Plus: Biden to announce legal status for undocumented spouses of US citizens, and Islamist insurgency flares in Mozambique ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected in Pyongyang today for a state visit to North Korea - the latest development of his growing camaraderie with Kim Jong Un, as my colleagues in Moscow and Seoul explain. I'm also sharing a fascinating piece from Holly Honderich about the rise of blood-sugar monitors among non-diabetic people. We're also reporting on Mozambique, Australia, and London's West End. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | War and weapons on Pyongyang agenda | | Footage shared by the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti show a banner welcoming Putin along the freeway. Credit: RIA | Pyongyang's streets are lined with portraits of Vladimir Putin as North Korea's capital gets ready for the Russian president's first state visit in 24 years. But the much-hyped trip, which you can follow on our live page, remains shrouded in mystery. It's unclear when on Tuesday Mr Putin will land in the reclusive country, whose state media is focusing on the diplomatic choreography. Ahead of the visit, it published a letter in which Mr Putin praised North Korea for "firmly supporting" Moscow's war in Ukraine and promised to build trade and security systems with Pyongyang "that are not controlled by the West". There has been mounting evidence that Russia is using North Korean weapons to strike Ukraine, and the war will likely be a major talking point. In turn, Pyongyang could get Russian produce, as well as technological help for its military goals, says political scientist and Putin ally Sergei Markov.
Enemy of my enemy: Here are three reasons why North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin might want to develop their friendship. Watch our video - produced when Mr Kim visited Russia last year.
Listen: The Global Story podcast explores Mr Kim's end game and how worried the rest of the world should be, with former Pyongyang-based journalist Jean Lee and the Financial Times' Christian Davies.
Room with a view: There are reports Mr Putin will be staying at the Kumsusan guesthouse, located near the palace where Kim Jong Un’s father Kim Jong Il, and grandfather Kim Il Sung, lie in state. | |
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UK ELECTION LATEST | Today's the deadline to register for Britons – including those overseas - who wish to vote in two weeks. Taxation is still at the forefront of the debate, with Conservatives relentlessly attacking their Labour rivals on their economic policy. Sir Keir Starmer's party has now ruled out a change in council tax bands in England, which determine local taxes paid by residents depending of the value of their homes in 1991. | |
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| Islamist insurgency flares up | The north of Mozambique is facing a resurgence of violence from fighters linked to the Islamic State group. The gunmen kept the town of Macomia under siege for two days, creating an atmosphere of fear and chaos. |
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| | Ian Wafula, Africa security correspondent |
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| | “If [the jihadists] knew I was a government official, they would have beheaded me,” said Tomas Langa, a civil servant in northern Mozambique. He feels he had a lucky escape. We have changed his named for his safety. Woken in the early hours of 10 May by heavy gunfire, Mr Langa looked out of his window to see four armed men standing outside his house in Macomia town in the insurgency-hit Cabo Delgado province. He was terrified and ran into the countryside, where he hid for three days living on cassava plants. “I was lucky they only insulted me as I ran,” he said. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | The 'rabbit hole' of blood-sugar monitors |
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| | | A growing number of non-diabetic people are monitoring their blood-sugar to adapt their diet. Credit: Getty Images | Blood-sugar monitors are experiencing a boom in the US, promoted by wellness influencers and health start-ups. The wearable patches, linked to an app collecting real-time data, are proving useful for people with diabetes who need to check their glucose levels. But many in the scientific community are sceptical of their benefits for the average person. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | How to save a forest | Mining was banned at Los Cedros after the forest was granted legal personhood. | |
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And finally... | A museum in Australia is currently displaying the Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, an album of which only one copy is meant to exist (a recent lawsuit alleges copies were made by previous owner and convicted felon Martin Shkreli). Here's what it's like to be among the lucky ones who gave it a listen. | |
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