UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean 
Australia Progresses AUKUS Review as U.S. Affirms Strong Support 
Michael Dell Pledges $6.25 Billion to Boost Children’s Investment Accounts Under Trump Initiative 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship 
Drones Spotted Near Zelenskiy’s Flight Path in Ireland Trigger Security Alert 
China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
Israel Receives Body of Deceased Hostage as Rafah Crossing Reopening Hinges on Final Returns 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
Trump Administration Halts Immigration, Green Card, and Citizenship Processing for 19 Countries 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
Countries and international organizations have offered to assist North Korea as it deals with an outbreak of COVID-19 since it was first reported a few weeks ago. Despite offers to assist in combating the coronavirus, Pyongyang appears to continue rejecting help from organizations and other countries, including South Korea.
South Korean officials said that Pyongyang did not respond to their offers to aid the nation in its outbreak of COVID-19, as well as the offers from Washington. The World Health Organization has also said that Pyongyang did not respond to their request for information even as the organization expressed concerns about the risk of the further spread of the virus in the isolated nation.
While there are no responses from Pyongyang, there appear to be signs that North Korea is instead turning to its allies Russia and China for help, but this has yet to be confirmed.
North Korea became one of the first countries to close off its borders in January of 2020 upon news of the COVID-19 outbreak. Pyongyang has also repeatedly refused offers of COVID-19 vaccines from the international community, including the UN–led COVAX.
The number of people in North Korea who are reportedly having symptoms of “fever” went past 2.2 million cases. It has yet to be seen how many of those have tested positive for COVID-19. To note, North Korea is notorious for concealing internal crises from the international community.
Former UK ambassador to North Korea Alastair Morgan told Al Jazeera that Pyongyang’s refusal to accept help from the international community may be out of fears that they could be seen as being beholden to other countries.
Aside from the pandemic, North Korea’s continuous weapons tests have caused tensions to flare up in the Korean peninsula. Over the weekend, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden announced an agreement to expand the scope and the scale of their annual joint military exercises.
The two leaders announced the agreement in a joint statement, also detailing other measures such as a pledge to deploy strategic US assets like fighter jets, bombs, and missiles to South Korea.
