Category Archives: POLITICS

1,000 North Korean Soldiers Killed While Fighting For Putin, Officials Say

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Approximately 1,000 North Korean troops have been killed in Russia’s Kursk region while fighting Ukraine on Vladimir Putin’s behalf, officials say.

Anonymous Western sources told the BBC that, as of mid-January, there have been 4,000 casualties among the 11,000-strong contingency who were sent to help Putin’s troops fight off Ukraine’s attack in the Russian region of Kursk.

The overall casualty rate – a stat which includes those killed, wounded, missing or captured – is allegedly 36% among the North Korean troops.

That’s much higher than the previous estimates from South Korea’s spy agency, which claimed around 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed in the war and 2,700 have been injured.

Officials also told the broadcaster that it’s not clear where the soldiers are being treated, or if they will be replaced.

Russia has not confirmed or denied North Korean troops are fighting alongside its own since they were first deployed in autumn.

Putin arranged a mutual defence agreement with his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un last summer, and both countries agreed to defend the other if attacked by a third party.

It’s thought Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk in August was seen as an attack on Russia – so Putin was able to call on North Korean troops to bolster his beleaguered army to defend the region.

Putin has been ploughing through his own soldiers, forcing them forwards on the frontline using what UK prime minister Keir Starmer described as “meat-grinder” tactics.

The UK’s ministry of defence said earlier this month Russia is estimated to have suffered more than 790,000 casualties since the war began.

The MoD also warned that North Korean – also known as DPRK – troops were struggling to integrate with their Russian peers.

The intelligence officers said: “Russian and DPRK forces are almost certainly experiencing interoperability difficulties.

“The two forces do not share a common language and DPRK troops almost certainly have difficulties integrating into Russia’s command and control structure.”

North Korean troops have “highly likely sustained significant combat casualties” already and “only achieved tactical gains”, the intelligence claimed in the latest update on X.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed earlier this month that his troops had seized two North Korean soldiers in Kursk for the first time.

He offered a prisoner swap, hoping to secure the release of Ukrainians held by Russia.

“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organise their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Zelenskyy said.

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Nigel Farage Squirms As He Admits He ‘Did Not Make The Cut’ To Key Part Of Trump Inauguration

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Nigel Farage had to admit he did not “make the cut” to sit in the Capitol rotunda to watch Donald Trump’s inauguration yesterday – but Boris Johnson did.

The Reform UK leader has long cast himself as a close friend to the US president, even offering to be the UK ambassador to Washington for the second Trump administration.

However, he had to admit the limits to that friendship on GB News last night.

When presenter Chris Hope asked if Farage was in the prestigious room in the middle of the Capitol building where Trump was sworn in, Farage haltingly replied: “No, no, no… didn’t make the cut, sadly.

“I had a good seat… but, no, I mean, look. Frankly, err, it… you know.”

Hope said: “I saw Boris Johnson in there, in rotunda, is he now the person Trump speaks to more than you?”

“No, he’s a former prime minister of the nation,” Farage said, slightly angrily. “He’s an occasional friend of Donald Trump.

“He supports Donald Trump when he’s going up and he doesn’t support Donald Trump when he’s going down. And I’ve supported him consistently now for almost a decade.”

Johnson has quite the on-off friendship with Trump, having slammed him in 2015 for “betraying a quite stupefying ignorance” for falsely saying there were “no-go zones” in London and claiming that he was “unfit” to become president.

While they spoke highly of one another while Trump was in office for his first term, Johnson then said the outgoing president was “completely wrong” for encouraging his supporters to storm the Capitol in 2021.

But by January 2024, Johnson – no longer PM or MP – said Trump’s return could be a “big win for the world”.

Meanwhile, Farage has been an avid Trump supporter for years, speaking at multiple rallies and flying over to the US repeatedly to back the Republican, despite critics asking why he is not more dedicated to his constituency.

The MP for Clacton was also a robust supporter of Trump’s new right-hand man, tech billionaire Elon Musk – until the world’s richest man turned on him earlier this month.

Hours after Farage told the media the X CEO was a “hero”, Musk claimed Reform needed a new leader because the current one “doesn’t have what it takes”.

The sudden split came after the Reform leader tried to distance himself from imprisoned far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whom Musk claimed should be released from jail.

Farage later said he wanted to “mend” his relationship with Musk.

Johnson was not the only former PM to fly to the US for the inauguration as Liz Truss also attended.

Current PM Keir Starmer was not invited, although that is in line with tradition – no serving UK prime minister has ever attended the swearing-in ceremony of a US president going back to when records began in 1874, according to analysis from the Press Association.

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Chris Hope, \"You watched the inauguration, where were you, were you in the Capital rotunda?\"

Nigel Farage, \"No.. No.. No.. Didn’t make the cut.. I had a good seat.. But.. No.. I mean look.. Frankly.. Err.. It.. You know\"

Chris Hope, \"I saw Boris Johnson in there, is he now the… pic.twitter.com/SsIEmMUodM

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) January 21, 2025

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Chris Hope, “You watched the inauguration, where were you, were you in the Capital rotunda?”

Nigel Farage, “No.. No.. No.. Didn’t make the cut.. I had a good seat.. But.. No.. I mean look.. Frankly.. Err.. It.. You know”

Chris Hope, “I saw Boris Johnson in there, is he now the… pic.twitter.com/SsIEmMUodM

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) January 21, 2025

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