After convicting former prime minister Yoon Suk-yeol of insurrection-related insurrection charges, a South Korean court sentenced him to 23 years in prison.
Following the decree to mobilize the military’s deployment by the then-president in December 2024, Han was found guilty of assisting Yoon’s brief passage to martial law and of failing to convene a lawful cabinet meeting as required by South Korean law.
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Judge Lee Jin-gwan of the Seoul Central District Court said Han “disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister until the very end.”
The defendant’s actions “could have caused South Korea to go back to the dark past, where the people’s fundamental rights and liberal democratic order were violated, potentially preventing them from escaping the grip of a long-term dictatorship,” the judge said.
In response to Han’s sentencing, the court ordered him to be detained because there were concerns about possible evidence destruction.
Han, 76, is the first Yoon’s cabinet official to be found guilty and given a jail term in connection with the declaration of martial law.
The former prime minister, who claimed he had no idea about Yoon’s military-imposed rule plan, refuted the accusations made against him.
After convicting Yoon on charges relating to the imposition of martial law, including obstructing authorities’ work, fabricating official documents, and failing to follow legal procedures, a court sentenced him to five years in jail last week.
Yoon is also accused of using the martial law decree to organize an insurrection. Yoon faces the death penalty, according to a special prosecutor’s request, and the case will be decided next month.
According to Al Jazeera’s Jack Barton, who is based in Seoul, Wednesday’s verdict was crucial because Han was the first official to be found guilty of a charge directly connected to the martial law decree, and Yoon’s upcoming indictment for insurrection is likely to depend on the court’s decision.
“This is his first verdict in 23 years,” he declared. That is more than the prosecution’s 15-year limit, according to Barton.
A $2.3 billion weapons deal, which includes P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, lightweight torpedoes, and air defense equipment, has been approved by the US.
According to a statement posted on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the State Department made the sale public on Wednesday.
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The proposed sale will give Singapore the ability to “meet current and future threats” by providing a trustworthy maritime force that can deter allies and US allies, according to the DSCA.
By enhancing the security of a strategic partner, which is a crucial factor for political stability and economic growth in Asia, the statement continued.
The patrol aircraft are used to protect Singapore’s “extended sea lanes of communication and its very busy waterways,” according to political scientist Ian Chong.
According to Singapore’s Ministry of Defense, the country’s long-term plan to replace its aging fleet of Fokker 50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft includes the purchase of four Boeing P-8A aircraft.
Following a meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, Singapore’s Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing made the announcement that the US aircraft would be purchased in September.
According to the State Department, the US currently sells a total of $8.38 billion to Singapore in active government-to-government sales, which range from munitions to F-35 fighter jets.
The Singaporean Defense Ministry anticipates receiving the first aircraft from its 20 F-35 order later this year.
Singapore and the US cooperate on a variety of security issues, and their militaries regularly hold joint training exercises.
In March 2025, a P-8A Poseidon performs in the air at the Australian International Airshow in Avalon, Australia [File: Hollie Adams/Reuters]
About an hour after departing its base for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Donald Trump’s plane had to make a U-turn.
Due to a “minor electrical issue,” according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Air Force One, carrying the president, his entourage, and reporters, made a return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday night.
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Trump will travel on a smaller Boeing 757 to the forum, where he will meet with various world leaders and deliver a speech.
More than two hours after the initial flight’s initial departure, the plane, which is typically used for domestic flights to smaller airports, took off on Wednesday at midnight local time (05:00 GMT).
Air Force One is unquestionably one of the world’s most well-known aircrafts and a instantly recognisable representation of the US presidency due to its classic blue and white livery.
The two Air Force One-class aircraft have been in service for almost 40 years. Although the program has experienced a number of delays, Boeing has been working on replacements.
The president can communicate with the military anywhere in the world using radiation shielding and antimissile technology, and the planes have a variety of communication devices.
Trump received a luxurious Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family last year, which is currently being upgraded to meet security standards.
Leavitt joked to reporters that the Qatari jet was now sounding “much better.”
Due to a mechanical problem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was flown by an Air Force One to Germany in February.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the “board of peace.”
Despite the fact that it was revealed as part of phase two of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas to put an end to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, the Israeli leader’s office announced on social media on Wednesday that Netanyahu would follow the lead.
The body, which Trump envisions would oversee “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization” in the enclave, has received invitations from numerous world leaders.
However, Netanyahu’s participation will raise questions about Trump’s impartiality and the board’s control over its members.
Zeynep Sonmez, a Turkiye player, defeated Anna Bondar in straight sets in the first tennis Grand Slam of the year, despite audible cheers and a sea of red flags as Turkiye’s star entered the third round of the Australian Open.
The world number 112 won 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday, playing on one of Melbourne Park’s smaller show courts.
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Sonmez soaked in the cheers of a divided crowd that resolutely chanted her name on the court number 7. Sonmez became the first Turkish player to qualify for the third round of a Grand Slam at Wimbledon last year.
Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 23-year-old Istanbul girl, won her opening match to become the first woman from her country to advance to the second round in Melbourne.
After her fellow flag-waving compatriots led her to a dominant victory over 74th-ranked Bondar, she said, “I really appreciated there were there were many Turkish people, and I felt like I was at home.”
“I was a little nervous at first, but I think I gotten used to it eventually.”
She continued: “. On the court, I felt very good. I really felt the support, and I actually thought we were playing together.
In the upcoming round, Sonmez will face Yulia Putintseva from Kazakhstan, who is ranked 94th worldwide.
However, the favorite for the Turkish audience can anticipate more support as she grows, and she acknowledged that Australia’s support was superior to anything she’d previously received.
She continued, “My first round here was full of people, and there were many people at Wimbledon as well,” she continued.
“But today was a day like this, in my opinion.”
Sonmez, who won the only WTA title of her career in Mexico in 2024, claimed that the Turkish fans were so loud that she “couldn’t even hear my own thoughts.”
She continued to grow aware of what her fellow citizens were watching on television in her home at the early hours.
They are supporting me, I know. They are watching me, I am aware. I’m sure there were many people who just rose up to watch me at 3am, but I’m sure it was.
Khaled Abu Jarrar, a resident of Gaza City, spends his days trying to find treatment for his wife’s recently discovered liver cancer.
The 58-year-old, who was previously displaced with his family in Gaza City for the past year and a half, is aware that his wife needs to travel abroad urgently.
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He is desperate for the opening of the Rafah crossing, which was formerly the Gaza Strip’s principal gateway to the outside world.
More than 70, 000 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s genocidal war, which Israel has been keeping firmly shut for the past two years.
Khaled wants to change things with Gaza’s new administration, which is a group of Palestinian technocrats under the control of the so-called “board of peace” under the auspices of Donald Trump.
In Cairo, Egypt’s capital, the National Committee for Gaza Management (NGAC) convened for the first time last week. In the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, it will oversee Gaza’s day-to-day affairs in place of Hamas, a Palestinian organization.
The second phase of the US project had just begun last week, according to the US.
Khaled now wants to see tangible outcomes from the NGAC and the second phase, which will begin with the Rafah crossing’s opening. He has some skepticism.
Khaled expressed his hope that the committee has real authority, not just words on paper. Otherwise, the committee will be a failure.
It is understandable why he pessimizes. More than 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the ceasefire started, and more than 400 have been killed in Gaza.
It also makes no effort to improve Gaza’s quality of life and has made clear that it opposes the NGAC. Israel’s most recent action has been to require the closure of international humanitarian organizations in Gaza that provide essential medical care and food aid.
As Khaled observed the news of the NGAC from a shelter located in the western Gaza City building, “on the ground, the shelling never stops,” he said.
“In the media, they talk about reconstruction and withdrawals, but the bombing continues from the north and the south, making things look even more complicated,” they said.
Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera: Khaled Abu Jarrar appoints the new committee to oversee Gaza with real authority and powers.
Waiting for solutions
Khaled’s routines for living in government buildings are not uncommon. In the former administration of Gaza, where thousands of displaced people have sought refuge, or in buildings that at least partially survived Israel’s attack.
This reality highlights the challenge facing any administration and the NGAC when attempting to govern Gaza.
And it relies on a number of straightforward questions for the displaced: Will the technocrats be able to overthrow Israel’s restrictions on Gaza? Will they be able to make real, tangible changes to Palestinians’ lives when they are displaced and lost?
The committee is portrayed as a politically “neutral” framework made up of non-factional figures with technical and administrative expertise. Former deputy minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA) will lead it, according to Ali Shaath.
However, many Palestinians think that their ability to survive in an environment that Israel still controls and refuses to allow to rebuild is more important than its composition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent remarks, which he called “symbolic,” provided evidence that Israel has no desire to cooperate, were used by Palestinian political analyst Ahed Farwana as evidence.
According to Farwana, “the committee’s future is uncertain because it depends on serious implementation of the second phase’s obligations.”
Many of Israel’s obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire, including stopping attacks, allowing Israel to completely leave a particular region of Gaza, and opening the Rafah crossing, have not been fulfilled.
Farwana thinks that Netanyahu does not want to pay Israel the price for allowing the ceasefire to advance and declare the war’s complete end, especially since he will be running for office in a few weeks.
Farwana makes the false claim that Israel will continue to violate the ceasefire and expand its buffer zone, while making up justifications like the fact that one body from Gaza is still missing. Because of the amount of rubble left behind by Israeli attacks, Hamas claims it is unable to reach the body.
According to Farwana, “the second phase of the ceasefire will be real change and implementation of the second phase if there is real American pressure,” arguing that the administration’s pushes were largely responsible for the ceasefire’s partial success. However, Netanyahu’s choice to leave the field will not lead to success.
Palestinians [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera] use the remains of the Gaza Legislative Council building as shelter.
restrictions placed by Israel
Israeli officials dispute the existence of restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza. International organizations and neighborhood Palestinians raise the issue of delayed permit approvals and drawn-out inspections, which slow access to and stymie the entry of goods Gaza desperately needs, including heavy materials for infrastructure and non-food items.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is still dire, and a large portion of agreed-upon aid has not yet been poured into since the ceasefire’s implementation, according to the UN and aid organizations who have repeatedly called for the opening of crossings and the facilitation of aid entry.
In particular, Gaza is largely dependent on other entry points, including Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom), which are subject to stringent inspection standards and complete Israeli security control as a result of the ongoing closure of the Rafah crossing.
Any committee’s ability to operate within restrictions on the movement of materials is directly related to the new administration of Gaza, making the discussions about the new administration’s structure more complex.
Asmaa Manoun is eagerly awaiting an improvement.
The mother of five, who is 45 years old, was born in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza when one of her children died during the conflict.
In a partially destroyed building in Gaza City, she and her husband Mohammad, who was hurt during the war, now reside in a stairwell. They are hardly sheltered by a straightforward tarpaulin.
Asmaa Manoun and her husband Mohammad are desperate for the improvement of Gaza’s situation [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
That is why Asmaa initially did not hear about the NGAC’s formation or talk of the start of the second phase of the ceasefire.
My phone isn’t charged and the internet isn’t accessible, she said the majority of the time. In the camp, “we typically hear things from people, and discussions break out between them.”
In an effort to return home, Asmaa had initially moved to Jabalia from southern Gaza, where she had been living in displaced. However, the experiment was put an end to by constant Israeli shelling and gunfire, including one that she claimed claimed killed a woman sleeping in a tent next to her.
Asmaa spoke while Mohammad, 49, sat next to her. After the chaos it had been through, his goal for the new committee was simple: organize aid entry and distribution, and oversee Gaza.
We hear a lot, he said, but in reality, we haven’t changed in two years.
