Morning bird: North Korea confirmed sending soldiers to aid Russia. A driver in Vancouver killed 11 people
Ten thousand soldiers sent to war in Ukraine by North Korea have only now been officially confirmed by representatives of the local regime. A man in Vancouver killed 11 people when he drove into them during festival celebrations. After the official funeral, 200,000 ordinary believers came to the grave of Pope Francis. The man suspected of killing a Muslim believer in a mosque in southern France is still on the run, according to authorities.
Representatives of the world's harshest totalitarian regime confirmed support for Russia
On Monday, North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had sent its soldiers to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, saying that this deployment is to help Russia regain the Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces took over in an unexpected invasion last year. North Korea sent about 10,000-12,000 soldiers to Russia last fall, which was its first participation in a major armed conflict since the end of the Korean War in 1950-53. However, until Monday, North Korea had neither confirmed nor denied the alleged dispatch of its soldiers to Russia.
The North Korean announcement came two days after Russia stated that its units had fully recaptured the Kursk region. Ukrainian officials denied this claim. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un decided to send combat units to Russia based on a mutual defense treaty he signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June 2024, according to AP agency.
A thirty-year-old man is suspected of killing 11 people by driving into a crowd
A thirty-year-old man has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder after driving into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada. The attack at the festival, which celebrated Filipino culture, resulted in 11 deaths and dozens of injuries.
Work on identifying some of the victims continued into Sunday evening and police have stated that the suspect - Kai-Ji Adam Lo from Vancouver, is likely to be charged with multiple murders. Investigators have stated that the suspect was known to the police prior to the attack, but they ruled out an extremist motive, instead pointing to his mental health problems in the past, BBC reported.
200,000 People Visited the Simple Grave of Pope Francis
The day after the funeral service, attended by world leaders and members of the royal family, crowds of mourners queued on Sunday to visit the resting place of Pope Francis in the Roman church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
According to the Vatican, hundreds of people could be seen early Sunday morning walking around his grave, while around St. Peter's Square there were still about 200,000 people. The Vatican released images of the late pontiff's tomb, in which a white rose can be seen lying on a simple marble tombstone with the inscription "Franciscus". Above it is a crucifix illuminated by a single spotlight. The simplicity of the tomb is remarkable compared to the tombs of previous popes and corresponds to the directives in the pontificate's will, stated CNN.
France seeks perpetrator of Islamophobic murder
The man suspected of killing a Muslim believer in a mosque in southern France is still on the run, according to authorities. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the attack Islamophobic. Both men were alone in the mosque in the former mining town of La Grand Combe on Friday when the victim was lethally stabbed. The attacker recorded the attack on his phone and security camera footage showed him shouting insults at "Allah", which in Arabic means God.
Local prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini said on Sunday that investigators are considering the possibility that it was an Islamophobic act, but they believe there may be another motive. "Racism and religious hatred will never have a place in France, religious freedom is inviolable." said French President Emmanuel Macron, according to AP agency.
Sources: AP, CNN, BBC
