In a noteworthy development on the international stage, China and North Korea appear poised to deepen their alliance as Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a notable visit to Pyongyang this Monday. This state visit, a rarity in recent years, underscores a potential recalibration of regional dynamics.

Xi’s arrival in North Korea marks his first visit in seven years, a move that analysts perceive as an effort to reaffirm China’s influential role in North Korean affairs. In return, China might offer economic and political support to bolster this relationship.

The visit will include a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, their first since September. Previously, the two leaders met in Beijing, where they attended a military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other dignitaries. While the specifics of their agenda remain undisclosed, experts suggest the discussions will likely focus on reinforcing their historic alliance, especially as both nations navigate separate tensions with the United States.

This diplomatic engagement between Xi and Kim could have far-reaching implications, not only for the bilateral ties between China and North Korea but also for the broader geopolitical landscape as both countries seek to fortify their positions amidst ongoing disputes with Washington.

The trip marks Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first trip to North Korea in seven years. (Getty Images)

Xi’s trip comes after his back-to-back summits with U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin in Beijing last month. Xi plans to meet Trump again for a U.S. visit in September.

China has, for years, been North Korea’s economic lifeline and primary diplomatic backer. China has refrained from fully enforcing U.N. sanctions on North Korea and sent clandestine aid to support its impoverished neighbor.

This year marks 65 years since the two nations signed a mutual defense treaty.

Despite this, there have been questions about their ties in recent years, as North Korea has prioritized cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and weapons to support its war against Ukraine and received economic and military assistance from Moscow in return.

Experts warn that restoring China’s exclusive influence over North Korea would give Xi leverage with Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his wish to restart diplomacy with Kim.

Experts say the visit is likely aimed at reasserting China’s unique influence over North Korea in exchange for providing economic and political benefits. (KCNA via REUTERS  )

Analysts said Xi would likely offer Kim economic aid packages such as shipments of rice and fertilizers, a resumption of Chinese group tourism to North Korea and joint economic projects.

Xi may also avoid the issue of denuclearization of North Korea, which wants to achieve international recognition as a nuclear weapons state, as a way to call for lifting of U.N. sanctions on North Korea, according to experts.

After last month’s summit between Trump and Xi, the U.S. government said the two leaders affirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea.

But China only said the leaders spoke about the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. Kim’s sister and senior official Kim Yo Jong dismissed the readout of the meeting as “false information.”

China and North Korea both seek to fully restore their traditional alliance amid separate disputes with the U.S. government. (Getty Images)

Last week, Kim unveiled a new plant to produce nuclear ingredients and pledged to bolster the country’s nuclear forces “at an exponential rate.” He also said he is seeking to speed up efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy.

On Sunday, Kim Yo Jong described a U.S. plan for the denuclearization of North Korea as an “escapist and anachronistic dream.”

Kim Jong Un has dismissed U.S. and South Korean offers for talks as he focuses on enlarging and modernizing his nuclear arsenal. The North Korean leader in September urged the U.S. to withdraw its demand for North Korea to denuclearize as a precondition for resuming diplomacy.

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During a high-profile interview, former President Donald Trump abruptly ended his conversation with NBC’s Kristen Welker. The walkout occurred when Welker challenged Trump’s persistent allegations that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.

As Welker sought evidence to support Trump’s controversial claim that the election was “stolen,” tensions escalated. Unable to provide the proof she requested, Trump cut the interview short.

In an intense exchange, Trump accused Welker of dishonesty, directly confronting her with accusations of bias.

“The elections are like those in a third-world country,” Trump declared, expressing his dissatisfaction. “Your elections are crooked, and you’re crooked, and so is ‘Meet the Press,’ along with ABC, CBS, and CNN.”

‘The elections are like a third world country. Your elections are crooked, and you’re crooked, and “Meet the Press” is crooked, and so is ABC, CBS and CNN.’

As Welker tried to intervene, the president said: ‘You’re one-sided crooked networks. Let’s call it quits,’ Trump lashed during the interview that aired Sunday.

‘I’ve had enough, thank you darling, have a good time,’ the fuming president said as he began to stand, ready to storm out.

A frantic Welker begged him to stay, saying she had traveled to Wisconsin for the exclusive sit-down. 

‘Mr President please, I traveled all the way to Wisconsin,’ Welker pleaded.

President Donald Trump walked out during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press

The commander-in-chief then stood up and began to walk off, as Welker begged again for the president to stay

President Trump pushed back: ‘I’ve sat in the rain with you for an hour! On and off in the rain. I’ve given you enough time.

‘You ought to straighten out your press. You know what? A country can never be great with a dishonest press. Let’s go,’ he said.

Trump stood and started to walk off, while Welker continued to ask him to stay.

The exchange boiled over when Welker pressed Trump on a $1.8 billion fund for people claiming they were targeted by the Biden administration’s alleged government ‘weaponization.’

The moderator asked the president if he planned to scrap the fund after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the administration would not pursue it.

‘Just to be very clear, are you backing off the fund completely as your acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, has said, or are you looking for another avenue to revive the fund?’ Welker pressed. 

Trump stood his ground, defending the billion-dollar proposal and claiming people were harmed by officials in the previous administration.

The exchange boiled over at the end when Welker pressed Trump on a $1.8 billion fund for people claiming they were targeted by the Biden administration’s alleged government ‘weaponization’

The moderator asked the president if he planned to scrap the fund after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the administration would not pursue it

‘People have been hurt so badly by radical left lunatics that worked for the Biden administration and Sleepy Joe,’ the president said. 

‘They’re vicious. They’re violent, what they did to people. And, of course, they went after me more than anybody else,’ he added.

The commander-in-chief added that he backed reviving the proposed fund but noted it would require approval.

Trump later rampaged on about the press and the Biden administration, accusing them of ruining Americans’ lives.

‘I love the idea, because people like you, the fake dirty press, the crooked press, people like stupid Biden, he’s not smart enough to know what’s going on, but people that surrounded him, surrounded his beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, what they did to the lives of people, they destroyed people,’ Trump slammed. 

Welker responded: ‘Just to be very clear, there’s no evidence of what you’re saying.’

‘There’s a lot of evidence, listen to me. There’s tremendous evidence. There’s nothing but evidence,’ Trump fired back.

The president pivoted to the 2020 election, calling it ‘rigged’ and linking it to California’s current state elections, before storming out.

President Trump blasted the reporter, calling her a liar to her face

Trump walked off after calling the moderator ‘crooked’

Prior to the walkout, Trump discussed with Welker that he is not ruling out sending American troops on the ground in Iran to retrieve and destroy its highly enriched uranium. 

As the conflict in Iran has persisted for over three months, Trump said that he thinks an end is near, as long as a ceasefire holds.

Part of a deal between the United States and Iran may involve sending US forces to retrieve what Trump called ‘nuclear dust’, in a conversation with the Meet the Press moderator.

‘But the way you do it is if we make a deal, if we make a deal now we’re friendly, we’ll all go together. It’ll be our equipment. 

‘We’ll take it out and destroy it, whether it’s onsite or whether we take it offsite,’ he continued.

Still, the President insisted that US troops would not be in harm’s way, even if they are sent to Iran, insisting that he will diminish Iran’s military strength enough for American personnel to safely retrieve the material themselves.

‘We will go with them, or without them. But we won’t have people shooting at us, okay?’ Trump stated, ‘Now, if we don’t make a deal, then we’re going to take them out militarily very harshly. 

‘And we’ll wait till we do that before we go, in which case we’ll have safety either way.’

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About half a million dollars’ worth of bourbon vanished from a Philadelphia warehouse during a daring daytime theft, where oblivious staff unwittingly assisted in loading the liquor into the robbers’ vehicle.

Some 10,800 bottles, amounting to 1,800 cases of Noble Oak Bourbon, were taken from the American Supply warehouse between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday in what was described as a “coordinated cargo theft operation,” according to A21 Wine & Spirits and Apogee 21 Holdings, Inc, as reported by NBCPhiladelphia.

The culprits cleverly convinced warehouse employees that they were supposed to fill the truck with the premium bourbon, the report indicated.

In the process, workers overlooked standard security measures, inadvertently allowing the thieves to proceed with their plan, explained Rob Koch, the chief operating officer of Apogee 21 Holdings, Inc.

“We are addressing this as a significant criminal incident and are working closely with law enforcement agencies,” a spokesperson for A21 Wine & Spirits informed the outlet.

“The theft involved a significant quantity of premium bourbon from our newly acquired brand, Noble Oak, and appears to have been executed with knowledge of logistics operations and product movement schedules.”

Koch urged distributors, bars, restaurants, and consumers to remain vigilant, as the stolen bourbon may be resold through unauthorized channels, secondary wholesalers, online marketplaces, or other illegal distribution networks.

“This is one of the largest thefts of bourbon that we’ve seen, especially this year in the region,” Koch told the outlet.

The massive theft has been reported to the Philadelphia Police Department, the FBI, and other agencies.

Apogee 21 Holdings did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

A powerful earthquake has devastated the Philippines, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 15 lives and injuring over 200 individuals. The tremor has also led to tsunami warnings being issued across various parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

The seismic event was registered as a magnitude 7.8 earthquake and occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers on Monday morning, as reported by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).

Initially, the GFZ had estimated the earthquake’s magnitude to be 8.2.

The quake impacted the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, prompting authorities to advise residents to move to higher ground in response to multiple tsunami alerts.

Officials have reported damage to 37 buildings, predominantly affecting commercial properties.

Since the initial magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck off the Philippines’ southern coast, 138 aftershocks have been recorded as of 11:00 local time (03:00 GMT), according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

According to local civil defence office director Rodrigo Sosmena, 12 of the fatalities were reported in Soccsksargen – a region spanning four provinces and one city: South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City. 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement: ‘Based on the local tsunami scenario database, it is expected to experience wave heights of more than one metre above the normal tides and may be higher on enclosed bays and straits.

The earthquake sparked a tsunami measuring about one metre along nearby coastlines, officials said. 

A huge earthquake has struck the Philippines with the region now facing a tsunami threat

The quake, which was recorded as an 7.8 magnitude, struck at a depth of 10km on Monday morning

A series of earthquakes, or ‘aftershocks’ as authorities described them, continue to impact the region

‘It is forecast that the first tsunami waves will arrive between 07:37am to 09:37am (PST). These waves may continue for hours.’

Tsunami warnings were issued in several countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia, although some of those warnings have since been lifted.

Tsunami waves ranging from 3cm (0.1ft) to 0.8m (2.7ft) were recorded in Palau, Indonesia and the Philippine region of Davao, according to the US Geological Survey.

People in the coastal areas of Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato were strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher ground or move inland.

Authorities urged residents not to delay evacuating, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr issuing a stark warning.

He said: ‘Do not wait. Your life is more important than anything left behind.’

The police chief of Alabel town in Sarangani, Philippines, said the police building had some cracks immediately after the quake, which occurred during their flag-raising ceremony, while a Jollibee building collapsed. 

‘This is ​the strongest earthquake ⁠we’ve experienced,’ chief Benjie Ancheta told Reuters via phone.

Ancheta said there were no immediate reports of casualties, though some people fainted following the strong tremor. 

A series of earthquakes, or ‘aftershocks’ as authorities described them, continue to impact the region, with magnitudes ranging from 3.7 to 1.3 recorded.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center previously issued an alert for possible hazardous tsunami waves along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea. 

New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency has ruled out any chance the earthquake could generate a tsunami affecting New Zealand. 

‘NEMA has assessed the information with the assistance of science advisers,’ the agency said in a statement.

‘Based on current information, the initial assessment is that the earthquake is unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will affect New Zealand.’

The Philippines and Indonesia are tectonically complex regions of the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, a seismically active belt stretching from South America to the Russian Far East, Reuters reports. 

There’s an age-old saying that laughter is the best medicine, and recent findings suggest it might indeed play a crucial role in children’s growth and development. New research highlights how laughter and play are essential not only for healthy brain development but also for emotional stability and social connections.

Jacqueline Harding, Ph.D., a leading expert on early childhood from Middlesex University in London, emphasizes these benefits in her latest book, “The Brain That Loves to Laugh.” According to Harding, joy is a complex yet vital biological process that aids children in managing stress and nurturing resilient, open-minded individuals, as reported by news agency SWNS.

Harding explains, “When children laugh, it’s a testament to the brain’s remarkable capability: it’s a sign of learning, connecting, and growing.”

She further elaborates that, “Hope and humor are not merely life’s spices but rather essential ingredients in the recipe for healthy development.”

“Hope and humor, it seems, are not just the seasoning of life, but foundational to a recipe for healthy development.”

Laughter activates broad brain networks, including motor regions and the prefrontal cortex, long before children learn to speak. By helping the brain resolve conflicting ideas, it boosts creativity and engages working memory, acting as a “mental workout,” experts say.

At a molecular level, laughter alters the internal chemistry by decreasing stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine. It also increases “happiness chemicals” like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.

Additionally, laughter is known to boost oxytocin, which deepens emotional bonds between parents and children.

Prolonged stress does the exact opposite: It impairs learning, suppresses immune function and alters the developing limbic system, which governs emotion and long-term memory, according to SWNS.

“Stated simply, the emotional state of young children directly influences how they navigate their way through the world,” Harding said.

Parents can foster these benefits through moments of spontaneous play and joyful connection, the expert advised.

These interactions do more than spark laughter — they help children develop emotional regulation, strengthen feelings of safety and connection, and support social and cognitive development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress, as it increases levels of endorphins released by the brain,” Harding said. “Creative, happy play does its most brilliant work at a molecular level, especially at a time when the human brain is at its most receptive.”

This shared joy also establishes “co-regulation,” where a child learns to manage their own stress by drawing on a biological store of positive early experiences.

Harding advocates for integrating humor directly into classrooms to reduce cognitive load and improve how children retain key concepts. 

By uplifting the nervous system, joy creates an optimal environment for information absorption, as the SWNS piece noted.

“Safe relationships and non-stressful play environments promote learning,” she added. 

“The curriculum must never be prioritized over those two fundamental factors.”

NEW YORK (AP) — On Sunday evening, a stabbing incident at New York’s Penn Station resulted in injuries to six individuals. This unsettling event occurred just one day before a large crowd is expected to gather at the adjacent Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Authorities apprehended a suspect following the attack, which took place around 7 p.m. at one of the busiest transportation centers in the country. The expansive rail hub beneath Madison Square Garden serves commuters and travelers alike, connecting Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit, and New York City subway lines, facilitating the journeys of hundreds of thousands each day.

Emergency responders assessed the situation, finding one person with serious injuries, two with moderate injuries, and two with minor injuries, as reported by the city’s fire department. All five were transported to Bellevue Hospital for further treatment. Another individual, whose condition remains unclear, was taken to a different medical facility.

At this time, authorities have not disclosed any information regarding the motivations behind the stabbing or whether the victims were specifically targeted.

By Sunday night, the initial turmoil had subsided, returning Penn Station to its usual bustling scene. Travelers navigated around a cordoned-off area near Tracks 5 and 6, where remnants of the incident, such as medical gloves, used bandages, and traces of blood, still lingered.

The violence erupted as New York prepared for one of its biggest sports events in decades. Monday night’s matchup between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs will be the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999 and is expected to draw massive crowds to the arena.

President Donald Trump has said he plans to attend the nationally televised game, prompting extensive security involving the Secret Service, New York Police Department and other agencies around Madison Square Garden and the surrounding blocks. Authorities did not immediately indicate whether the stabbing would affect security plans for the game.

Amtrak police said they were investigating the stabbing and had taken a suspect into custody. Authorities did not immediately release the suspect’s identity or provide information about potential charges.