The 2nd and 6th page of Rodong Sinmun dated 26 October 2026 carried news of the laying of floral baskets at the Tower of Friendship on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ entry into the Korean front; the ceremony in Beijing commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army’s Long March; an article exposing mass protests in Europe that are escalating into the worst outbreaks of violence; condemnation of the growing violence by Jewish settlers; a Chinese representative’s appeal to prevent an arms race in outer space; Belarus’s efforts to protect the environment; reports of drug seizures in various countries; the threat that 91 per cent of the world’s coral reef habitats may disappear; and reports of natural disasters and accidents in the US and Belgium.

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Floral Baskets Laid at the Tower of Friendship on the 76th Anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ Entry into the Korean Front

On 25 October, floral baskets were laid at the Tower of Friendship on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ entry into the Korean front.

An honour guard of the Korean People’s Army stood at the Tower of Friendship.

Comrade Kim Hyong Sik, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; Comrade Mun Song Hyok, Deputy Department Director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea; Comrade Kim Myong Su, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs; and officials of relevant sectors took part in the floral basket-laying ceremony.

Also in attendance were the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Korea, who headed the embassy delegation; embassy staff; the delegation of China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs headed by Deputy Minister Hong Jong Myong; Chinese guests staying in Korea; and ethnic Chinese residents.

The national anthems of the People’s Republic of China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were played.

To the strains of the floral basket-laying music, a basket presented jointly in the name of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK and the DPRK Cabinet was laid at the Tower of Friendship.

Floral baskets were also laid in the names of the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defence and Ministry of Urban Management; jointly in the names of the Korean Association for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, the Korea–China Friendship Association, the Pyongyang Municipal Committee of the WPK and the Pyongyang Municipal People’s Committee; and in the name of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Korea.

The ribbons on the baskets bore the inscriptions: “To the Martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers!” and “The martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers will live for ever.”

The participants observed a moment of silence in memory of the martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers, who, imbued with sublime internationalist duty, displayed matchless self-sacrifice and fought valiantly in the sacred war against imperialist armed aggression. They then toured the Tower of Friendship.

Floral baskets were also laid at the cemeteries and graves of the Chinese People’s Volunteers in Anju City and Hoechang County, South Phyongan Province; Onsong County, North Hamgyong Province; and Kaesong City.

Meanwhile, that evening, the Chinese side hosted a reception on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ entry into the Korean front.

【Korean Central News Agency】

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Beijing Holds Ceremony Marking the 90th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army’s Long March

A ceremony commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army’s Long March was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the 22nd.

President Xi Jinping attended the ceremony together with leading Party and state officials and representatives from all walks of life.

At the opening of the ceremony, all the participants sang the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China and observed a moment of silence in memory of the martyrs who heroically laid down their lives during the Long March and in revolutionary struggles in various parts of the country.

President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech.

He referred to how, in the 90 years since the victory of the Long March, the Communist Party of China had united and led the people through successive great Long Marches at each historic stage of revolution and construction, achieving victory.

He said that remembering history was essential to opening up the future. He called on the whole Party, the whole army and the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country to rally more firmly around the Party Central Committee, vigorously carry forward the great spirit of the Long March, continually advance the cause pioneered by revolutionary predecessors, and strive to create a brilliant history on the new Long March.

He stated that, through the concerted efforts of the whole Party, the whole army and the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country, China had achieved its first centenary goal of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, and was now advancing on a new journey towards its second centenary goal of comprehensively building a powerful socialist modern country.

He said that the new journey was an expedition filled with glory and dreams, a new Long March for the Party and the people. He stressed the need to uphold the Party’s ideals, convictions and fundamental purpose; fully implement the thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era; remain true to the original aspiration and mission; and rely thoroughly on the people to create new historic achievements.

The ceremony concluded with a performance of “The Internationale.”

【Korean Central News Agency】

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Mass Protests in Europe Escalate into the Worst Outbreaks of Violence

Large-scale anti-government protests are erupting one after another in several European countries, once again exposing the deception behind such political slogans as “welfare society” and “equality of opportunity.”

In France, protests against the authorities’ anti-popular policies have erupted into the worst outbreaks of violence in decades. The situation is now out of control.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in dozens of cities, including Paris. Slogans condemning the President, the wealthy and the police have filled the protest marches. Some enraged demonstrators have damaged public buildings and clashed with police. Vehicles have also been set on fire. In Limoges, the municipal government building was engulfed in flames; in Lyon, the city’s tourist office burned down. Curfews have been imposed in several cities as a result.

The current protests began in September, when students at high schools in northern Paris erupted in anger over inadequate educational conditions, and have since grown into a nationwide movement against various social ills.

One protester said, “We are fighting because the cost of living is unbearably harsh and fuel prices are exorbitant, and because students are being violently attacked simply for demanding improvements to their educational environment.”

Foreign media report that hundreds more protests are planned. They say that some demonstrators wearing yellow vests and blocking roads recall the protest movement that shook France several years ago.

The “Yellow Vest” protests were a campaign of demonstrations launched in November 2018, when hundreds of thousands of people opposed the authorities’ anti-popular amendments to labour laws, pension reform, health-care reform and other measures. In their wake, the largest strikes continued to follow one another for years. In September last year, too, one million people from various walks of life, including workers in education, transport, health care and energy, staged strikes and protests against the authorities’ austerity policies.

The impact of the current protests in France is spreading to several other European countries.

In Belgium, student organisations held demonstrations against education reforms that would drive up education costs and clashed with police.

In Portugal, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Lisbon to protest rising housing prices and other living costs. Protests demanding improved educational conditions and hospital services have thrown the operation of schools and hospitals in Greece into confusion.

In Milan, Italy, protests against the high cost of living escalated into riots. Demonstrations also broke out in Bologna, where police fired water cannon at the crowds.

In Albania, student demonstrations denouncing government corruption, the shortage of jobs and the deplorable standard of education swept through central Tirana, the capital, for a week before spreading to other cities. Protesters demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation set government buildings and banks on fire, smashed shop windows, tore up paving stones and hurled them at police sent to suppress the demonstrations.

Whatever the immediate trigger, the fundamental causes of the mass protests taking place in various European countries are much the same.

Many European countries are now experiencing a serious socio-economic crisis.

The energy crisis caused by the outbreak of the Ukraine situation has grown even more severe with the worsening situation in the Middle East. Numerous companies are going bankrupt, and unemployment is rising rapidly. In France, unemployment has reached its highest level since 2021. In the second quarter alone, the number of unemployed reached 2.7 million. The financial crisis is also worsening as a result of support for Ukraine and the reckless expansion of military spending.

At the end of the first quarter of last year, France’s national debt amounted to €3.346 trillion, or 114 per cent of GDP. The national debts of many countries, including Greece, Belgium and the UK, have also exceeded their GDP. It is no exaggeration to say that Europe as a whole is sinking into a debt trap.

Alarmed, European governments are cutting public expenditure and readjusting employment policies. While intensifying the exploitation of workers, they implement preferential policies for the wealthy in the name of “economic recovery.” As a result, workers’ lives are deteriorating and the gap between rich and poor has reached an extreme.

This has provoked the working masses to struggle to defend their right to live.

The mass protests sweeping Europe are clearly the result of anti-popular policies.

Staff Reporter Jang Chol

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Jewish Settlers’ Acts of Violence on the Rise

Recently, Jewish settlers attacked a group of European diplomats in a village in the West Bank of the Jordan River. Diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland were assaulted.

The countries concerned responded immediately.

Belgium’s Foreign Minister urged the Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians, guarantee the safety of diplomats and journalists, bring those responsible to justice, and end the impunity afforded to violent Jewish settlers. Poland’s Foreign Ministry also insisted that the Israeli authorities promptly give a detailed explanation of the incident, identify those responsible and hold them accountable. France’s Foreign Minister described the attack as an atrocious act and demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible.

As it has done on previous occasions, the Israeli authorities once again resorted to evasions. The Foreign Minister claimed to “strongly condemn the serious acts of violence by rioters” and boasted that the ministry was supporting law enforcement.

The military claimed that no Israeli troops were in the area when the attack took place and made excuses that the European diplomats’ visit had not been coordinated with them. In other words, it denied responsibility on the grounds that it had not been informed of the visit in advance.

This is nothing but an attempt to pull the wool over people’s eyes.

The violence of Jewish settlers is being aggravated precisely under the protection and instigation of the Israeli authorities.

In recent years, the violence of Jewish settlers, once carried out sporadically in limited areas, has become widespread and systematic. They raid mosques and set them ablaze, and attack Palestinians working their land. At the slightest pretext, they surround Palestinian homes and cut off their water and electricity supplies. They even loot people’s property.

Since 2023, Jewish settlers have carried out more than 6,000 attacks causing casualties and material damage. More than 130 Palestinian communities have been completely or partially demolished.

In late September and early October alone, 377 acts of violence were committed in more than 160 Palestinian communities.

Public opinion at home and abroad considers all this to be the result of the Israeli authorities’ actions.

The Israeli authorities have already approved additional measures to tighten control over the West Bank of the Jordan River and enable Jewish settlers to acquire land more cheaply.

Recently, Israel’s Minister of Defence issued orders to intensify military operations in the West Bank of the Jordan River, increase the number of checkpoints, drive Palestinians out of refugee camps and station troops there permanently.

Turning aggressor and victim on its head, he threatened that if the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank of the Jordan River turned their guns on Israeli troops and settlers, Israel would launch an all-out attack on the Palestinian Authority.

Encouraged by this, the violent mobs have now gone so far as to attack diplomats from other countries.

Israel is seeking to annex all Palestinian territory by any means available.

To implement this expansionist policy, it is using Jewish settlers as shock troops.

Staff Reporter Ho Yong Min

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Appeal to Prevent an Arms Race and the Weaponisation of Outer Space

Speaking at a meeting of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly on the 21st, a Chinese representative stressed that preventing an arms race and the weaponisation of outer space was the most urgent task in ensuring the security and governance of outer space.

He said that an arms race and the weaponisation of outer space had already become a real threat. He condemned the US, which had designated outer space an “operational domain,” for openly acknowledging that it had deployed “space-control weapons” in orbit, thereby sending an extremely dangerous signal to the international community.

He said that the contradiction between the majority of countries seeking to safeguard the security of outer space and a single country pursuing hegemony there had become sharper than ever, and maintained that this posed the greatest challenge to ensuring the security of outer space.

【Korean Central News Agency】

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For Social Development and Stability

Efforts to Protect the Environment

As part of its environmental protection efforts, Belarus intends to encourage the production of electric-powered public transport.

On the 23rd, the Belarusian government announced plans to increase the share of electric buses, trolleybuses, trams and other electric public transport to 25 per cent by 2029. It also expects exports to grow as domestic production of these passenger vehicles expands.

Drug Seizures

- Between the beginning of this year and September, Turkish customs authorities detected and seized 52.6 tonnes of drugs at border crossings.

Recently, Colombian police seized 7.6 tonnes of cocaine during an anti-drug operation in a port city in the north of the country.

- On the 22nd, Afghan police detected drug smuggling in Nangarhar Province and seized 14.2 kilograms of methamphetamine.

More than 1.2 tonnes of drugs were reportedly seized that day in anti-drug operations in Kabul and several other areas.

【Korean Central News Agency】

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91 Per Cent of the World’s Coral Reef Habitats at Risk of Disappearing

On the 22nd, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced that at least 91 per cent of the world’s coral reef habitats were at risk of disappearing and that, if global warming continued, almost all coral reefs could become extinct within 50 years.

The Union warned that rising ocean temperatures caused by global warming and marine heatwaves would lead to more frequent coral bleaching and expand the areas where corals die off.

【Korean Central News Agency】

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Toxic Gas Leak in Ohio, US

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Storm Damage in Belgium