The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un sent a birthday spread to Mun Yon Ok, a woman centenarian living in neighbourhood unit No. 1 of Thabyang-ri, Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, on her 100th birthday.

Her house was wrapped in a festive mood as officials of the Kilju County Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, her families and relatives and villagers came to congratulate her.

Born in the period of national distress, she was subject to all sorts of maltreatment and contempt. She worked sincerely at her post for decades for the benevolent WPK and the socialist motherland that provided her with a genuine life and dignity. 

A national meeting of members of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea (GFTUK), who distinguished themselves in displaying noble traits, was held in Pyongyang on April 23-24.

Present there were Kim Jong Sun, department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, officials of the GFTUK Central Committee and GFTUK members from across the country who distinguished themselves in displaying noble traits.

Pak In Chol, chairman of the GFTUK Central Committee, made an opening address to be followed by a report.

South Hwanghae Province has newly built the Kangnyong Wheat Processing Factory.

The factory equipped with grading, washing, milling lines capable of improving the quality and increasing the output of flour and a sci-tech learning space was built to lay another solid foundation conducive to improving the people's standards of living.

Present at an inauguration ceremony of the factory, held on the spot on April 23, were officials concerned, officials and working people in the province and Kangnyong County, builders and employees of the factory.

Several classes of Songyo Senior Middle School in Songyo District affiliated to Kim Hyong Jik University of Education were provided with new desks and chairs on the occasion of the start of this new school year on April 1.

“Whenever we see those desks and chairs made to meet the pedagogical requirements, we are full of gratitude towards the deputies of different units who devoted sincere efforts to supporting education regarding it as their own duty,” said Ha Myong Hwa, principal of the school.

She related a story about how the new desks and chairs were provided.

A research group of Kim Il Sung University has recently discovered new and rare formations with unique aesthetic and attractive tourist value in the Songam Cave during their research to register the major scenic spots in the DPRK as world heritage sites.

1. Stone lotus flower

Seen in the cave pools of the Jangsu and Ryonggung sections of the Songam Cave are stone lotus flowers formed in various shapes and sizes.

April 26 is World Intellectual Property Day. 

Marking the day, the WIPO and different countries organize a variety of events including commemorative lectures, symposiums, book and photo exhibitions, presentations of experience and commodity exhibitions for arousing social interest in IP rights so as to give people a better understanding of how the rights are connected with their life and how much the protection of the rights is important.

They also give wide publicity to such IP creators as inventors and innovators, who made distinguished contributions to economic and cultural development by exploring and pioneering the unknown world for mankind, so as to attract public interest in them.

The notorious "death swan" nested in Japan.

According to the US Indo-Pacific Command on April 20, several B-1B strategic bombers of the US Air Force were forward-deployed from the US mainland to the Misawa Air Force base of the US forces in Japan.

Its military meaning lies in that it is the long-term presence and permanent settlement of the US strategic assets in the depth of the Asia-Pacific region, not the temporary deployment for the US-Japan joint drill or for muscle-flexing against regional countries.

The Brazilian and Chilean presidents in a joint press conference on April 22 criticized the US protectionist policy. 

They opposed and rejected the ongoing trade war provoked by the US and exposed that one of the major contributors to the suppression of technical development in Latin American countries in the past was the protectionist policy of the US.  

It is essential to enhance the role of regional organizations in order to cope with the US’ moves, they said, expressing their stand to work hard to accelerate multilateralism and regional integration. 

Russian Presidential Aide Nikolai Patrushev referred to the development of the shipbuilding industry of the country and the modernization project of its navy in an interview with the newspaper Kommersant on April 21.

Today, Russia should establish an independent shipbuilding industry relying on homemade materials, he said, noting that the state leadership is taking organizational and financial measures to develop the civilian shipbuilding sector.

A huge modernization project of the navy is being carried on, he said, adding that special attention has been paid to research into and introduction of the most innovative technologies.