International
Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing show their willingness to resume the trilateral summits “on a regular basis”
South Korea, Japan and China expressed on Monday their desire to resume their summits to three “on a regular basis and without interruption” in a joint statement at the end of the trilateral meeting held between the South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol, and the prime ministers of Japan and China, Fumio Kishida and Li Qiang, respectively.
“We reiterate that promoting the institutionalization of trilateral cooperation improves the respective bilateral relations and promotes peace, stability and prosperity in the Northeast Asian region, and helps to promote a world in which countries, large or small, can benefit universally,” the document reads.
The three countries held their first summits of heads of government annually between 2008 and 2012, but the differences between Seoul and Tokyo around the consequences of the Japanese colonial domination of the Korean peninsula (1910-1945) caused the meetings to begin to be convened intermittently.
Since Yoon’s coming to power in 2022, he and Kishida have sought to smooth out those differences with a reinforcement of the military cooperation of both countries with their traditional partner, the United States.
In turn, China’s lack of transparency around the pandemic and its origins, added to the growing rivalry between Beijing and Washington, has widened in recent years the gap between the three neighbors, who had not held a summit like this since 2019.
Today, the three countries have stressed that this ninth three-way summit held in Seoul “has an important meaning to revitalize trilateral cooperation,” according to the statement, which adds that “conversations will be held to accelerate negotiations for a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA),” as Kishida already said at a press conference.
The three neighbors decided today to establish cooperation projects in six key areas: human exchanges, sustainable development, economic and commercial cooperation, public health and the aging of society, science and technology, and disaster security and assistance.
“We are striving to increase the number of human exchanges between the three countries to 40 million by 2030 by promoting exchanges in areas that include culture, tourism and education,” the document explains.
The two areas that apparently had the most tangible results in terms of cooperation after today’s summit were that of intellectual property and that of “future pandemics”, since two separate memorandums were signed in this regard.
There was no mention of the thorny issue of Taiwan and the growing Chinese pressure on the island and only a heading was dedicated to the North Korean issue, which increasingly worries Seoul and Tokyo but which lately generates lukewarm statements from Beijing, which for years has not supported the activation of new UN sanctions against Pyongyang.
Not even the announcement on Monday that North Korea will launch between today and next June 3 a new spy satellite using ballistic missile technology – something that the UN prohibits – made Li talk about it at the post-summit press conference.
The declaration was limited to recalling the importance of “reaffirming peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia” and the “denuclearization of the peninsula.”
International
U.S. doubles bounty on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro to $50 million
In February, the United States designated eight Latin American criminal organizations as “global terrorist” groups, including Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, and the MS-13 gang. In July, it added the Cartel of the Suns to the list — a group Washington claims is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Last Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, raising it from $25 million to $50 million, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on social media platform X.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that labeling the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization allows for a strategic shift in dealing with the Venezuelan regime, as it is now also considered a direct threat to U.S. national security, according to El Espectador.
In an interview with The World Over on EWTN, Rubio said the designation enables the U.S. to “use intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, or any other element of American power to go after them.” He stressed this is no longer just a law enforcement matter, but a national security operation.
When asked at the White House whether he believes it is worth sending the military to combat Latin American drug cartels, Trump responded:
“Latin America has many cartels, a lot of drug trafficking, so, you know, we want to protect our country. We have to protect it.”
International
Three injured in early-morning New York City shooting
A shooting in New York City early Saturday morning left three people injured, a police spokesperson told AFP.
The incident occurred at around 1:20 a.m. local time (05:20 GMT) following a dispute. An 18-year-old woman sustained a scratch to the neck, while a 19-year-old man and a 65-year-old man were injured in the lower limbs.
The victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where they were reported to be in stable condition.
The alleged shooter was taken into custody at the scene, and a firearm was recovered. As of now, the suspect has not been formally charged.
Videos circulating on social media show scenes of panic among the crowd, though AFP has not been able to verify their authenticity. The incident comes just weeks after another shooting in a Manhattan skyscraper that left four people injured before the gunman took his own life.
International
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announces talks with clan del Golfo outside country
Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated on Friday that his government has begun talks outside the country with the Clan del Golfo, Colombia’s main criminal group also known as the Gaitanist Army.
“We have started conversations outside Colombia with the self-called Gaitanist Army,” the president said during the handover of 6,500 hectares of land to farmers in the Caribbean department of Córdoba.
The president noted that his administration “has seized more cocaine than any other government” because it seeks to “cut off the finances (of criminal groups) that fuel violence in many regions of Colombia.”
“A bill has been introduced that I hope the Congress studies thoroughly, because it essentially elevates restorative justice even for serious crimes,” Petro said.
The initiative he referred to was presented by his Minister of Justice, Eduardo Montealegre, aimed at “the consolidation of total peace.”
According to the Ministry of Justice, the bill seeks to provide the government with clear regulations to achieve the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of illegal armed groups.
For groups such as the Clan del Golfo, a judicial submission process will be applied, which could bring possible legal benefits if they genuinely cooperate, surrender weapons, and dismantle their groups.
U.S. doubles bounty on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro to $50 million
Three injured in early-morning New York City shooting
Nicaragua’s Telica volcano erupts four times, no damages reported
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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