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North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui praised the ‘spiritual closeness’ between the two states.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has met North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in the latest high-level engagement between the two countries, which have strengthened ties during the Ukraine war.

Footage released by Russian state news agencies showed Putin greeting Choe in the Kremlin on Monday. Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov also appeared at the meeting.

Putin said the countries’ “relations and development prospects” are progressing “according to plan”, and extended regards to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to Russia’s Sputnik news agency. Choe, in turn, passed on “warm wishes” from Kim, having earlier praised the “spiritual closeness” of the two nations’ relationship in talks with Lavrov.

Russia and North Korea, both under extensive Western sanctions, have significantly bolstered ties in recent years, including signing a 2024 defence pact committing each country to provide military support to the other in the event of “aggression”.

Since then, North Korea has sent around 10,000 troops to join Russia’s war against Ukraine, at least 600 of whom have died in combat, according to estimates from Seoul and Kyiv.

Pyongyang first acknowledged its soldiers’ involvement in the war in April, saying they helped Russia retake its strategic Kursk region after a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Several days ago, Kim held a ceremony marking the opening of a museum in Pyongyang to honour the North Korean troops killed in the conflict. He said their deployment “marked the beginning of a new history of militant solidarity” with Russia, with which there is an “invincible” alliance.

Putin last met Kim in person on September 3 in Beijing, where the leaders held official talks after attending a military parade hosted by China’s President  Xi Jinping. At the time, Putin praised North Korean soldiers for fighting “courageously and heroically” in the Ukraine war.

“I would like to note that we will never forget the sacrifices that your armed forces and the families of your servicemen have suffered,” Putin said.

The deepening Russia-North Korea relationship has drawn concern from the United States, which says there is evidence that Russia is increasing technology support for North Korea, including in space and satellite programmes. After Putin and Kim’s September meeting, US President Donald Trump claimed they were conspiring against the US – a statement dismissed by the Kremlin.

Wordle, the addictive digital puzzle game offered daily by the New York Times, could soon be coming to television.

NBC has ordered a pilot based on Wordle, according to people familiar with the project who were not authorized to comment publicly.

“Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, an obsessive player of the game herself, serves as the emcee in the TV version.

The test program will be used to determine whether the project, which is not yet officially titled, gets ordered for a series. A representative for NBC declined comment.

NBC’s Savannah Guthrie is seen at Rockefeller Center in New York in 2021.

(Jesse Dittmar / For The Times)

The Wordle project is being produced by “Tonight” host Jimmy Fallon’s company Electric Hot Dog, which already has two prime-time game shows on the air at the network, “That’s My Jam” and “On Brand.” Fallon is also a producer on NBC’s version of the classic game show “Password,” which has been ordered for a third season.

As many millions of the game’s fans know, the daily Wordle asks players to guess a five-letter word in six chances through a process of eliminating letters. An individual player’s performance in the game can be posted online without revealing the answer, as the colored tiles are shown without the letters.

Wordle was created by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021. After it became an immediate hit online, the New York Times purchased it for a price reported to be in the low-seven-figure range.

Offered as part of a subscription to a bundle of puzzles on the New York Times web site and app, Wordle has been a major driver of digital revenue for the company. The game was played 5.3 billion times in 2024.

The Times is a production partner on the TV version with Electric Hot Dog.

Jimmy Fallon, left, Keke Palmer and Jon Hamm in “Password” on NBC.

(Jordin Althaus / NBC)

The idea of a TV version had been explored by the Times for awhile, and the company’s timing is fortunate. Game shows have become a staple on broadcast networks such as NBC in recent years as viewers have increasingly made streaming platforms their first stop for scripted comedies and dramas.

Game shows are cheaper to produce than scripted shows. They also appeal to traditional TV viewers with an appetite for programming they can turn on and enjoy without requiring any binge-watching to catch up on plot points.

A long-range kamikaze drone that U.S. firm Kratos is working on together with Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) is set to make its maiden flight early next year. The jet-powered Chien Feng IV (Mighty Hornet IV) will feature artificial intelligence (AI) enabled systems and is being developed with a particular eye toward use as an anti-ship weapon. It could also be employed against targets on land and act as a decoy.

Steve Fendley, president of Kratos’ Unmanned Systems Division, offered new details about the Chien Feng IV while speaking with TWZ‘s Howard Altman on the sidelines of the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2025 Air, Space, and Cyber Conference yesterday. A model of the design, which is derived from Kratos’ MQM-178 Firejet target drone, was shown to the public for the first time last week at the biennial Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition. NCSIST is a government-run organization in Taiwan charged with conducting advanced military research and development and test and evaluation work.

Chien Feng IV will fly “soon, early next year,” Fendley said. “The basic aircraft exists. So what we’re doing is we’re integrating mission capability.”

“Our Fire Jet performance characteristics are public, and it’s [Chien Feng IV] a little bit better, pretty much in every category, a little bit more speed, a little bit more altitude, a little bit more endurance,” Fendley added.

“The modified MQM-178’s high-speed capabilities, including a speed of Mach 0.8, high G maneuvering, and a service ceiling of greater than 35,000 feet, make it an ideal base platform for this transformation,” a press release Kratos put out last week had noted.

At the time of writing, the company’s website also says the MQM-178 can fly at altitudes anywhere between 20 and 35,000 feet, can pull turns down to -2 and up to +9 Gs, and carry around 70 and a half pounds of payload internally, as well as 35 pounds more under each wing and an additional 20 pounds in pods on each wingtip. Range and endurance figures for Firejet are not provided, but are offered for an existing derivative called Airwolf, which is configured for tactical mission sets, including acting as a ‘loyal wingman’ for crewed aircraft. Airwolf, also known as Tactical Firejet, has a stated maximum range of 400 nautical miles and a maximum endurance of 1.3 hours. Both Firejet and Airwolf are designed to be launched via pneumatic catapult, and the latter design at least can be recovered at the end of a mission via parachute.

The Chien Feng IV is “our aircraft and NCSIST, so the Taiwanese government, [their] mission systems and warhead,” Fendley said, and deferred to the Taiwanese side for more details about the latter components of the drone’s design.

A brief video on the Chien Feng IV that NCSIST released around the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition, seen below, highlights an electro-optical/infrared camera system (EO/IR) in the nose, as well as an AI-driven computer and datalink, as being among the design’s features. In terms of terminal guidance, an EO/IR system would make sense as it is immune to electronic warfare and is passive in nature, meaning it doesn’t pump out signals that can alert the target to the incoming threat.

The Chien Feng IV model shown at the exhibition in Taipei was fitted with small underwing pods, which might be able to hold defensive countermeasures or other equipment, or even just more fuel. It also had an opaque nose cone, which could point to additional sensor options, such as a radar seeker.

The NCSIST video also mentions at least a degree of swarming capability, though it is unclear if Chien Feng IVs will be able to operate in a fully networked collaborative manner.

In terms of missions, Chien Feng IVs are expected to be tasked with “ship-hunting, ship-attacking, ground force-hunting, [and] ground-force attacking,” according to Kratos’ Fendley.

As noted, NCSIST has put particular emphasis on the anti-ship mission, which makes sense for Taiwan. Authorities on the island face the real prospect of the Chinese government on the mainland attempting to impose a blockade or even launch a full-scale military intervention across the Taiwan Strait. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and its steadily growing fleets of more capable surface warships would play a critical role in either scenario.

At the same time, the Taiwan Strait is just under 100 nautical miles across at its widest, and Chien Feng IVs with ranges of around 400 nautical miles would also be able to hold Chinese targets at risk on the mainland. At the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition, NCSIST representatives said the drones could just be employed as decoys, according to a report last week from Jane’s.

If the Chien Feng IV’s AI-enabled systems give it the ability to find and engage targets in a highly autonomous manner, the drone’s capabilities could be magnified greatly in a maritime or land attack scenario, especially against moving targets. This, in turn, could present major complications for an adversary like China. TWZ previously explored in great detail how the steady infusion of AI and machine learning technology, especially when it comes to dynamic targeting and swarming, is pushing development of uncrewed aerial systems toward a revolutionary moment, broadly.

As noted in TWZ‘s past reporting on the Chien Feng IV, massed attacks involving these drones would also compel the PLA to expend commensurate amounts of anti-air interceptors, putting additional strain on Chinese air defenses. More capable interceptors would also be required to engage the higher-flying jet-powered attackers.

Taiwan is also now pushing to significantly expand its inventory of various lower-tier kamikaze drones, including in cooperation with U.S. defense contractor Anduril. This is in line with a larger strategy that American officials have discussed for helping to defend the island from any future Chinese intervention, which has been called “Hellscape” in the past. What is envisaged is the Taiwanese military heavily saturating the air and waters around the island with relatively low-cost uncrewed platforms.

NCSIST also reportedly has an eye toward exporting Chien Feng IV. There is certainly growing global interest in long-range kamikaze drones, driven heavily by observations of their use on both sides of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Attacks by Iran and its regional proxies on Israel and ships in the Red Sea, as well as targets in and around the Middle East, have also underscored the value of this kind of capability. Back in 2019, TWZ called out a then-unprecedented drone and missile attack that Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen launched against Saudi Arabia as a sign of things to come.

“I would say that our recent program with Taiwan, I’m going to call as a spin off of, sort of a combination of Apollo and Athena,” Kratos’ Fendley also told TWZ yesterday.

Fendley did not further elaborate. Details about the Apollo and Athena programs remain limited, but the company has previously told TWZ that they are aimed at the European market. The possibility is now raised that one or both of those designs could be long-range kamikaze drones, or at least be capable of being employed in that role.

Kratos is otherwise pursuing new opportunities globally. This includes a partnership with Airbus on a version of the stealthy XQ-58 Valkyrie drone for the German Luftwaffe. Kratos has now sold two XQ-58s to Airbus, which are expected to start flying in Germany next year following the integration of new mission systems, according to Fendley. The Valkyrie has already been flying for years in a largely experimental role with the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marines are now in the process of transitioning their XQ-58 efforts to an operational capability.

“Many, many domestic and international customers, who I’m going to say have been at the interest level, have transitioned to the we’re ready to do something level,” Fendley added, speaking more generally. “So, think some Asian countries, think some European countries, and the timeline is in, I would say the next 24 months, you’re going to see those happen pretty quickly.”

When it comes to the Chien Feng IV, specifically, more details may continue to emerge as Kratos and NCSIST get closer to the planned first flight next year.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Alphabet‘s (GOOG 1.27%) (GOOGL 1.23%) Google recently unveiled its Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL), which has a lot in common with Ripple Labs’ XRP (XRP -0.69%) Ledger (XRPL). Both blockchains provide faster, cheaper, and more secure financial transactions than traditional SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) transfers, and they both support cross-border transfers, automated payments, integrations with third-party digital wallets, and tokenized assets.

That announcement might alarm Ripple’s users and XRP’s investors, but is Google really trying to kill XRP? Let’s review the key similarities and differences to find out.

Image source: Getty Images.

The similarities and differences between GCUL and XRPL

GCUL and XRPL are both designed to facilitate faster financial transactions, but there are three key differences.

First, GCUL is a centralized private platform that is only open to vetted and approved institutions. It’s geared toward regulatory compliance, stability, and institutional control, with Google Cloud initially managing its governance and infrastructure services.

XRPL is a decentralized public platform that anyone can access. Its validators are spread out across the world instead of being corralled within a single company. That can be a double-edged sword: It can be more freely accessed than GCUL, but the lack of a vetting and approval process exposes it to more illegal transactions.

Second, GCUL doesn’t have its own native token. XRPL has a native token, XRP, which is mainly used to satisfy its settlements, fees, and reserve requirements. XRPL’s fees are low, but its fees rise as its network activity increases. GCUL charges predictable monthly fees instead of relying on volatile fees driven by the blockchain system’s “tokenomics.”

XRPL also has its own native stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD -0.01%), which is pegged to the U.S. dollar. Both Ripple USD and XRP are frequently used for bridge currency transfers — in which two volatile or illiquid currencies are directly converted to the native token as a “bridge” instead of being converted to a third fiat currency (like the U.S. dollar) in a slower and pricier transaction. Without its own tokens, GCUL will likely underperform XRPL in those bridge currency transfers.

Lastly, GCUL natively supports smart contracts, which are used in the development of blockchain-based applications. XRPL only natively supports lightweight “hooks” for developing simpler programs, but it’s reportedly been mulling the development of “sidechains” to integrate more Ethereum (ETH 0.50%)-based smart contracts into its ledger.

Is GCUL a threat to XRPL?

Google’s GCUL could be an appealing option for larger banks, clearinghouses, and asset managers who prefer a tightly regulated platform with predictable fees. It could also be a natural fit for large enterprise customers that are already locked into Google’s cloud-based services.

However, XRPL’s decentralized approach, resistance to regulators, and lower fees should make it more appealing to individual users and smaller financial institutions who don’t want to lock themselves into Google’s ecosystem. Google is also approving GCUL’s customers on a strict case-by-case basis, which could drive more customers to XRPL due to the sluggish process.

Moreover, Google doesn’t plan to officially launch GCUL until 2026. Before that happens, a few major catalysts could spark XRPL’s near-term expansion: the increased adoption of Ripple USD as an alternative to the U.S. dollar; the approvals of XRP’s first spot price exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in October and November, and the rollout of more sidechains to support the development of decentralized apps (dApps) and other crypto assets.

XRPL has already partnered with more than 300 banks worldwide, so there could plenty of room for both of these blockchains to flourish without trampling each other. XRPL and GCUL certainly have plenty of overlapping interests, but it’s premature to call the latter — or any other newcomer — an “XRP killer” before it even launches.

The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, reflects a major display of solidarity among the countries of the Global South in the face of US and Western hegemony. Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the leaders and members of the SCO countries participating in the summit in China to play a greater role in protecting regional and global peace and stability, considering his country a stable global power that will support the developing world. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged all SCO members to take advantage of their huge market, and in his opening speech to the leaders participating in the summit, he revealed his ambition to establish a new global security and economic order that poses a direct challenge to the United States. President Xi’s statements during the summit come amid Beijing’s efforts to present itself as a major leader of the developing world, and considering that the summit in Tianjin, China, will provide China with an opportunity to build solidarity with the developing countries of the Global South. The international community, particularly the countries of the Global South, also has high hopes for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to play an important role in global security and economic governance in the face of American hegemonic policies and dictates.

  Chinese President Xi Jinping affirmed in his opening speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, that “the SCO represents a model for a new type of international relations, and that we must advocate for equal and orderly multipolarity in the world, inclusive economic globalization, and promote the construction of a more just and equitable global governance system.” Many leaders of developing countries in the Global South agreed with and endorsed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech, most notably Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey), Min Aung Hlaing (Myanmar), KP Sharma Oli (Nepal), Prabowo Subianto (Indonesia), Anwar Ibrahim (Malaysia), and Mohamed Ma’azo (Maldives), with the participation of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Kaw Kim Horn.

  The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China is the most important for the organization since its establishment in 2001. It is being held amid multiple crises that have directly affected its members, from the trade standoff between the United States, China, and India to the Russian war on Ukraine, the Iranian nuclear issue and Israeli and American military strikes on Tehran, the Gaza war, the Taiwan issue, and other burning international issues. This summit is subject to unprecedented and stringent security and military measures compared to previous summits. Armored vehicles have been deployed on many streets, blocking traffic in large parts of the Chinese city of Tianjin, where the summit is being held. Signs in both Mandarin and Russian have been posted on the streets, praising the Tianjin spirit and the mutual trust between Moscow and Beijing.

  It is important to understand China’s commitment this year, during the summit in Tianjin, China, to working diligently on three main tracks to assist developing countries of the Global South and the Third World. On the political front, the Tianjin Declaration and the Ten-Year Development Strategy will be adopted to establish a long-term vision for cooperation. On the security front, cooperation will be strengthened by strengthening joint arrangements to combat terrorism and support regional stability. Economically, cooperation will be advanced in the digital economy, green development, and smart cities, as well as promoting trade and investment as fundamental pillars for strengthening the cohesion of the “Shanghai Family.”

 Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Ping commented that the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, this year will be the largest in the organization’s history, stressing that the rapidly evolving international situation calls for enhanced solidarity and cooperation.With his veiled reference to the United States of America, he said that “the old mentalities of hegemony and power politics are still influential, as some countries try to prioritize their own interests at the expense of others, threatening global peace and stability.”

 It should be noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech was unanimously approved by all participating leaders, especially with the growing call by Chinese President “Xi” for all SCO partners at the Tianjin Summit to oppose the Cold War mentality and bloc-based confrontation, emphasizing the need to support multilateral trading systems. This message is a clear reference to US President Trump’s tariff war on China, which has disproportionately impacted the economies of developing countries, including India, a recent ally of Washington. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also stated that “China plays a fundamental role in supporting global multilateralism.”

  While Russia has succeeded in attracting the majority of members to its positions, India is attempting to balance its call for peace and maintaining relations with the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, at a time when New Delhi is purchasing large quantities of Russian oil. Ukraine has called on the organization’s members to take a clear stance and reject Russian aggression against it. During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin described Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his dear friend. Putin considered relations between the two countries to be developing dynamically and unprecedentedly. This all reflects a strong solidarity between the policies of developing countries of the Global South, led and supported by China and its close ally, Russia.

   Regarding the United States’ position on the gathering of developing countries of the Global South in the Chinese city of Tianjin, Washington considered the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin unwelcome, given US President Trump’s repeated attacks on the Global South blocs, his threats to paralyze and obstruct the BRICS group through punitive tariffs, and his description of it as anti-American policies.

  Therefore, we understand that the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, in 2025, presents a multilateral model designed by China, distinct from the models dominated by Western powers and the United States. Furthermore, the broad participation in the summit’s events demonstrates China’s growing influence and the SCO’s ability to attract non-Western countries capable of embracing Washington and its policies and monopolizing the West.

THERE are fears for a Thai princess after the royal palace shared a concerning health update following her three-year-long coma battle.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest daughter of King Vajiralongkorn, is said to have developed a severe infection.

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The 46-year-old, affectionately known as Princess Bha, collapsed in December, 2022, while training her dogs in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast of Bangkok.

She has been in a coma ever since.

The Bureau of the Royal Household gave the first update on her condition in more than two years on Friday, saying she had suffered a “severe” blood infection.

The palace said in a following update that a team of doctors were closely monitoring her situation.

It read: “The medical team said that she remains in a state of low blood pressure, requiring continuous treatment.

“Doctors are administering medication to stabilise her blood pressure, along with medical equipment and antibiotics to support kidney function and breathing.”

Over the years, some reports have suggested her health condition is far more serious than the palace is letting on.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha was training her dogs at a working dog championship organised by the Thaiarmy when she collapsed.

Paramedics rushed her to a nearby hospital before a helicopter took her to Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn health facility.

Bajrakitiyabha is the daughter of the king’s first wife, Princess Soamsawali.

She has been part of her father’s inner circle since he came to the throne in 2016 and is a senior officer in the king’s personal guard.

The fitness enthusiast is widely viewed as the most suitable successor for her father, who turned 70 this year.

She has post-graduate law degrees from two US universities and has long called for prison reforms in Thailand.

She was also the Thai ambassador to Austria between 2012 and 2014.

The 73-year-old king, who has seven children from four marriages, has not announced his chosen heir.

Though succession rules in Thailand favour men.

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Aug. 6 (UPI) — Russia has announced it is ending its self-imposed moratorium on the development of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles, deepening a nuclear weapons stalemate between Moscow and Washingont.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry made the announcement Monday in a lengthy statement that blamed actions taken by the United States and other nations for its decision.

“Since our repeated warnings in this regard have been ignored and the situation is developing along the path of the actual emplacement of the U.S.-made ground-launched INF-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, the Russian Foreign Ministry has to state that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have ceased to exist,” it said.

“The ministry is authorized to declare that the Russian Federation no longer considers itself bound by the relevant previously adopted self-restrictions.”

INF is the abbreviation for the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between the United States and the then-Soviet Union in 1987 that required the destruction of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.

The United States, under the first Trump administration, left the Cold War-era accord in 2019, following years of allegations that Russia had repeatedly violated the deal. Russia has used intermediate-range ballistic missiles in its war with Ukraine.

Russia made the announcement days after Trump on Friday confirmed that the United States repositioned two nuclear submarines in response to Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev informing the American president to be wary of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal.

Following Russia’s Foreign Ministry statement, Medvedev said it was “the result of NATO countries’ anti-Russian policy.”

“This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with,” he said on X.

“Expect further steps.”

Of the nine countries with nuclear weapons, the United States and Russia have by far the most. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Russia has more than 5,500 nuclear warheads and the United States has 5,044, accounting for nearly 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons.