While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 11, 2024
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A formal arrest warrant was issued late on Dec 10 for former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun.
PHOTO: AFP
South Korea ex-defence minister formally arrested
South Korea’s former defence minister has been formally arrested on insurrection charges related to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief declaration of martial law, which plunged the country into chaos, a court spokesperson said early Dec 11.
Mr Yoon suspended civilian rule a week ago and sent special forces and helicopters to Parliament, before lawmakers forced him to rescind the decree in a country assumed to be a stable democracy.
A formal arrest warrant was issued late on Dec 10 for former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who had already been detained on Dec 10, in the first court decision related to the ongoing political turmoil caused by martial law.
Charges included “engaging in critical duties during an insurrection” and “abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights”.
Newly named Syria PM calls for ‘stability and calm’
PHOTO: REUTERS
Syria’s new transitional prime minister on Dec 10 said it was time for “stability and calm” in the country, two days after longtime president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive.
The rebels appointed Mr Mohammad al-Bashir as the transitional head of government to run the country until March 1, a statement said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged all nations to support an “inclusive” political process in Syria, saying the United States would eventually recognise a government if it meets such standards.
Arctic is now emitting more carbon than it absorbs: US agency
PHOTO: AFP
The Arctic tundra is undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by frequent wildfires that are turning it into a net source of carbon dioxide emissions after millennia of acting as a carbon sink, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said on Dec 10.
This drastic shift is detailed in Noaa’s 2024 Arctic Report Card, which revealed that annual surface air temperatures in the Arctic in 2024 were the second-warmest on record since 1900.
“Our observations now show that the Arctic tundra, which is experiencing warming and increased wildfire, is now emitting more carbon than it stores, which will worsen climate change impacts,” said Noaa Administrator Rick Spinrad.
California wildfire forces evacuations in Malibu
PHOTO: REUTERS
A rapidly intensifying wildfire burning just north-west of Los Angeles forced some residents in Malibu to evacuate as it threatened homes, knocked out power and closed roads in the beach community.
The brush fire blaze, called the Franklin Fire, grew overnight from two hectares to 737 hectares along steep terrain, spreading south over the Pacific Coast Highway in the picturesque coastal city of about 10,000 people.
The fire, which has not yet been contained, has destroyed a small number of homes, but has not caused any injuries or deaths, Los Angeles County fire chief Anthony Marrone told a news conference on Dec 10.
Trump’s mass deportation would ‘crash’ US economy
REUTERS
President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for the largest deportation of migrants in US history would crash the economy, sending inflation and unemployment soaring while undermining trust in the military, senators heard on Dec 10.
The Republican leader has vowed to declare an immigration national emergency when he takes office in January, and use troops to round up and expel the country’s estimated 13 million undocumented migrants.
But a Democratic-led Senate session focusing on ways the move could harm Americans heard from witnesses including a former army chief and immigration experts, who said the proposals were a threat to the wellbeing of all Americans.
