Thursday morning news: October 24, 2024

North Korea in Russia » North Korean soldiers may be joining Russia's fight against Ukraine.

Yesterday U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin publicly confirmed what leaders of Ukraine and South Korea had already alleged.

AUSTIN: There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia.

DPRK there referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea—the official name of North Korea.

South Korean officials say about 3,000 North Korean soldiers are currently in Russia, and an additional 7,000 are expected to join them by the end of the year.

Austin says if those soldiers intend to take part in the war against Ukraine, it’ll have far reaching effects.

AUSTIN: That is a very, very serious issue and it will have impacts not only in Europe. It will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific as well.

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham wasted no time yesterday in blaming President Biden for the apparent escalation.

GRAHAM: There's no deterrence. Deterrence has been lost everywhere. So North Korea feels comfortable joining Russia trying to destroy Ukraine says all you need to know about lack of deterrence.

South Korean officials say Russia has hired a large number of Korean translators and is teaching the soldiers how to use its standard military equipment, as well as engage in specialized drone warfare.

SOUND: [Large blasts in Beirut]

Israel Update » Large blasts rocked southern Beirut last night, as Israel continued its ongoing bombardment of the Lebanese capital.

Health officials there say more than two dozen people were killed.

Earlier, the Lebanese-based terror group Hezbollah confirmed that one of its top leaders died in an Israeli airstrike. Hashem Safieddine was widely expected to be the group's next leader after its former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, died in a similar strike last month.

But Hezbollah launched attacks of its own yesterday:

SOUND: [Flames from rocket attack]

Flames poured from a building in northern Israel after Israel's military says more than 80 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon.

All of this comes as Israel has promised to retaliate against Iran after Iran launched a barrage of nearly 200 missiles at Israel earlier this month.

GALLANT: [Speaking in Hebrew]

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant telling Israeli Air Force pilots there that their efforts will play a central role in any attack of Iran and that once the attack is done the world will truly understand their skills.

Blinken Middle East tour » Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken was in Israel yesterday hoping to help ease tensions in the region.

Speaking from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv,- he urged Israel and the Gaza-based terror group Hamas to agree to a cease-fire.

He said since the October 7th terror attacks, Israel has dismantled Hamas's military capacity, destroyed much of its arsenal, and eliminated its senior leadership.

BLINKEN: Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success. And there really are two things left to do: Get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow.

Hamas is still holding more than 100 hostages taken on October 7th. Many of those hostages are believed to be dead.

Terror attack in Turkey » Five people are dead and nearly two-dozen were wounded in Turkey yesterday after what authorities there are calling a terrorist attack.

Witnesses say they heard gunfire and an explosion at the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters.

It's believed two suspects were involved in the attack. Both attackers were killed.

To date, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

YERLIKAYA: [Speaking in Turkish]

Turkey's interior minister says the attack was similar to those previously carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party, a group he characterizes as a terrorist organization.

Yesterday the Biden administration offered its condolences. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby:

KIRBY: Our prayers are with all of those affected and their families, and of course also the people of Turkey at this very difficult time.

Kirby added that regardless of the motive, the U.S. strongly condemned the act of violence.

SOUND: [APPLAUSE AFTER SIGNING THE ACCORD]

Britain and Germany » After three months of negotiations, Britain and Germany entered into a bilateral defense agreement Wednesday. Britain's Defence Minister John Healey:

HEALEY: We have today signed a landmark defense agreement here at Trinity House in London, an historic deepening of the relations, the defense relations between our two countries.

Healey said the two countries have worked well together for 40 years, but added that their defense efforts have often lacked coordination. He hopes this agreement will change that.

HEALEY: Today's agreement also sends a signal to our adversaries. We will deter and we will defend against any aggression together.

The defense agreement is the first of its kind between Europe's two biggest defense spenders. The plan includes the development of new armed vehicles, land-based drones, and deep-strike weapons. It also strengthens their ability to conduct military exercises they believe will improve deterrence against Russian aggression.

The Trinity House Agreement is currently only between Germany and Britain, but as both countries have existing defense agreements with France, the three countries may work more closely together in the years ahead.

Boeing losses » Boeing released its latest financial report yesterday…and it’s not looking good for the struggling airplane manufacturer. WORLD’s Paul Butler has more.

PAUL BUTLER: The company reports it lost more than $6 billion dollars in the third quarter ending September 30th. Most of the decline is due to a write-down in aircraft inventory, defense business, and goodwill.

Earlier this month, Boeing announced a 10 percent reduction in its workforce—about 17,000 jobs—as a first step toward turning the company around. The company also said it was going to further delay the launch of its 777X plane, with the first deliveries expected in 2026.

Wednesday’s numbers are the second-worst quarter in the manufacturer’s history. Boeing’s last profitable year was 2018.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Paul Butler.

I'm Kristen Flavin.

Straight ahead: California voters consider a ballot measure meant to curb crime and homelessness, but at what cost? Plus, how small businesses can survive in today’s competitive marketplace.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.