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UK economic crisis

A new poll shows more than half of Britons do not want to pay for the upcoming coronation of King Charles the Third. The poll results show 51 percent of responders believe the ceremony should not be funded by taxpayers, and only 32 percent say it should. The coronation is set to start on May 6, with churchly ceremonies and concerts among others. The government is yet to disclose the cost of the event, but it is predicted to run into tens of millions of pounds. The ceremony comes as the UK in grappling with a cost-of-living crisis and wide-ranging strikes by employees across the public and private sectors. The country will also get an extra bank holiday on May 8, which has an additional economic cost. Britain is currently facing an inflation unprecedented in decades.

Korean peninsula tensions

The North Korean leader has ordered the country’s officials to launch its first surveillance satellite as planned. Kim Jong Un’s order came amid Pyongyang’s simmering tensions with the United States and South Korea. He described boosting North Korea’s reconnaissance capabilities as a key priority to counter threats from Washington and Seoul. Kim was visiting the country’s national space development agency on Tuesday. Pyongyang conducted what it called an important and final phase test for the development of a surveillance satellite in December, saying it would complete launching by April. On Friday, the North tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. Pyongyang is angry over back-to-back joint war games by Washington and its regional allies on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea considers such drills rehearsals for invasion of its territory.

US spying on allies

The Mexican president has strongly criticized the US for spying on his country’s armed forces, following a recent leak of the Pentagon’s highly sensitive documents. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would begin classifying information related to the Mexican armed forces to protect the country's national security. He has also described the US intelligence activities as "an abusive, overbearing intrusion that should not be accepted under any circumstance". Obrador’s comments came after US media reported on apparent tensions between Mexico's Navy and the Army, citing the Pentagon’s leaked documents. The Pentagon has called the leak a deliberate, criminal act. A young American airman has been charged with leaking those documents.

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