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Explainer: US, Asian allies launch system to track North Korea missiles in real-time

Explainer: US, Asian allies launch system to track North Korea missiles in real-time

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Explainer: US, Asian allies launch system to track North Korea missiles in real-time

South Korea, the United States and Japan said on Tuesday they have activated a new system to detect and assess North Korea’s missile launches in real-time.

The announcement comes after North Korea said it had tested the isolated state’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile on Monday to gauge the war readiness of its nuclear force against mounting US hostility.

Here is what we know about the new missile warning data sharing system:

WHAT INFORMATION IS BEING SHARED?

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Under the new mechanism, the three countries will share information on the launch site, flight trajectory and hitting point of North Korean missiles around the clock, South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said.

The United States had until now shared such information separately with South Korea and Japan.

“We will have warning data on North Korean missiles much faster, and be able to secure enough time to respond effectively,” Shin said in an interview with broadcaster MBN on Monday.

WHY IS IT BEING SHARED?

Washington and its allies call the new mechanism a milestone that will advance their trilateral security cooperation and improve the ability to ensure the safety of their people.

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The information sharing is expected to help them to respond more quickly to North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats.

Monday’s missile launch marked the North’s fifth ICBM test this year in what Pyongyang described as a demonstration of the nuclear-armed state’s “will for toughest counteraction and its overwhelming strength.”

“This is a significant expression of just how far trilateral cooperation has come, in no small part due to the growing threat from North Korea,” said Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“In practical terms, this will enhance the fidelity with which both Japan and South Korea can assess missile events originating in North Korea,” he said.

WHY WAS SUCH DATA NOT SHARED BEFORE?

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Relations between the two Asian US allies had been strained over historical issues and other disputes.

But South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has made it a priority to mend ties since taking office in May 2022 as North Korea ramps up development of its weapons programs and openly threatens the South.

“There have always been people opposed to information sharing between South Korea and Japan, in both countries. But with the threats from North Korea we are seeing now, when Japanese people are taking shelter (due to the missiles), who would say no?” said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense & Security Forum.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday real-time missile information sharing started a new chapter for defence cooperation between Japan, South Korea and the United States, which was “essential” for regional security.

Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said the new mechanism was a safeguard against politics blowing cooperation off course.

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“The institutionalisation of this mechanism will also make it more robust against possible domestic political changes in South Korea or Japan that could pose headwinds for trilateral cooperation in the future,” said Panda.

HOW HAS NORTH KOREA RESPONDED?

North Korea has slammed the new information sharing system as part US efforts to incite confrontation and boost its military edge in the region.

“Such a scheme for a tripartite data-sharing mechanism led by the US is evidently a dangerous military action to drive the regional situation to a more serious phase of confrontation,” the North’s state media said last week. 

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Estonia summons Russian embassy chief over GPS jamming

Estonia summons Russian embassy chief over GPS jamming

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Estonia summons Russian embassy chief over GPS jamming

Estonia’s foreign ministry has summoned the head of the Russian embassy in Tallinn to protest the jamming of GPS signals, the Baltic country said on Wednesday.

Estonia accuses neighbouring Russia of violating international regulations by disturbing GPS navigation in airspace above the Baltic states, echoing concerns from airlines that say they have contended with such interference for months.

The Estonian foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires to convey its message. Moscow and Tallinn last year expelled each other’s ambassadors as relations deteriorated in the wake of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Jamming the GPS signal is an element of Russia’s hybrid activities, disrupting everyday life and threatening the security of allies,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement.

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Russia’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

GPS, short for Global Positioning System, is a network of satellites and receiving devices used for positioning, navigation and timing on Earth in everything from ships and planes to cars.

The jamming of GPS signals can be disruptive to commercial airliners but they can usually navigate by other means.

Finnish carrier Finnair last month said it would pause all flights to Tartu in Estonia to allow the local airport to upgrade its navigation system, which has so far relied only on GPS.

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Australia boosts funds to Taiwan-ally Tuvalu amid Pacific contest for influence with China

Australia boosts funds to Taiwan-ally Tuvalu amid Pacific contest for influence with China

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Australia boosts funds to Taiwan-ally Tuvalu amid Pacific contest for influence with China

Australia will quadruple its financial assistance to Tuvalu, a Pacific Island nation at risk from rising seas, to cement a landmark climate migration and security deal as China also courts small island states.

On a visit to Tuvalu, foreign minister Penny Wong said on Wednesday evening Australia has committed A$110 million ($72.27 million) in its national budget to Tuvalu.

The sum includes A$50 million ($32.85 million) to build the first undersea cable connecting the island’s residents to global telecommunications services, and A$19 million for a land reclamation project to fortify Tuvalu’s coastline from rising seas.

Another A$15 million will be spent on a national security coordination centre, as well as A$10 million in direct budget support.

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The funding is a significant boost on the A$17 million ($11.17 million) Australia provided to Tuvalu in 2023-24.

China’s ambitions for a greater security presence in the Pacific became an election issue in Tuvalu in January, as two leadership contenders said Tuvalu should consider switching ties from Taiwan to Beijing for more funds, and revise a new security pact with Australia.

Neighbour Nauru cut ties with Taiwan a fortnight before Tuvalu’s vote, after China built a port and promised more aid.

Tuvalu’s new prime minister Feleti Teo pledged to stick with Taiwan, and to ratify the Falepili Union signed with Australia in November. The treaty allows Tuvalu citizens to migrate to Australia for work or study, while recognising Tuvalu continues to exist despite the rising sea levels.

“Australia has provided a security guarantee to support Tuvalu in a humanitarian disaster, a pandemic or the event of attack,” Wong said in a speech on Wednesday evening.

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“It is also the first time in history that two nations have agreed in a legally binding instrument that statehood endures in the face of sea level rise,” she added.

The treaty allows Australia to vet Tuvalu’s deals with third countries in a broad range of security areas from ports to telecommunications.

On Thursday, Wong and Teo are expected to say that the security cooperation does not limit Tuvalu’s ability to enter into diplomatic agreements with other nations, according to an advance copy of a joint statement viewed by Reuters.

“We recognise that the people of Tuvalu deserve the choice to live, study and work elsewhere, as climate change impacts intensify at home,” the text of the statement reads.

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Probe launched after Boeing cargo plane lands in Istanbul without front landing gear

Probe launched after Boeing cargo plane lands in Istanbul without front landing gear

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Probe launched after Boeing cargo plane lands in Istanbul without front landing gear

A FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday without its front landing gear, a Turkish Transport Ministry official said, adding there were no casualties and authorities had launched an investigation.

The aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, informed the control tower in Istanbul that its landing gear had failed to open and touched down with guidance from the tower, managing to remain on the runway, a ministry statement said.

Airport rescue and fire fighting teams were scrambled before landing, but no one was injured. The ministry gave no reason for the failure.

The aircraft involved is a nearly 10-year-old Boeing 767 freighter, one of the most common cargo planes and based on the 767 passenger model dating back to the 1980s.

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An official from Turkey’s transport ministry said its teams were conducting examinations at the scene as part of the ongoing investigation, but did not provide further details.

Boeing referred queries to FedEX, which said in a statement it was coordinating with investigation authorities and would “provide additional information as it is available”.

Video footage obtained by Reuters showed sparks flying and some smoke as the front of the plane scraped along the runway before coming to a halt and being doused with firefighting foam. No fire appeared to have broken out.

The video showed the pilots holding the plane’s nose above the runway for several seconds after the main wheels had touched the ground, apparently executing the emergency drill for landing with a retracted nose gear that pilots train for, according to the SKYbrary aviation database.

In June last year, a small 22-year-old Boeing 717 flown by Delta Airlines made a similar smooth landing without a nose gear in Charlotte, North Carolina, in an incident later blamed on a fractured component.

The runway was temporarily closed to air traffic, but other runways at Istanbul airport were still operating normally, the airport operator IGA said.

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Manufacturers are not typically involved in the operation or maintenance of jets once they enter service, but Boeing has been under intense media and regulatory scrutiny following a series of incidents on its smaller 737.

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