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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

US Deports Iranian Pro-democracy Activist to Central African Republic

A general view shows a part of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic, February 16, 2016. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola Purchase Licensing Rights
A general view shows a part of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic, February 16, 2016. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola Purchase Licensing Rights
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US Deports Iranian Pro-democracy Activist to Central African Republic

A general view shows a part of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic, February 16, 2016. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola Purchase Licensing Rights
A general view shows a part of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic, February 16, 2016. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola Purchase Licensing Rights

The United States has deported an Iranian pro-democracy activist to Central African Republic, her lawyer said on Friday, describing it as a "super dangerous" transfer to a country with which the activist has no connection.

The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund (IALDF) said on Thursday that three Iranian women who fled persecution were at risk of deportation, including one who had converted to Christianity.

In the end, only the activist was on the flight which took off from Louisiana on Thursday night, said her lawyer, Emily Trostle, while not ruling out that the others could potentially be deported later.

The plane landed in Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, shortly before 10 p.m. local time (2100 GMT), after a stop in Ghana's capital Accra, according to the ICE Flight Monitor managed by ‌Human Rights First.

It ‌was not immediately clear where the deportees would be housed or how long ‌they ⁠would be able ⁠to stay in Central African Republic.

"They have absolutely no connection to this place. In all of my filings I submitted tons of information about how this was super dangerous," Trostle told Reuters.

"These individuals are being removed from the United States and abandoned in a country where they have no status, no connection and no support network. We fear they will ultimately be forced to return to the countries they originally fled," Trostle said. 

The US State Department and Central African Republic's presidency did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the deportations to Central African Republic.  

⁠The US Department of Homeland Security said last week that all deportees would receive ‌full due process.  

Ghana and Central African Republic have signed deals ‌with President Donald Trump's administration to take in third-country deportees who in many cases secured legal protections from US courts so that ‌they could not be repatriated.  

The United States has used the deals — including with Central African Republic's ‌neighbor Democratic Republic of Congo, which is facing an Ebola outbreak — to deport people it cannot legally send home. 

The Trump administration has said the deals are lawful. Rights groups and advocates have said that the details of the deals are opaque and many of the deportees are ultimately repatriated. 

RISK OF REPATRIATION 

The IALDF said the Iranians facing deportation had their asylum claims denied ‌because of a rule requiring that asylum seekers first apply in countries they transit through before reaching the US. A federal court in California vacated that rule ⁠in May. 

The group said ⁠deporting Iranians to Central African Republic was "a potentially fatal action," citing security issues in the country and the risk that they would be sent back to Iran. 

President Faustin-Archange Touadera signed peace deals last year with several rebel groups. Others were weakened as Russian mercenaries and troops from Rwanda were deployed to shore up Touadera's government as well as UN peacekeepers. 

Ali Rahnama, interim executive director at the IALDF, said the Russian presence in Central African Republic was concerning because Russia had close intelligence ties with Iran. The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, starting a now three-month-old war. 

Trump said in April that he thought that the Iranian people should rise up against the government in Tehran if a ceasefire were declared, but understood that it was too dangerous for them to do so. 

It was unclear how many people would be deported to Central African Republic on the first flight. 

An official briefed on the matter told Reuters on Thursday it was expected to transport about 20 people, including Syrians and Afghans. The official said hundreds of migrants could ultimately be deported there under the deal. 

World

Ukrainian Strike Kills One, Wounds 3 in Southern Russia

In this handout photograph taken and released by the press service of the 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces on June 11, 2026, Ukrainian servicemen attend a military training at an undisclosed location in Zaporizhzhia region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Andriy Andriyenko / 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces / AFP)
In this handout photograph taken and released by the press service of the 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces on June 11, 2026, Ukrainian servicemen attend a military training at an undisclosed location in Zaporizhzhia region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Andriy Andriyenko / 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces / AFP)
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Ukrainian Strike Kills One, Wounds 3 in Southern Russia

In this handout photograph taken and released by the press service of the 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces on June 11, 2026, Ukrainian servicemen attend a military training at an undisclosed location in Zaporizhzhia region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Andriy Andriyenko / 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces / AFP)
In this handout photograph taken and released by the press service of the 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces on June 11, 2026, Ukrainian servicemen attend a military training at an undisclosed location in Zaporizhzhia region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Andriy Andriyenko / 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces / AFP)

A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and wounded at least three others in southern Russia, a regional official said Saturday, with nearly 100 people fighting to extinguish a fire caused by the strike.

The attack damaged port installations in the Temryuk district on the Sea of Azov, near the Kerch Strait separating mainland Russia from the Crimean peninsula, which has been occupied by Moscow since 2014.

"As a result of falling drone debris, a fire broke out at a maritime terminal... one person was killed," Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev posted on Telegram.

He added that at least three people were wounded, according to first reports, and that 96 people had been drafted to fight the blaze.

The Russian army said it had shot down a total of 177 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Ukraine has stepped up its campaign of attacks within Russia in recent months, claiming fair retaliation for Moscow's own massive bombardments across the more than four-year-long conflict.

Kyiv insists that the Ukrainian army first and foremost targets military installations and energy infrastructure, in a bid to deprive the Kremlin's war chest of vital fossil fuel revenues.

World

US Military Helping Move 7 Million Barrels of Oil Per Day Out of the Gulf

Residents swim and play in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz while cargo ships and commercial vessels lie anchored in the distance off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 10, 2026.(Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)
Residents swim and play in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz while cargo ships and commercial vessels lie anchored in the distance off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 10, 2026.(Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)
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US Military Helping Move 7 Million Barrels of Oil Per Day Out of the Gulf

Residents swim and play in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz while cargo ships and commercial vessels lie anchored in the distance off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 10, 2026.(Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)
Residents swim and play in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz while cargo ships and commercial vessels lie anchored in the distance off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 10, 2026.(Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

Roughly 7 million barrels a day of oil are getting out of the Gulf with US military help, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Friday at an event in Houston.

That is about half of the flow of oil that has been stuck in the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Israeli war ‌with Iran ‌began, Wright said.

"We have a military ‌effort ⁠that we've not ⁠talked a lot about, which started more recently to get cargoes out," Wright said.

No Iranian crude is getting out of the Strait, Wright said at a Bloomberg Energy event, adding that he expects to see the free ⁠flow of all products through the ‌Gulf if ‌a deal is reached. And if no deal is ‌reached, he said the US military will work ‌to restore the flow.

The flow of 7 million bpd is a bigger number than the oil industry was expecting, said Dan Pickering, chief ‌investment officer at Pickering Energy Partners.

Oil prices, currently in the $88 range, indicate ⁠that investors had ⁠assumed only about 3 million to 4 million barrels of oil were flowing through the Strait, Rebecca Babin, CIBC Private Wealth senior energy trader, said at the event.

Wright said that some sanctions on Iran could be partially lifted if a deal is made.

A US gasoline tax holiday over the summer was a possibility that could help reduce prices, Wright said.