‘I thought it was very, very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing it.’

While Xi and Putin blabbered about immortality, Kim appeared to be smiling and enjoying the parade.

Kim Jong-un’s daughter – often seen as the frontrunner to become North Korea’s next leader – has made her international debut.

The dictator and his daughter Kim Ju-ae arrived in China’s capital of Beijing last night for the military parade in Tienanmen Square today.

Her presence is a big deal – considering that until three years ago, she had not been publicly introduced.

But the North Korean leader may be looking to present the teenager to his allies as his successor for when he eventually decides to step down.

After the special train carrying ​Kim’s entourage pulled into Beijing Railway Station,​ Ju-ae stood close to him as he was greeted by Chinese officials​, according to photos released by North Korean state media.

It is the first known international appearance by the girl, who has attended multiple weapons tests in North Korea alongside her father.

In fact, Ju-ae was first introduced into the world when she accompanied him to the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

But it was the former American NBA star Dennis Rodman who first slipped up about her existence after travelling to the recluse nation.

According to Rodman, during his 2013 visit to Pyongyang, Kim introduced him to his wife Ri Sol Ju and a baby girl, saying ‘that’s my daughter.’

State media have never identified her by name, but South Korean intelligence says she is Ju-ae, the daughter of Kim and his wife, who they believe married in 2009.

In recent years, North Korean state media have referred to her as the ‘the beloved child,’ or ‘the esteemed child’.

Also in state media, North Korean adults have been shown bowing deeply before her.

At recent public appearances, she has often walked ahead of both her aunt – powerful regime spokeswoman Kim Yo Jong – and mother, linking arms with her father, whispering to him, and holding hands.

South Korean analysts have said that Kim appears to be grooming her as an heir.

But others disagree, citing his relative young age – just 41 – and the extremely male-dominated nature of North Korea’s power hierarchy.

Since its foundation in 1948, the country has been successively ruled by male members of the Kim family: Kim’s father Kim Jong Il and his grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung.

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Kim Jong-un’s paranoia was on full display after a meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of China’s World War II military parade.

Even surrounded by allies, like the Russian president, North Korea’s leader is going to extraordinary lengths to protect himself while travelling abroad.

Footage shared on a Russian Telegram channel showed staff ‘destroying’ all traces that the dictator had attended the bilateral talks in Beijing. 

They were seen taking away the glass he drank from and vigorously wiping down his seat and every part of furniture he had touched with wet wipes.

The most colourful explanation to the weird behaviour is Kim’s persecution complex.

Whatever the exact reason, the leader has long feared high-ranking traitors and defectors, and has faced multiple assassination plots – one allegedly organised by the CIA.

Less than a year ago, in October, the South Korean National Intelligence Service told parliament that Kim’s security detail had expanded its efforts to protect him, including by using communication-jamming devices and drone detection equipment.

The spy agency did not cite a specific threat against Kim – but noted that despite threats to his safety, he has been making more frequent public appearances.

In his own country, his appearances are normally carefully managed, with any foreigners present forced to go through hours-long security checks beforehand.

The exact security operation around Kim’s trip to Beijing remains veiled, but it is expected that he is flanked by security at all times.

Joined by Putin, he travelled from a formal reception to the negotiations in the same car, the Kremlin said in a post on social media.

After a bilateral meeting between Russian and North Korean delegations, the two leaders held a one-on-one meeting. 

Putin also invited Kim to visit Russia again, following on from the North Korean leader’s last visit to the country in 2023.

Speaking in front of journalists as the talks began, Putin praised the bravery and heroism of North Korean soldiers who fought alongside his own troops to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region.

According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last year.

It has also sent large quantities of military equipment, including ballistic missiles and artillery, to help fuel Putin’s three-year invasion of Ukraine.

In his opening remarks, Kim said that cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has ‘significantly strengthened’ since the two countries signed a strategic partnership pact in June last year during a summit in the North Korean capital.

Although he did not specifically mention the war, Kim stressed that ‘if there is anything I can do for you and the people of Russia, if there is more that needs to be done, I will consider it as a fraternal duty, an obligation that we surely need to bear, and will be prepared to do everything possible to help.’

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New nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), giant underwater drones and laser weapons have been unveiled in China’s military parade today in a show of strength against the West.

China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un grinned as the weapons were being displayed during the commemoration of the end of World War II in Beijing.

This is the Chinese leader’s third parade on Tienanmen Square – equaling the total of his three immediate predecessors – so he has proven that he knows how to throw on a good spectacle for other authoritarians.

Much of the weaponry and equipment in the parade is being shown to the public for the first time, according to Chinese media.

One of them is the DF-5C, a new variant of the Dongfeng-5 nuclear ICBM, which is carrying as many as 12 warheads.

It is a two-stage missile that uses liquid fuel, which means its trajectory is propelled by two consecutive rocket stages, each with its own engine.

The missile is capable of striking targets across the globe, including the Western Europe and mainland America.

Hypersonic anti-ship missiles – which China has previously tested against mock-ups of US aircraft carriers – were also paraded.

Those included the Yingji-19, Yingji-17 and Yingji-20.

Multiple other cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles – some equipped with ‘all-weather combat capabilities’ – were shown off as well.

The parade featured drones that can operate underwater and in the air, as well as unmanned helicopters designed to be launched from ships.

The AJX002 underwater drone was a standout.

With a long, black tube-shaped craft, it looks like a narrow submarine with a rear propeller.

The sea-based systems included submarines, surface vessels and a mine-laying system.

Another anticipated weapon was also unveiled – the LY-1 laser, which was mounted on top of an eight-wheeler HZ-155 armoured truck.

As Metro reported yesterday, this is billed to be the ‘world’s most powerful laser defence system’.

Marching in the parade were the traditional People’s Liberation Army (PLA) units from the navy and army, but also new ones like the cyberspace unit.

The new unit is in charge of cybersecurity defense measures, according to the official Xinhua news agency, and also participated in live-fire drills.

Another debut was the information support force, created in 2024 to build network information systems to support military combat readiness.

This is the first major military parade in the People’s Republic since 2019 on the 70th anniversary of the founding of communist China.

Yet, for many in the West, the defining image of the grand show of military might is not the parade of nuclear missiles, stealth fighter jets, or drones.

It is the sight of Xi, Putin and Kim standing side by side, smiling and joking in an unprecedented show of solidarity against the West.

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Rehearsals for the event in Beijing showed the new weapon mounted on an eight-wheeled truck (Picture: X)

A new weapon dubbed ‘the most powerful laser air defence system in the world’ is expected to be unveiled in China tomorrow…

Big smiles, hearty laughs, warm hugs…

The atmosphere at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China feels more like a school reunion, where old classmates compare how much weight they have put on.

Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi – who represent the top three largest powers not aligned with the West – are shown joking like friends as they greet each other at the event earlier today.

It starts with Russia’s president and India’s prime minister holding hands and walking into a meeting hall filled with other world leaders. 

They head straight for China’s president Xi Jinping, enthusiastically shake hands and form a close circle.

In his remarks to open the talks, Modi then describes the partnership with Russia as ‘special and privileged.’ 

And Putin them addresses Modi as a ‘dear friend’ and hails Russia’s ties with India as special, friendly and trusting.

As intended, this anti-Western coalition – dubbed the ‘axis of upheaval’ – appears united to offer an alternative world order, challenging the US.

Keir Giles, a leading analyst on European defence and Russia at Chatham House in London, told Metro that the relationships on display are ‘a visual reminder of the way alliances have formed in the global confrontation.’

He added: ‘The coalition that stands against the liberal democracies has a mutual understanding, which is far more developed and purposeful than that of the group of Western democracies, which are still floundering on how to defend themselves.

‘To some extent, it does represent a broad consensus about how the world should be run – and it is a very different consensus to the one that prevails in Europe and in other Western democracies.’

What Giles thought was ‘most disturbing’ is the way this close relationship on display between Russia and China was ‘mimicked’ by Donald Trump during the summit in Alaska earlier in August.

He explained: ‘Trump also welcomed Putin as though he was greeting an overlord rather than dealing with a pariah state that is vastly weaker that his own.

‘The Alaska Summit is a confirmation that the US’ place in the coalition of democracies is no longer assured.

‘The way in which the US has been so eager to pursue Russia’s desired policies with regards to Ukraine and elsewhere is not a surprise, but still seems to shock to Europe and other democracies around the world.’

The SCO, set up in 2001, is the successor to the Shanghai Five, a grouping of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, set up in 1996.

It now also includes India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus and Uzbekistan. It is aimed at strengthening relations among member states and promoting cooperation in political affairs, economics, and trade.

Xi told the SCO leaders that the global international situation is becoming more ‘chaotic and intertwined’.

The Chinese leader also slammed the ‘bullying behaviour’ from certain countries – a veiled reference to the US.

He added: ‘The security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging.

‘With the world undergoing turbulence and transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spirit…and better perform the functions of the organisation.’

Putin used his speech to defend his invasion of Ukraine, blaming the West for triggering the three-and-a-half year war.

He warned: ‘This crisis was not triggered by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West.

‘The second reason for the crisis is the West’s constant attempts to drag Ukraine into Nato.’

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The country is reportedly considering asking another country to take over the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

It’s the latest in a string of bridge collapses in China.

It’s the latest in a string of bridge collapses in China.

The country is reportedly considering asking another country to take over the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

The brand has faced severe backlash over the ad.

The Philippine coast guard released a video taken by one of its vessels.

A sanitation worker sprays insecticide to prevent the spread of Chikungunya in Dongguan, Guangdong Province of China (Picture: Getty)

Soldiers in protective equipment spraying plumes of disinfectant into the air. Drones roaring overhead. Q…

‘All the threats we face today are far worse than in the past.’

There is ‘widespread Chinese Communist Party influence, interference and harassment’, a report claims.

A knifeman went on a rampage at a primary school in southern China, leaving children on the floor in pools of blood.

Multiple travel alerts have been issued to British citizens after Russia’s Far East was rattled by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake, resulting in tsunami waves as high as 13 feet.

Travellers in a dozen countries – the US, Canada, Philippines, Taiwan, China, Tonga, Togo, New Zealand, Ecuador, Solomon Islands, Peru, Samoa, Japan, Kiribati, Costa Rica, French Polynesia and Chile – have been urged to follow ‘local advice’ as evacuations are ongoing.

Follow the latest updates on the earthquake on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula with Metro’s live blog

In Japan alone, nearly two million people have been rushed to safety from coastal areas in the north, with the meteorological agency confirming that sections of the east coast of Hokkaido and main island Honshu had seen waves of up to one metre in height.

Part of Shinkansen bullet train service has also been temporarily axed dueto the warnings.

What is the UK Foreign Office advice?

The UK Foreign Office said: ‘An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.7 has struck the eastern coast of Russia in the Kamchatka Peninsula region. A tsunami threat message has been issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

‘If you are in the affected areas potentially affected by the earthquake or tsunami you should follow the advice of the local authorities.’

But the FCDO has stopped short of actually warning against travel to any of the affected regions following the earthquake – apart from Russia, but the country has been on Britain’s ‘no-go’ list since the early days of the war in Ukraine.

The advice was released in the early hours of the mornings, and so far the government has not updated it.

So no areas in Japan, the US or Hawaii, for example, were deemed ‘unsafe’ because of the tsunami – but people have still been urged not to travel.

Are there any disruptions to flights?

In the hours after the earthquake – and the multiple tremors that followed – hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal areas, with some of them trying to make a run for airports.

While some tsunami warnings have been downgraded and alerts dropped, as many as hundreds of flights have been cancelled.

Guangzhou Baiyun, Shanghai Pudong and Shenzhen Bao’an International Airports in China, Sendai Airport in Japan,Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Indonesia and the Las Vegas Airport in the US have all been graded five – the maximum in FlightRadar’s disruption index, indicating major problems.

Pictures showed dozens of travellers waiting for updates after their flights were cancelled.

All flights out of Maui Airport were also stopped for the night, with more than 200 people left sheltering at the departure lounge.

Is the ‘worst’ over?

So far, the impact of the tsunami has not been as destructive as expected.

Chip McCreery, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Director, stressed the ‘worst part of it’ is over.

Yet, South American nations like Chile and Colombia are bracing for the threat.

Chile has upgraded its tsunami warning to the highest level, covering most of its lengthy Pacific coast.

The country’s national emergency service said it was evacuating hundreds of people and school was cancelled along much of the coast.

Similarly, Colombia has issued tsunami alerts and warnings for the areas of Choco and Narino, and for Cauca and Valle del Cauca respectively.

The country’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said: ‘Preemptive evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas on the coasts of Narino and Choco is recommended. 

‘Go to high ground and away from the coast.’

Meanwhile, the Washington branch of the US National Weather Service said coastal areas west of Seattle were still seeing severe waves.

It asked people not to travel to the shores to watch the waves, and instead ‘keep away.’

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A map shows where the warning and other alerts for tsunami are in the Pacific (Picture: Metro)

A map shows the epicentre of one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, along with large parts of the Pacific Ocean now under tsunami w…

The officials were shocked at what they found.

The officials were shocked at what they found.

A TV show centring around a Chinese invasion is hitting a little too close to home in Taiwan.

On the surface, ‘Zero Day Attack’ could be just another Hollywood thriller – air-raid sirens blasting, explosions ripping through buildings and swarms of military jets deployed – but this is a scenario people are actually preparing for.

Taiwan, a self-governed democracy of 23.3 million people, has lived under the shadow of China’s threat for many years.

The Communist Party claims the country as part of its own territory and its imperialistic rhetoric has only grown more aggressive in the last decade.

The government has previously declared it is ‘ready to fight at all times’ as it concluded a military drill in the Taiwanese waters in 2023.

This is why the 17-minute trailer has raised further alarm in Taiwan. Even the name, ‘Zero Day Attack’, refers to exploiting an unknown vulnerability, meaning that the target has no time to prepare or defend against it.

Set to premier on Saturday, the show starts with a Chinese war plane going missing near Taiwan.

China then sends swarms of military boats and jets for a blockade as the island goes on a war footing. Panic ensues on the streets of the capital, Taipei.

After watching the first episode in the Taipei premier last week, Blair Yeh, a 35-year-old engineer, said: ‘Presenting such a situation (of conflict) can lead to more discussion about what we should do if it really turns into reality one day.’

A war with China has long been a too sensitive of a topic for the nation.

For example, this has resulted in more than half of the show’s crew asking to remain anonymous on the crew list, and some people including a director pulling out of the production at the last minute, showrunner Cheng Hsin Mei said.

‘Zero Day Attack’ is being released as China has stepped up its military preparedness – including at least six rounds of major war games in the past five years and daily military activities close to the island.

This threat is felt in Europe as well.

Only yesterday UK defence secretary John Healey confirmed that Britain is ready to fight in the Pacific if a conflict breaks out over Taiwan.

Speaking on board the HMS Prince of Wales, alongside Richard Marles, the Australian deputy prime minister, he told The Telegraph: ‘If we have to fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the UK are nations that will fight together.

‘We exercise together and by exercising together and being more ready to fight, we deter better together.’

But Healey later admitted that he was speaking in ‘general terms’, and said the UK would prefer to see any disputes in the Indo-Pacific resolved ‘peacefully’ and ‘diplomatically’.

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Jurassic Park would certainly sound different.

Black aspin Moana somehow escaped after the huge rock crushed her cage outside the house in Benguet province in the Philippines.

Ekranoplan – a cross between a ship and an airplane – sits unfinished in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or even a ship? No – it is something much more sinister.

Roaring just feet above the sea, a sp…