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Joining war, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis launch missile attack on southern Israel

Sirens sound in Beersheba as IDF says ballistic missile was intercepted with no injuries; attack comes hours after group warned it was ready to intervene militarily

Yemen’s Houthis launched a ballistic missile attack at southern Israel on Saturday morning, triggering sirens in Beersheba and surrounding areas, in the first offensive from the Iran-aligned group since the start of the war with Iran.

In a statement, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they had targeted “sensitive Israeli military sites” with a “barrage of ballistic missiles.”

The IDF said one missile fired from Yemen was successfully shot down by air defenses.

The strike came a day after the group warned it was prepared to intervene militarily if other countries joined the United States and Israel in their campaign against Iran, or if the Red Sea was used to launch attacks on the Islamic Republic.

“We confirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention” if any new alliances join Washington and Israel against Iran and its allies, or if the Red Sea is used for “hostile operations” against Iran, the rebel group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech late Friday evening.

Saree also said the Houthis were prepared to act if what he called the escalation against Iran and the “axis of resistance” continued, but did not say what form any intervention would take.

The group’s involvement raises the prospect of a broader regional confrontation, particularly given the Houthis’ ability to strike targets far beyond Yemen and disrupt shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula.

Iran’s Shi’ite allies in Lebanon and Iraq have already joined the war in the region that began with US and Israeli strikes on Tehran. The Houthis had not until now announced any direct entry into the war, despite their military capabilities and geographic position overlooking the Red Sea.

'Meltdown': DHS shutdown set to drag on after House GOP rejects Senate deal

Speaker Mike Johnson instead had the House vote on a two-month funding punt that cannot pass the Senate.

House Republicans moved Friday to further extend the six-week shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, snubbing a bipartisan Senate bill that would fund the vast majority of DHS agencies through September and moving ahead with a plan of their own that stands little chance of becoming law.

All Republicans and three Democrats — moderate Reps. Don Davis of North Carolina, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington and Henry Cuellar of Texas — voted in favor of a emporary extension of all DHS funding through May 22, including immigration enforcement. The gavel came down on the 213-203 vote just before midnight Saturday morning, when the agency shutdown will become the longest funding lapse in U.S. history.

The measure will not pass the Senate, which has adjourned for a two week recess through April 13 with no imminent plans to reconvene.

Now confronting an impasse, Republican leaders in both chambers stare down the tall task of brokering a fresh compromise to end the shutdown without any obvious off-ramps.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise signaled late Friday his chamber would be leaving town now, too.

“Obviously we’ve got to see what they do now. I mean, if they make changes, that’s part of the legislative process,” Scalise told reporters regarding the Senate, when asked if House GOP leaders would call back the House early from recess to negotiate an end to the shutdown.

“But right now, we’ve sent them a bill, and we’re going to be watching closely what they do,” Scalise continued. “And I hope they pass that bill to the president, because it makes sure that the department is fully funded at a time we’re at a heightened level of threat in America.”

Speaker Mike Johnson put the gears in motion Friday morning, when he announced that House Republicans simply could not swallow the Senate’s bill, which omits funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Border Patrol and some other parts of Customs and Border Protection.

“The Republicans are not going to be any part of any effort to reopen our borders or to stop immigration enforcement,” Johnson said. “We are going to deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens because it is a basic function of the government. The Democrats fundamentally disagree.”

The move toward an eight-week stopgap creates a tactical gulf between Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who called an end to weeks of abortive bipartisan talks Thursday and pushed through the funding bill in hopes of tacking on funding later for ICE and CBP in a party-line budget reconciliation bill. Those agencies are currently funded and operating under appropriations made in last year’s GOP megabill.

Trump's signature is coming to U.S. currency — as cash use fades

President Trump's signature is set to appear on U.S. currency — a first for a sitting president — as Americans use physical cash less than ever.

Why it matters: Cash still carries outsized symbolic power — even as its role in everyday payments shrinks.

Driving the news: The Treasury Department plans to put Trump's signature on all new U.S. paper currency, tied to the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026.

Traditionally, U.S. bills carry the signatures of the Treasury secretary and treasurer — not the president. State of play: Cash accounts for just 14% of U.S. payments, per the Federal Reserve.

Americans make about seven cash payments a month out of roughly 48 total. Even when it's used, cash is often a fallback — two-thirds of cash payments come from people who prefer cards.

Meanwhile, making exact change is getting harder. Trump ordered the Treasury in February 2025 to stop making new pennies, calling it a way to "rip the waste out of the budget." The U.S. Mint struck the last circulating penny in November.

Yes, but: Not all cash isn't disappearing — and in fact its role has stabilized.

It's use has leveled off in recent years, suggesting a "floor," according to Federal Reserve data. And more than 80% of Americans use cash at least occasionally, underscoring its staying power.

The big picture: The Trump signature plan is part of a broader push to reshape how Americans think about money — even as physical money itself is changing.

A federal panel recently approved a 24-karat gold commemorative coin featuring Trump's image.

What's next: The first $100 bills with Trump's signature are expected to be printed in June, Reuters reported, followed by other bills in subsequent months.

It could take weeks for the new bills to circulate through banks — even as fewer Americans use cash.

US-Israel war on Iran live: explosions heard in Gulf cities and Jerusalem; evacuations in Beirut as conflict spreads to Lebanon

Iran-backed Hezbollah says it launched rockets and drones at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Iran launches another attack wave on Israel and Gulf cities Loud explosions were heard across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Doha and Manama as well as in Jerusalem on Monday as Tehran pressed into a third day of strikes against Israel and Gulf neighbours in response to the US-Israeli attacks.

Agence France-Presse reported several loud blasts being heard in the Qatari and Bahraini capitals, as well as in the United Arab Emirates’ most populous city.

The Israeli air force said on X a short while ago that missiles had been launched from Iran towards Israel and defence systems were operating to intercept them.

The post also said it had directed the public via mobile phones in relevant areas to go to “protected spaces” and stay until further notice.

Middle East war live: Iranian strike wounds US troops at air base in Saudi Arabia

Israel says missile fired from Yemen after Houthis warn other countries ‘fingers are on the trigger’

Main developments

Drone and missile attacks continued across the region on Saturday after 12 US troops were wounded in an Iranian strike on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday night, one of the most significant attacks on American forces of the conflict.

Iran claimed one US refuelling aircraft was destroyed and three others were damaged in the attack.

Israel’s military attacked two Iranian nuclear facilities, which Iran’s foreign minister said were for civilian nuclear energy. Tehran is exploring a possible exit from international commitments designed to limit its nuclear programme.

Iran also said Israel also hit steel factories and a power plant, raising concerns that US Donald Trump’s 10-day reprieve in strikes against infrastructure was breaking down.

Brent crude settled 4.2 per cent higher at $112.57 a barrel on Friday, its highest closing price since July 2022. US stocks fell further, taking the S&P 500 to a 7.4 per cent loss since the war began.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio told G7 partners that the war against Iran will last another two to four weeks.

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group warned its “fingers are on the trigger” should other countries join the US and Israel in the war.

Oil exports continue to flow at Kharg Island, Iran insists

Iran’s oil exports from Kharg Island, the country’s main crude export terminal, are continuing uninterrupted, according to Iranian lawmakers who visited the site.

A spokesperson for parliament’s national security committee said on Saturday that operations were proceeding as normal.

“Thank God life goes on. Oil exports continue without any problems and we did not notice any particular disruption,” the spokesperson said in a video message from the island.

Kharg Island handles the vast majority of Iran’s crude shipments, making it a critical node in the country’s energy infrastructure. Analysts had speculated that the US could might seize the island to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

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Two more skiers die in the Lake Tahoe area

Two more people have died in the Sierra, adding to the toll of a deadly winter season that last week claimed nine lives in the Castle Peak avalanche.

The latest deaths happened Friday in two unrelated “fatal ski incidents” at Heavenly resort’s Boulder Lodge, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, which responded just before noon.

“Life-saving measures were attempted by Ski Patrol and Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District paramedics,” the Sheriff’s Office reported in a release. “However, both individuals were pronounced deceased at the scene.”

The two deaths are not connected, and there is no known relationship between the two individuals who died. Information has not yet been released by sheriff’s officials on what caused the deaths or the circumstances surrounding them. But a resort spokesperson told South Tahoe Now that one incident involved the death of a 33-year-old man while skiing on an intermediate trail, and another was a medical emergency involving a 58-year-old man.

The names of the those who died were being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The incidents are under investigation.

Nine people died last week in the Castle Peak avalanche north of Lake Tahoe. Six were close friends who had together planned the backcountry ski trip. The other three victims were hired guides who led the expedition. Six others in the group survived.

The avalanche occurred as the group of 15 was trying to leave the remote Frog Lake huts in a blizzard beneath avalanche-prone slopes. The tragedy spurred questions among rescuers, other professional ski guides and on social media about why the group had taken the trip despite forecasters warning of a dangerous storm.

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Iran targets U.S. allies, hits American Embassy in Riyadh

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh was attacked by two drones, according to initial estimates, resulting in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building, a Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson said.

The big picture: Tehran has launched a wave of counterattacks following weekend airstrikes by American and Israeli forces on Iran, firing missiles at Middle Eastern countries that are allied with the U.S. into Tuesday morning — as the U.S. and Israel continued to target Iran.

U.S. Central Command said on X American forces had "destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities," along with other targets.

The Israel Defense Forces said on X it was "conducting simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut, from where Hezbollah has fired several missiles from Lebanon towards Israel in recent days.

State of play: The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia issued a "shelter in place" alert for Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran following Tuesday's attack.

There were no immediate reports of injuries following the drone strikes, but the mission said it was limiting non-essential travel to any military installations in the region.

"We recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately and avoid the Embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility," the mission said.

Hours earlier, Mora Namdar, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, issued a statement calling on Americans to "DEPART NOW" from Israel, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Oman, Syria, Yemen and Jordan "due to serious safety risks."

Austin shooting suspect is being investigated for possible terror motive. Who was he?

As a large SUV rolled past a block of Austin’s lively bars and late-night crowds in Sunday’s early hours, a sweatshirted arm reached out the driver’s side window with a pistol and began to pull the trigger.

Over the course of just one minute, the gunman sailed down the city’s bustling Sixth Street and then exited his car, firing off even more bullets, ultimately killing three people and injuring 13 others before he was fatally shot by police.

The suspect, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, was wearing a hoodie emblazoned with the words “Property of Allah,” a picture obtained by CNN shows. Law enforcement later found Diagne - who was fatally shot by police - was wearing a T-shirt stamped with an Iranian flag design, according to a source.

Though investigators have kept details close to the vest, they are probing whether the Texas shooting was inspired by this weekend’s strikes on Iran by the US and Israel, multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the case said.

Live Updates: U.S. death toll in Iran war rises to 6 as Trump says campaign could last 5 weeks

What to know about Day 4 of the Iran war:

The U.S. military said Monday that the number of Americans killed during the ongoing war with Iran stood at six, following the recovery of the remains of two service members who were previously unaccounted for.

President Trump said the war was the "last best chance" of addressing the threat posed by Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear program, and that the campaign could last four to five weeks with the "capability to go far longer than that." He told the New York Post he will not rule out sending ground troops into Iran if necessary.

Earlier in the day, Kuwait shot down three U.S. F-15 jets in what the military called a "friendly fire incident." All crew members are safe. The strikes have killed at least 11 people in Israel, and the Iranian Red Crescent says 555 people have been killed in Iran.

The U.S. Embassy in the Saudi capital of Riyadh was attacked by two drones, causing minor damage, the Saudi Ministry of Defense said Monday.

35m ago War's death toll in Iran rises to 787, Red Crescent says Iran's death toll from U.S.-Israeli strikes in the war now in its fourth day has climbed to 787, according to state media citing the Iranian Red Crescent.

The organization had put the number at 555 on Monday.

U.S. adds UAE to nations where non-essential personnel being evacuated State Department evacuations of non-emergency personnel and family reached six nations Tuesday with the inclusion of the United Arab Emirates.

The other nations where that's happening are Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar.

The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and long considered a safe corner of the Middle East, has been dragged into the Iran war with and attacks on its territory and missile interceptions.

In addition, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has advised Americans there about what he calls "VERY LIMITED" options for leaving, mainly via bus to Egypt, using his X account, saying, "We are getting a lot of requests regarding evacuating from Israel from American citizens who are currently in Israel or who have family here."

US military says three of its service members killed in Iran operation

Five additional personnel have been reported seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury, US military said

Three US service members have been killed in action as part of US military operations against Iran, the US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday. These are the first confirmed deaths since the US began launching strikes against Iran on Saturday.

Five additional personnel have been reported seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury, the US military said. Authorities have not yet publicly identified the three soldiers who were killed.

While announcing the military action targeting Iran, Donald Trump cautioned that “the lives of American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war”.

On Sunday, Israel and the US carried out another round of heavy attacks across Iran, marking the second day of a military effort aimed at removing the country’s government. The campaign has pushed the Middle East into a broader regional confrontation with no clear end or predictable outcome.

The escalation followed increasingly tense exchanges between officials in Washington and Tehran, signaling the possibility of further military developments in the near future.

Trump stated on Sunday that the US would strike Iran “with a force that has never been seen before” if Tehran followed through on threats of retaliation after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday.

The strikes extended beyond current government leaders. The home in Tehran belonging to former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also destroyed, and his condition or whereabouts were not immediately confirmed.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that the number of people killed in a missile attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran has climbed to nearly 150. The school was hit on Saturday morning and appears to represent the deadliest single incident of the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran so far.

Following the attack on Iran, anti-war demonstrations took place across the US, including gatherings outside the White House and in New York’s Times Square, where protesters expressed opposition to American military involvement in the region.

Pentagon tells Congress no sign that Iran was going to attack US first, sources say

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - Trump administration officials acknowledged in closed-door briefings with congressional staff on Sunday that there was no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack U.S. forces first, two people familiar with the matter said.

The United States and Israel launched their most ambitious attacks on Iran in decades on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sinking Iranian warships and hitting more than 1,000 targets so far, officials say.

But Sunday's remarks to Congress appeared to undercut one of the key arguments for the war made by senior administration officials.

They told reporters the day before that President Donald Trump decided to launch the attacks in part because of indicators that Iranians might strike U.S. forces in the Middle East "perhaps preemptively."

Trump, one of the officials said, was not going to "sit back and allow American forces in the region to absorb attacks."

PENTAGON BRIEFINGS LASTED MORE THAN 90 MINUTES

Pentagon officials briefed Democratic and Republican staff of several national security committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives for more than 90 minutes on the unfolding U.S. attack in Iran, White House spokesperson Dylan Johnson said earlier.

In the briefings, administration officials emphasized that Iran's ballistic missiles and proxy forces in the region posed an imminent threat to U.S. interests, but there was no intelligence about Tehran attacking U.S. forces first, the two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. Trump said the attack, which is expected to run for weeks, aimed to ensure Iran could not have a nuclear weapon, contain its missile program and eliminate threats to the United States and its allies. He has urged Iranians to rise up and topple the government.

March 1, 2026 — Day two of the launch of a US-Israeli military operation against Iran

Hezbollah and Israel also trade strikes after the group said it launched missiles “in revenge” for killing of Iran’s leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

What we covered

War with Iran: Explosions have been heard in cities including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, after Iran’s top official said Tehran “will not negotiate” with the US. President Donald Trump earlier warned of more US casualties after three Americans were killed.

Hezbollah joins conflict: Israel has vowed more strikes on Lebanon as the country and Hezbollah are trading blows. The group had said it attacked an Israeli base over the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Briefings undercut White House claim: Pentagon briefers acknowledged to congressional staff that Iran was not planning to strike US forces unless Israel attacked Iran first, undercutting the administration’s claim of an imminent threat as a reason to launch strikes, sources said.

Global shockwaves: The war has disrupted air travel, hit Gulf states usually regarded as safe, and hindered the flow of oil. Countries looking to evacuate their citizens also face major challenges.

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Two more skiers die in the Lake Tahoe area

Two more people have died in the Sierra, adding to the toll of a deadly winter season that last week claimed nine lives in the Castle Peak avalanche.

The latest deaths happened Friday in two unrelated “fatal ski incidents” at Heavenly resort’s Boulder Lodge, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, which responded just before noon.

“Life-saving measures were attempted by Ski Patrol and Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District paramedics,” the Sheriff’s Office reported in a release. “However, both individuals were pronounced deceased at the scene.”

The two deaths are not connected, and there is no known relationship between the two individuals who died. Information has not yet been released by sheriff’s officials on what caused the deaths or the circumstances surrounding them. But a resort spokesperson told South Tahoe Now that one incident involved the death of a 33-year-old man while skiing on an intermediate trail, and another was a medical emergency involving a 58-year-old man.

The names of the those who died were being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The incidents are under investigation.

Nine people died last week in the Castle Peak avalanche north of Lake Tahoe. Six were close friends who had together planned the backcountry ski trip. The other three victims were hired guides who led the expedition. Six others in the group survived.

The avalanche occurred as the group of 15 was trying to leave the remote Frog Lake huts in a blizzard beneath avalanche-prone slopes. The tragedy spurred questions among rescuers, other professional ski guides and on social media about why the group had taken the trip despite forecasters warning of a dangerous storm.

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France will summon Ambassador Charles Kushner over US comments on activist’s death

The foreign affairs minister protested a social media post by the State Department that said “reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all.”

PARIS — France will summon U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner to protest comments by the Trump administration over the beating death of a far-right activist, the foreign affairs minister said.

Jean-Noel Barrot was reacting to a statement by the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau, which posted on X that “reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all.”

Deranque, a far-right activist, died of brain injuries last week from a beating in the French city of Lyon. He was attacked during a fight on the margins of a student meeting where a far-left lawmaker, Rima Hassan, was a keynote speaker.

His killing highlighted a climate of deep political tensions ahead of next year’s presidential vote. French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm on Saturday as some 3,000 people joined a march in Lyon organized by far-right groups to pay tribute to Deranque.

“We reject any instrumentalization of this tragedy, which has plunged a French family into mourning, for political ends,” Barrot said. “We have no lessons to learn, particularly on the issue of violence, from the international reactionary movement.”

The State Department said in its post that “violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. We will continue to monitor the situation and expect to see the perpetrators of violence brought to justice.”

#France #CharlesKushner #USFranceRelations #Diplomacy #QuentinDeranque #ForeignPolicy #PoliticalTension #InternationalNews #StateDepartment #SummonedAmbassador #GlobalPolitics

Stock futures fall amid uncertainty about Trump new tariffs: Live updates

U.S. stock futures fell on Monday after President Donald Trump said he’s raising his global tariffs to 15% from 10% after the Supreme Court struck down the president’s “reciprocal” tariffs. The new tariffs heightened market uncertainty about the outlook for inflation and global growth.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 300 points, or 0.5%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures slid 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively.

Oil prices sank, with Brent ⁠crude ‌futures declining 1.2% to $70.93 a barrel. U.S. ‌crude futures were at $65.65 a barrel, down 1.2%.

Bitcoin also slumped, tumbling 5% at one point to below $65,000, before recovering to $65,720. It remains down 2.5% as the cryptocurrency’s sharp sell-off continues.

Those moves come after Trump on Saturday said he would increase global tariffs to 15%, up from the 10% he announced on Friday. Trump said the duties would go into effect immediately, though it was unclear whether any official documents had been signed regarding the timing.

“I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have been ‘ripping’ the U.S. off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level,” Trump wrote.

Trump also warned that additional levies would be coming over the next few months.

Wall Street is coming off a choppy trading session. On Friday, stocks initially rallied after the Supreme Court struck down a broad swath of Trump’s trade agenda, before pulling back and then ultimately recovering again.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the session higher by more than 230 points, 0.5%, recovering from a 200-point loss earlier in the session. The S&P 500 gained 0.7%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.9%.

Investors hoped the Supreme Court ruling would soothe tensions between the U.S. and its trading partners and lead to possible refunds to companies affected by the tariffs, but are awaiting more clarity from the White House.

“It would seem that Wall Street — and Main Street — are going to be dealing with the issue of trade and tariffs for some time to come,” Tim Holland, chief investment officer of Orion Wealth Management, wrote on Friday.

Meanwhile, Iran remains a focal point for investors. This past week, Trump encouraged Iran to reach a deal over its nuclear program, warning that otherwise “bad things” might happen.

Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday.

Nvidia earnings will be a key focus this week. The chipmaking giant is set to release results on Wednesday. It’s one of only two Magnificent Seven stocks to have eked out a gain this year. The company will have to reassure investors that its artificial intelligence investment strategy remains intact.

On the economic front, durable goods orders and factory orders data are set to be released on Monday morning.

#StockFutures #MarketUpdate #Trading #WallStreet #Stocks #Tariffs #USPolitics #TrumpTariffs #Economy #FinancialNews #LiveUpdates #GlobalMarkets #Investing

Kim Jong Un re-appointed leader of North Korea's ruling party

North Korea's ruling Workers' Party has again chosen Kim Jong Un to be its general secretary, state media report.

The announcement, which was made at a rubber-stamp party congress in Pyongyang on Sunday, comes as little surprise given the Kim family has ruled by dictatorship since the late 1940s.

State-run KCNA said that under Kim's leadership North Korea "radically improved" its "war deterrence", "with the nuclear forces as its pivot".

Despite long-standing international sanctions, North Korea has continued to build its nuclear capabilities, regularly testing banned intercontinental missiles. But the secrecy of the regime makes it harder to evaluate how much progress the military has made.

Kim, who took control of the regime after his father's death in 2011, has invested heavily in the nuclear weapons programme, turning Pyongyang into a far bigger challenge for the West, and especially the US.

He is expected to announce the next phase of the country's weapons programme during the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, which began on 19 February and is now in its fourth day. Before it started, North Korea unveiled what it said was a range of nuclear-capable rocket launchers.

The congress has been held once every five years in the last decade.

With some 5,000 party members in attendance, according to KCNA, it offers a rare glimpse into the structure of political power in North Korea, which remains quite opaque to even the keenest watchers.

The meetings are considered to be the most important political event and provide insight into where the country's priorities lie, from foreign policy to its nuclear ambitions.

While Kim has remained at the top of North Korean leadership, the party congress' presidium, or executive committee, has been reshuffled since the last meeting in 2021. More than half of its 39 members have been replaced, according to state media.

In his opening speech last week, Kim vowed to boost the country's economy and people's standard of living, which he described as "heavy and urgent historic tasks".

All eyes are on whether Kim's daughter, Ju Ae, will make an appearance at the congress.

Earlier this month, South Korea's spy agency said that Kim had chosen Ju Ae as his heir. Believed to be 13 years old, she has become an increasingly prominent figure at official events, inspecting missiles and attending Beijing's military parade with her father.

That parade was the first time that the leaders of North Korea, China and Russia had stood together, sending a message of solidarity to the US and its allies.

Chinese president Xi Jinping called Kim to congratulate him on his re-appointment on Monday, saying he would work with Kim to "write a new chapter in the China-North Korea friendship", Chinese state media reported.

Beijing has long been Pyongyang's most significant ally: it is North Korea's largest trade partner and source of aid.

But at the same time, China is wary of Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, which could destabilise the region, and its growing ties with Vladimir Putin's Russia.

#KimJongUn #NorthKorea #WorkersParty #WPK #PartyCongress #Leadership #Politics #WorldNews #AsiaNews #AuthoritarianRegime #Reelected

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