Kim slams negligent officials over spiralling N. Korea Covid outbreak / Photo: © KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
-
Pentagon chief dismisses reports he shared military info with wife
-
15 potential successors to Pope Francis
-
The papabili - 15 potential successors to Pope Francis
-
Zhao sets up all-China clash after beating 2024 world snooker finalist Jones
-
Ostapenko stuns Sabalenka to win Stuttgart title
-
Argentina mourns loss of papal son
-
African leaders praise Pope Francis's 'legacy of compassion'
-
Mehidy's five wickets help Bangladesh fight back in first Zimbabwe Test
-
'The voice of god': Filipinos wrestle with death of Pope Francis
-
Prayers, disbelief in East Timor after Pope Francis death
-
Real Madrid hold minute's silence as La Liga mourns Pope Francis
-
World leaders pay tribute to Pope Francis, dead at 88
-
World leaders react to the death of Pope Francis
-
Zimbabwe lead first Test despite Bangladesh spinner Mehidy's five wickets
-
Vatican postpones sainthood for 'God's influencer' after pope's death
-
Pope's death prompts CONI to call for sporting postponements, minute's silence
-
Stunned and sad, faithful gather at St Peter's to remember Francis
-
Asian scam centre crime gangs expanding worldwide: UN
-
Davos meet founder Klaus Schwab steps down from WEF board
-
Himalayan snow at 23-year low, threatening 2 billion people: report
-
The beautiful game: Pope Francis's passion for football
-
Clerical sex abuse: Pope Francis's thorniest challenge
-
Pope Francis's delicate ties with politics in Argentina
-
Russia resumes attacks on Ukraine after Easter truce
-
Pope Francis has died aged 88
-
Gaza civil defence describes medic killings as 'summary executions'
-
Francis: radical leader who broke the papal mould
-
Oscar stars, Max keeps mum, Sainz alive - Saudi GP talking points
-
Iyer, Kishan win back India contracts as Pant's deal upgraded
-
Vance lands in India for tough talks on trade
-
Inside South Africa's wildlife CSI school helping to catch poachers
-
Nigerian Afrobeat legend Femi Kuti takes a look inward
-
Kim Kardashian: From sex tape to Oval Office via TV and Instagram
-
Vance in India for tough talks on trade
-
Thunder crush Grizzlies as Celtics, Cavs and Warriors win
-
Vance heads to India for tough talks on trade
-
China slams 'appeasement' of US as nations rush to secure trade deals
-
'Grandpa robbers' go on trial for Kardashian heist in Paris
-
Swede Lindblad gets first win in just third LPGA start
-
Gold hits record, dollar drops as tariff fears dampen sentiment
-
As Dalai Lama approaches 90, Tibetans weigh future
-
US defense chief shared sensitive information in second Signal chat: US media
-
Swede Lingblad gets first win in just third LPGA start
-
South Korea ex-president back in court for criminal trial
-
Thunder crush Grizzlies, Celtics and Cavs open NBA playoffs with wins
-
Beijing slams 'appeasement' of US in trade deals that hurt China
-
Trump in his own words: 100 days of quotes
-
Padres say slugger Arraez 'stable' after scary collision
-
Trump tariffs stunt US toy imports as sellers play for time
-
El Salvador offers to swap US deportees with Venezuela
NYSE - LSE
| RBGPF | 0% | 63.45 | $ | |
| RYCEF | -0.96% | 9.41 | $ | |
| CMSD | -0.78% | 21.79 | $ | |
| SCS | -3.61% | 9.42 | $ | |
| NGG | 0.58% | 72.53 | $ | |
| RIO | -0.02% | 58.16 | $ | |
| GSK | 0.51% | 36.115 | $ | |
| RELX | -0.13% | 52.13 | $ | |
| VOD | -0.49% | 9.265 | $ | |
| CMSC | -0.37% | 21.74 | $ | |
| AZN | -0.07% | 67.545 | $ | |
| JRI | -0.5% | 12.338 | $ | |
| BCC | -2.94% | 90.8 | $ | |
| BCE | 0.29% | 22.105 | $ | |
| BP | -2.26% | 27.695 | $ | |
| BTI | 0.26% | 42.48 | $ |
Kim slams negligent officials over spiralling N. Korea Covid outbreak
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the negligence and laziness of state officials worsened the country's Covid outbreak, state media reported Wednesday, as the number of known cases crossed 1.7 million.
The nuclear-armed country reported its first coronavirus cases last week, and the Omicron variant-fuelled outbreak has since ballooned -- marking the failure of a two-year blockade maintained since the start of the pandemic.
Chairing a meeting of the ruling party's Politburo on Tuesday, Kim said there was "immaturity in the state capacity for coping with the crisis" and slammed the "non-positive attitude, slackness and non-activity of state leading officials", the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
North Korea recorded 232,880 new cases of "fever" as of Tuesday evening, bringing the total number to 1.72 million with 62 deaths, KCNA said.
State media reports do not specify how many of the cases and deaths have tested positive for the coronavirus, but experts say the country would struggle to test and diagnose on this scale.
At the Tuesday meeting, Kim promised to "arouse the whole Party like an active volcano" to counter the spread of the virus.
North Korea's leader has put himself front and centre of his country's Covid response, saying the outbreak is causing "great upheaval" nationwide.
Medicines donated by the Kim family were distributed to North Koreans in South Hwanghae province, state media said, in a bid to highlight his personal role in fighting the outbreak.
Nearly 3,000 military medics are taking part in a "24-hour service system to carry out the delivery and supply of medicines", state media said Wednesday.
North Korea has one of the world's worst healthcare systems, with poorly equipped hospitals, few intensive care units, and no Covid treatment drugs or mass testing ability, experts say.
The World Health Organization is "deeply concerned at the risk of further spread of Covid-19 in the country particularly because the population is unvaccinated and many have underlying conditions putting them at risk of severe disease and death," the UN body's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.
A.Gasser--BTB
