Tokyo
CNN
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The school’s principal Yoshiro Tobo is one of the few people left on his remote Japanese island, and the earth is constantly shaking from earthquakes.

The 52-year-old said he was exhausted and surprised by his sleep as “endless” earthquakes roar around Akusekijima in the Tokara Islands, which has endured more than 1,800 earthquakes in the past three weeks.

His colleagues were among the 49 evacuees who evacuated to the mainland on Sunday by ferry after the strongest earthquake on July 3rd, making it difficult for them to stand up by knocking furniture.

However, Tobo told CNN how he fell behind as the only gatekeeper of the island’s school.

“It was shaking over and over for days. I feel very anxious and scared, and it’s difficult to sleep,” he said.

“In their worst case, earthquakes look endless. You can feel when something big is coming. Even in your sleep, you can feel that you’re approaching from afar.”

During an emergency evacuation on Sunday, Tobo opened the school playground to the remaining 19 islanders and five contractors, providing open space away from the building that can collapse due to trembling. So far, the school remains unharmed.

“I evacuated around midnight and went to bed around 1:30am, but I couldn’t sleep well. Some of the earthquakes were very strong,” he added.

But he said responsibility comes with work.

“As a school administrator, I chose to stay on the island and support the efforts by coordinating with government officials and local residents,” said Tobo, whose family lives in Kagoshima city on the Kyushu mainland.

“I’m home at night, and I always feel ready to evacuate (to school) even in the middle of the night.”

Arikasasha, an employee of the Toshima Village office that manages the area, said the community was “deprived of sleep” and “weary” due to “continuous earthquakes that continue day and night.”

Like Tobo, those still on the island include firefighters, farmers, utility workers, one doctor and one nurse.

Tobo students resumed lessons via online classes on Tuesday. It followed a time when children were walking to school in helmets as a precaution, and the school was closed for two days.

“Until then, some of the kids were still on the island,” the principal said. “They looked uneasy and scared of the ongoing earthquake. I did my best to encourage and reassure them.

“We pray that those remaining on the island remain safe and that their homes are spared from damage.”

In nearby Koda Karajima, it is one of Tokara’s seven residential islands, like Akisekijima, but local authorities have confirmed that 15 residents have evacuated and 44 remain with four contractors.

Matsumoto, the principal of the island’s school, also stayed behind, saying all supermarkets and stores were originally closed and that daily necessities are still being delivered by ferry from Kagoshima.

However, after sleepless nights, he expressed optimism, saying, “The interval between the earthquakes has increased.”

“The earthquake seems to be slowly subsidering and I hope this continues,” he told CNN.

Matsuno confirmed that all students were “healthy” and that half attended classes online after evacuation, while the other half continued in person.

Approximately 700 residents of the 12 island archipelago appear to be familiar with such procedures. One school’s website shows that children were evacuated under their desks during a drill at Akusekijima last month.

In addition to the strongest earthquake on July 3rd, the region is classified as strong enough to wake up a sleeping person, according to the unique seven-storey Sindh Strength Scale in Japan.

Level 4 had at least 39, and I felt that most people were walking. Level 5 may cause 4 windows to be crushed. There are 3 upper 5, making it difficult to move without support.

The area has previously experienced long periods of tremors, but in 2023, one important event led to 346 recorded earthquakes.

Officials said there is currently no risk of a tsunami, but local media warned that the ground remains unstable. Residents have been warned about the possibility of collapse of buildings and landslides.

On Saturday, the Japanese government warned about the possibility of a stronger earthquake in the region, but urged its people not to believe the baseless comic book predictions for the major disasters that hit the country on July 5th.

This comes from rumors inspired by the manga “The Future,” which warns of a major disaster in March 2011.

The “complete version” released in 2021 claims that the next major earthquake will be a hit this July.

Earthquakes are common in Japan and account for about a fifth of the world’s tremors of magnitude 6 or higher.

The country is on the so-called Ring of Fire, home to 75% of the world’s active volcanoes, where around 90% of all earthquakes occur. Extending almost 25,000 miles, a horseshoe-shaped ring of fire encircles most of the Pacific Ocean.

This is where many structural plates meet and oppose each other, causing friction that releases energy and creates shaking that is released during the earthquake.

Hanako Montgomery contributed to this report.

Seoul, Korea
CNN
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Poland has concluded its contract to acquire a second batch of 180 Korean tanks under the 2022 contract.

The contract highlights Poland’s emergence as a European military force and South Korea’s position as a major arms supplier, particularly as an American stockpile for US allies around the world.

As Russia intensifies its attack on Ukraine, some of it comes within 100 miles of Polish territory on Ukraine’s western border.

Warsaw has increased its defensive spending since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, helping Kiev defend it while acquiring new weapons.

As a member of NATO, bordering Ukraine, we will see some of the alliance’s primary line of defense if Russian leader Vladimir Putin decides to extend the invasion beyond Ukraine.

Poland’s Ministry of Defense announced a tank deal that still needs to be officially signed in a post on social media platform X earlier this month.

The price will reach $6.7 billion and it says it will include 80 support vehicles, ammunition, logistics and training packages for the Polish Army.

The contract for the K2 Main Battle Tank, considered the world’s most powerful K2 main battle tank, includes units in Korea where the establishment of the Polish production line for the Korean Hyundai Rotem and Polish variants will take place in Korea, according to the Korean Defense Gaining Program Management (DAPA).

A Polish Ministry of Defense post on the X states that 60 batches of 180 tanks will be constructed in Poland. The first 30 Korean-made tanks included in the new contract are expected to arrive in Poland next year, he said.

In 2022, both countries signed a contract with Poland to win 180 k2s. All but about 45 people have been delivered, with the rest expected to arrive in Poland by the end of the year, Hyundai Rotem said.

That framework was considered South Korea’s largest overseas defense contract. The Polish Ministry of Defense said at the time it included a total of 980 K2S, 648 self-propeller K9 armored guns and 48 FA-50 fighter jets.

The ministry said armored vehicles will replace Soviet-era tanks that Poland donated to Ukraine for use in the battle with Russia.

A March report from the Washington, D.C.-based Wilson Centre said Poland gave Ukraine more than 300 tanks and 350 infantry combat vehicles and armored personnel.

Poland has recently gained the advantage after Russia has stepped up its drone attacks on Ukraine.

The Russian drone barrage of drone against the Rusk city in northwestern Ukraine was very violent, with Warsaw scrambling fighter jets as a precaution. Rootsk is approximately 50 miles from the Polish border.

The NATO report in April cited Poland’s efforts to dramatically increase defensive spending in the face of Russian threats. According to the report, Warsaw’s defensive spending rose from 2.7% of GDP in 2022 to 4.7% expected in 2025.

“Of all NATO allies, we spend the highest percentage of GDP on defense,” the NATO report said.

It noted that Poland purchased South Korean weapons to quickly fill the gap left by donations to Ukraine.

A report by the Wilson Centre said Poland “has emerged as Europe’s most capable military force.”

However, a May report from Rand Corp think tank expressed caution regarding funding for Polish arm accumulation.

Many of the purchases are “funded through direct loans from the countries that supply the equipment,” Rand said, adding that “if it is proven impossible to secure such a loan, market funding may be too expensive to turn the framework agreement into a binding agreement.”

Rand also said Poland is facing recruitment challenges and needs to increase the strength of its military by almost 50% over the next decade.

Meanwhile, South Korea has emerged as the 10th largest arms exporter in the world in the past five years, according to Stockholm International Peace Institute.

Meanwhile, Poland received 46% of South Korea’s military exports, with the Philippines receiving 14% and India receiving the Philippines at 7%, according to Sipri’s international arms transfer trends 2024 report.

When the war in Ukraine was dragged out, US aid to Ukraine and Israel discharged weapons stockpiling, similar to the Israeli war in Gaza. Therefore, a 2024 report from the DC-based Stimson Center shows that South Korea is considered an option for US allies that require weapons.

And Seoul’s arms industry may become important for Washington in the future, the report said.

“The increase in South Korea’s defense industrial base capacity, particularly in weapons and shipbuilding, could directly support the United States,” the report said.

Shipbuilding is considered a specific region of South Korea’s military industrial power, and Washington has already seen a contract to maintain US Navy supply ships to the Korean Yard, with the Navy working on the backlog at US shipyards.

In addition to the K2 tank, South Korea sent 174 K9 how shellguns to Poland under the 2022 framework, leaving 38 people delivered.

Hanwha said the second tranche of the 152 K9 is in work.

According to the manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industry, of the 48 FA-50 jets ordered, only 12 have been sent so far.

CNN
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Ecuador’s most notorious Drag Kingpin I’m heading for the US.

Jose Adolfo Masias, known as “Fito,” agreed to be handed over from Ecuador to the United States on Friday, where he is wanted by the US Department of Justice on charges of drug and weapons trafficking.

The head of criminal organization Los Ceneros accepted his extradition during a hearing at the National Court of Justice.

In a statement to CNN, U.S. Macías lawyer Alexei Schacht said his client had agreed to be handed over to the advice of an Ecuadorian lawyer.

“We’re working hard to protect his rights and to help him and his family,” Scharkt said. “Mr. Macias and his entire legal team are working hard to get the best possible outcome for him.”

Macias fled the prison in January 2024, plunging Ecuador into chaos. Soon after that, the gunman attacked a popular television station, living in the air with its crew hostages.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Novore, who took office shortly before Macias’ escape, declared a state of “internal armed conflict” within Ecuador, designating Los Ceneros and 21 other gangs as terrorist organizations.

Macías is the only founding member of Los Choneros, considered alive. Little is known about his life before he entered the criminal underworld, but after more than a decade in prison, he gained a reputation as a gang money laundering expert.

Macías’ prison destruction in 2024 revealed that he enjoys many extravagances in prison. According to footage from CNN affiliate Ecuavisa, he was treated to a fireworks display for his birthday. A military source told CNN that Macia arranged for her cell size to double, and entertained several female guests during her jail time.

He was captured in secret for over a year last month. Authorities found him in a basement bunker by a mansion in Manavi. The villa was equipped with a home gym, marble walls, and a game room.

Surveillance flights through the property detected irregular fields behind the house.

“They began to excavate,” recalled John Lenberg, Ecuadorian Home Minister. “As soon as this happened, Fito paniced because if we continued, the roof of his bunker would collapse. At that moment, he opened a hatch where the troops were already there and climbed up from the hidden hole. That’s how we detained him.”

Noboa announced shortly after that he intended to be handed over to face justice in the United States.

This is a developing story and will be updated.