N. Korea's nuclear 'threat'
South Korea’s new president wants the neighboring North to be completely denuclearized, claiming that it poses a threat to global security. The newly-inaugurated President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday said the South is prepared to resolve this threat through dialogue. According to Yoon, Seoul is willing to offer an audacious plan to help boost the economy of North Korea, if Pyongyang moves toward nuclear disarmament. Yoon made the remarks during his inauguration speech in Seoul. Tensions are high on the Korean Peninsula, with the North starting a new push to advance its nuclear and missile program. Pyongyang says its weapons act as a deterrent against US-led threats in the region.
Sri Lanka's political turmoil
Sri Lanka has imposed a nationwide curfew after seven people were killed in the latest wave of protests over an unprecedented economic crisis gripping the nation. The situation has been volatile in the country for weeks, amid mostly peaceful protests. But violence flared Monday after supporters of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa were bussed into the capital Colombo, and attacked protesters with sticks and clubs. Nearly 200 people were wounded in the violence. Rajapaksa later resigned, but even that failed to calm public anger. The military had to rescue him after protesters stormed his official residence overnight, with police firing tear gas and warning shots to push back the crowd. Thousands of troops and police are now deployed in Colombo to enforce the curfew. The protests began several weeks ago over an economic crisis unseen in Sri Lanka since its independence in 1948.
Pegasus scandal
The European Parliament has established a committee to probe allegations that an Israeli spyware was used by 50 nations for mass espionage.