North Korean diplomat defects to South Korea in historic move, US gets news about Iranian plot

This is the overview of the events the news agencies recently reported overnight.

• In November 2023, a North Korean diplomat fled from Cuba to South Korea. He is the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to the southern neighbor since 2016. According to "The Guardian," South Korea's National Intelligence Service confirmed the "Chosun Ilbo" newspaper's report on the defection of 52-year-old Ri Il-gyu. It is known that he had worked in North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1999. Details of North Korean defections often come to light after months because defectors need to obtain government approval and undergo a course on South Korean society and government.

• India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar assured Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on Tuesday of his support in Mauritius's dispute with the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. "I would like to again assure you today that on the issue of Chagos, India will continue its consistent support to Mauritius in line with its principled stand on decolonisation and support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations," he said during his visit to Port Louis. The Chagos Archipelago consists of 58 small islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Historically, the archipelago was treated as a dependent territory of Mauritius, which was originally a French colony. In 1814, Britain took control of the islands.

• American intelligence services received information in recent weeks about a potential Iranian plot against Donald Trump, CNN reported on Tuesday. Thomas Crooks, who shot at the former president in Pennsylvania on Saturday, was not part of the conspiracy, according to sources at the network. Responding to CNN's inquiries, Iran's acting Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, denied everything. "We will only resort to Iranian and international legal and judicial procedures," he stated.

• The National Republican Convention is ongoing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Republican leaders support Donald Trump's candidacy and encourage voters to vote for the former president. Among those speaking out on this issue was Nikki Haley, who was a contender against Trump in the primaries.