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☆ Factbox: Top five candidates vying for presidency of Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

She was leading voting intention with about 30% in recent polls, though no polls have been published since Villavicencio's killing. The 54-year-old widower has promised to fight crime with better social programs and data-driven security policies. OTTO SONNENHOLZNERSonnenholzner, a 40-year-old businessman and economist, has promoted himself as a young policymaker seeking to bring "peace, money and progress" to Ecuador. JAN TOPICTopic, 40, a private security and telecommunications businessman, has promised security would be his first and most important focus if elected. Already-printed ballots will show Villavicencio's name and photo, but the electoral authority has said votes will be counted for his replacement.

Persons: Yaku Perez, Henry Romero, Guillermo Lasso, Fernando Villavicencio, LUISA GONZALEZ Lawyer Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Correa, YAKU PEREZ, Perez, Carlos, Yaku, OTTO SONNENHOLZNER Sonnenholzner, Lenin Moreno, Moreno, Sonnenholzner, El, Nayib Bukele, CHRISTIAN ZURITA Zurita, Zurita, Fernando, Alexandra Valencia, Oliver Griffin, Julia Symmes Cobb, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, French Foreign Legion, Central, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Rights QUITO, Here's, Belgium, Choco, Ukraine, Central American

☆ Ecuador presidential hopefuls close campaign clouded by violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Christian Zurita, who is replacing slain presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, and vice presidential candidate Andrea Gonzalez gesture after a news conference, in Guayaquil, Ecuador August 16, 2023. Candidates have pledged to fight crime and improve the struggling economy, amid sharply rising violence blamed on drug traffickers and unemployment woes, which has increased migration. Luisa Gonzalez, a protege of former President Rafael Correa, led polling before Villavicencio's murder with about 30% of voting intention. "We are committing to have zero tolerance for corruption, for organized crime, for all structural violence." Businessmen Otto Sonnenholzner and Jan Topic have rallies planned in Guayaquil, where violence has been acute, and have both promised economic reactivation and security.

Persons: Zurita, Fernando Villavicencio, Andrea Gonzalez, Vicente Gaibor del Pino, Guillermo Lasso, Milton Oleas, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Correa, Yaku Perez, Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Villavicencio's, Christian Zurita, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Guayaquil, Ecuador, Rights QUITO, Quito, Mexico

☆ Who is Travis King, and what comes next for the US soldier in North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Picture of Travis King, the US soldier who ran across the military demarcation line into North Korea on Tuesday July 18. From Travis King/FacebookThe day before he crossed into North Korea, King was supposed to board a flight to Texas, where he was to face disciplinary procedures. The last American known to be held by North Korea was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who, according to North Korean state media, crossed from China into North Korea in 2018. While in North Korea, he appeared in propaganda films, taught the country’s spies English and spent up to eight hours a day studying the writings of North Korean leaders. He was allowed to leave North Korea in 2004, two years after his Japanese wife, who was kidnapped from her home in Japan in 1978 and left North Korea under a deal between Pyongyang and Tokyo.

Persons: Travis King “, ”, King, Travis King, Bryce Dubee, Christine Wormuth, King “, ” Jaqueda, King’s, “, Claudine Gates, Jonathan Franks, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Trump, Kim, KCNA, Washington “, Private King, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Lowrance, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Charles Jenkins, Jenkins Organizations: South Korea CNN, Joint Security Area, North, US, CNN, 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat, Armored Division, Army, Incheon International, Aspen Security, South Korean, US Navy, Korean Central News Agency, U.S . Army, Washington, Private, Swedish Embassy, Central Intelligence Agency Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Korean, Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, Texas, Incheon, United States, ” Jaqueda Gates, Pyongyang, Washington, Busan, Japan, North, Maryland, Swedish, China, American, Tokyo

Quito, Ecuador CNN —Six suspects arrested in connection with the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio are Colombian nationals and gang members, authorities have confirmed, as a former vice president demanded action over spiraling levels of violence in the South American country. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio waves an Ecuadorian flag as he attends a rally in Quito on August 9. People take cover after shots were fired at the end of a rally of Ecuadorian presidential cadidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito on August 9. Ecuador’s presidential election, scheduled for August 20, will go ahead as planned, the Electoral Council President Diana Atamaint said Thursday. He noted that Villavicencio had first entered public life as an investigative journalist who fought against corruption and abuses of power.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Juan Zapata, Karen Toro, Zapata, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, ’, Otto Sonnenholzner, ”, ” Sonnenholzner, cadidate Fernando Villavicencio, Sonnenholzner, Villavicencio, Diana Atamaint Organizations: Ecuador CNN —, Wednesday, General’s, Reuters, CNN, US Federal Bureau of Investigation, UN Human Rights, European Union, Ecuadorian, AFP, Getty, Electoral, Sunday, Movimiento Construye Locations: Quito, Ecuador, United States, Quito .

☆ Ecuador presidential candidate Villavicencio assassinated
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

QUITO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime, was killed on Wednesday evening during a campaign event in northern Quito, authorities said. The violence injured nine other people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers. [1/5]Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. This vile act will not go unpunished!," presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez, who is running for Correa's party, said on X.Indigenous candidate Yaku Perez said he had decided to suspend his presidential campaign and demanded the violence stop in a video posted after the incident. May God have him in his glory," presidential hopeful Jan Topic said on X, before also suspending his campaign.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Construye, Karen Toro Villavicencio, Rafael Correa, Correa, Luisa Gonzalez, Yaku Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, God, Jan, Alexandra Valencia, Valentine Hilaire, Isabel Woodford, Julia Symmes Cobb, Lincoln Organizations: Local, Interior Ministry, Albanian, Manta, REUTERS, Lasso, Thomson Locations: QUITO, Ecuador, Quito, Andean, Chimborazo, Alausi, Peru, Belgium, Carolina

☆ Assassination of presidential candidate shocks Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

QUITO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shocked the South American country, where rising drug-related violence is a major concern for voters, leading some of his rivals to suspend campaigning. Nine people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers, were injured, it added. "Ecuador has become a failed state," Correa, who now lives in Belgium, said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. [1/4]Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. Indigenous candidate Yaku Perez and law-and-order hopeful Jan Topic both suspended their campaigns, while businessman Otto Sonnenholzner begged the government to take action.

Persons: Ecuadorean, Fernando Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, Rafael Correa, Villavicencio, Correa, Karen Toro, Luisa Gonzalez, Yaku Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Construye, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Albanian, Manta, Thomson Locations: QUITO, American, Quito, Ecuador, Peru, Belgium

☆ Monaco sign Ghana defender Salisu from Southampton
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Wolverhampton Wanderers - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - February 11, 2023 Southampton's Mohammed Salisu in action with Wolverhampton Wanderers' Adama Traore REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File PhotoAug 1 (Reuters) - AS Monaco have signed Ghana defender Mohammed Salisu from English second-tier side Southampton on a five-year contract, both clubs said on Tuesday. Local media reported that the Ligue 1 side paid Saints about 15 million euros ($16.53 million) for the 24-year-old. Salisu joined Southampton in August 2020 from Real Valladolid. He made nearly 70 Premier League appearances before Southampton were relegated last season. Salisu made his Ghana debut in September 2022 in a 3–0 friendly defeat by Brazil.

Persons: Southampton's Mohammed Salisu, Adama Traore, Peter Nicholls, Mohammed Salisu, Salisu, Otto Addo, Anita Kobylinska, Ken Ferris Organizations: Soccer Football, Premier League, Southampton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Adama Traore REUTERS, AS Monaco, Local, Ligue, Saints, Real Valladolid, Monaco, Thomson Locations: Mary's, Southampton, Britain, Ghana, Real, Brazil, Qatar, Ghana's, South Korea, Gdansk

However, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said that North Korea only acknowledged the U.N. Command's request for information about U.S. Army Private Travis King and stopped short of offering detailed information about him. When pressed, Ryder said that North Korea's message back to the U.N. Command was just "an acknowledgement" of the U.N. Command's inquiry. King sprinted into North Korea on July 18 while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the border, landing the United States in a new diplomatic quandary with nuclear-armed North Korea. After his release from the prison, which is designated for U.S. military members and other foreigners, King stayed at a U.S. base in South Korea for a week, Yonhap said. U.S. officials have expressed deep concern over King's fate in North Korea.

Persons: Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Patrick Ryder, Travis King, Ryder, King, Yonhap, Otto Warmbier, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Grant McCool Organizations: Security Area, REUTERS, United Nations Command, Pentagon, U.S, Army, DPRK, Democratic People's, Command, U.S . Army, Cavalry, Korean, Force, Fort Bliss , Texas ., Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, REUTERS WASHINGTON, North Korea, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, United States, Cheonan, U.S, Fort Bliss , Texas, Fort Bliss , Texas . U.S

REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File PhotoSummaryCompanies Breaks previous record set in July 2019, by 0.2CHeatwaves searing Europe, North America and ChinaEarth may not have been this hot in 120,000 years - studyJuly 27 (Reuters) - July 2023 is set to upend previous heat benchmarks, U.N. Secretary-general António Guterres said on Thursday after scientists said it was on track to be the world's hottest month on record. Short of a mini-Ice Age over the next days, July 2023 will shatter records across the board," Guterres said in New York. It is statistically robust," said Piers Forster, a climate scientist at Leeds University in Britain. July is traditionally the hottest month of the year, and the EU said it did not project August would surpass the record set this month. However, scientists expect 2023 or 2024 will end up as the hottest year in the record books, surpassing 2016.

Persons: Guglielmo Mangiapane, 0.2C, António Guterres, Guterres, Karsten Haustein, Michael Mann, Haustein, Piers Forster, Friederike Otto, El Nino, “, Gloria Dickie, Ali Withers, David Stanway, Mark Heinrich, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Meteorological Organization, WMO, Germany's Leipzig University, University of Pennsylvania, Southern, Leeds University, Grantham Institute, El Nino, El, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Europe, North America, China, New York, Rhodes, U.S, Leipzig, Britain, U.S ., California, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Sicily, Florida, Australia, South Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, London, Pacific, EU, London , Ontario, Copenhagen, Singapore

☆ Ecudor crisis: How gang warfare jumped from Ecuador's prisons to the open street
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Frantic purchases of ammunition, the daylight assassination of a mayor, and a growing body count inside Ecuador’s prisons signal that the country’s roiling security crisis is going from bad to worse. Violence has been most pronounced on Ecuador’s Pacific coast as criminal groups battle to control and distribute narcotics, primarily cocaine. The country has also lost control of its prisons, which are often ruled by the criminal gangs. Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso speaks during a meeting in the Carondelet Palace in Quito on November 10, 2021. The crisis has also affected the security and justice system with allegations of corruption swirling around some in courts and police.

Persons: Agustin Intriago, Ariana Chancay, Agustin Intriago's, Dolores Ochoa, Guillermo Lasso, Vicente Gaibor del Pino, Coronel Mario Pazmiño, CRISTINA VEGA RHOR, Lasso, ” Lasso, ”, Fausto Salinas, Luisa Gonzalez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Yaku Perez Organizations: CNN, Manta, Security, Authorities, Reuters, Ecuadorian Army, Getty, Public Security Council, Ecuadorian Locations: Ecuador’s, Guayaquil, Manta, Ecuador, South America, North America, Europe, Peru, Colombia, America, Bolivia, Carondelet, Quito, AFP, Manabi

☆ We Know What’s Causing This Heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( David Gelles | More About David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Some of the searing temperatures that scorched the United States, Mexico, Europe and China this month would not have happened without human-caused climate change, my colleague Delger Erdenesanaa reports. Before humans began burning fossil fuels in enormous quantities, this month’s North American and European heat waves would have been “virtually impossible,” according to a newly released statistical analysis. China’s heat wave would have happened only about once every 250 years. “Without climate change, we wouldn’t see this at all,” said Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London and co-founder of World Weather Attribution, the group that produced a study released today, at a press briefing. “Or it would be so rare that it basically would not be happening.”

Persons: Delger Erdenesanaa, ”, Friederike Otto Organizations: Imperial College London Locations: United States, Mexico, Europe, China

☆ Some July Heat: ‘Virtually Impossible’ Without Climate Change, Analysis Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Some of the extreme temperatures recorded in the Southwestern United States, southern Europe and northern Mexico at the beginning of the month would have been “virtually impossible” without the influence of human-caused climate change, according to research made public Tuesday. A heat wave in China was made 50 times as likely by climate change, the researchers said. World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists who measure how much climate change influences extreme weather events, focused on the worst heat so far during the northern hemisphere summer. In the United States, temperatures in Phoenix have reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 43 Celsius, or higher for more than 20 days in a row. “Without climate change, we wouldn’t see this at all,” said Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London and co-founder of World Weather Attribution.

Persons: ”, Friederike Otto Organizations: Southwestern, Imperial College London Locations: Southwestern United States, Europe, Mexico, North America, Asia, China, United States, Phoenix, Xinjiang

☆ Heat waves in US and Europe would have been ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change, new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The “heat hell” searing parts of the United States and southern Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, while climate change made China’s heat wave at least 50 times more likely, according to a rapid attribution analysis from the World Weather Attribution initiative. They found that “the role of climate change is absolutely overwhelming,” said Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London. The scientists found that climate change not only drastically increased the likelihood of these heat waves happening, but it is also making them hotter. Planet-heating pollution made Europe’s heat wave 2.5 degrees Celsius hotter, the North American heat wave 2 degrees Celsius hotter and China’s heatwave 1 degree Celsius hotter, according to the report. More than 61,000 people died of heat-related deaths during Europe’s record-breaking heat wave last year, according to a recent study.

Persons: Greg Baker, ”, Friederike Otto, Otto, Lefty Damian, ” Otto, Richard Allan Organizations: CNN, Northern Hemisphere, WWA, Getty, Grantham Institute, Climate, Environment, Imperial College London, Anadolu Agency, University of Reading Locations: United States, Europe, Death, Phoenix, China, Spain, Italy, Beijing, AFP, Mexico, Southern Europe, Greece's Rhodes, Greece

☆ Extreme summer heat in the U.S. and Europe ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

More than 50 million Americans are set to bake under dangerously high temperatures this week, from California to Texas to Florida, as a heat wave builds across the southern United States. The heat waves stretching across North America and Europe this month would have been "virtually impossible" without the human-induced climate emergency, according to a new scientific study. Published Tuesday by the World Weather Attribution group, the study said heat waves are among the deadliest natural hazards with thousands of people dying from heat-related causes each year. Ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions mean these events are not rare anymore, the study said. "Totally unsurprising but important result," Friederike Otto, a scientist and senior lecturer at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change in London, who contributed to the research, said via Twitter.

Persons: Rai Rogers, —, Friederike Otto Organizations: Grantham Institute, Twitter Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, California, Texas, Florida, United States, North America, Europe, China, U.S, Mexico, London

☆ Climate change role in July heatwaves 'overwhelming', scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Guglielmo... Read moreSINGAPORE, July 25 (Reuters) - Human-induced climate change has played an "absolutely overwhelming" role in the extreme heatwaves that have swept across North America, Europe and China this month, according to an assessment by scientists published on Tuesday. Without human-induced climate change, the events this month would have been "extremely rare", according to a study by World Weather Attribution, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather. "European and North American temperatures would have been virtually impossible without the effects of climate change," said Izidine Pinto of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, one of the study's authors, during a briefing with journalists. They also drove up the North American heatwave by 2C and the one in China by 1C. "The events we have looked at are not rare in today's climate," said Friederike Otto, a scientist with the Grantham Institute for Climate Change in London, speaking at the briefing.

Persons: Roberto Klarich, Guglielmo, Izidine Pinto, El Nino, Friederike Otto, It's, David Stanway, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Read, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, Grantham Institute, Thomson Locations: Canada, Italy, Rome, SINGAPORE, North America, Europe, China, United States, Rhodes, London

CNN —More than 90 prison security agents are currently being held by inmates across five different prisons in Ecuador, according to the country’s penitentiary service SNAI, amid escalating violence in the country which saw the mayor of Ecuador’s sixth largest city killed over the weekend. Together with the National Police, SNAI said it was working to secure the agents’ release and return prisons to normal operations. Inmates at several prisons have begun hunger strikes as they demand better conditions in the cells. Hundreds of inmates have been killed in recent years in Ecuador as members of competing criminal organizations square off with each other inside the prisons, which are often self-ruled by the criminal organizations. A woman cries outside outside the Guayas 1 prison a day after a fight between rival gangs left six inmates dead in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on July 24, 2023.

Persons: SNAI, ’, Agustin Intriago, Juan Zapata, Marcos Pin, Ariana Chancay, Guillermo Lasso, “, ” Intriago, Lasso, Luisa Gonzalez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Yaku Perez, Intriago Organizations: CNN, National Police, Manta, Getty, Authorities, Twitter Locations: Ecuador, Ecuador’s, Guayaquil, AFP, Ecuadorian, South America, United States, Canada, Asia, Colombia

☆ The science you should understand before seeing 'Oppenheimer'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fission vs. fusionWhile fission and fusion are both key components of nuclear technology, the two processes are very different — and central to the plot of "Oppenheimer." The hydrogen bomb — promoted by Lewis Strauss, a member of the US Atomic Energy Commission — relies on fusion, making it far more powerful than the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer led a group of physicists who advocated for the United States to export radioactive isotopes to researchers abroad. However, Strauss pushed back while serving as chair of the US Atomic Energy Commission, advocating for a US monopoly on the materials. He argued that exporting them would be the equivalent of sharing nuclear information, an act forbidden by the 1946 Atomic Energy Act.

Persons: Christopher Nolan's, Oppenheimer, —, Earnest O, Lawrence, Radiochemists Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassman, Lise Meitner, Lewis Strauss, Strauss Organizations: Manhattan, Service, US Atomic Energy, US Atomic Energy Commission, 1946, Energy Locations: Wall, Silicon, Berlin, United States

King, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the border between the two Koreas. Washington is fully mobilized in trying to contact Pyongyang about him, U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said on Thursday, but North Korea had yet to respond. At that time, U.S. officials had just concluded an initial nuclear agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il. Warmbier was eventually returned to the United States in a coma in 2017, but died days later. "Here's the response we got: one missile launch after another," referring to repeated North Korean missile tests.

Persons: Travis King, Christine Wormuth, Joe Biden, Trump, It's, Thomas Hubbard, Bobby Hall, Kim Jong Un's, Kim Jong Il, Hubbard, King, Mickey Bergman, Bill Richardson, Bergman, Jenny Town, Charles Robert Jenkins, ‘, Tae Yong, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Otto’s, Fred, He’s, Antony Blinken, Biden, Blinken, Simon Lewis, David Brunnstrom, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, Stephen Coates Organizations: Army, U.S . Army, U.S, North, Koreans, United Nations Command, Richardson, . Army, Reuters, Aspen Security, Korean, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, South Korea, . Washington, Pyongyang, U.S, Washington, North, Korea, Koreans, Sweden, New York, Jenny, Korean, Korea's

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday voiced mounting concern over Army Private Travis King, who dashed into North Korea two days ago, saying Pyongyang had a history of mistreating captured Americans. But North Korea had yet to offer any response, officials said. American officials remained stumped about why King ran across the border into North Korea. Asked whether King might have sympathized with North Korea, Wormuth said: "I don't think we have any information that points to that clearly." Last week, North Korea launched its newest solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which it said had the longest flight time ever.

Persons: Travis King, mistreating, Christine Wormuth, Washington, Wormuth, Otto Warmbier, John Kirby, King, Sabrina Singh, Army's, Singh, North Korea Sung Kim, Kim, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un, Jake Sullivan, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Oatis, Daniel Wallis, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S . Army, United, Aspen Security, White House, National Security, Army, Pentagon, Incheon International Airport, U.S, Reuters, South Korean, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, Pyongyang, United Nations, Colorado, U.S, South Korea, Japan, Incheon, Dallas , Texas, Korea

North Korea's state media, which in the past reported on the detention of U.S. nationals, have also not commented on the incident so far. "I don't think anyone who was sane would want to go to North Korea, so I assumed it was some kind of stunt." State Department spokesman Miller said Sweden has been engaged as it acts as a diplomatic channel for Washington which remains technically at war with North Korea. North Korea has previously detained Americans who entered the country and put them on trial but eventually released them, often following high-level diplomatic intervention. A former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea said King may be used as a propaganda tool, but it was not clear how long North Korea would want to exploit his presence.

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji, Travis T, Matthew Miller, King, Sarah Leslie, Miller, Karine Jean, Pierre, Biden, Otto Warmbier, hyang Choi, Phil Smith, Steve Holland, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, State Department, Pentagon, Korean People's Army, North, Joint Security Area, New Zealand, Reuters, . State, U.S, United Nations Command, Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, U.S, Sweden, North Korea, SEOUL, WASHINGTON, Washington, Pyongyang, North, United States, New, Korea, Korean, Seoul

☆ For North Korea, US defectors can be a propaganda win, but a logistical pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts said discussions over the soldier's fate could see some of the first diplomatic engagement between North Korea and the United States in years. "I do not think North Korea views the latest incident as strong leverage or an opportunity to engage the U.S.," she said. "North Korea knows that the U.S. government is unlikely to change its North Korea policy or its commitment to U.S. extended deterrence because of one U.S. soldier who reportedly faced disciplinary action and wilfully crossed into North Korea." "Their conditions are better not only than the average North Korean prisoner, but of the average North Korean citizen." North Korean border guards fatally shot and burned the body of a South Korean fisheries official in 2020, and later leader Kim Jong Un ordered an entire city into lockdown when a North Korean crossed back into the country from the South.

Persons: Travis King, King, Andrei Lankov, Rachel Minyoung Lee, Tae Yong, Tae, Lankov, Otto Warmbier, Kim Jong Un, Josh Smith, David Brunnstrom, Hyonhee, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S, Army, Security Area, North, Korea Risk, Stimson, Korean, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, North Korean, Pyongyang, ., United States, Seoul, Korea, Korea's, American, Korean, Washington

☆ What do we know about the US solider in North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —For the first time in decades a US soldier is believed to be in North Korean custody. The US Army has identified the soldier who crossed the demarcation line into North Korea on Tuesday as Pvt. The last American known to be held by North Korea was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who, according to North Korean state-run media, crossed from China into North Korea. While in North Korea, he appeared in propaganda films, taught North Korean spies English and spent up to eight hours a day studying the writings of North Korean leaders. He was allowed to leave North Korea in 2004, two years after his wife, a Japanese national who was kidnapped from her home in Japan in 1978, was allowed to leave North Korea under a deal between Pyongyang and Tokyo.

Persons: Travis King, King “, ”, “, Isaac Taylor, King, Bryce Dubee, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Trump, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Lowrance, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Charles Jenkins, Jenkins Organizations: South Korea CNN —, US Army, Joint Security, Democratic, Korean People’s Army, ” US Forces, 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat, Armored Division, Joint Security Area, US Navy, Swedish Embassy, Pyongyang, United Nations Command, Central Intelligence Agency, US, North Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North, United States, Korea, Pyongyang, North Korea, Korean, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, ” US Forces Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, South, Washington, Busan, Japan, Swedish, China, American, Tokyo

She was among some 40 other tourists who were walking around and taking photos in the moments before King made a dash to North Korea. "I don't think anyone who was sane would want to go to North Korea, so I assumed it was some kind of stunt," she told Reuters. North Korea is likely to milk the border crossing by a U.S. soldier for propaganda purposes but will probably not be able to gain political leverage, analysts and a former North Korean diplomat said. The notable exception was U.S. college student Otto Warmbier, who died in 2017 shortly after being released from a North Korea prison. Still, analysts suggested that King's stay in North Korea could be lengthy.

Persons: Travis T, King, Carl Gates, Gates, Travis, Sarah Leslie, Leslie, Tae Yong, Andrei Lankov, Otto Warmbier, Lankov, It's, Victor Cha, Josh Smith, Matt Spetalnick, Don Durfee, Sandra Maler Organizations: U.S . Army, The Korea Times, U.S, Cavalry, Korean, Force, National Defense Service, Korean Defense, Overseas Service, Daily, Joint Security Area, Reuters, South, Korea Risk Group, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, WASHINGTON, South Korea, Washington, North, Seoul, Fort Bliss , Texas, North Korea, Racine , Wisconsin, New Zealander, U.S, North Korean, Korea, Korean, Korea's, Pyongyang

☆ U.S. national crosses into North Korea, likely held in custody
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo daily, citing South Korea's army, identified the person as Travis King, a U.S. army soldier with the rank of private second class. "We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," it added, referring to North Korea's People's Army. North Korea has been testing increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched last week. U.S. State Department travel advisory bans U.S. nationals from entering North Korea "due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long term detention of U.S. He died in 2017, days after he was released from North Korea and returned to the United States in a coma.

Persons: Travis King, Isaac Taylor, USFK, We're, Otto Warmbier, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Jack Kim, Andrew Heavens, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: U.S, United Nations Command, Joint Security Area, National, Democratic People's, . Command, UNC, Twitter, Korea's People's Army, Command, U.S . Army, Reuters, U.S . State Department, Pentagon, Korea's Defence Ministry, North, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Korea's, South, U.S, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, South Korea, United States

☆ Factbox: A look at Americans held in the past in North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here are some other Americans held in the past by North Korea. - The last American detained by North Korea was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who was caught after entering from China in October 2018. -Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American missionary, returned to the United States in November 2014 after being imprisoned in North Korea for two years. North Korean media said Park confessed to entering the state illegally and had changed his mind about North Korea after being treated kindly there. - In 1996, Evan Hunziker, then 26, was held for three months in North Korea on spying charges.

Persons: Donald Trump, Tony Kim, Kim Hak, Kim Dong, Jonathan Ernst, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Kim Jong, Otto Warmbier, Joseph Yun, Mike Pompeo, Kim, Kim Sang, Euna Lee, Laura Ling, Bill Clinton, Kenneth Bae, Matthew Todd Miller, Bae, Miller, Robert Park, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, Jimmy Carter, Gomes, Evan Hunziker, Hunziker, Bill Richardson, Thomas Hubbard, Bobby Hall, David Brunnstrom, Matt Spetalnick, Alistair Bell Organizations: Base Andrews, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, North, CIA, U.S . State Department, U.S, Korean, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Base Andrews , Maryland, U.S, North, Washington, China, North Korean, United States, Ohio, Pyongyang, American, Korean, Korea, Boston, South Korea

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