Category: World

Yoon Sok Yule announced the lifting of martial law at the next cabinet meeting. The decision was made after a vote by the parliament, where the opposition Democratic Party has a majority.

South Korean President Yoon Sok Yule said that martial law will be lifted at the next cabinet meeting, reports UNN with reference to YTN.

In a statement, Yoon Sok Yule also called on opposition parties to "immediately stop the outrageous actions that paralyze the country's work" – and recalled the differences that arose during the end of November. Then the Democratic Workers ' Party (it has a majority in parliament) rejected the government's proposal and decided to impeach the state auditor and chief prosecutor.

Previously

The South Korean President imposed martial law to" eliminate sifting Korean forces and protect the constitutional order " this evening. A few hours ago, the country's parliament voted to cancel it.

Causes of the political crisis in South Korea

According to the BBC, in the parliamentary elections held in South Korea this spring, 192 of the 300 seats in the National Assembly were won by the Democratic Party.

As a result of the crushing defeat that the president's power of the People Party received in the elections, the leader of this party, Han Dong Hong, resigned and the country's Prime Minister, Han dok su, resigned.

The media wrote that the vote in the spring elections could be considered as an interim referendum on confidence in President Yoon Sok Yule, who still has three years in power.

The BBC's Seoul correspondent Jake Kwon recalls that after the parliamentary elections lost by his party, the president was unable to pass the laws he needed, but he had to desperately veto any laws passed by the opposition.

This week, the Democratic Party reduced the budget proposed by the government and the president's party, but Yoon Sok Yule cannot veto it.

The Austrian government has provided €10 million to the World Bank's Target Fund for supporting Ukraine's recovery.

Source: European Pravda, citing a press release from the World Bank on 3 December

Details: The funds have been allocated to the World Bank's Ukraine Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund (URTF).

The contribution is intended to "support emergency operations in the energy sector and other critical areas, as well as programmes that assist in implementing vital reforms", the statement notes.

The URTF was established in December 2022 to leverage grant aid from international partners aimed at addressing the aftermath of the war.

As of September 2024, the URTF has consolidated US$1.86 billion in grant funds, with Ukraine having received nearly US$1.2 billion of this total.

Background: In late November, Austria announced it would allocate €2 million to the Grain from Ukraine programme and an additional €5 million for restoring Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

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Beijing has banned the supply of gallium, germanium and other metals to the United States after new US restrictions on chips. Chinese trade associations have called for a reduction in purchases of American chips.

After the United States on Monday imposed another round of large-scale export controls designed to make it harder for China to develop artificial intelligence for its military, Xi Jinping's government is ready to target Western economic interests.

Passes UNN with reference to FT.

Details

China has banned the supply to the United States of several minerals and metals used in the production of semiconductors and in the military industry.

On Tuesday, China's Commerce Ministry said it would ban exports to the United States of dual-use goods that include gallium, germanium, antimony and Superhard Materials, as well as impose stricter controls on graphite.

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Separately, China's four major trade associations, which represent the internet, automotive, semiconductor and communications industries, responded to U.S. moves by telling members to cut purchases of U.S. chips.

American chip products are no longer safe and reliable, and relevant Chinese industries should be careful when purchasing US chips

– stated in the Semiconductor Industry Association of China.

The retaliatory measures were taken after the United States imposed export controls on Monday, in order to complicate China's development of artificial intelligence for its military.

addition

China has already tightened export controls in response to tougher sanctions on chips from the United States and its allies. Existing restrictions on the supply of germanium and gallium have led to almost twice the price of minerals in Europe.

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China's latest ban on U.S. shipments clearly shows that President Xi Jinping's government is ready to target Western economic interests to respond to Washington's restrictions on chips.

China has previously concluded that deterring fire will slow the pace of secession, but now they have concluded that deterring fire simply leads to tougher US sanctions and that they need to step back to impose costs

– said Scott Kennedy, a Chinese expert at CSIS. Washington think tank.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, China produces 98% of the world's gallium reserves and 60% of germanium.

recall

UNN reported that the United States is introducing the third sanctions regime in three years against the Chinese semiconductor industry.the restrictions will affect 140 companies, including Piotech, which will need a special license to cooperate with American suppliers.

U.S. controls unveiled on Monday included tougher export restrictions on critical Semiconductor Manufacturing Tools and a ban on exports to China of advanced high-bandwidth memory chips (HBM), key components of artificial intelligence products.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has been invited to attend an OSCE ministerial meeting in Malta on 5-6 December in what could be his first visit to the EU since 2022.

Source: Radio Liberty, as reported by European Pravda

Details: OSCE officials told Radio Liberty that Lavrov's invitation was intended to start a dialogue to reach agreement on matters such as the filling of four vacant leadership positions in the organisation, future presidencies, and the budget.

According to Radio Liberty, the Russian foreign minister will attend the lunch on the first day of the OSCE summit but will not be at the dinner, which will focus on Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

In terms of the order of statements, which is determined by drawing lots, Ukraine will speak first and Russia fourth, having changed places with Tajikistan.

Furthermore, Radio Liberty's sources say that this time EU representatives are unlikely to pointedly boycott the Russian speech. Instead, they will "answer Lavrov and the huge amount of lies that he usually comes with".

Background:

• If Lavrov is allowed to visit Malta, it will be his first visit to an EU country since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Poland refused to let Lavrov attend a ministerial summit in Łódź when it held the OSCE presidency in 2022.
• Lavrov has however been permitted to visit the United States to attend UN events, and last year he attended an OSCE ministerial meeting in North Macedonia, which is not yet a member of the EU.

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The military leaves the South Korean parliament building after the lifting of martial law by 190 votes of Deputies. Thousands of protesters gathered outside Parliament to demand the impeachment of President Yule.

The military is leaving the South Korean parliament building. This is reported by Yonhap with reference to the speaker of the National Assembly, reports UNN.

Previously

The South Korean parliament held a vote on the abolition of martial law. The decision was supported by 190 deputies.

According to Reuters, thousands of people gathered outside the South Korean parliament, shouting "impeachment of President Yule.

Police buses blocked the main entrance to the parliament.

"Lift martial law, protect democracy," the protesters chanted.

We will win.

The crowd booed as the military bus left the scene.

Causes of the political crisis in South Korea

According to the BBC, in the parliamentary elections held in South Korea this spring, 192 of the 300 seats in the National Assembly were won by the Democratic Party.

As a result of the crushing defeat that the president's power of the People Party received in the elections, the leader of this party, Han Dong Hong, resigned and the country's Prime Minister, Han dok su, resigned.

The media wrote that the vote in the spring elections could be considered as an interim referendum on confidence in President Yoon Sok Yule, who still has three years in power.

The BBC's Seoul correspondent Jake Kwon recalls that after the parliamentary elections lost by his party, the president was unable to pass the laws he needed, but he had to desperately veto any laws passed by the opposition.

This week, the Democratic Party reduced the budget proposed by the government and the president's party, but Yoon Sok Yule cannot veto it.

Ukrainians will be entitled to seek reparations for Russia's war crimes beginning in 2025.

Source: Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, on Telegram

Details: Fedorov stated that in the first half of 2025, the ministry intends to open all 45 categories of compensation applications for damage caused by Russia.

Quote: "We will add applications for reparations for those who were forced to flee their home, who were caused harm to their lives and health, who had their cars destroyed and suffered other kinds of damage," Fedorov said.

The minister also announced that information on destroyed housing had been collected in the relevant register since the beginning of April 2024. Most applications came from Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson oblasts.

"This is an important mechanism, and it serves as the foundation for future reparations. The more applications are filed, the greater the world's understanding of Russia's harm to Ukraine will be," Fedorov said.

Frontline warfare, artillery bombardment, aerial attacks, Russian occupation, and the collapse of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant were the most common causes of damage cited by the applicants.

Background: The Diia app, developed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, recently surpassed 21 million unique users, offering 24 documents and over 30 services.

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Yun Sok Yol imposed martial law, accusing the opposition of anti-state activities. The decision was made after the Democratic Party initiated budget cuts and the impeachment of the state auditor.

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday declared martial law in the country due to the threat of impeachment of the president. This was reported by the Yonhap agency, reports UNN.

Suk-yeol accused the opposition of "anti-state activities aimed at organizing a rebellion".

"The purpose of martial law is to eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional order of freedom," Yeol said in a television address.

This decision was made after the opposition Democratic Party passed a bill in the parliamentary budget committee to cut the budget and filed a petition for the impeachment of the state auditor and the prosecutor general.

The imposition of martial law, as reported by AP, immediately provoked opposition from politicians, including the leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hoon, who called the decision "wrong" and promised to "stop it together with the people".

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yeol in the 2022 presidential election, called the President's statement "illegal and unconstitutional".

The Constitutional Court of Georgia did not accept for consideration the lawsuits of the president and opposition deputies regarding the cancellation of the results of the October 26 elections. The decision is final, two out of nine judges expressed a dissenting opinion.

The Constitutional Court of Georgia did not accept the lawsuits of the president and opposition deputies to cancel the results of the October 26 elections. The decision is final and not subject to appeal or review. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Georgian media.

Details

"Constitutional lawsuits #1848 and #1849 should not be accepted for consideration on the merits", the text of the resolution states.

Two of the nine judges of the Constitutional Court recorded a "separate opinion" and spoke out against the general decision.

Supplement

On November 18, the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, stated that the verdict on the elections in the country has been passed – the elections did not take place. Therefore, it is necessary to hold new elections in Georgia. And for this, several steps need to be taken – Zourabichvili presented her plan. One of the steps she mentioned was filing a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court of Georgia (Batumi).

On behalf of the President of Georgia, a lawsuit was filed with the Constitutional Court on November 19. Salome Zourabichvili stated that the principle of secrecy of voting was violated in the elections, and demanded that the results be declared unconstitutional. The court had a 30-day period to consider it.

Later, the head of state stated that the judges of the Constitutional Court have a "unique" opportunity to resolve the "very deep crisis" in the country. She stated the need to put pressure on the court – the head of state emphasized that all the efforts of the opposition parties, activists, judges and lawyers should be aimed at scheduling a meeting of the Constitutional Court, which has not yet begun to consider the lawsuits.

Add

In Tbilisi, on Rustaveli Avenue, there were clashes between protesters and police at night, which led to numerous casualties. According to the Ministry of Health of Georgia, 26 people were hospitalized, including 23 protesters and 3 police officers.

One person was killed and another injured in Russian attacks on Pokrovsk hromada in Donetsk Oblast on 3 December [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories – ed.].

Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "Pokrovsk hromada is under fire – there are civilian casualties. One person was killed and another injured, and a vehicle was damaged as a result of a drone strike in Kotlyne.

Details: The Russians also damaged eight multi-storey buildings and two cars in Pokrovsk. There have been no reports of casualties in the city so far.

Filashkin urged residents of Donetsk Oblast to avoid danger and evacuate to safer regions of Ukraine.

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