Today’s news briefs include warning label for social media apps; George Strait sets concert record; Putin in N. Korea; Israel’s War Cabinet to disband.
Putin to visit N. Korea this week
Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to North Korea on Tuesday, the Kremlin has confirmed. The Kremlin has said there is scope for “very deep relations” between Russia and North Korea, and although it said this shouldn’t concern anyone, it recommended those thinking of challenging the burgeoning ties to think again, the BBC reports. Russia is likely seeking ammunition, construction workers, even volunteers to go to the front line in Ukraine, says political scientist and Putin ally, Sergei Markov. In reply, Pyongyang could get Russian produce, as well as technological help for military goals, including its long-range missile program ultimately to be within striking distance of the US. It has been 24 years since Putin has been in North Korea.
Concert attendance record broken
The numbers are in. George Strait broke the record for the largest U.S. ticketed show at Kyle Field at Texas A&M in College Station over the weekend. The “Amarillo By Morning” singer played to a crowd of 110,905 fans in south Texas, breaking an all-time attendance record previously set by the Grateful Dead in 1977 when 107,019 fans packed into New Jersey’s Raceway Park. Strait bested that number on Saturday by nearly 4,000 tickets sold, according to Billboard. Prior to the show, he sent out a message on Twitter and encouraged his fans to arrive early and stay hydrated because they were in for a treat. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was in the crowd to see Strait debut two new songs, “MIA in MIA” and “The Little Things,” from his upcoming album, “Cowboys and Dreamers.”
Israel’s War Cabinet to dissolve
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to dissolve the War Cabinet set up after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack. He said on Sunday that the powerful forum, which was established when National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz joined the wartime unity government in October, had become obsolete following the Gantz’s decision to return to partisan politics. Israel has been operating under a historic unity government since Hamas invaded and attacked, killing over 1200 Israeli citizens. Gantz had accused Netanyahu of preventing the Israel Defense Forces from reaching “true victory” in the current war. Netanyahu said his government’s security cabinet will now make war decisions, an Israeli official told ABC News.
Surgeon General demands warning label for social media
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said the threat social media poses to children requires urgent action, and he demanded Congress to put a label on the apps as it does with cigarettes and alcohol, CNN reports. “The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor,” Murthy said in an op-ed in the New York Times Monday. Murthy cited several studies, including a 2019 American Medical Association study published in JAMA that showed teens who spend three hours a day on social media double their risk of depression. Teens spend nearly five hours a day on social media apps, according to a Gallup poll.
–Dwight Widaman and wire services.
