28/05/2025

WEDNESDAY | MAY 28, 2025

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N. Korea slams Golden Dome plan as threatening

his client. “We want access to Abrego Garcia so that he can receive legal services,“ he said. El Salvador has received 288 migrants deported from the United States, including 252 Venezuelans, who are being held in a maximum security prison. The Trump administration says Abrego Garcia is a violent criminal who is a member of the MS-13 gang, which has been declared a “terrorist” organisation by Washington, but provides no proof of this. Trump’s government has used an obscure wartime law to summarily deport alleged gang members, a process that some US courts have halted and that one court in Texas has deemed “unlawful”. – AFP CANDIDATES’ FINAL DEBATE SEOUL: South Korea’s four presidential candidates faced off in their final televised debate yesterday, one week ahead of the election, Yonhap news agency reported. Hosted by the National Election Commission, the debate begun at 8pm local time and focused on key issues, including political polarisation, constitutional reform, and foreign and security policy. With the campaign entering its final stretch, recent polls show Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae Myung maintaining a lead, although the gap with People Power Party contender Kim Moon Soo has narrowed. Lee Jun Seok of the minor New Reform Party, who has recently gained double-digit support in opinion polls, has ruled out a merger with Kim, despite ongoing speculation. The three leading candidates, along with Kwon Young Kook of the minor Democratic Labour Party, presented their positions on how to address deepening political divisions and shared their core policy pledges. – Bernama-Yonhap BOAT CARRYING 13 PEOPLE EXPLODES IN FLORIDA WASHINGTON: A boat with 13 people on board has exploded in the US state of Florida and caused casualties, Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported. “Reportedly, a vessel exploded at around 5.45pm with 13 people aboard on Monday, near the New River Triangle, Fort Lauderdale. Multiple injuries reported,” the US Coast Guard Southeast said on X yesterday. The victims have reportedly been hospitalised and an investigation into the incident is underway. Fort Lauderdale is a resort city near Miami. Monday was a federal holiday in the United States in observance of Memorial Day. – Bernama-Sputnik/Ria Novosti PHILADELPHIA SHOOTING KILLS TWO, INJURES NINE PHILADELPHIA: Two people were killed and nine others, including three teenagers, injured in a shooting at Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park on Memorial Day, police said yesterday. All those injured in the Monday night shooting are in stable condition. A male and a female, both adults, were the deceased victims, a police officer told a media briefing. A large number of adults were present at the park, according to the police. “We have not recovered any weapons at this time,“ the officer said. No arrests have been made. “This is significant. It is Memorial Day. We understand the significance of this event and we will make sure to provide an update.” Memorial Day, traditionally observed on the last Monday of May, is a federal holiday in the United States dedicated to honouring and mourning military personnel who have died in the performance of their duties. – Reuters SEOUL PRESIDENTIAL

BR I E F S

o ‘Move risks sparking nuclear war in space’

or penetrate it,” he added. China has also expressed strong concerns about Washington’s Golden Dome plan, accusing the United States of undermining global stability. Beijing is closing the gap with Washington when it comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology while Moscow is modernising its intercontinental-range missile systems and developing advanced precision strike missiles, according to a 2022 Pentagon review. The Kremlin said Trump’s initiative would require consultations with Russia but is otherwise a “sovereign matter” for the United States, softening its tone after also previously slamming the idea as destabilising. The plan’s name, “Golden Dome”, stems from Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system, which has intercepted thousands of short-range rockets and other projectiles since it went into operation in 2011. The United States faces various missile threats from adversaries but they differ significantly from the short-range weapons that Israel’s Iron Dome is designed to counter. – AFP

defence system is the root cause of sparking a global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning outer space into a potential nuclear war field.” Washington, Seoul’s key security ally, has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion. Korea Institute for National Unification senior analyst Hong Min said Pyongyang sees Trump’s “Golden Dome” as a threat. “The North’s strong reaction suggests that it views the Golden Dome as capable of significantly weakening the effectiveness of its nuclear arsenal, including its intercontinental ballistic missiles. “If the United States completes its new missile defence programme, the North will be forced to develop alternative means to counter

SEOUL: North Korea yesterday slammed US President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile shield plan as a “very dangerous” threat that could spark nuclear war in space, state media said. Trump announced new details and initial funding for the missile shield system last week, calling it “very important for the success and even survival of our country”. The initiative faces significant technical and political challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a hefty price. In a statement shared by the Korean Central News Agency, Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry slammed the “very dangerous, threatening initiative aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states”. The United States is “hell-bent on moves to militarise outer space”, the ministry said. “The US plan for building a new missile Liverpool car crash not terror-related LONDON: United Kingdom police on Monday confirmed that the collision involving a car ramming into Liverpool fans celebrating in the city centre is being treated as an isolated incident and not linked to terrorism. According to Anadolu Ajansi, Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said the incident was “horrific” and extended her sympathies to all those injured. The collision occurred on Water Street, where fans had gathered to celebrate Liverpool FC’s Premier League title win. “A 53-year-old man is believed to be the driver of the vehicle,” said Sims at a press conference, adding that investigations into the circumstances are ongoing. David Kitchin of the North West Ambulance Service said emergency services were “horrified and saddened” by what took place. He confirmed that 27 people were taken to hospitals across Liverpool, with two suffering serious injuries, including a child. Another 20 victims were treated at the scene. A paramedic responding to the scene on a bicycle was also struck by the vehicle but did not sustain serious injuries.

Police at the scene of the crash, with an inflatable tent and firefighter vehicles. – AFPPIC

Observers noted that the quick identification of the suspect may reflect police efforts to avoid disinformation and public unrest. – Bernama-Anadolu

Chief Fire Officer Nick Searle said three adults and a child were trapped under the vehicle and had to be rescued before being handed over to ambulance teams.

US lawmaker denied access to wrongly deported man SAN SALVADOR: US lawmaker Glenn Ivey said on Monday authorities in El Salvador prevented him from visiting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, a Salvadoran man deported from the United States by the Trump administration due to an administrative error. to light. US authorities have admitted that he was deported to a notorious El Salvadoran prison for violent criminals due to an error, but have refused to comply with court orders to return him to the United States. Ivey said he was told to obtain a permit for a visit but had already spoken to senior officials in order to arrange the meeting. He said he had spoken to Salvadoran Ambassador to the United States

Milena Mayorga and intended to speak to Abrego Garcia “to make sure that he is okay, to discuss his legal rights and the like”. He said he had met leaders of human rights groups but was unable to meet officials from the government of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, a key Trump ally who has also refused to facilitate returning Abrego Garcia to the United States. Chris Newman, an attorney for Abrego Garcia’s family, said this was his third visit to El Salvador to try and secure the release of

Ivey is the sixth US Democratic lawmaker to visit El Salvador in an effort to secure the return of Abrego Garcia, who is being held in a penal facility in Santa Ana, 70km from the Salvadoran capital, after being deported in March. “We were not able to meet with Abrego Garcia,“ Ivey told a press conference in San Salvador. “We went out to the Santa Ana prison and got there, and we spoke to the people at the gate. They would not open the gate and let us in.”

US President Donald Trump has delivered on campaign promises by launching a sweeping crackdown on migrants to the United States since coming to power in January. Rights groups have alleged that Trump’s government is committing rights abuses and denying undocumented migrants due process. Courts have, in part, upheld these claims in cases that are ongoing. Abrego Garcia’s case is one of the most prominent to have come