North Korea opens street for families of soldiers killed in Russia-Ukraine war

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Seoul, Feb 16 (IANS) North Korea has built new homes in Pyongyang for the bereaved family members of North Korean soldiers who died during the Russia-Ukraine war, its state media said on Monday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the opening ceremony of the new street called Saeppyol Street on Sunday, accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae and other officials.

In his speech at the ceremony, Kim said the new street “has been built thanks to the ardent desire of our motherland that wishes that the precious lives of its excellent sons, who defended the most sacred things by sacrificing their most valuable things, will live forever.”

Describing the street as “a source of honor for our generation and a pride of Pyongyang and our state,” he said it is for “the bereaved family members of the fallen soldiers and other combatants, as well as the combatants of the regiment of the engineers, who have been dispatched to the overseas military operations.”

“The Party and the government will take all necessary steps to ensure that these families lead a proud and worthwhile life while enjoying the preferential treatment by the state and the loving care of the whole society,” he added, according to the KCNA.

After delivering the address and cutting the ribbon to mark the completion of the street, he visited the homes of some families to offer comfort, Yonhap news agency reported.

In August last year, Kim revealed plans to build the town, stressing commemorative services for its deployed soldiers, in an effort to legitimise North Korea’s participation in Moscow’s war against Ukraine and bolster domestic support.

The report did not reveal how many homes were built for the families.

Under a mutual defence pact with Russia, in 2024 North Korea sent about 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, where more than 6,000 of them were killed, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and western sources.

–IANS

jk/

Related Posts

B’desh: Agriculture diploma students stage blockade demanding higher education opportunities

Dhaka, April 21 (IANS) Another protest movement has gripped Bangladesh as agricultural diploma students announced the ‘Agri Blockade’ programme and staged a sit-in demonstration blocking all the gates of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at Khamarbari in Dhaka on Monday.

The protestors under the banner of the ‘Agricultural Diploma Student Rights Movement’ are demanding opportunities for higher education along with eight other key demands, local media reported.

Earlier on Sunday, students from agricultural diploma programs across the country held a rally and sit-in program in front of the National Shaheed Minar, Dhaka, with the same demands.

As the gates were blocked, the staff and officials were not allowed to enter the premises, and everyone waited outside after arriving at the office on Monday. The protest also led to severe traffic congestion on the road.

The police and army personnel have been on high alert with their presence in the area.

A participating student in the sit-in programme, Asaduzzaman Abir, said that nearly 2,000 students are taking part in this movement, the leading Bangladeshi newspaper, The Dhaka Tribune, reported.

“In the country, there are about 25,000 students enrolled in a four-year diploma course in 18 government Agricultural Training Institutes and 260 private agricultural colleges. These students face discrimination in employment and higher education opportunities,” the student said.

The students outlined several key demands, including the following: diploma agriculturists should be given the opportunity to pursue higher education at public agricultural universities. Additionally, the shortage of teachers must be addressed to enhance the quality of agricultural diploma education.

Furthermore, they proposed that agricultural diploma education be removed from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and placed entirely under the Ministry of Agriculture. There were also other concerns related to job opportunities, salaries, and allowances.

In a separate development earlier this week, students of polytechnic institutes staged protests in multiple cities across the country, blocking key highways and rail lines.

Continuing with their protest on Sunday, these Polytechnic students started their grand rally in Dhaka against attacks on their fellows and pressing their six-point demand, according to a report in The Daily Star.

In recent months, Bangladesh has witnessed a surge in student protest movements under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government amid a deteriorating law and order situation in the country.

–IANS

int/scor/sd/

Odisha govt effects major IAS reshuffle across key Depts

Bhubaneswar, Feb 5 (IANS) The Odisha Government on Thursday effected a major reshuffle in the senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre officers across various key departments.

According to a notification issued by the Odisha General Administration and Public Grievance (GA&PG) Department on Thursday, senior IAS officer and Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Deoranjan Kumar Singh has been given the additional charge as ACS to the Steel and Mines department. The 1993-batch IAS officer is also the ACS to the State Planning and Convergence Department.

Senior IAS officer Surendra Kumar, who was holding the post of ACS to the Steel and Mines Department, has been appointed as ACS, GA&PG Department. He has been allowed to remain in additional charge of ACS to the State Parliamentary Affairs Department.

The state government has assigned 1995-batch IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi, Officer on Special Duty, GA&PG Department, to the charge of Chairman, Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC). He has also been allowed to remain in additional charge of the Chief Administrator, KBK.

Similarly, Chithra Arumugam, ACS, Labour and ESI Department, with additional charge of the Science and Technology Department, has been allowed to remain in additional charge of the Director General, Training Coordination, Gopabandhu Academy of Administration, Bhubaneswar.

Senior IAS officer Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, ACS, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department, with additional charge of Chief Administrator, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri, has been appointed as ACS to the Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM) Department. Padhee has been allowed to remain in additional charge of the Chief Administrator, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration.

The state government also declared that the additional appointment of Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh, who was holding the post of ACS, to the R&DM Department, shall stand terminated from the date Usha Padhee takes over charge.

The state government further allowed 1996-batch IAS officer Usha Padhee, ACS, Housing and Urban Development Department, to remain in additional charge of Chairperson, Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO). The additional appointment of Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra as Chairman, IDCO, shall stand terminated from the date Usha Padhee takes over charge.

The state government has also effected a reshuffle in the level of senior bureaucrats across different departments.

–IANS

gyan/dan

Bangladesh: Six more die of dengue, fatalities rise to 269 in 2025

Dhaka, Oct 27 (IANS) As many as six people died due to dengue in Bangladesh in the 24 hours leading up to Monday morning, raising the total number of fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in the country to 269 in 2025.

During the same period, 983 people were admitted to hospitals with viral fever, increasing the total number of cases in Bangladesh to 66,423 in 2025. Four new fatalities were reported in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), and one each in Dhaka South City Corporation and Barishal Division, the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.

Presently, 993 patients are undergoing treatment in Dhaka while 2,740 patients are receiving treatment at various hospitals in Bangladesh. Among this year’s patients, 61.8 per cent were male while 38.2 per cent were female, according to the report. Among the total number of deaths reported due to dengue, 53.2 per cent were men while 46.8 per cent were women.

As many as 575 people died of dengue in 2024.

On October 9, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director General Abu Jafor noted that the number of dengue cases in 2025 is higher than last year; however, the death rate is lower.

Speaking at a press briefing held over the ‘Typhoid Vaccination Campaign-2025’ at the Health Ministry, Abu Jafor said: “This year, the number of dengue infections is higher than last year, but the death rate in proportion to infections is lower,” United News of Bangladesh reported.

He called breeding of mosquitoes and the destruction of their larvae important for preventing dengue. “People must use mosquito nets and take protective measures. These are mostly individual responsibilities. If we neglect these, it will be very difficult to eliminate dengue,” he said.

Jafor said, “Our data shows that over 50 per cent of dengue deaths in hospitals are occurring on the very first day of admission. This suggests that patients are seeking care too. We are doing our best to ensure proper management in hospitals.”

Abu Jafor called early diagnosis important and mentioned that dengue, if detected in the initial stage, can be treated at home with proper medical care. He called lack of awareness, negligence and delay in seeking medical care as the main reasons for the increasing dengue death rate.

Dengue is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), which is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates across the world, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) statement. Prevention and control of dengue depend on vector control. There is no specific treatment for dengue; however, early detection and access to proper medical care lower fatality rates of severe dengue.

–IANS

akl/as