N.Korea’s Kim says will talk to Putin about nuclear standoff

The Russian president says his Belarusian counterpart has asked for security assistance, should the situation spiral out of control. However, Vladimir Putin said he would not do so unless absolutely necessary.

A South Korean official reads out a rare apology from Kim Jong Un over what the North's leader described as the "unexpected and disgraceful" killing of a South Korean at sea. A fisheries official was shot dead on Tuesday by North Korean soldiers, and Seoul says his body was set on fire while still in the water, apparently as a precaution against coronavirus infection.

The Russian president has congratulated Joe Biden on his victory over Donald Trump, weeks after many other world leaders. The Kremlin called for "collaboration" between superpowers to solve global security challenges.

Russian intelligence services have made the headlines recently: The FSB embarrassed itself in the Navalny poisoning case and the SVR is suspected to be behind cyberattacks in the US. Will heads roll now?

Kim Jong Un said the country's economic goals were not met "in almost all areas to a great extent." New development policies are expected to be set during the ongoing party congress, which is being held after five years.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has taken the title of Workers' Party general secretary in a move apparently aimed at consolidating his grip on power. He also promised to build more sophisticated nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, an ally of Alexei Navalny has called for new protests across Russia to demand the release of the jailed dissident. And the Kremlin has accused US tech companies of interfering in Moscow's internal affairs.

US President Joe Biden has raised concerns over the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in his first phone call with Vladimir Putin. All G7 foreign ministers condemned Navalny's arrest as "politically motivated."

Ri Sol Ju had not been seen with the North Korean leader for some time. Her absence fueled speculation about her position in the hierarchy and the Kim family.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North Korean dictator, lashed out at Washington as top US diplomatic and military representatives are set to visit Seoul.

Russia's ambassador in the US is set to return to Moscow for urgent consultations. The embassy in Washington warned that relations with US President Joe Biden's administration were on the brink of collapse.

Vladimir Putin is trying to force the United States and the EU to put pressure on Ukraine's government. The Russian strongman's experiences since 2014 make him think he just might succeed, DW's Konstantin Eggert writes.