Top World News

Dec 4, 2024 - World

Ukraine could be facing its most difficult winter since February 2022 when Russia invaded its smaller neighbor, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday after a meeting of foreign ministers from the alliance.

Dec 4, 2024 - World

The Philippines said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon and "sideswiped" a government vessel Wednesday during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, after Beijing said it had "exercised control" over the ship.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims from other countries -- including the Philippines -- and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.Vessels from the two sides have clashed frequently in the past year, resulting in injuries and damage.Tensions flared again on Wednesday, with Manila releasing a video appearing to show a Chinese coast guard ship firing a torrent of water at the Philippines fisheries department vessel BRP Datu Pagbuaya. Other footage apparently taken from the Philippine ship showed its crew shouting "Collision! Collision!" as the much larger Chinese vessel nears its right-hand side before crashing into it.The water cannon was aimed "directly at the vessel's navigational antennas", the Philippine coast guard and fisheries ministry said in a joint statement.The Chinese vessel "intentionally sideswiped" the ship before launching a second water cannon attack, the statement said.China's coast guard said in an initial statement that Philippine ships "came dangerously close" and that its crew's actions had been "in accordance with the law".In a later statement, it accused Manila of making "bogus accusations in an attempt to mislead international understanding".It said the Philippine ship hadAFP A China Coast Guard ship deploys water cannon at a fisheries department vessel"turned at a great angle and reversed, deliberately colliding" with the Chinese ship.Video released by Manila said to be drone footage of the collision does not show the Philippine ship reversing. The videos were reviewed by AFP Factcheck, who found no evidence of their prior circulation online but were unable to independently verify them further.The Chinese coast guard later released a video it said showed the Philippine ship ramming its vessel.The 20-second showed the moments just before and after the collision but not the lead-up. - Growing tensions -Scarborough Shoal -- a triangular chain of reefs and rocks -- has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.Since then, Beijing has deployed patrol boats that Manila says harass Philippine vessels and prevent Filipino fishermen from accessing a fish-rich lagoon there.The shoal lies 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the Philippines' main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese land mass of Hainan.Philippine officials said in a press conference there had been another incident on Wednesday near Sabina Shoal, in the Spratly Islands. A Chinese coastguard vessel "intentionally rammed" another fisheries department vessel, which "significantly destroyed some of her structure", an official said. The Chinese side has not released a statement on the incident. Tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea escalated last month when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signed two laws defining the country's sea waters and imposing fixed lanes for foreign ships, prompting China to summon the Philippine ambassador.And ties frayed further when the Philippines and the United States signed a security deal allowing both sides to share classified information.In a separate incident, Beijing said Monday it had taken "control measures" against Philippine ships it accused of "illegally gathering" near Iroquois Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands.On that occasion, Beijing warned Manila to "immediately stop its infringements and provocations".Manila said a Chinese navy helicopter had "harassed" Philippine fishing vessels in the area, and shared video footage that purported to show the aircraft hovering low over a Philippine boat.The Philippine coast guard said it had deployed two vessels in the area "to ensure the safety and security of Filipino fishermen exercising their right to fish freely" there.© Agence France-Presse

Dec 4, 2024 - World

by Kang Jin-kyuParliamentary staffers used sofas and fire extinguishers to block soldiers armed with assault rifles and night-vision goggles from entering South Korea's National Assembly to maintain martial law, CCTV footage released Wednesday showed.Shortly after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday -- the first time it had been imposed in the South in over four decades -- helicopters ferried the heavily-armed troops into the compound of South Korea's parliament, the footage showed.Other soldiers climbed over perimeter fences after midnight, Kim Min-ki, secretary general of the assembly, told reporters at a briefing, adding that they then smashed windows to enter the building in what he called an "unconstitutional and illegal" invasion."We will identify the physical damages and losses caused by the declaration of martial law and hold those responsible accountable through legal action," he said.AFP Members of South Korea's Democratic Party use couches as barricades at the entrance of the National Assembly buildingAbout 280 soldiers entered the parliament building, he said, but quickly encountered resistance from staffers, who grabbed anything on hand to barricade entrance ways and prevent the troops from reaching lawmakers in the debating chamber.Footage showed dozens of soldiers attempting to enter the building, only to be pulled away by protesters."We are currently assessing the injuries sustained by several individuals, including parliamentary staff, during clashes with the martial law troops," Kim said.The soldiers "illegally sealed off the National Assembly after declaring martial law, violating the Constitution and the law by barring lawmakers from entering," he said."They also trampled on the parliament building using military force, inflicting deep wounds on the hearts of the people," he added.- Struggle over a gun -AFP Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial lawIn one dramatic scene, An Gwi-ryeong, a spokeswoman for the opposition Democratic Party, scuffled with a soldier, attempting to seize his rifle.The struggle lasted more than 10 seconds. After she released the weapon, the soldier briefly pointed it at her.Undeterred, An, a former news anchor, shouted: "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" footage of the incident showed."I had no choice but to stop them from entering the main building because a resolution was being submitted to block the martial law," An told AFP Wednesday.Under South Korea's constitution, if parliament requests martial law be lifted, the president is obliged to comply, and experts have speculated the soldiers were sent in a bid to stop the vote from taking place."I did fear for my life," she said of the confrontation. "But I felt I had to stop them no matter what... because I could not comprehend the presence of fully armed soldiers inside the parliament."AFP Police attempted to seal off the assembly gates, barring MPs from entering the premisesWhile the soldiers in the compound attempted to breach the building, police were sealing off the assembly gates, attempting to bar MPs from entering."Some MPs had to climb over the fence to get inside to vote on the resolution," opposition MP Shin Chang-sik told AFP.Not all MPs managed to enter the assembly. Lee Jun-seok, another opposition lawmaker, was stopped by rows of police guarding the gates."You are now obstructing the official duties of a lawmaker," Lee can be heard shouting in the footage -- but he was still not allowed in.- 'Go home, you bastards!' -Once soldiers had made it into parliament, they found the doorways to the main chamber barricaded with piles of furniture erected by parliamentary staff, CCTV footage showed.AFP South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik (C top) passes a resolution demanding the immediate lifting of martial lawThe video shows soldiers rushing towards the barricaded gate with guns pointed at the unarmed staffers, who continued to pile office chairs and desks in their path."Go home, you bastards!" shouted one staff member, as another protester unleashed a fire extinguisher in the direction of the soldiers,.Behind the throngs of staff were scores of flashing cameras, capturing the surreal moment.It was not until after the resolution calling for the withdrawal of martial law passed at around 1 am (1600 GMT) that the soldiers began to retreat. They completed their withdrawal by 2 am, leaving behind shattered windows and broken furniture, but without a single shot fired."I was so incensed I couldn't sleep a wink last night, I came out to make sure we push out Yoon once and for all," 50-year-old Kim Min-ho told AFP at a protest at the assembly Wednesday."How can something like this happen in the 21st century?" Park Su-hyung, 39, said. "I'm here out of fear our democracy will be trampled if we keep Yoon in office a moment longer"© Agence France-Presse

Dec 4, 2024 - World

Georgian police have raided the offices of an opposition party and arrested its leader in an apparent attempt to squelch a wave of mass protests over the decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union

Dec 4, 2024 - World

A French appeals court is to decide Wednesday whether French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski owes a British actor damages after he was acquitted of allegedly defaming her when she accused him of rape.A Paris criminal court in May found Polanski, 91, not guilty of defaming Charlotte Lewis, 57, after he said her rape accusation was a "heinous lie".Lewis appealed the decision, but the prosecution did not follow suit.This means his acquittal is final, but the Paris appeals court could still decide that Polanski committed a breach of civil duty and owes Lewis damages.It is the latest in a series of legal battles for the Oscar-winning director, who has faced multiple accusations of sexual assault.Lewis told the court in March she became the victim of a "smear campaign" that "nearly destroyed" her life after she spoke up about the alleged assault from 1983, when she was a teenager."He raped me," she said, explaining that it had taken her time to put a name on the incident that occurred in Paris when she was 16.The May verdict related strictly to the charge of defamation and not the actor's rape accusation against Polanski.The filmmaker, whose titles include the Academy Award-winning "Rosemary's Baby", "Chinatown" and "The Pianist", did not attend any hearings.But his lawyer said it showed it was "possible to cast doubt on the word of a female accuser".Lewis, in tears, said it was a "sad day for women accusing their assaulters".- International legal battles -Polanski is wanted in the United States over the rape of a 13-year-old in 1977 and faces several other accusations of sexual assault dating back decades and past the statute of limitations -- all claims he has rejected.He fled to Europe in 1978.Lewis in 2010 accused Polanski of abusing her "in the worst possible way" as a 16-year-old in 1983 in Paris after she travelled there for a casting session. She appeared in his 1986 film "Pirates".The France-born filmmaker retorted that it was a "heinous lie" in a 2019 conversation with Paris Match magazine.According to Paris Match, he pulled out a copy of a 1999 article in now-defunct British tabloid newspaper News of the World, and quoted Lewis as saying in it: "I wanted to be his lover."Lewis has said the quotes attributed to her in that interview were not accurate.She filed a complaint for defamation, and the film director was automatically charged under French law.AFP British actor Charlotte Lewis accuses Polanski of defaming her after she accused him of sexual abuse in the 1980sIn 2010, Lewis said she decided to speak out to counter suggestions from Polanski's legal team that the 1977 rape case was an isolated incident.Switzerland, France and Poland have refused to extradite Polanski to the United States.Between 2017 and 2019, four other women came forward with claims that Polanski also abused them in the 1970s, three of them as minors. He has denied all the allegations.© Agence France-Presse