North Korea bars foreign tourists from new seaside resort

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Updated 18 July 2025
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North Korea bars foreign tourists from new seaside resort

North Korea bars foreign tourists from new seaside resort
  • The Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone appears to be lined with high-rise hotels and waterparks
  • State media previously said visits to Wonsan by Russian tour groups were expected in the coming months

SEOUL: North Korea has barred foreigners from a newly opened beach resort, the country’s tourism administration said this week, just days after Russia’s top diplomat visited the area.

The sprawling seaside resort on its east coast, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s pet project, opened to domestic visitors earlier this month with great fanfare in state-run media.

Dubbed “North Korea’s Waikiki” by South Korean media, the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone appears to be lined with high-rise hotels and waterparks, and can purportedly accommodate some 20,000 people.

State media previously said visits to Wonsan by Russian tour groups were expected in the coming months.

But following Lavrov’s visit, the North’s National Tourism Administration said “foreign tourists are temporarily not being accepted” without giving further details, in a statement posted on an official website this week.

Kim showed a keen interest in developing North Korea’s tourism industry during his early years in power, analysts have said, and the coastal resort area was a particular focus.

He said ahead of the opening of the beach resort that the construction of the site would go down as “one of the greatest successes this year” and that the North would build more large-scale tourist zones “in the shortest time possible.”

The North last year permitted Russian tourists to return for the first time since the pandemic and Western tour operators briefly returned in February this year.

Seoul’s unification ministry, however, said that it expected international tourism to the new resort was “likely to remain small in scale” given the limited capacity of available flights.

Kim held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Wonsan last week where he offered Moscow his full and “unconditional” support for its war in Ukraine, KCNA reported.

Lavrov reportedly hailed the seaside project as a “good tourist attraction,” adding it would become popular among both local and Russian visitors looking for new destinations.

Ahead of Lavrov’s recent visit, Russia announced that it would begin twice-a-week flights between Moscow and Pyongyang.


Wildfire burns through northern suburb of Greece’s capital Athens and residents are told to evacuate

Wildfire burns through northern suburb of Greece’s capital Athens and residents are told to evacuate
Updated 26 July 2025
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Wildfire burns through northern suburb of Greece’s capital Athens and residents are told to evacuate

Wildfire burns through northern suburb of Greece’s capital Athens and residents are told to evacuate
  • Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism
  • Four ambulances are treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems

ATHENS: A wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the Greek capital of Athens on Saturday and some residents were ordered to evacuate, the country’s Fire Service reported.

Residents of the town of Kryoneri, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) northeast of Athens received 3 SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas, Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters.

Greek media have shown houses on fire. The spokesman said “there have been reports of damages. We will take stock when the fires have been put out.”

“The real difficulties are ahead of us,” Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism.

On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, whose origin is unknown. Four ambulances are treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems.

Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames.

Under such conditions wildfires “expand very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days,” Vathrakoyannis said.

The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest on Greece’s two largest islands — Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens — and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, the spokesman said.

Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month.


Pope Leo discusses war in Ukraine with Russian Orthodox Church official

Pope Leo discusses war in Ukraine with Russian Orthodox Church official
Updated 26 July 2025
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Pope Leo discusses war in Ukraine with Russian Orthodox Church official

Pope Leo discusses war in Ukraine with Russian Orthodox Church official
  • Since assuming the papacy in May, Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in global conflicts
  • Russian officials, however, have said they do not view the Vatican as a serious venue for talks

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo discussed the war in Ukraine on Saturday with Metropolitan Anthony, a senior cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church, in a possible effort to ease ties between the churches strained by Russia’s invasion.

Leo saw Anthony, chairman of the department of external church relations, and five other high-profile clerics during an audience in the morning, the Vatican said.

“During the conversation, numerous issues were raised concerning the state of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, as well as the ongoing conflicts in the world, including in Ukraine and the Middle East,” the Russian Orthodox Church said in a statement.

Since assuming the papacy in May, Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in global conflicts and this month told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the Vatican was willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

Russian officials, however, have said they do not view the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because it is surrounded by NATO member Italy which has supported Ukraine.

The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has been an enthusiastic backer of the

invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian church statement said that Kirill’s congratulations were conveyed to Leo for his election as pope.

“Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude to his holiness patriarch Kirill for his good wishes and noted the importance of developing relations with the Russian Orthodox Church,” it added.


David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, dies

David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, dies
Updated 26 July 2025
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David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, dies

David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, dies
  • “David was a great champion of global health and health equity,” Tedros wrote
  • “His work touched and impacted so many lives across the world”

GENEVA: Dr. David Nabarro, a British physician who led the UN response to some of the biggest health crises in recent years, including bird flu, Ebola and the coronavirus pandemic, has died.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, confirmed Nabarro’s death on social media platform X.

“David was a great champion of global health and health equity, and a wise, generous mentor to countless individuals,” Tedros wrote Saturday. “His work touched and impacted so many lives across the world.”


King Charles knighted Nabarro in 2023 for his contributions to global health after he served as one of six special envoys to the WHO on COVID-19. He won the 2018 World Food Prize for his work on health and hunger issues.

He also was a candidate for the top job at the WHO in 2017 but lost out to Tedros in the final round of voting. Nabarro left the UN later that year.

The 4SD Foundation, a social enterprise in Switzerland focused on mentoring the next generation of leaders in global sustainable development, said its strategic director died at his home Friday in a “sudden passing.” Other details were not immediately available.

“David’s generosity and unwavering commitment to improve the lives of others will be sorely missed,” the foundation wrote on its website Saturday.

Survivors include his wife, Flo, as well as his five children and seven grandchildren.


Ukraine says its long-range drones hit electronic warfare plant in Russia

Ukraine says its long-range drones hit electronic warfare plant in Russia
Updated 26 July 2025
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Ukraine says its long-range drones hit electronic warfare plant in Russia

Ukraine says its long-range drones hit electronic warfare plant in Russia
  • The plant was one of Russia’s leading producers of electronic warfare equipment
  • Long-range SBU drones struck the production facilities of the Stavropol Radio Plant ‘Signal’

KYIV: Ukrainian drones hit a radio and electronic warfare equipment plant in Russia’s Stavropol region in an overnight attack on Saturday, an official from the SBU security service told Reuters.

The official said two facilities at the Signal plant in the city of Stavropol, about 540 km (335 miles) from the Ukrainian border, were damaged in the attacks. He shared several short videos showing an explosion and a large column of dark smoke rising into the sky.

He said the plant was one of Russia’s leading producers of electronic warfare equipment, including radar, radio navigation equipment, and remote control radio equipment.

“This night, long-range SBU drones struck the production facilities of the Stavropol Radio Plant ‘Signal’,” said the SBU official.

“Each such attack stops production processes and reduces the enemy’s military potential. This work will continue.”

Reuters was unable to verify the details of the attack. Russia’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both sides have launched multiple drone attacks on each other.

Ukraine, which is fighting a much larger Russian army, has developed a drone industry from scratch and is now focusing on increasing its capacity to produce more long-range drones.


Sri Lanka in talks with Middle East Green Initiative to explore climate partnership  

Sri Lanka in talks with Middle East Green Initiative to explore climate partnership  
Updated 26 July 2025
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Sri Lanka in talks with Middle East Green Initiative to explore climate partnership  

Sri Lanka in talks with Middle East Green Initiative to explore climate partnership  
  • Led by Saudi Arabia, MGI is a regional alliance seeking to mitigate climate change impacts
  • Sri Lanka is keen to share experience in climate resilience efforts, Colombo’s envoy says 

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is exploring a potential partnership with the Middle East Green Initiative, Colombo’s envoy to Riyadh told Arab News on Saturday, as the island nation seeks to step up partnerships to combat climate change.

Sri Lanka — home to 22 million people — is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and is particularly at risk of extreme weather events, such as flooding and drought. 

On Monday, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh facilitated an introductory virtual meeting between its Ministry of Environment and the MGI secretary-general “to explore potential ways and means for cooperation and partnership in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable development,” according to a statement.   

Led by Saudi Arabia, the MGI was established in 2021 as a regional alliance aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change and forging collaborations to meet global climate targets in the region. 

“The MGI is an important regional initiative spearheaded by Saudi Arabia in combating challenges posed by climate change. We are pleased to see Saudi Arabia is giving a great leadership role in promoting climate action and environmental protection,” Ameer Ajwad, Sri Lanka’s envoy to Saudi Arabia, told Arab News. 

Colombo is also keen to share its experience in climate resilience efforts.  

“Sri Lanka is actively contributing to the global multilateral climate initiatives. Sri Lanka's expertise and rich experience in the field will be also useful for the MGI process for fostering environmental collaboration and advancing shared climate objectives,” Ajwad said. “For example, Sri Lanka could contribute its expertise in the field of mangrove conservation and sea grass management, et cetera.” 

Sri Lanka has led several climate resilience efforts throughout the years, including restoration of its mangrove forests following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. 

The country made a commitment to become the first to replant all of its mangrove forests — a goal the government sought to achieve by providing microloans and education to communities in exchange for mangrove conservation. 

In 2022, it launched the Sri Lankan Climate Prosperity Plan to attract foreign investment and accelerate climate adaptation while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.