North Korea Threats, France's Farming Crisis: The Week in Pictures, April 8-14

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North Korea's threats, France's farming crisis and more in the week in pictures.
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North Korea Threats, France's Farming Crisis: The Week in Pictures, April 8-14 Damir Sagolj/Reuters

It was a fraught week. Nuclear tensions rose in North Korea and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's ignorant comments about Adolf Hitler floored the press pool.

Meanwhile, farmers in France went into desperation, and Pyongyang held an opening ceremony for a new residential area of over 20 apartment buildings, for which 200 journalists thought they'd be covering a "big event." (Tens of thousands of North Koreans had gathered to see their leader, Kim Jong Un, who didn't speak, but clapped intermittently as premier Pak Pong Ju said the construction was, "a very significant, great event, more powerful than the explosion of hundreds of nuclear bombs on the top of the enemies' heads.")

Spicer apologized for his recent comments about the use of chemical weapons by Hitler while speaking about Syria's Bashar al-Assad. "He was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing." Spicer's comments, which he spouted during Passover, drew widespread outrage.

North Korea continued to test nuclear weapons and accused President Trump of "making trouble" with his "aggressive" tweets. Expectations remain high that North Korea will conduct another weapons test or another aggressive act on April 15, to mark the anniversary of the birthday of Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder.

Venezuela's political crisis continued to worsen after the Supreme Court issued rulings curbing the powers of the opposition-controlled legislature. The court reversed the rulings days later, but protests against President Nicolas Maduro's government continued to intensify, with two protesters being killed in the last week.

As France prepares for the first round of voting in its presidential election, farmer Jacques Fortin mowed a message for the candidates in his wheat field in English. A combination of bad weather, international competition and falling food prices have eroded the incomes for French farmers. In 2016, half of them were earning less than enough to keep them above the poverty line. "Political leaders do not listen to us," Fortin told Agence France-Presse. "They're deaf to our anger. I hope they're not blind and will read this message of despair."

Pyongyang, North Korea—Men in uniform walk away after the opening ceremony of a new residential area of over 20 apartment buildings, some over 40 stories tall, on April 13. Tens of thousands of North Koreans gathered to see North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who didn’t speak but clapped intermittently as premier Pak Pong Ju said the construction was, "a very significant, great event, more powerful than the explosion of hundreds of nuclear bombs on the top of the enemies' heads,” Reuters reported. North Korea continues to test nuclear weapons and accuses President Trump of “making trouble” with his “aggressive” tweets. Damir Sagolj/Reuters