KOREAS: South Korea’s media regulator banned access today to a North Korean music video that it said idolised and glorified leader Kim Jong Un as a “friendly father and great leader.”

The South’s National Security Act blocks access to the North’s website and media, and the video which shows children singing to Mr Jong Un has become a hit on TikTok and other social media platforms globally.

TECH: Apple has launched an aggressive discounting campaign on its official China website, offering hundreds of dollars worth of discounts on iPhone models to compete with the country’s top brand.

The US tech giant is seeking to defend its hold on the world’s smartphone market, with Chinese users preferring internationally banned Huawei, and is the second time it has drastically decreased costs in the country.

NIGER: US troops will leave the Niger no later than September 15, the two countries have agreed, following marathon talks since the military junta seized power last year.

The US has more than 1,000 troops stationed at a base in the central city of Agadez and Niger’s military government has also ordered French troops to leave the country while welcoming Russian military instructors.

AFGHANISTAN: Isis has claimed responsibility for last week’s attack on international citizens in which three Spaniards and three Afghans were killed while seven others were wounded.

The jihadist group issued a statement to say the attack was in response to the Isis leaders’ directions to “target citizens of the European Union wherever they are found.”