A spokesperson for St Helens Borough Council said they are "delighted" and described The K's as "one of the North's fastest rising indie bands of 2023".

Source: https://www.liverpoolworld.uk/news/headline-act-for-st-helens-christmas-lights-switch-on-announced-4408374

Barrington's Sarah Sarnowski controls the ball against St. Charles North's Abby Sims in the Class 3A supersectional girls soccer final in Barrington on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.

Source: https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20230530/girls-soccer-barringtons-offensive-onslaught-too-much-for-st-charles-north-in-supersectional-libertyville-also-state-bound

But it is likely be the North's second attempt to put a spy satellite into space.

Source: https://phys.org/news/2023-08-north-korea-rocket-2nd-spy.html

Carlton spearhead Harry McKay received a one-match ban for a high bump on North's Harry Sheezel.

Source: https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/afl/snapshot-for-round-four-of-the-afl-season-c-10306149

Councillors have voted against supporting Trains North's call to reinstate the rail line between Armidale and Wallangarra.

Source: https://www.gleninnesexaminer.com.au/story/8460880/glen-innes-council-votes-down-support-for-rail-line-reinstatement/?src=rss

In another sign of the North's post-pandemic opening, KCNA said Saturday that a team of North Korean athletes departed from Pyongyang to participate in the Asian Games starting next week in Hangzhou, China.

Source: https://www.startribune.com/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-inspects-russian-bombers-and-a-warship-on-a-visit-to-russias-far-east/600305080/

Kim reached an "important conclusion on further stepping up the war preparations of the KPA in an offensive way," KCNA reported, referring to the North's military.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20230810-north-korean-leader-kim-dismisses-top-general-calls-for-war-preparations

Kim Yo Jong, one of her brother's top foreign policy officials, claimed that the U.S. spy plane reached into the North's eastern exclusive economic zone eight times Monday.

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/north-korean-leaders-powerful-sister-warplanes-repelled-us-101008300

Nuclear envoys of South Korea, the US and Japan held a phone call on Wednesday to strongly condemn the North's missile launch as a serious provocation that can "never be justified," Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/north-korea-fires-long-range-missile-ahead-south-korea-japan-meeting-3622616?cid=cna_flip_070214

St. Charles North's Daniel Connolly (10) tries to slip past Batavia's Jacob Aseltine (2) on a drive to the basket during a DuKane Conference game in Batavia on Wednesday, Jan.

Source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/sports/ct-abn-bbk-stcn-btv-st-0113-20230112-vuz4g5tuxzdrdjywn4e7drikde-story.html

St. Charles North's Kara Claussner (0) makes a save against Wheaton Warrenville South during the Class 3A girls soccer regional final at St. Charles North High School on Friday, May 19, 2023.

Source: https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20230519/girls-soccer-najera-st-charles-north-win-20th-consecutive-regional-title-in-2-0-win-over-wheaton-warrenville-south

The Israel-Hamas war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine also cast a shadow over Monday's meeting amid Pyongyang's growing military cooperation with Moscow and questions about the North's support for Hamas militants.

Source: https://gazette.com/news/us-world/us-south-korea-revise-deterrence-strategy-boost-drills-over-north-korea-threat/article_8b1e1104-61f1-5195-93de-d1e9f44cd408.html

The North's defence ministry also said several U.S. spy aircraft have entered its airspace this year, including an Air Force plane flying off its east coast several times last week.

Source: https://www.aol.com/news/factbox-whats-behind-north-koreas-072709588.html