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North Korean Leader, Daughter Try Out New Tank

A photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2-L) and his daughter Kim Ju Ae (L) visiting the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 of the Capital City Defense Corps of the North Korean Army in North Korea, 19 March 2026 (issued 20 March 2026). EPA/KCNA
A photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2-L) and his daughter Kim Ju Ae (L) visiting the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 of the Capital City Defense Corps of the North Korean Army in North Korea, 19 March 2026 (issued 20 March 2026). EPA/KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and daughter Ju Ae tried out the country's new battle tank in large-scale military drills, state media reported on Friday, in the latest sign that she was being groomed as his heir.

Photos released by state media showed a chuffed-looking Kim sitting on top of the moving tank in his trademark leather jacket as the teenage Ju Ae's head popped out of a hatch during the exercises on Thursday.

The drills at the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 involved armored units firing anti-tank missiles while rear sub-units targeted simulated enemy drones and helicopters, clearing the way for infantry and tanks, the Korean Central News Agency said.

According to KCNA, the tank possesses advanced mobility, firepower, and defensive systems, including protection against missiles and drones.

"Watching with great pleasure the tanks violently make a charge, shaking the earth, he (Kim) expressed satisfaction that the majestic scene of tanks imposingly advancing forward represents the inherent bravery and pluck of our army," the agency reported.

The drill comes amid heightened regional tensions, following recent North Korean missile tests and just-concluded springtime military exercises by South Korea and the United States.

The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their "Paektu bloodline" dominates daily life in the isolated country.

In February, South Korea's national intelligence service said that Ju Ae, thought to be in her early teens, has been clearly "designated as a successor" to her father.

This perception has been stoked by a string of recent high-profile outings including watching a test of nuclear-capable rocket launchers last weekend and firing a pistol last week.

Pyongyang's state media released an image of Ju Ae firing what looked like a pistol with one eye closed, flames shooting from the muzzle of the gun, AFP reported.

Ju Ae was publicly introduced to the world only in 2022 when she accompanied her father to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

Before then, the only confirmation of her existence was from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited the North in 2013.

Ju Ae has drawn attention for her taste in luxury fashion, appearing in Gucci sunglasses and wearing a Cartier watch.

At other times, she has mirrored her father's distinctive style, wearing matching leather jackets and dark glasses.

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World

Damaged Russian Tanker Days away from Libyan Shores, Italian Official Says

A Russian LNG tanker, Arctic Metagaz, damaged earlier this month and currently adrift without crew, floats in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Linosa, in this handout picture released on March 13, 2026. Marina Militare/Handout via REUTERS
A Russian LNG tanker, Arctic Metagaz, damaged earlier this month and currently adrift without crew, floats in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Linosa, in this handout picture released on March 13, 2026. Marina Militare/Handout via REUTERS
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Damaged Russian Tanker Days away from Libyan Shores, Italian Official Says

A Russian LNG tanker, Arctic Metagaz, damaged earlier this month and currently adrift without crew, floats in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Linosa, in this handout picture released on March 13, 2026. Marina Militare/Handout via REUTERS
A Russian LNG tanker, Arctic Metagaz, damaged earlier this month and currently adrift without crew, floats in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Linosa, in this handout picture released on March 13, 2026. Marina Militare/Handout via REUTERS

A damaged Russian LNG tanker that has been drifting unmanned in the Mediterranean for more than two weeks, risking a major ecological disaster, is four to six days from Libya’s shores, an Italian official said on Friday.

The Arctic Metagaz, carrying LNG from the Arctic port of Murmansk, has been unmanned since early March, when it was hit by Ukrainian naval drones, according to Russia's Transport Ministry.

Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any such attack.

The tanker is currently in international waters falling under Libya's search and rescue zone, some 53 nautical miles (98 kilometres) north of the capital Tripoli, Italian Civil Protection agency spokesman Pierfrancesco Demilito said.

Based on prevailing southbound winds and sea currents - assuming they do not change - it could take "four, five or six days, more or less," for the vessel to reach Libyan land, Demilito said.

Italy, France, Spain and six other southern EU members wrote last week to the European Commission warning that the Arctic Metagaz poses "an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster."

Demilito said the vessel is estimated to be carrying 450 metric tons of heavy oil and 250 tons of diesel as fuel supplies, and an "uncertain" quantity of LNG, which may have partly regasified and dispersed.

While it has a "large gash on its side" it does not appear to be at imminent risk of sinking, but the concern is that it may run aground or crash into an offshore oil platform, although none are currently nearby, the spokesman said.

Any intervention on the tanker would fall to Libya, since the vessel is in its search and rescue waters, but Italy would be ready to help if asked, Demilito added, indicating that coast guard and navy units were also monitoring the situation.

World

French FM Calls on Iran to Make 'Major Concessions'

FILE PHOTO: QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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French FM Calls on Iran to Make 'Major Concessions'

FILE PHOTO: QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Friday on a visit to Israel that Iran must make major concessions as part of any long-term political solution following the Middle East war.

"Whatever the outcome of the ongoing military operations, it must be complemented by a political solution that produces lasting results," Barrot told journalists in Tel Aviv, AFP reported.

"In this regard, the Iranian regime must be prepared to make major concessions -- a radical change of stance."

Barrot repeated a European call for a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure after an Israeli bombardment of Iran's key gasfield pushed up energy prices.

France's top diplomat, who visited Beirut on Thursday, expressed France's "reservations" about Israel's ground operations to fight Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

He called on Israel to seize an "historic opportunity" and hold direct talks with the Lebanese authorities, after French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to host negotiations.

"The Lebanese government has signalled its unprecedented openness to direct talks at the highest level with Israel," he said.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he had discussed with Barrot the "scope of attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory".

"Unfortunately, the Lebanese government and its army are not taking any meaningful action against Hezbollah, neither militarily nor in other aspects," Saar wrote on X.

He also called on the EU to list Hezbollah "in its entirety as a terrorist organization, not only its military wing, as several European countries already did".

Barrot said that regional stability in the Middle East also depended on the implementation of US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza that halted two years of war in October.

The Trump plan envisions the disarmament of Hamas, the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli military and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force, with a transitional Palestinian technocratic committee overseeing day-to-day governance.

World

Swiss Will Not Export War Equipment to US during Mideast Conflict

A member of ground crew moves munitions towards a USAF B1 B bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, used by USAF personnel, amid the US–Israeli conflict with Iran, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Phil Noble
A member of ground crew moves munitions towards a USAF B1 B bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, used by USAF personnel, amid the US–Israeli conflict with Iran, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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Swiss Will Not Export War Equipment to US during Mideast Conflict

A member of ground crew moves munitions towards a USAF B1 B bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, used by USAF personnel, amid the US–Israeli conflict with Iran, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Phil Noble
A member of ground crew moves munitions towards a USAF B1 B bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, used by USAF personnel, amid the US–Israeli conflict with Iran, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorize the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Switzerland has already refused US requests for flights over its territory since the war erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began attacks on Iran.

Following that decision, on Friday the Swiss government looked at applying neutrality to exports to states involved in the war.

"The export of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorized for the duration of the conflict," said a government statement, AFP reported.

"Existing licences and exports of other goods will now be regularly reviewed by an interdepartmental group of experts, particularly with regard to their compatibility with neutrality.

"Exports of war materiel to the USA cannot currently be authorized," and existing US licences will now face regular review, it said, whilst adding that Switzerland has not issued war materiel export licences to Israel or Iran for years.

Since the conflict started, no new licences have been issued for exports of war goods to the United States, Bern said.

Existing US licences "have been determined to be of no relevance to the war at present and can therefore continue to be used", the statement said.

Nevertheless, an expert group drawn from the foreign, defense and economy ministries will regularly review developments in exports of the goods in question to the United States, and assess whether any action is required.

Swiss neutrality traces its roots back to 1516 and has been internationally recognized since 1815.