International
China, North Korea Resume Passenger Train Service After Six-Year Suspension
The first passenger train linking the capitals of China and North Korea departed Beijing on Thursday, restoring a cross-border rail connection that had been suspended for six years.
According to authorities, Train K27 left the Beijing Railway Station and is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang at about 6:07 p.m. on Friday after a 24-hour and 41-minute journey. The train travels north of the Bohai Sea and makes a stop in the Chinese border city of Dandong before entering North Korea.
Chinese officials said the resumption of the service reflects efforts to strengthen cross-border infrastructure and deepen ties between the neighbouring countries. A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry described the two nations as “friendly neighbours,” adding that the rail link would encourage people-to-people exchanges and improve communication between both sides.
Passenger services between the two capitals were halted in 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted strict border closures across the region.
Under the new arrangement, trains between Beijing and Pyongyang will run four times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tickets for the inaugural trip were sold out, although travel agencies said seats remain available for later departures.
Access to the service is limited, with tickets currently restricted to travellers holding business visas.
A shorter rail route connecting Dandong and Pyongyang has also resumed operations and will run daily in both directions. The first train from Dandong departed at 10 a.m. Thursday and is expected to reach Pyongyang later the same day.
Cross-border air travel between the two countries had also been suspended during the pandemic. However, North Korea’s national carrier, Air Koryo, resumed flights to China in 2023 and now operates services between Beijing and Pyongyang twice weekly.
The United Kingdom has announced heightened security measures, including temporary airspace restrictions, in Windsor ahead of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit next week.
According to Thames Valley Police, the measures are part of a coordinated security operation involving the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, the Royal Household, and other partners to safeguard dignitaries, spectators, and the general public.
Chief Superintendent Adrian Hall, of Thames Valley Police’s Joint Operations Unit, stated:
“The air restrictions are just one aspect of a robust security operation. Many measures will be visible, others will not. Our experience in policing Royal events ensures that we have thoroughly planned and prepared for this visit. We will keep all attendees safe while allowing the public to enjoy this historic occasion.”
Windsor Castle already has permanent airspace restrictions year-round, but on Wednesday, March 18, these will be extended from 7:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Any violation will be treated as a criminal offense under the Air Navigation Order.
Police will deploy officers with specialist capabilities, including search teams, mounted units, armed officers, roads policing, and Project Servator personnel. Windsor’s CCTV network, hostile vehicle mitigation barriers, and other security measures will also be in use.
Members of the public are urged to report any suspicious activity by calling 101, or 999 in case of an emergency.
The measures reflect the UK’s commitment to ensuring both the safety of dignitaries and the smooth conduct of this high-profile state visit.
Iran has been thrown into fresh uncertainty after reports emerged that the country’s newly installed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is in a coma following a United States–Israeli airstrike.
The 56-year-old cleric, son of the late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, has reportedly not been seen in public since assuming leadership earlier this week. His father and wife were killed in a joint U.S.–Israeli airstrike on February 28, an incident that triggered the current conflict.
According to reports citing sources familiar with the situation, Mojtaba Khamenei sustained severe injuries during the attack. The injuries allegedly include the loss of at least one leg and serious internal damage, possibly to the liver or stomach.
A source quoted in the report said the Iranian leader is currently in critical condition.
“One or two of his legs have been cut off. His liver or stomach has also ruptured. He is apparently in a coma as well,” the source claimed.
Despite the reported condition, Mojtaba Khamenei issued a written statement on Thursday his first since succeeding his father vowing retaliation against those responsible for the attacks on Iran.
“I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,” he said in the statement. “Every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy is an independent subject for the revenge case.”
He also pledged justice for victims of a reported American Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, which allegedly killed 175 children.
Meanwhile, the Iranian leader is believed to be receiving treatment at Sina University Hospital in Tehran, where parts of the facility have reportedly been sealed off and heavily guarded by security personnel.
The escalating conflict has prompted thousands of foreign nationals to leave the Persian Gulf region. The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office said more than 45,000 British citizens had departed the region, while the U.S. State Department confirmed that around 40,000 Americans had returned home.
Casualty figures from the conflict continue to rise. Nearly 500 people have reportedly been killed in Lebanon, while Iranian authorities say more than 1,300 people have died in the fighting. Israel has reported 12 fatalities.
The United States military has also confirmed the deaths of seven soldiers, with eight others suffering serious injuries as the conflict widens across the region.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has demanded clarification from Mozambican authorities over the arrest and continued detention of 42 Nigerian nationals in the country.
According to the commission, the arrests were reportedly carried out by Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), which claimed the Nigerians were staying illegally in the country. However, NIDCOM said the claim has not been officially confirmed.
In a statement issued by the commission’s spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NIDCOM noted that Nigeria’s High Commission in Mozambique had not been formally notified about the circumstances surrounding the arrests.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the families of the detained Nigerians have been making distress calls, expressing concern about the welfare of their relatives.
“They confiscated their cell phones, personal belongings and the money they had with them at the time of the arrest,” Dabiri-Erewa stated.
She added that the Nigerian Embassy has written to Mozambique’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the office of the Attorney-General to seek clarification on the matter.
Dabiri-Erewa stressed that if the Nigerians committed any offence, the authorities should formally charge them in court and make the allegations public. Otherwise, they should be released instead of being held without due process.
She also reiterated that while the Nigerian government does not support criminal activities by its citizens abroad, no Nigerian should be detained without clear charges or knowledge of the reason for their arrest.