White House calls South Korea's vote fair but warns of Chinese influence
The White House congratulated South Korea on a fair election but voiced concern over potential Chinese influence as liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung assumes the presidency.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol skips trial over martial law bid; court proceedings and detention efforts continue amid allegations of treason and insurrection.
South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol refused to attend the first hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, following his controversial attempt to impose martial law last month. The trial session lasted only four minutes due to Yoon’s absence, according to Yonhap News.
Yoon was required to attend the initial hearing of the five oral sessions mandated by the Constitutional Court. Despite his impeachment by parliament on December 14, Yoon has remained confined to his official residence in Seoul, avoiding investigative summons. The court has up to six months to determine whether to uphold or reject the impeachment decision.
While Yoon’s duties are suspended, an acting president from his cabinet is currently managing state affairs. The next trial hearing is scheduled for Thursday and will proceed even if Yoon continues to refuse attendance.
In a separate development, a joint task force of anti-corruption officials and police has requested the presidential security team and the Defense Ministry to avoid obstructing their renewed efforts to detain Yoon. The former president faces charges of treason and insurrection related to his martial law decree of December 3.
An earlier attempt to detain Yoon on January 3 was thwarted by approximately 200 members of his security detail and Defense Ministry personnel. However, a court has since extended the arrest warrant, and investigators have reaffirmed their commitment to arrest Yoon in compliance with the law.
Taxi drivers across France are protesting government plans to cut payments for driving patients to medical appointments. These cuts are part of a broader effort by Prime Minister François Bayrou to save €40 billion in the 2026 budget and reduce the country’s large deficit.
Brazil’s economy is expected to have regained momentum in the first quarter of 2025, driven by a surge in household spending and private investment, according to a Reuters poll of economists conducted from May 21–26.
As peace talks progress, voices from Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku reveal hopes, concerns, and expectations for a future shaped by trade, trust, and generational change in the South Caucasus.
In a major blow to one of President Donald Trump’s key economic policies, a US federal court has blocked the administration’s sweeping global tariff regime, ruling that the White House overstepped its constitutional authority.
The world is headed toward record-breaking heat, with an 86% chance of surpassing the critical 1.5°C warming limit in the next five years, global experts warn.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang recently met with a delegation from the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade (JAPIT) in Beijing.
At least seven civilians were killed and over 50 injured as Russia launched a wave of drone, missile, and artillery attacks across multiple Ukrainian regions, amid ongoing efforts to bolster air defenses against escalating assaults.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met in Rome on Tuesday, pledging to strengthen cooperation on key European and international issues following weeks of public friction over Ukraine, trade, and relations with the United States.
The White House congratulated South Korea on a fair election but voiced concern over potential Chinese influence as liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung assumes the presidency.
Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Belarus as a true friend of China as he met Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of the sanctions-hit European nation, on Wednesday and urged the Russian ally to join Beijing in opposing "hegemony and bullying".
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