South Korea's National Assembly on Thursday voted to impeach the national police chief and justice minister over their enforcement of martial law last week, AP reported. As per AP, the opposition-controlled assembly is planning to file a second impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol later in the day following the first motion that failed last Saturday under a government party boycott. The South Korean president, in a televised statement, defended his martial law decree as an act of governance and denied rebellion charges. Earlier this week, the national police chief, Cho Ji Ho, was detained for investigation. The vote on Thursday suspends Cho and Justice Minister Park Sung Jae from their duties. South Korea's national police chief and Seoul's top officer detained over enforcement of martial law. South Korea's national police chief and top police officer for the capital, Seoul, were detained over the enforcement of President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law decree previously, AP cited. The development came hours before the main liberal opposition party, the Democratic Party, submitted a new motion to impeach Yoon on the martial law introduction. The party said it aims to put the motion on a floor vote. Earlier, Yoon's former defence minister, Kim Yong Hyun, was arrested after a Seoul court approved an arrest warrant for him on allegations of playing a key role in rebellion and committing abuse of power. Kim became the first person arrested over the December 3 martial law decree. Opposition parties and many experts said that the martial law decree was unconstitutional. They said a president is by law allowed to declare martial law only during 'wartime, war-like situations, or other comparable national emergency states,' and South Korea wasn't in such a situation, AP cited. They argued that deploying troops to seal the National Assembly to suspend its political activities amounted to rebellion because the South Korean Constitution doesn't allow a president to use the military to suspend parliament in any situation. As per AP, in his martial law announcement, the conservative Yoon stressed a need to rebuild the country by eliminating 'shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces,' a reference to his liberal rivals who control parliament. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has had near-constant friction with the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which introduced motions to impeach some of his top officials and launched a political offensive over scandals involving Yoon and his wife. (With inputs from AP)
12 December,2024 01:34 PM IST | Seoul | mid-day online correspondentSouth Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol defended his martial law decree as an act of governance and denied rebellion charges Thursday, rejecting the opposition-led impeachment attempts against him and investigations into last week's move, reported news agency Associated Press. Yoon Suk Yeol's televised statement came hours before the main liberal opposition Democratic Party submitted a new impeachment motion against Yoon. The opposition party plans to put the motion on a floor vote this Saturday. Its earlier attempt to impeach Yoon fell through last Saturday, with ruling party lawmakers boycotting a vote at the National Assembly. Yoon's December 3 martial law decree has generated political chaos and protests calling for his ouster. "I will fight to the end, to prevent the forces and criminal groups that have been responsible for paralysing the country's government and disrupting the nation's constitutional order from threatening the future of the Republic of Korea," Yoon said, reported Associated Press. Yoon said his martial law introduction was meant to defend the county's liberal democracy and constitutional order in the face of the liberal opposition party, which he says has paralysed state affairs and threatened the constitution, reported Associated Press. Yoon said his martial law decree was an act of governance that cannot be the subject of investigations and doesn't amount to rebellion. "The opposition is now doing a knife dance of chaos, claiming that the declaration of martial law constitutes to an act of rebellion. But was it really," Yoon said, reported Associated Press. On Wednesday, Yoon's office resisted a police attempt to search the compound. The main focus of the investigation is finding whether Yoon and other top military and government officials involved in imposing martial law committed rebellion. A conviction for rebellion carries a maximum penalty of death. Earlier this week, Yoon's former defence minister was arrested on allegations of playing a key role in a rebellion and committing abuse of power. He became the first person formally arrested over the martial law decree. Kim, one of Yoon's close associates, has been accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Enough lawmakers eventually managed to enter a parliament chamber and they unanimously rejected Yoon's decree, forcing the Cabinet to lift it before daybreak on December 4. (With inputs from Associated Press)
12 December,2024 11:35 AM IST | Seoul | mid-day online correspondentSingapore's foreign ministry has said international powers should not take advantage of the fissures in Syrian society to pursue their own strategic objectives. "All parties must ensure the safety and well-being of Syrian civilians who have already suffered so much," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that Singapore is closely monitoring developments in Syria. The complex situation in Syria can only be resolved definitively through an inclusive, Syrian-led political process as affirmed in the UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Any meaningful political solution must respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Syria, it said. Since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, more than 3,00,000 Syrians have been killed and more than 13 million have been displaced with many seeking refuge in other countries. "We hope they can return safely to their homes when peace is restored," the ministry said. Given the current volatile situation, Singaporeans should avoid travelling to or remaining in Syria, the ministry advised, adding that Singapore has no diplomatic representation in Syria, which constrains its ability to extend consular assistance in an emergency. Syrian rebels have seized control of Damabus since last Sunday, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee and ending his family's decades of rule after more than 13 years of civil war. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 11:21 AM IST | Singapore | PTIThe UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the UN agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban. The votes in the 193-nation world body were 158-9, with 13 abstentions to demand a ceasefire now and 159-9 with 11 abstentions in support of the agency known as UNRWA. The votes culminated two days of speeches overwhelmingly calling for an end to the 14-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group. Israel and its close ally, the United States, were in a tiny minority speaking and voting against the resolutions. While Security Council resolutions are legally binding, General Assembly resolutions are not, though they do reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly. The Palestinians and their supporters went to the General Assembly after the US vetoed a Security Council resolution on November 20 demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire. It was supported by the council's 14 other members but the US objected that it was not linked to an immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas militants during their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war. The language of the resolution adopted by the assembly is the same as the text of the vetoed resolution, demanding 'an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire to be respected by all parties,' while also reiterating a 'demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.' The second resolution backs the mandate of UNRWA, which was established by the General Assembly in 1949. It deplores laws adopted by Israel's parliament on Oct. 28 banning UNRWA's activities in the Palestinian territories, a measure to take effect in 90 days. And it reiterates UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' statements that UNRWA is 'the backbone' of all humanitarian operations in Gaza and no organization can replace it. Israel alleges that around a dozen of UNRWA's 13,000 workers in Gaza participated in Hamas' attacks on Israel that precipitated the war. It recently provided the UN with over 100 names of UNRWA staff it accuses of having militant ties. The resolution adopted Wednesday calls on the Israeli government 'to abide by its international obligations, respect the privileges and immunities of UNRWA and uphold its responsibility to allow and facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip.' US deputy UN ambassador Robert Wood reiterated America's opposition to the ceasefire resolution ahead of Wednesday's vote and criticized the Palestinians for again failing to mention Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 'At a time when Hamas is feeling isolated due to the ceasefire in Lebanon, the draft resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza risks sending a dangerous message to Hamas that there's no need to negotiate or release the hostages,' he said. The Hamas attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw another 250 abducted as hostages. Gaza militants have not returned around 100 hostages, a third of them believed to be dead, and ceasefire efforts have ground to a halt. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local Health Ministry. It says women and children make up more than half the dead but does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. Wood said the US will continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the war and called UNRWA 'a critical lifeline to the Palestinian people.' But he said the UNRWA resolution has 'serious flaws' because it fails to create a path to restore trust between the UN agency and Israel ' despite US efforts and a US proposal. Just before the vote, Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon accused the resolutions' supporters of complicity with Hamas, which he said has 'hopelessly infiltrated' UNRWA, and denounced their failure to link a ceasefire to the release of the hostages. 'By demanding a ceasefire today without addressing the hostages, this assembly will once again side with those who weaponise human suffering,' Danon said. 'It will send a message that the lives of innocent Israelis, including children, are not worth your consideration.' 'This is not diplomacy," he stressed. 'It is appeasement. It is enabling terror and abandoning the innocent.' At the opening of the assembly debate last Wednesday, the Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour accused Israel of mass killings, displacements, destruction and starvation ' 'a cruel war of atrocities against an entire civilian population.' Mansour said the only way to stop the atrocities, free the hostages, 'and to preserve the hope of a different future' is an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and support humanitarian efforts and prevent Israel's attempt to eliminate UNRWA. Slovenia's UN Ambassador Samuel 'bogar, reflecting the views of many speakers, pointed to the tens of thousands killed in Gaza. 'Gaza doesn't exist anymore,' he told the assembly Wednesday. 'It is destroyed. Civilians are facing hunger, despair and death.' This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. 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12 December,2024 11:19 AM IST | United Nations | APMeta-owned apps WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook are now back online after a mass global outage affected several users on Wednesday night. Meta on late Wednesday night confirmed that a technical issue is "impacting some users' ability" globally to access its suite of applications: WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. While Meta did not provide specific details about the nature of the problem, the company assured users that it is actively working on a resolution. We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience. — Meta (@Meta) December 11, 2024 In a statement shared on its social media handle, 'X', the company stated, "We're aware that a technical issue is impacting some users' ability to access our apps. We're working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience." Around 3:50 am, Meta gave an update, "Thanks for bearing with us! We’re 99 per cent of the way there - just doing some last checks. We apologise to those who’ve been affected by the outage," it said. Thanks for bearing with us! We’re 99% of the way there - just doing some last checks. We apologize to those who’ve been affected by the outage. — Meta (@Meta) December 11, 2024 According to the outage tracking website DownDetector, more than 50,000 Facebook users had reported issues, including problems with logging in, uploading posts and updating existing content around 11 pm (IST). Instagram was down for more than 23,000 users, with many unable to access or update posts. Problems with the apps were reported in the UK, parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and the US.
12 December,2024 09:07 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentSuheil Hamwi spent 32 years in a Syrian prison, and now, after an offensive by insurgents that toppled the government of Bashar Assad, he’s finally returned to his home in Lebanon. In 1992, Hamwi worked as a merchant, selling various goods in the town of Chekka in northern Lebanon. On the night of Eid il-Burbara, or Saint Barbara’s Day—a holiday similar to Halloween—a man came to his door to buy some whiskey. Hamwi said he handed his 10-month-old son, George, to his wife and went to his car to fetch the whiskey and make the sale. As Hamwi approached his vehicle, a car filled with men pulled up, he said, forcing him inside and taking him away. Hamwi was one of hundreds of Lebanese citizens detained during Syria’s occupation of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 and believed to be held in Syrian prisons for decades. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 07:45 AM IST | Chekka | AgenciesPamela Anderson’s famous red swimsuit from Baywatch will go on display in London. The actress shot to fame in the 1990s in the show, known for its much-parodied slow-mo sequences and high drama on the beaches of Malibu. The Canadian actress, 57, played lifeguard C J Parker in the show from 1992 to 1997. The swimming costume will be shown off at the Design Museum’s exhibition Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style, which opens in March. Anderson’s Baywatch co-star David Hasselhoff used to own the swimsuit but it was bought last year by Germany’s BikiniARTmuseum, who have now agreed to lend it. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 07:44 AM IST | London | AgenciesCanadian Hindus on Tuesday staged a protest outside the Bangladeshi Consulate in Toronto to seek justice and protection of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. Despite the cold winter weather, a significant number of Canadian Hindus gathered outside the Bangladeshi consulate to voice their concerns. The protesters chanted slogans with banners in their hands written: ‘Shame Shame Bangladesh’, ‘Mohammed Younus A Murderer’, ‘Hindu Lives Matter’ and ‘Stop Hindu Genocide’. The protesters urged the Canadian and Indian governments, and the international community to press the Bangladeshi Government to protect Hindus and other minorities. Speaking to ANI, a protester said, “What’s happening is in Bangladesh they’re genociding Hindus, they’re assaulting our women, they’re raping our children, they’re doing whatever they can because the Hindus are a minority and they’re trying to overrun the Hindu minorities. That’s what they have done in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. Now they’re trying to do the same in Bangladesh. We are here to support our brothers and sisters all over the world to unite and show our concern.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 07:44 AM IST | Ottawa | AgenciesRescue crews working through the night pulled two women from rubble more than seven hours after a Russian missile struck a private medical clinic in a southern Ukraine city, killing six people and wounding 22 others, authorities said on Wednesday. The women called rescue services on their cellphones to say they were buried under the rubble after the attack late on Tuesday in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s Emergency Services said. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a blaze at an industrial facility in Russia’s Bryansk region, Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said. Air defences downed 14 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region early Wednesday, the Russian Defence Ministry said. Also, a Ukrainian missile attack on the city of Taganrog in the Rostov region early Wednesday damaged an industrial plant, regional Gov. Yuri Slusar said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 07:43 AM IST | Kyiv | AgenciesIsraeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 29 people overnight and into Wednesday, including one that hit a home where displaced people were sheltering in the isolated north, killing 19, according to Palestinian medical officials. The strike that killed 19 occurred in the northern town of Beit Lahiya near the border with Israel, according to the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital, which received the bodies. Hospital records show that a family of eight was among those killed, including four children, their parents and two grandparents. The hospital said another strike near its entrance on Wednesday killed a woman and her two children. Another strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least seven people, according to the Awda Hospital. The dead included two children, their parents and three relatives, it said. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and accuses militants of hiding among them, putting their lives in danger. Militants in central Gaza meanwhile fired four projectiles into Israel on Wednesday, two of which were intercepted while the other two fell in open areas. There were no reports of casualties. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 07:43 AM IST | Deir Al-Balah | AgenciesThe United States has said that it wants India and Bangladesh to resolve their differences peacefully. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miler said this at his daily news conference on Tuesday. "We want to see all parties resolve their disagreements peacefully," Miler said, responding to a question on the recent visit of India's foreign secretary to Bangladesh. During his visit early this week, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri conveyed New Delhi's "concerns" over the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh. "I have underlined India's desire to work closely with the interim government of Bangladesh. At the same time, we also had the opportunity to discuss certain recent developments and issues, and I conveyed our concerns, including those related to the safety and welfare of minorities," Misri told reporters in Dhaka at the end of his visit. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
11 December,2024 12:27 PM IST | Washington | PTIADVERTISEMENT
