Our daily commute around the world

🇰🇵 N. Korea launched 23 short-range ballistic missiles yesterday, its most ever in a single day, including one that landed closer to S. Korea than any before. The missile tests aren't anything new – North Korea has been doing similar launches for more than a decade. But this year has seen a record number of tests, which experts attribute to several possible reasons. North Korean officials said Wednesday’s missile launches were in response to ongoing large-scale military exercises by the US and South Korea.

🇮🇷 The US and Saudi Arabia are on high alert following intelligence reports that indicate an Iranian attack is coming. The two countries, as well as other Middle Eastern allies, have raised their military alert level in recent days due to a possible threat from Iran, per multiple reports. Saudi and US officials reportedly view the possible attacks as an attempt to distract from nationwide protests that have engulfed Iran since mid-September – demonstrations the Iranian government publicly blames on the US and its partners.

🇪🇹 Ethiopia and the Tigrayan rebels reached a surprise peace deal yesterday, ending two years of civil war. The conflict in Africa’s second-most populous nation has killed hundreds of thousands of people and exacerbated an ongoing hunger crisis. Nearly 90% of people in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region need food aid, per the WHO, with a third of the region’s children suffering from malnutrition. Yesterday’s truce is reportedly more comprehensive and binding than a previous deal struck in June, which was later breached in August.