Kim Jong-un wrote to Vladimir Putin promising to boost ties as North Korea and Russia marked the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations. The North Korean leader congratulated the Russian president on his victory over what he called “hegemony and pressure from imperialists”. He also wished his Russian ally luck in resisting pressure from their common nemesis West over Ukraine. "I hope that the Russian people, who have set out to build a strong nation, will always achieve only victory and glory in their struggle to protect the country’s sovereignty, dignity, security and peace by crushing the imperialists’ persistent hegemonic policy and anti-Russia scheme to isolate and stifle it," the North Korean leader said, as reported by Pyongyang’s state media KCNA. He added that he was extremely satisfied with their "candid, comprehensive" talks during recent visit to Russia’s far east last month. Mr Kim said he is pledging to further develop relations to a "new height". He expressed the “firm belief that the bilateral friendship and solidarity and cooperation, consolidated generation after generation and century after century, will steadily develop onto a new level in the future, too”. Mr Putin also sent a letter to Mr Kim and said their latest meeting was more evidence of developing ties. "I am convinced that to implement the agreements will contribute to further expanding the constructive bilateral cooperation for improving the well-being of the peoples of the two countries and ensuring security and stability in the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia as a whole," the Russian president said. The exchange of letters between the two allies comes nearly a month after Mr Kim made an elaborate six-day visit to Russia, breaking his self-imposed lockdown on foreign visits. Both leaders, united in their fight against the West, discussed military cooperation, a speculated weapons deal and North Korea’s satellite programme. Foreign officials suspected that the North Korean leader was seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost his nuclear programme as recent satellite photos showed a sharp increase in rail traffic along the North Korea-Russia border. A minimum of 73 rail cars with packages covered in tarpaulin left for Russia in the first week of October, sparking wide speculation that North Korea was now aiding Russia in military equipment. Officials in the US and South Korea warned that North Korea and Russia would face consequences if they went ahead with the reported weapons transfer deal in violation with UN Security Council resolutions that ban all weapons trade involving North Korea. Read More US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea as North's leader Kim exchanges messages with Putin Satellite images show spike in border activity as North Korea ‘supplies weapons to Russia’ for Ukraine war A surge in rail traffic on North Korea-Russia border suggests arms supply to Russia, think tank says North Korea vows strong response to Pentagon report that calls it a 'persistent' threat North Korean leader urges greater nuclear weapons production in response to a 'new Cold War'

HANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 19, 2023--

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Having kids is not easy. It requires a huge deal of sacrifice, compromise and patience and can sometimes feel like a pretty thankless task. And yet, not everyone feels comfortable admitting that they’d prefer to avoid such trials and tribulations by simply not becoming a parent. Enter Ellie Gonsalves, an Australian model and influencer who has sparked a fierce internet debate by sharing every single reason why she has chosen to remain “child free”. The L'Oréal ambassador posted her 118-point-long list to Instagram, explaining: “Societal pressure when it comes to this topic are (sic) truly questionable and I believe unfair towards those with differing opinions. “Very rarely do we see a voice in support of this… because let's face it, the public backlash can be too much.” Her arguments against starting a family include the risk that a child can “turn into a rapist”; that “they can poo inside you” and that you are “more susceptible to yeast infections while pregnant”. The full list is as follows: Inevitably, her catalogue proved divisive among readers, with one woman commenting: “Your 'list' on why you don't want kids are (sic) all negative, but how about the positives? The Positives completely outweigh. “Of course, it's a person's choice as to whether they want to be a parent,” she added. “But a lot of your list were (sic) very vain reasons [in my opinion].” Another added: “So much fear. Better not to have kids if that's what you will instil into them anyway. Gosh, so many self-centred people in this world.” However, others defended Gonsalves, with one asking: “Am I seriously reading comments from women who are offended by your decision..? What’s wrong with people?!?!. “It’s 1milliion percent (sic) your choice- end of story. I really don’t understand people sometimes.” And another said: “I’m with you. I’m 40, don’t have kids, and never wanted kids (...) I had a coworker ask me once, ‘If you don’t have kids, who’s going to take care of you when you’re old?’ I remember thinking, (and still do), that that’s a selfish reason to HAVE kids.” In her statement accompanying the list, the 32-year-old said that she had received “hundreds of DMs criticizing me [and telling] me how much of a horrible and broken person that I am.” She insisted that whilst some of the points she included are “satirical”, “many are serious and factual.” She added: “As someone in a 15-year relationship, I have [been asked whether I want kids] for almost that entire time and it’s probably the most frequent [question] I get.” She then said she could count “on one hand” the number of times people posing the question have been respectful and understanding of her views. Still, she stressed that she was glad that her message had resonated with so many women. “It's been nice to read hundreds of comments from people who feel seen, people who have also had uncomfortable moments where others have questioned their choice and all that has done is made them feel awful or uncomfortable,” she told Mamamia. She also said that the fury her list had provoked simply reinforced her argument. “People are sold a certain life,” she noted. “And when they witness others choosing a different path, the frustration lies within themselves.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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