With sniper rifle photos, Kim Jong Un intensifies spotlight on his daughter, a potential successor

North Korea on Saturday released pictures showing leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter at a rifle range, the latest propaganda images to promote the child touted as a potential successor.

State media KCNA said Kim and his daughter – along with Kim Jong Un's powerful sister Kim Yo Jong and other officials – fired the rifles after the North Korean leader gifted them to military leaders to salute their service to the reclusive state's ruling party.

One of the images – which was flagged during a CNN check as being potentially AI-manipulated – showed the girl,believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and in her early teens, firing a sniper rifle.

In all, North Korea released 27 pictures of the event.

CNN checked four of the photos for signs of manipulation. Only the picture of Kim Ju Ae firing the rifle showed possible use of AI.

Kim specially prepared the gifts of the "new generation sniper's rifle" for the key leaders, calling it "a really wonderful weapon," the KCNA report said.

The shooting-range event came after the conclusion of a congress of the Korean Workers' Party, a largely rubber-stamp political gathering of the nation's elite, where Kim's leadership was reaffirmed by unanimous vote.

At the assembly, Kim Yo Jong was promoted to director of a party department after years in a deputy role, solidifying her standing in the inner circle. Several senior party and military posts were reshuffled, elevating younger loyalists.

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But much of the attention was on Kim's daughter.

Kim Ju Ae stood with her father on the grandstand as he reviewed some14,000 troops goosestepping through Kim Il Sung Square, named after her great-grandfather, in the capital of Pyongyang.

She has also been at her father's side for previous missile tests and other ruling-party events, fueling speculation that she will be the fourth-generation successor to the Kim family dynasty that has ruled North Korea since before the Korean War started in 1950.

In February South Korea's spy agency said it believes the dictator has "entered the stage of nominating her as successor."

There has been no official confirmation from North Korea on the daughter's role, but the image of her purportedly firing the sniper rifle on Friday brought even more attention to her.

"By emphasizing that Kim Ju Ae knows how to fire a rifle, North Korea is hinting that she is undergoing succession training," Yang Mu-jin, a distinguished professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul,told the Chosun Daily newspaper.

Other images appeared to show Kim Ju Ae, wearing a leather jacket, observing through binoculars as her father took a shot, and helping present the rifles to others at the event.

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byMichael Cox

in

February 28, 2026

With sniper rifle photos, Kim Jong Un intensifies spotlight on his daughter, a potential successor

North Korea on Saturday released pictures showing leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter at a rifle range, the late...

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How the World Is Reacting to the Attack on Iran

A young Iranian protester shouts anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans during an anti-war protest against the U.S. and Israeli military attacks, in Tehran, on Feb. 28, 2026. Credit - Morteza Nikoubazl—NurPhoto via Getty Images

World leaders reacted with a mix of support, condemnation and urgent calls for restraint after the United States and Israel launched a sweeping military campaign against Iran on Saturday thatkilledSupreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

President Donald Trump announced Khamenei's death in a post on Truth Social, calling it "the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country."

The U.S. and Israel announced their strikes on the Middle Eastern nation in the early hours of Saturday morning after weeks of Trump threatening Iran over their nuclear deal program. The strikes hit the capital Tehran, as well as Qom, Karaj, Kermanshah, Tabriz and Isfahan, where there is a major nuclear facility.

Read More:Does Trump Have the Legal Authority to Strike Iran? An Expert Explains

In the hours after the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes, Russia and China released statements in support of Iran, while Canada, Australia and Ukraine were among those who expressed support for the U.S. and Israel. Several world leaders urged restraint and de-escalation on both sides moving forward.

Here is a round up of what world leaders have said about the operation that has begun war in the Middle East.

United Kingdom

Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee as the country weighs its response to the attacks and Tehran's retaliation across the Gulf.

It did not participate in the military action, but the country had deployed RAF Typhoons to Qatar to protect the al-Udeid airbase and allied bases across the region.

The UK government on Saturday said in a statement it "does not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict." Still, a government spokesperson emphasized that "Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that is why we have continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution."

Starmer released a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron and  German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, telling Iran to stop their retaliatory attacks on countries in the Middle East.

"We condemn Iranian attacks on countries in the region in the strongest terms," the joint statement reads. "We call for a resumption of negotiations and urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future."

Russia

Russia condemned the U.S. and Israel's attack, calling it  "a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state," in a statement from Russia's Foreign Affairs Ministryposted to Telegram.

It accused the U.S. and Israel of  "plunging the Middle East into an abyss of uncontrolled escalation" and said the attacks could cause a "humanitarian, economic and possibly radiological catastrophe" in the Middle East.

China

China's Foreign Ministry spokespersonsaid on Xthat "Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected."

"China calls for an immediate stop of the military actions, no further escalation of the tense situation, resumption of dialogue and negotiation, and efforts to uphold peace and stability in the Middle East," the statement continued.

France

In addition to the joint statement with the leaders of the United Kingdom and Germany, French President Emmanuel Macronsaid on X, in a post originally in French, that the escalation "is dangerous for all."

"It must stop," he added. "The Iranian regime must understand that it now has no other option but to engage in good faith in negotiations to end its nuclear and ballistic programs, as well as its regional destabilization activities. This is absolutely necessary for the security of all in the Middle East."

He called for an "urgent" meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

European Union

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union's chief executive, saidin a statement on social mediathat the EU has "consistently promoted diplomatic efforts aimed at addressing the nuclear and ballistic programmes through a negotiated solution.""We call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, to protect civilians, and to fully respect international law," she said.

Canada

Prime Minister Mark Carney saidin a statement on Xthat Canada supports the U.S. "acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security."

"Canada's position remains clear: The Islamic Republic of Iran is the principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East, has one of the world's worst human rights records and must never be allowed to obtain or develop nuclear weapons."

Australia

Australia's Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said in a statement on X that the country backs the U.S. in their military operation.

"We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran continuing to threaten international peace and security," he said.

The country also updated their travel recommendations to "Do Not Travel" for Lebanon and Israel.

Pakistan

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released astatementSaturday condemning what it calls "unwarranted attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran," as well as retaliatory attacks by "Iran against the brotherly countries of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE."

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The Ministry confirmed that a Pakistani national was killed in the UAE during the attacks.

"We urge all sides to refrain from any further actions that may undermine the security and territorial integrity of other regional countries," the statement read.

India

India's Ministry of Foreign affairssaid in a statementthat the country is "deeply concerned at the recent developments in Iran and the Gulf region."

"We urge all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation, and prioritise the safety of civilians," it continues. "Dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate tensions and address underlying issues. Sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected."

Spain

Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sánchezcalled on Xfor " immediate de-escalation and full respect for international law," decrying the potential for another "prolonged" war in the Middle East.

"We reject the unilateral military action by the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order," he said. "We likewise reject the actions of the Iranian regime and the Revolutionary Guard."

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned Iran's retaliatory strikes across the region in a statement.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces in strongest terms the blatant Iranian aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the U.A.E., Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan,"  the statement reads.

United Arab Emirates

After the UAE was hit by retaliatory strikes from Iran, its Ministry of Foreign Affairscondemnedits neighbor in a statement, calling the strikes a  "flagrant violation of national sovereignty and a clear breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations."

"The UAE underscored that it retains its full and legitimate right to respond to these attacks in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, national security, and territorial integrity, and ensures the safety of its citizens and residents, in accordance with international law," the statement continued.

Oman

Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidisaid on XSaturday after the attacks that he was "dismayed."

"Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined," said Al Busaidi, who has been a key mediator in recent U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. "Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this. And I pray for the innocents who will suffer."

United Nations

Volker Türk, the UN's Human Rights Commissioner, criticized both the strikes against Iran, and Iran's retaliatory strikes."As always, in any armed conflict, it is civilians who end up paying the ultimate price," he said in a statement on Saturday. "I call for restraint and implore all parties to see reason, to de-escalate, and for a return to the 'negotiating table' where they had been actively seeking a solution only hours earlier."

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned military action on all sides of the conflict.

"I call for an immediate cessation of hostilities & de-escalation. Failing to do so risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians & regional stability," Guterressaid on X

He also pointed out in the post that the UN's Charter prohibits "the threat of the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."

Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Iran for being "Putin's accomplice" in a poston X reactingto the escalation.

"It is important that the United States is acting decisively. Whenever there is American resolve, global criminals weaken. This understanding must also come to the Russians."

Albania

Albania Prime Minister Edi Ramasaid on Xthat Albania stands "firm with Israel and with the peace-seeking brotherly Arab countries" and that it supports the United States' military contribution.

"We fully endorse every decisive effort to prevent once and for all the murderers in Tehran from acquiring nuclear or any other military capacity to harm Israel or any other peace-loving nation in the Middle East," Rama said. "Terrorism must be named. And once named, it must be stopped."

Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a Trump ally in Europe, immediately expressed concerns for how the strikes would impact oil prices. The strikes, he toldreporters, "doubled the importance of the Friendship oil pipeline," which runs through Ukraine. Shipments of Russian oil have been disrupted since January, and Orbán has accused Ukraine ofimposingan "oil blockade."

Kuwait

Kuwait's Ali Al Salem Air Base, which is used by the U.S. military, was also targeted as part of Iran's military retaliation. Kuwait released a statement condemning the Iranian attacks on their soil and asserted their right to respond to the "brazen attack" via Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Qatar

In similar statements to Kuwait and UAE, Qatar condemned Iran's retaliatory attacks and reaffirmed their own right to respond, as per international law.

"The State of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation of the targeting of Qatari territory with Iranian ballistic missiles, considering it a flagrant violation of its national sovereignty, a direct infringement on its security and territorial integrity, and an unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region," the statement,posted to X, read.

Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salamsaid on Xthat he "will not accept anyone dragging the country into adventures that threaten its security and unity."

Contact usatletters@time.com.

byMichael Cox

in

February 28, 2026

How the World Is Reacting to the Attack on Iran

A young Iranian protester shouts anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans during an anti-war protest against the U.S. and Isra...

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Trump to give Saturday morning address amid Iran strikes, Axios reports

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - President ‌Donald ‌Trump is expected ​to give an address on ‌Saturday ⁠morning as the U.S. ⁠carries out ​strikes ​in ​Iran, Axios ‌reported, citing a U.S. official.

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The White House did ‌not ​immediately ​respond ​to ‌a request for ​comment.

(Reporting ​by Jasper Ward ​in ‌Washington; editing ​by Scott ​Malone)

byMichael Cox

in

February 28, 2026

Trump to give Saturday morning address amid Iran strikes, Axios reports

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - President ‌Donald ‌Trump is expected ​to give an address on ‌Saturday ⁠morning as the U.S...

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Deaths on a boat off Cuba spotlight Florida anti-government groups

MIAMI (AP) — Astolen boat, with 10 people aboard, loaded with weapons, departs the Florida Keys but gunfire erupts before reaching Cuba. The explanation, according to the Cuban government, is the men aboard were terrorists who wanted to infiltrate the country.

Cuba Boat Shooting

The fatal shooting broke out Wednesday amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Cuba. The ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has led the Trump administration to take a more aggressive stance toward the country's longstanding ideological nemesis in Latin America. It shines fresh attention on the deep-rooted freedom movement among Cuban exiles in south Florida, including some fringe elements who have long sought a violent overthrow of the island's communist leadership.

Armed raids, provocative publicity stunts and protests blurring the lines of legality stretch back decades in the Florida straits. Many of them are led by hard-liner exiles, some who fought in Fidel Castro's guerrilla army that took power in 1959 before breaking ranks when the popular leader converted Cuba into a Soviet satellite.

But such confrontational tactics have faded since the Cold War, leaving many in Miami to speculate the armed incursion was a fabrication of Cuba's intelligence agencies.

"Cuban Americans today are, whether on the left or on the right, really focused on trying to influence U.S. policy rather than thinking that somehow paramilitary action by small groups are gonna overthrow the Cuban government," said William LeoGrande, an American University government professor who specializes in Cuba.

The shooting left four dead and many questions. Cuba's government said most of the people on the boat were violent criminals. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who rose to prominence surrounded by the Cuban exile politics of Miami, was quick to cast doubt on the Cuban account, saying that the U.S. would investigate what he described as a "highly unusual" sea shootout.

Late Friday, top officials with Cuba's Ministry of the Interior unveiled theitems they said were aboard the boat, including a dozen high-powered weapons and more than 12,800 pieces of ammunition.

Anti-Cuban government groups ebb and flow

The counter-revolutionary groups — with names like Alpha 66 and Omega 7 — were always small in number but were at their strongest in the 1970s and '80s. Their influence receded as the Reagan administration arrested their leaders for violent attacks on U.S. soil, like an assassination plot targeting Castro during his 1979 visit to the United Nations and the shooting death a year later of a Cuban diplomat in New York.

Antonio Tang joined Alpha 66 shortly after fleeing Cuba and going into exile in Canada in 1981.

He trained in weapons and guerrilla tactics with the volunteer group at a camp in the Everglades called Rumbo Sur — Direction South. Many of its actions were over before they started, he said.

"We were kind of amateurs — and no match for the Cuban military and interior ministry," said Tang. "They always knew in advance what we were doing. Many folks ended up in jail."

Ernesto Díaz, deputy secretary general of Alpha 66, described the 10 men as martyrs.

"It is an act of compassion for a Cuban people who are suffering," Diaz, 86, said. "It was a sacrifice that has demonstrated the nobility and sensitivity towards freedom in Cuba."

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Cuban attempts to co-opt groups

Former Cuban intelligence officer Enrique Garcia said a well-funded Cuban intelligence department — called Q-2 — spent decades co-opting armed resistance groups. In some cases, Cuban agents would fund weapon purchases and drive unsuspecting exiles into plots.

Agents infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue, which lost four members in 1996 when Cuban fighter jets shot down their airplanes in the Florida straits.

"This strategy —seemingly still in place— sought to portray the Cuban exile community as extremist and link the U.S. government and agencies to such activities," said Garcia, who defected to the U.S. in 1989. "The U.S. intelligence community is aware and must have documented in its archives that this was a permanent modus operandi of the Cuban intelligence service."

Garcia said he can't remember any covert act of the sort Cuba has denounced in at least three decades.

He also finds the timing of the attack suspicious. The Trump administration has asserted almost unprecedented pressure on Havana to open its economy and relinquish almost seven decades of single-party rule.

Families give an incomplete picture

Marina Luz Padron, whose ex-husband, Hector Cruz Correa, was among those reported killed, appealed for privacy as the family mourns. She described her ex-husband as an excellent father to their 4-year-old child, who still hasn't been told about his fate.

"If he went to Cuba it was because he wanted freedom for his country," Padron told The Associated Press in a brief interview.

Other family members spoke to Spanish language influencers in Miami describing their loved ones as peaceful and far removed from what Cuban officials denounced as a "terrorist" incursion.

Ibrahim Bosch, president of the Republican Party of Cuba, another exile group, said that Michel Ortega Casanova, one of those killed, was the leader of his party in Tampa for a while until he requested to be replaced so he could spend more time to with his family.

"He was an excellent person, very hardworking, very dedicated to his family," Bosch said. "He always had the hope of freedom for Cuba."

But Florida resident Misael Ortega Casanova said his brother — an American citizen who has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years and still agonizes over the suffering that Cubans endure — was on an "obsessive and diabolical" quest for Cuba's freedom.

"They became so obsessed that they didn't think about the consequences nor their own lives," Misael told The Associated Press.

Catalini reported from Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

byMichael Cox

in

February 27, 2026

Deaths on a boat off Cuba spotlight Florida anti-government groups

MIAMI (AP) — Astolen boat, with 10 people aboard, loaded with weapons, departs the Florida Keys but gunfire erupts befor...

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Pakistan bombs targets in Afghan cities, minister calls it 'open war'

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Asif Shahzad

Taliban soldiers carry rocket launcher in a vehicle near Torkham border

KABUL/ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pakistan bombed Taliban government forces in Afghanistan's major cities overnight, the first time it has directly targeted its former allies, and described the situation as "open war", raising tensions in a volatile, nuclear-armed region.

The Pakistani strikes hit the capital Kabul and the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are ‌based. It was the first time Islamabad has attacked the Taliban rather than militants allegedly backed by them, a stark rupture in ties between the Islamic neighbours.

Security sources in Pakistan said ‌the strikes involved air-to-ground missile attacks on Taliban military offices and posts in Kabul, Kandahar as well as Paktia province. There were ground clashes in multiple sectors along the border between the Islamic nations.

The Taliban said it launched what it described as retaliatory ​attacks on Pakistani military installations.

Both sides reported heavy losses, issuing sharply differing figures that Reuters could not independently verify.

"Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you (Afghanistan)," Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday.

The strikes threaten to unleash a protracted conflict along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) frontier with relations between Kabul and Islamabad shattered by a long-running dispute over Pakistan's accusation that Afghanistan harbours militants carrying out attacks across the border.

The Taliban have denied the charge and said Pakistan's security is an internal problem.

Pakistan is nuclear-armed and its military capabilities are vastly superior to Afghanistan. However, the Taliban are adept at guerrilla warfare, hardened by decades ‌of fighting with U.S.-led forces, before returning to power in 2021.

Russia, China, ⁠Turkey and Saudi Arabia were trying to mediate, diplomats and news reports said.

Iran, which borders both Afghanistan and Pakistan, has also offered to help, according to its foreign ministry. The offer came as Tehran holds crucial talks with Washington on resolving their longstanding nuclear dispute and averting new U.S. strikes.

DRONE STRIKES

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid ⁠confirmed Pakistani forces carried out air strikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia but did not give details.

On Friday, the Taliban defence ministry said it "successfully conducted" air strikes using drones to hit military targets in Pakistan. Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were carried out by Pakistani Taliban militants and all the drones brought down by anti-drone systems with "no damage to life".

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Videos shared by Pakistani security officials showed flashes of light in the night from ​firing ​along the border and the sound of heavy artillery. A video of strikes on Kabul, for which Reuters was able ​to verify the location, showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from two ‌sites and a massive blaze in part of the capital.

Kabul taxi driver Tamim said he was asleep when he heard the sound of an aircraft, which was followed by strikes on what appeared to be a weapons depot.

"We woke up, and the plane came and dropped two bombs, then flew away again. After that, we heard explosions," he said.

"Everyone, in panic, ran down from the second floor of the house. The ammunition inside the depot kept exploding on its own."

Reuters witnesses in Kabul said many ambulance sirens could be heard following loud blasts and the sound of jets.

Mosharraf Zaidi, a Pakistani government spokesperson, said in a post on X that the action as a response to "unprovoked Afghan attacks", adding 133 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded, with 27 posts destroyed and nine captured.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, said 55 ‌Pakistani soldiers were killed and 19 posts seized, while eight Taliban fighters were killed, 11 wounded and 13 civilians injured ​in Nangarhar province.

HIGH SECURITY

Clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan in October killed dozens of soldiers until negotiations facilitated by Turkey, Qatar and ​Saudi Arabia brought an end to the hostilities.

Pakistan has been on high security alert since ​it launched air strikes earlier this week that Islamabad said targeted camps of Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, and Islamic State militants in eastern Afghanistan.

Kabul and the United Nations ‌said the strikes killed 13 civilians and reiterated it does not allow militants ​to operate from its territory. The Taliban also warned ​there would be a strong response.

The government of Pakistan's Punjab province said it was on high alert for militant attacks on Friday and had conducted a series of security operations, taking 90 Afghan nationals to holding centres for deportation.

A state-run media outlet from Afghanistan's Nangarhar, Bakhtar News Agency, shared an image of what it said was a battalion of suicide attackers, and quoted an ​Afghan security source as saying the bombers were equipped with explosive vests and ‌car bombs and were prepared to strike major targets.

Pakistani officials have said in recent days they feared an escalation of militant strikes in urban centres.

(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar ​and Sayed Hassib in Kabul, Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, Ariba Shahid in Karachi, Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore, Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar and Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan; Additional ​reporting by Vinaya K and Fernando Robles; Writing by Saad Sayeed; Editing by Stephen Coates and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

byMichael Cox

in

February 27, 2026

Pakistan bombs targets in Afghan cities, minister calls it 'open war'

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Asif Shahzad Taliban soldiers carry rocket launcher in a vehicle near Torkha...

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