North Korean officials seek medicine for Kim’s health problems related to obesity, Seoul says

North Korean officials seek medicine for Kim’s health problems related to obesity, Seoul says

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has regained weight and appears to have obesity-related health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and his officials are looking for new medicines abroad to treat them, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Monday.

The 40-year-old Kim, known for heavy drinking and smoking, comes from a family with a history of heart problems. Both his father and grandfather, who ruled North Korea before his 2011 inheritance of power, died of heart issues.

Some observers said Kim, who is about 170 centimeters (5 feet, 7 inches) tall and previously weighed 140 kilograms (308 pounds), appeared to have lost a large amount of weight in 2021, likely from changing his diet. But recent state media footage show he has regained the weight.

On Monday, the National Intelligence Service, South Korea’s main spy agency, told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that Kim is estimated to weigh about 140 kilograms (308 pounds) again and is in a high-risk group for heart disease, according to Lee Seong Kweun, one of the lawmakers.

Gillingham outlines big plan for Seine River in a second-term as mayor

Scott Gillingham promises to turn the Seine River into a permanent recreation and nature attraction, if re-elected as mayor.

At a riverside campaign announcement Friday, Gillingham said a long-term plan would be to create Rivière-Seine Historic Municipal Riverway encompassing the entire Winnipeg section of the Seine, building on past volunteer efforts to clean up the river and make it a paddle-friendly attraction.

The Seine, which winds through St. Boniface and St. Vital, originates in the Sandilands Provincial Forest, passes through southeastern Manitoba, crosses the Red River Floodway and joins the Red River in St. Boniface just north of The Forks.

“What we want to do, really, is to establish the permanence of this river and allow its beauty and the opportunity to enjoy it, to be something that we don’t just leave to volunteers alone, but come together and focus on establishing it as, really, a place that gets focused attention and investment,” said Gillingham.

Crusaders football celebrates 95th anniversary

Few understand better than Stacy Dainard how steeped the St. Paul’s High School football program is in history.

The head coach of the Crusaders’ varsity team for the last 25 years has watched the institution’s presence on the gridiron blossom over four decades since he donned the maroon and white as a player from 1984-87.

Dainard figures he will harken back to those days more this weekend when a flock of Crusaders alumni from across the country gather to commemorate the football program’s 95th anniversary.

“We were a competitive team. We had some very committed coaches and some very committed student-athletes,” said Dainard, who reached the provincial championship in each of his first three seasons as a student-athlete. “It was a good time. Football wasn’t as big as it is now, or at least high school football wasn’t as big as it is now. But it was a very competitive league.”

Court hears woman’s statement detailing pain, trauma after boyfriend shot her in the face

A.W. thought she had found love with Machuor Akau.

That was before Akau put a loaded Luger handgun to the 26-year-old woman’s head last November and told her he should “kill her now.”

Akau shot her, shattering her jaw and embedding teeth in the bones of her mouth and leaving her fighting for her life.

Now A.W. wakes up every morning in pain and sees the scars on her face and neck.

Flop wedge needed at Phantom Lake Golf Club

In a remote land of spruce, ptarmigan and rock, Flintabbatey Flonatin — an adventurer exploring the depths of Phantom Lake with his little submarine — discovered an underwater treasure trove of minerals. Once word spread among the prospecting community, the miners came, and the head frame of Flin Flon was born.

Now, that’s not exactly how The Sunless City novel reads, and Phantom Lake is actually in Saskatchewan, but my re-interpretation connects the dots enough to introducing Flin Flon’s links.

Phantom Lake Golf Club does not technically reside in Flin Flon, but rather in its twin community, Creighton, Sask. Indeed, as soon as you cross the border, you immediately turn south for a couple of clicks to the shores of Phantom Lake.

The very old river-stone clubhouse is up the hill from the parking lot. Folks with movement challenges might want to send the young bucks ahead to get the rental cart and bring it back to the parking lot to collect you and your sticks.

Concrete doc befits brutalist Winnipeg

Moviegoers across North America are pounding the pavement and lining up around the block to see The History of Concrete, small-screen documentarian John Wilson’s feature-length debut.