International

The United States confirms that North Korea has sent soldiers to Russia to fight in Ukraine

The United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, has confirmed that North Korea has sent troops to Russia to join the Russian forces fighting in the war with Ukraine, US media reported on Wednesday.

In statements made on a visit to a military base in Italy, Austin described North Korea’s presence in Russia as a “very serious” escalation that would have consequences in both Europe and Asia.

“What exactly are they doing?” Austin told journalists at a military base in Italy. “It’s to be seen.”

The Secretary of Defense did not give details about the number of troops that are already there or the number expected to arrive, but its confirmation comes after US intelligence officials have announced that they are preparing to publish a large amount of information, including satellite photographs, showing troop ships moving from North Korea to training areas in Vladivostok, on the east coast of Russia, and other Russian territories further north.

Seoul believes that there are already 3,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia

According to US officials, so far the North Korean soldiers have not arrived in Ukraine.

20250701_dengue_728x90

However, the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) estimates that Pyongyang has already sent about 3,000 soldiers to Russian territory, where they are theoretically preparing to be transferred to the front in Ukraine.

This information, which has been shared with members of the Parliamentary Intelligence Committee, indicates that about 10,000 soldiers could be deployed in Ukraine by December, without offering more information about it.

Already on Friday, the NIS itself revealed that it foresaw the sending of about 12,000 troops, including a unit of the Special Forces, a figure that is close to what Kiev also said.

Of the total number of troops, about 1,500 troops would already be in bases in the Russian Far East, receiving instruction, in addition to weapons, uniforms and Russian identity cards.

South Korean intelligence considers that after the first transport of those 1,500 soldiers, which took place between October 8 and 13, new transfers have been made that have practically doubled the number of North Korean troops on Russian soil.

20250701_dengue_728x90

One of the parliamentarians of the committee who was informed by the director of the NIS himself has assured that “he provided fairly well-founded information indicating that about 10,000 men will be deployed” for the month of December in Ukraine, according to statements collected by the Yonhap agency.

Partnership agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang

This information has been labeled as “hoaxes by Moscow and “absurd comments” by Pyongyang.

South Korea considers, like many experts, that the sending of troops is based on the strategic partnership pact that Pyongyang and Moscow signed in June and that urges mutual assistance in the event that one of the two countries is attacked, a scenario that would have opened up after Ukraine’s incursions in the Russian regions of Belgorod and Kursk.

International

Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case

10 reported dead after explosion in Dominican Republic

A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.

The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.

Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.

Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.

“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.

20250701_dengue_728x90

The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.

“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.

“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.

The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.

The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.

20250701_dengue_728x90

“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”

International

Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he was “eager” to welcome the opposition leader, who left Venezuela clandestinely with U.S. assistance, to receive her Nobel Prize in Oslo.

Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump, who nevertheless showed a very cautious attitude toward including her in any potential political transition in Venezuela.

The opposition leader said on Monday, after an audience with Pope Leo XIV, that “the defeat of evil is closer” in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation that overthrew and removed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country.

Trump has claimed that he is now in control of the South American nation, stating that the primary objective at this stage is to stabilize the country before considering elections.

Venezuelan oil is Washington’s main objective, Trump added after Maduro’s overthrow.

20250701_dengue_728x90

International

Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica

A man was shot dead on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, local media reported. The victim was identified as Alain Orsoni, former president of local football club AC Ajaccio, according to sources close to the investigation cited by French news channel BFMTV.

Orsoni, 71, was killed in the town of Vero, near Ajaccio, the island’s capital, while attending his mother’s funeral.

He was also a former member of the National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC), a nationalist organization that has long sought independence for the island, reports said.

BFMTV reported that the gunmen fled the scene and remain at large. Local police have opened an investigation into the shooting.