International
Kim Jong-un’s sister denies that North Korea is exporting weapons to Russia
The sister of the leader of North Korea, Kim Yo-jong, has denied in an opinion article published this Friday that the latest arms developments of the regime are aimed at boosting exports to Russia and insisted on describing the alleged shipment of weapons to Moscow as a “false rumor.”
In an editorial collected by the KCNA agency, Kim assures that the North Korean defense industry “continues to transform and reap rapid progress” in reference to the information published by state propaganda last week that shows his brother, Kim Jong-un, visiting mills of shuttles for missiles and multiple rocket launchers.
“I think it is necessary to point out the fact that hostile forces are deceiving public opinion with the false rumor that the weapons systems produced by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are ‘to export to Russia,’” Kim writes.
“As we have already said several times, the ‘rumor about the arms trade between the DPRK and Russia’, woven with wrong visions and fiction, is the most absurd paradox and does not deserve any evaluation or interpretation,” he adds.
US and South Korean intelligence have published satellite images showing thousands of containers exported from northeastern North Korea to the Russian region of Primorie, from where they transport them to areas near the front in Ukraine.
Several experts have also pointed to the evidence that shows that Moscow has used North Korean short-range artillery rounds or ballistic missiles to attack Ukrainian assets.
Kim, who is deputy director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of North Korea, assures that there is no “intention to export” “technical military capacities to another country or to make them public.”
The leader’s sister assures that the “recent activities” in the field of defense respond exclusively to the implementation of the ambitious five-year weapons modernization plan approved by the Workers’ Party in January 2021.
“The most pressing task for us is not the “publication” or the “export” of weapons, but to perfect the preparations for the war,” writes Kim, who assures that “tactical weapons, including multiple rocket launchers and missiles recently exhibited by us are manufactured with a single mission.”
“We do not hide the fact that these weapons have the function of preventing Seoul from carrying out crazy plans,” he concludes, alluding to the tensions with the South.
At the beginning of the year, Kim Jong-un himself declared South Korea as the main national enemy and eliminated the goal of reunification of the Constitution.
Since then, the regime has withdrawn a multitude of symbolic elements in the country that urged the need to seek peaceful reunification, emphasizing that it is a profound diplomatic turn that in turn is coupled with an intense rapprochement with Russia in the last year.
International
Brazil helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro kills six, including pilots and international figures
The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police confirmed on Monday the identities of three of the six victims killed in a helicopter collision that occurred the previous morning in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood.
All three identified victims are Brazilian nationals: the pilots of the aircraft, Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza, and music producer Lucas Brito.
The identities of the three foreign victims have not yet been officially confirmed. They include U.S. singer Oliver Tree, Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim—known online as “Gaspi”—and Argentine producer Lucas Vignale, all of whom were listed on the flight manifest.
According to police, forensic experts from the Legal Medical Institute have already collected DNA samples in order to identify the foreign victims, whose bodies were severely burned.
One of the helicopters crashed into a private parking lot, triggering a fire that destroyed around twenty electric vehicles. That aircraft was carrying the pilot and four passengers, including the three foreign nationals.
The second helicopter, which had only the pilot on board, crashed approximately 100 meters away from the first impact site.
Rio de Janeiro’s deputy mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, stated that both helicopters were operating transport flights toward Angra dos Reis on the Rio coastline and toward the mountainous region of the state.
Oliver Tree, 32, was in Brazil as part of an international tour. The artist, known for songs such as “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” had performed to a large audience in São Paulo a week earlier and was scheduled to continue his tour in Europe.
Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim, 23, had built a following of more than two million on social media platforms, gaining popularity for humorous and often controversial video productions that had occasionally been removed by hosting platforms.
International
Mexico and U.S. Launch New Bilateral Security Group to Combat Fentanyl and Organized Crime
The governments of Mexico and the United States officially launched the Bilateral Implementation Group (BIG) on Friday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on security issues and enhancing joint efforts against transnational crime.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson announced that he and Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco addressed officials from both countries who will lead what he described as a “new phase of bilateral cooperation.” The initiative seeks to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, illegal firearms, and human trafficking across the shared border.
Earlier this week, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that senior security officials from both nations would meet in Mexico City on June 12 to review and advance existing cooperation agreements.
Through social media, Ambassador Johnson explained that the new bilateral group is designed to improve coordination between the two governments by placing greater emphasis on implementation, accountability, and measurable results. The effort will also focus on combating transnational criminal organizations operating across North America.
“The participation of 15 U.S. government agencies, working alongside their Mexican counterparts, reflects the seriousness of this effort and our shared commitment to delivering measurable results,” Johnson said.
The ambassador also highlighted several achievements that he attributed to ongoing bilateral cooperation. According to Johnson, maritime drug trafficking into the United States has declined by more than 95 percent, while overdose deaths have fallen by 35 percent.
He further noted that Mexican authorities have seized more than 400 metric tons of illegal drugs and dismantled over 2,300 clandestine laboratories as part of their efforts to combat organized crime and narcotics production.
The launch of the Bilateral Implementation Group marks the latest step in the security partnership between Mexico and the United States, as both countries seek to address shared challenges related to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and the activities of criminal networks operating across the region.
International
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.
Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.
Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.
He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.
In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.
Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.
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