
-
Clamping down on 'forever chemicals'
-
Prominent US academic facing royal insult charge in Thailand
-
Yana, a 130,000-year-old baby mammoth, goes under the scalpel
-
'Don't want to die': Lesotho HIV patients look to traditional medicine
-
Curry scores 37 as Warriors outgun LeBron's Lakers
-
Crops under threat as surprise March heatwave hits Central Asia: study
-
Japan PM says Trump tariffs a 'national crisis'
-
Security 'breakdown' allows armed men into Melbourne's MCG
-
Norris fastest in Japan GP first practice, Tsunoda sixth on Red Bull debut
-
Albon says Thailand taking bid for F1 race 'very seriously'
-
'It's gone': conservation science in Thailand's burning forest
-
Protest as quake-hit Myanmar junta chief joins Bangkok summit
-
EU leaders push for influence at Central Asia summit
-
Asian stocks extend global rout after Trump's shock tariff blitz
-
Lewandowski, Mbappe duel fuelling tight La Liga title race
-
South Korea court upholds President Yoon's impeachment, strips him of office
-
Liverpool march towards title as Man City face Man Utd
-
Finland's colossal bomb shelters a model for jittery Europe
-
Athletes frustrated as France mulls Muslim headscarf ban in sport
-
Korda downs Kupcho to stay alive at LPGA Match Play
-
German industry grapples with AI at trade fair
-
Irish school trains thatchers to save iconic roofs
-
'Frightening': US restaurants, producers face tariff whiplash
-
Cuba looks to sun to solve its energy crisis
-
Experts warn 'AI-written' paper is latest spin on climate change denial
-
PSG eye becoming France's first 'Invincibles'
-
Late birdie burst lifts Ryder to Texas Open lead
-
Five potential Grand National fairytale endings
-
Trump purges national security team after meeting conspiracist
-
More work for McIlroy even with two wins before Masters
-
Trump hopeful of 'great' PGA-LIV golf merger
-
No.1 Scheffler goes for third Masters crown in four years
-
DerMedical Esthetics Inc Wins Consumer Choice Award for Cosmetic Procedures in Halifax
-
Where Trump's tariffs could hurt Americans' wallets
-
Trump says 'very close to a deal' on TikTok
-
Trump tariffs on Mexico: the good, the bad, the unknown
-
Postecoglou denies taunting Spurs fans in Chelsea defeat
-
Oscar-winning Palestinian director speaks at UN on Israeli settlements
-
With tariff war, Trump also reshapes how US treats allies
-
Fernandez fires Chelsea into fourth as pressure mounts on Postecoglou
-
South Korea court to decide impeached president's fate
-
Penguin memes take flight after Trump tariffs remote island
-
E.T., no home: Original model of movie alien doesn't sell at auction
-
Italy's Brignone has surgery on broken leg with Winter Olympics looming
-
Trump defiant as tariffs send world markets into panic
-
City officials vote to repair roof on home of MLB Rays
-
Rockets forward Brooks gets one-game NBA ban for technicals
-
Pentagon watchdog to probe defense chief over Signal chat row
-
US tariffs could push up inflation, slow growth: Fed official
-
New Bruce Springsteen music set for June 27 release

Impeachment trial of South Korean President Yoon to begin
The impeachment trial of South Korea's suspended President Yook Suk Yeol begins Tuesday, with the country's Constitutional Court set to weigh whether to strip him of his presidential duties over a failed martial law bid.
Yoon's December 3 power grab plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades, after he directed soldiers to storm parliament in an unsuccessful bid to stop lawmakers voting down his suspension of civilian rule.
He was impeached soon after and suspended from duty, but has gone to ground in the presidential residence since, refusing summonses from investigators probing him on insurrection charges and using his presidential security team to resist arrest.
Lawmakers also impeached Yoon's stand-in last month, plunging the country further into political instability, and the current acting president has appeared unwilling to wade into the standoff, instead urging all parties to negotiate for a solution.
The trial's first hearing -- out of five lasting until February 4 -- is slated to begin at 2:00 pm (0500 GMT). The next hearings take place on January 16, 21, 23 and February 4.
Legal experts say the court will decide two issues, whether Yoon's martial law declaration was constitutional and, if found to be illegal, whether it amounted to insurrection.
"This impeachment case focuses solely on the martial law situation, so the facts are not particularly complex," lawyer Kim Nam-ju told AFP.
"Since most of the individuals involved have already been indicted and the facts have been somewhat established, it doesn't seem like it will take a long time."
But the court has up to 180 days from December 14, when it received the case, to make its ruling on whether Yoon indeed violated the constitution and the martial law act.
Yoon's legal team said he would not appear at the first hearing over purported safety concerns, saying he would be willing to appear at a later date if security issues were ironed out.
"Concerns about safety and potential incidents have arisen. Therefore, the President will not be able to attend the trial on January 14," lawyer Yoon Kab-keun said in a statement sent to AFP on Sunday.
The trial will continue in his absence if he does not appear.
Former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye did not appear for their impeachment trials in 2004 and 2016-2017, respectively.
Yoon's lawyers have argued the court must utilise the full 180 days -- specifically to examine what "led to the declaration of martial law".
- Arrest attempt -
Separate to the trial, a joint team of investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) -- which is probing Yoon over insurrection -- and police are preparing a fresh attempt to arrest Yoon.
An earlier attempt failed after Yoon's presidential guards blocked access to investigators.
If the new warrant is executed successfully, Yoon would become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.
If eventually convicted in that case, Yoon faces prison or even the death penalty.
The CIO said it would "prepare thoroughly" for its second attempt to arrest Yoon and warned that anyone obstructing them could be detained.
The National Office of Investigation, a police unit, sent a note to high-ranking police officials in Seoul requesting they prepare to mobilise 1,000 investigators for the fresh attempt, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Yoon's guards have reinforced his Seoul compound with barbed wire installations and bus barricades.
Yoon's legal team has also sought to put pressure on police to avoid being involved in the arrest attempt.
His lawyers released a statement Tuesday saying officers would be "in violation of multiple laws" if they proceeded to execute the "illegal warrant" to detain Yoon.
"We strongly urge the police, who are not obligated to follow investigative directives from the CIO, not to degrade themselves into mere enforcers of illegal actions," they said.
Late Sunday, the CIO sent a letter to the defence ministry and presidential security service saying anyone blocking Yoon's potential arrest "may face criminal charges" for obstruction and abuse of authority.
R.Chavez--AT