International
North Korea launches a dozen ballistic missiles in a rebound in tension with the South
North Korea launched a dozen short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday after sending hundreds of debris-filled balloons to the south and erring in its attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit, in a week marked by the upsurge in tensions in the peninsula.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported in a statement that the missiles were launched from the Sunan area, in Pyongyang, at 6.14 local time (21.14 GMT on Wednesday), and that they flew about 350 kilometers before falling into the Sea of Japan.
Due to the flight distance, it is believed that the approximately 10 projectiles could have been fired from multiple shuttles, which means an unusually high number of missiles launched in the same round by the regime.
The South Korean Army condemned in a statement the latest “provocation” of the North and noted that it has “strengthened vigilance against additional launches, while information is being shared closely with the authorities of the United States and Japan.”
The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said that the projectiles fell outside the exclusive Japanese economic zone without causing any damage to vessels or aircraft, and said that the launches violate the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.
In the same vein, nuclear envoys from South Korea, the United States and Japan discussed their coordinated response to the weapons test, through a phone call.
The Director General for South Korean Nuclear Affairs, Lee Jun-il, addressed both missile launches and the other actions of the regime in previous days with the US Deputy Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, Jun Pak, and with her Japanese counterpart, Yukiya Hamamoto.
“The three parties condemned missile launches as a violation of the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and stressed that they pose a serious threat to peace and security,” the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Today’s tests, the first of ballistic missiles since Pyongyang tested tactical projectiles equipped according to the regime with a new “autonomous” navigation system on the 17th, took place the day after the North sent more than 200 balloons filled with waste to the neighboring country.
This is the largest number of balloons of this type – similar games were sent through the North across the border in 2016 and 2018 – detected to date, and arrived after Pyongyang threatened to respond to the sending of anti-regime propaganda by activists from the South.
In addition, the South Korean Army reported that the North had tried to interfere with the GPS signals of the South on the maritime border between the two countries, in the second action of this type this week and which caused a malfunction in the navigation systems of fishing and passenger boats in the area.
Likewise, last Monday, North Korea notified the Japanese coast guard of its intention to launch a new spy satellite and offered a launch window between that day and June 3.
Pyongyang launched his space vehicle that same Monday from its space base in Sohae (northwest of the country) and the South Korean Army detected, just two minutes after the launch, the projectile “as a large group of fragments” on the North Korean coast.
North Korea, which attributed the failed launch to a problem in the rocket engine, thus added a new failure for its space program, after two launches were failed in the spring and summer of 2023.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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