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A soldier rams his head through a stack of hard tiles. Another stands unfazed as others smash his arm, thigh and head with wooden bars. A​ shirtless commando lies on broken glass with a thick slab of granite on his belly that is smashed with a hammer.

North Korea has nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles and even hypersonic missiles. But the country has yet to retire scenes of brawny men performing stunts as part of its military propaganda designed to whip up national pride and instill fear in its enemies.

When the North held one of its ​biggest exhibitions of missiles and other weapons Monday, the show also featured gung-ho military masculinity with a special demonstration by soldiers who have been trained to do the unthinkable.

In one instance, soldiers placed their forearms or hands on stacks of gray roof tiles, which their colleagues broke by smashing the soldiers’ limbs.

“If the enemy dares to encroach upon our land, these soldiers will turn into cast-iron fists and lightning-speed monsters to protect the peace of the motherland,” a female announcer said on the North’s state-run TV broadcast of the demonstration.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kim-jong-un-spotted-smiling-and-clapping-as-soldiers-lie-on-bed-of-nails-420694">Also read |&nbsp;Kim Jong Un spotted smiling and clapping as soldiers lie on bed of nails</a>

The crowd cheered, and the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, sat grinning in the stands as others vigorously clapped. His sister, Kim Yo Jong, who is said to ​lead the country’s propaganda efforts, stood behind him, looking on proudly.

The Kim family has ruled North Korea since the country was founded at the end of World War II. ​Its enormous, state-run propaganda machine permeates ​the lives of all North Koreans, filling every book, film and work of art produced in the country. And it has never been known for its subtlety.

In the Arirang Mass Games, thousands of meticulously trained schoolchildren and soldiers are mobilised to fill Pyongyang’s May Day stadium, performing synchronised dances as they flip color cards to make gigantic signs with slogans of loyalty to Kim.

But it is North Korea’s military stunts that often earn attention on the internet. The demonstrations include a mix of taekwondo​ and performances by “charyeoksa,” the word used to describe itinerant Koreans who used to roam the countryside as part of a traveling circus, showing off their superhuman strength​.

The old circus performers attracted crowds through their perilous feats, such as driving nails into wood with a head butt or bending a steel rod with ​their bare neck, as the North Korean soldiers did for Kim on Monday.

During the Cold War, when the militaries of South Korea and North Korea had few sophisticated weapons but plenty of mutual enmity, both countries would stage martial art demonstrations​ as morale boosters. South Korea has mostly abandoned the demonstrations as its military modernised, occasionally staging them during Armed Forces Day.

In the North, ​kick-and-smash displays of military power remain a favorite genre of propaganda.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/californias-alisal-fire-continues-to-burn-14500-acres-420718">Also read |&nbsp;California's Alisal fire continues to burn 14,500-acres</a>

​Kim was so proud of his military stunt squads that he invited China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and his wife to a performance when the couple visited Pyongyang in 2019. When the North wanted to show its displeasure in 2012 after former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak stopped inter-Korean trade in response to the North’s nuclear weapons development, it released footage of commandos throwing hand axes and knives at Lee’s name.

These demonstrations are usually performed by members of the elite units assigned to protect Pyongyang, ​Kim and his safe houses and villas around the country. They are called “human rifles and bombs” for the North Korean leader. The same unit of soldiers arrested Jang Song Thaek, Kim’s uncle, when he was executed on charges of treason and corruption in 2013.

“It is said in the North that each of these soldiers is trained to fight and beat as many as 10 men at the same time in a hand-to-hand battle,” said An Chan-il, a North Korean defector. ​But like North Korean children mobilized to perform countless hours of practice for the Arirang Mass Games, the North Korean soldiers behind these stunts put themselves at great risk.

Choi Won-young, a taekwondo master in South Korea, broke a stack of granite slabs with a head butt during Korea’s Got Talent, a television program, in 2019. During the show, he warned the audience not to try it at home: “When the slabs are not broken through, you blackout and then regain consciousness.”

A soldier rams his head through a stack of hard tiles. Another stands unfazed as others smash his arm, thigh and head with wooden bars. A shirtless commando lies on broken glass with a thick slab of granite on his belly that is smashed with a hammer.

A soldier rams his head through a stack of hard tiles. Another stands unfazed as others smash his arm, thigh and head with wooden bars. A shirtless commando lies on broken glass with a thick slab of granite on his belly that is smashed with a hammer. North Korea has nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles and even hypersonic missiles. But the country has yet to retire scenes of brawny men performing stunts as part of its military propaganda designed to whip up national pride and instill fear in its enemies. When the North held one of its biggest exhibitions of missiles and other weapons Monday, the show also featured gung-ho military masculinity with a special demonstration by soldiers who have been trained to do the unthinkable. In one instance, soldiers placed their forearms or hands on stacks of gray roof tiles, which their colleagues broke by smashing the soldiers’ limbs. “If the enemy dares to encroach upon our land, these soldiers will turn into cast-iron fists and lightning-speed monsters to protect the peace of the motherland,” a female announcer said on the North’s state-run TV broadcast of the demonstration. Also read | Kim Jong Un spotted smiling and clapping as soldiers lie on bed of nails The crowd cheered, and the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, sat grinning in the stands as others vigorously clapped. His sister, Kim Yo Jong, who is said to lead the country’s propaganda efforts, stood behind him, looking on proudly. The Kim family has ruled North Korea since the country was founded at the end of World War II. Its enormous, state-run propaganda machine permeates the lives of all North Koreans, filling every book, film and work of art produced in the country. And it has never been known for its subtlety. In the Arirang Mass Games, thousands of meticulously trained schoolchildren and soldiers are mobilised to fill Pyongyang’s May Day stadium, performing synchronised dances as they flip color cards to make gigantic signs with slogans of loyalty to Kim. But it is North Korea’s military stunts that often earn attention on the internet. The demonstrations include a mix of taekwondo and performances by “charyeoksa,” the word used to describe itinerant Koreans who used to roam the countryside as part of a traveling circus, showing off their superhuman strength. The old circus performers attracted crowds through their perilous feats, such as driving nails into wood with a head butt or bending a steel rod with their bare neck, as the North Korean soldiers did for Kim on Monday. During the Cold War, when the militaries of South Korea and North Korea had few sophisticated weapons but plenty of mutual enmity, both countries would stage martial art demonstrations as morale boosters. South Korea has mostly abandoned the demonstrations as its military modernised, occasionally staging them during Armed Forces Day. In the North, kick-and-smash displays of military power remain a favorite genre of propaganda. Also read | California's Alisal fire continues to burn 14,500-acres Kim was so proud of his military stunt squads that he invited China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and his wife to a performance when the couple visited Pyongyang in 2019. When the North wanted to show its displeasure in 2012 after former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak stopped inter-Korean trade in response to the North’s nuclear weapons development, it released footage of commandos throwing hand axes and knives at Lee’s name. These demonstrations are usually performed by members of the elite units assigned to protect Pyongyang, Kim and his safe houses and villas around the country. They are called “human rifles and bombs” for the North Korean leader. The same unit of soldiers arrested Jang Song Thaek, Kim’s uncle, when he was executed on charges of treason and corruption in 2013. “It is said in the North that each of these soldiers is trained to fight and beat as many as 10 men at the same time in a hand-to-hand battle,” said An Chan-il, a North Korean defector. But like North Korean children mobilized to perform countless hours of practice for the Arirang Mass Games, the North Korean soldiers behind these stunts put themselves at great risk. Choi Won-young, a taekwondo master in South Korea, broke a stack of granite slabs with a head butt during Korea’s Got Talent, a television program, in 2019. During the show, he warned the audience not to try it at home: “When the slabs are not broken through, you blackout and then regain consciousness.”

North Korea’s mightiest weapons? Nukes and shirtless men on broken glass

Heightened activity in the brain, caused by stressful events, is linked to the risk of developing a rare and sometimes fatal heart condition, a new study suggests.&nbsp;

The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found the greater the activity in nerve cells in the amygdala region of the brain, the sooner the condition known as Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) can develop.&nbsp;

"The study suggests that the increased stress-associated neurobiological activity in the amygdala, which is present years before TTS occurs, may play an important role in its development and may predict the timing of the syndrome," said researcher Ahmed Tawakol from the Massachusetts General Hospital in the US.&nbsp;

TTS, also known as 'broken heart' syndrome, is characterised by a sudden temporary weakening of the heart muscles that causes the left ventricle of the heart to balloon out at the bottom while the neck remains narrow, creating a shape resembling a Japanese octopus trap, from which it gets its name.&nbsp;

Since this relatively rare condition was first described in 1990, evidence has suggested that it is typically triggered by episodes of severe emotional distress, such as grief, anger or fear, or reactions to happy or joyful events.&nbsp;

Patients develop chest pain and breathlessness, and it can lead to heart attacks and death. TTS is more common in women with only 10 per cent of cases occurring in men.&nbsp;

The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls emotions, motivation, learning and memory. It is also involved in the control of the autonomic nervous system and regulating heart function.&nbsp;

For the study, the team involved 104 participants patients had undergone PET-CT scans between 2005 and 2019.&nbsp;

The researchers matched 41 people, who went on to develop TTS between six months and five years after the scan with 63 who did not. The interval between the scan, the onset of TTs, last follow-up or death was an average (median) of 2.5 years for the 104 patients.&nbsp;

The researchers found that people who went on to develop TTS had higher stress-related amygdalar activity on initial scanning (measured as a ratio of amygdalar activity to activity of brain regions that counter stress) compared to individuals who did not subsequently develop TTS.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;&nbsp;

Heightened activity in the brain, caused by stressful events, is linked to the risk of developing a rare and sometimes fatal heart condition, a new study suggests.

Heightened activity in the brain, caused by stressful events, is linked to the risk of developing a rare and sometimes fatal heart condition, a new study suggests. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found the greater the activity in nerve cells in the amygdala region of the brain, the sooner the condition known as Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) can develop. "The study suggests that the increased stress-associated neurobiological activity in the amygdala, which is present years before TTS occurs, may play an important role in its development and may predict the timing of the syndrome," said researcher Ahmed Tawakol from the Massachusetts General Hospital in the US. TTS, also known as 'broken heart' syndrome, is characterised by a sudden temporary weakening of the heart muscles that causes the left ventricle of the heart to balloon out at the bottom while the neck remains narrow, creating a shape resembling a Japanese octopus trap, from which it gets its name. Since this relatively rare condition was first described in 1990, evidence has suggested that it is typically triggered by episodes of severe emotional distress, such as grief, anger or fear, or reactions to happy or joyful events. Patients develop chest pain and breathlessness, and it can lead to heart attacks and death. TTS is more common in women with only 10 per cent of cases occurring in men. The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls emotions, motivation, learning and memory. It is also involved in the control of the autonomic nervous system and regulating heart function. For the study, the team involved 104 participants patients had undergone PET-CT scans between 2005 and 2019. The researchers matched 41 people, who went on to develop TTS between six months and five years after the scan with 63 who did not. The interval between the scan, the onset of TTs, last follow-up or death was an average (median) of 2.5 years for the 104 patients. The researchers found that people who went on to develop TTS had higher stress-related amygdalar activity on initial scanning (measured as a ratio of amygdalar activity to activity of brain regions that counter stress) compared to individuals who did not subsequently develop TTS. (With inputs from agencies)

Stressed brain linked to broken heart syndrome: Study 

Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Thursday that the rupee was "broken".&nbsp;

The rupee hit a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/rupee-continues-slide-against-dollar-hits-new-low-7377-169314">new low of 73.77 against the dollar</a> on Thursday.&nbsp;

The rupee has also been Asia's worst-performing currency this year, losing over 14% in value in 2018.&nbsp;

"#Breaking: Rupee slips to 73.77. It's not breaking - it's Broken," Gandhi tweeted on Thursday.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Breaking?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Breaking</a>: Rupee slips to 73.77 
 
It's not breaking - it's Broken.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rupee?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rupee</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1047728951563575296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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There is a certain irony to Gandhi pointing out the rupee's current slide. Before the 2014 general elections, the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi had often pointed out the same thing to the then prime minister Manmohan Singh.&nbsp;

There are a number of reasons for the rupee's current freefall.&nbsp;

The prices of crude have in general been rising — petrol in Mumbai is selling at over Rs 90 a litre; there have also been fears that crude oil prices could sometime soon touch $100 a barrel — &nbsp;and the US has been putting pressure on countries to stop buying oil from Iran.

India gets a chunk of its oil from Iran.&nbsp;

The rupee has also been rattled by the trade war started by Trump with China.&nbsp;

And China's yuan has fallen in recent months, leading to a dollar flight from developing economies, all of which make the dollar dearer, and the rupee less so.&nbsp;

Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Thursday that the rupee was "broken". The rupee hit a new low of 73.77 against the dollar on Thursday. The rupee has also been Asia's worst-performing currency this year, losing over 14% in value in 2018.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Thursday that the rupee was "broken". The rupee hit a new low of 73.77 against the dollar on Thursday. The rupee has also been Asia's worst-performing currency this year, losing over 14% in value in 2018. "#Breaking: Rupee slips to 73.77. It's not breaking - it's Broken," Gandhi tweeted on Thursday. #Breaking: Rupee slips to 73.77 It's not breaking - it's Broken.#Rupee — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 4, 2018 × There is a certain irony to Gandhi pointing out the rupee's current slide. Before the 2014 general elections, the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi had often pointed out the same thing to the then prime minister Manmohan Singh. There are a number of reasons for the rupee's current freefall. The prices of crude have in general been rising — petrol in Mumbai is selling at over Rs 90 a litre; there have also been fears that crude oil prices could sometime soon touch $100 a barrel — and the US has been putting pressure on countries to stop buying oil from Iran. India gets a chunk of its oil from Iran. The rupee has also been rattled by the trade war started by Trump with China. And China's yuan has fallen in recent months, leading to a dollar flight from developing economies, all of which make the dollar dearer, and the rupee less so.

It's not breaking - it's broken: Rahul Gandhi on rupee's freefall

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