South Korean court sentences former president to life in prison
Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s president, attends a hearing for his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(SEOUL)– The Seoul Central District Court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison Thursday.
The court found him guilty of leading an insurrection linked to his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.
The court ruled that Yoon’s central offense was mobilizing military and police forces to seize control of the National Assembly and detain key political figures.
“The deployment of martial law troops to the National Assembly during the state of emergency constitutes ‘rioting,’ a key legal element required to establish the crime of insurrection,” presiding judge Ji Gui-yeon said Thursday. Ji said declaring martial law can constitute insurrection if intended to obstruct or paralyze constitutional institutions.
The court acknowledged political tensions between Yoon’s administration and the opposition-controlled legislature. However, it said those circumstances did not justify declaring martial law under the constitution.
Judges also said Yoon showed no remorse or acknowledgment of wrongdoing during the proceedings, which they considered in determining his sentence.
Yoon’s attorneys criticized the ruling as “a mere formality for a predetermined conclusion.”
“Watching the rule of law collapse in reality, I question whether I should even pursue an appeal or continue participating in these criminal proceedings,” Yoon’s attorney, Yoon Gab-geun, told reporters after the ruling. “The truth will be revealed in the court of history.”
Yoon was taken into custody immediately after the ruling and transferred to the Seoul Detention Center. He will remain there unless the court grants release pending appeal.
If Yoon appeals, the case will move to the Seoul High Court, which can review legal interpretations and factual findings. A final appeal could be filed with the Supreme Court.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, arguing Yoon’s actions posed a grave threat to the constitutional order.
Thursday’s ruling addressed only the insurrection charge. Other criminal cases tied to the December 2024 martial law declaration, including abuse of power and obstruction of official duty, remain pending.
In a separate case last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for obstructing his arrest, the first criminal conviction tied to the crisis.
“Yoon’s sentencing does not represent a national catharsis since most Koreans have already emotionally moved on from the former president,” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told ABC News. “Nor does this televised verdict mark closure because many cases and appeals related to Yoon’s martial law debacle have yet to be fully adjudicated.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier docks at Souda Bay on Crete Island, Greece on February 24, 2026. (Stefanos Rapanis/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Officials from Iran and the United States opened high-stakes negotiations in Geneva on Thursday, a third round of nuclear talks that are arriving amid heightened tensions and that could prove pivotal in President Donald Trump’s decision about whether to order a military intervention.
The White House previously said it would accept nothing short of a full stop for Tehran’s uranium enrichment efforts. Trump in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night warned that Iran sought to restart that program after the United States “obliterated” it in strikes on the nation in June.
The White House in recent weeks ordered a major U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, as Trump has weighed options for possible strikes against Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Iran poses a “very great threat” to the United States, but added that the president would prefer to deal with Tehran through diplomacy. He also said Tehran appeared to be attempting to restart its nuclear program.
“You can see them always trying to rebuild elements of it,” Rubio told reporters during his trip to St. Kitts and Nevis. “They’re not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can.”
Officials from Oman are facilitating the indirect talks in Switzerland. The White House’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are representing the United States.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said early on Thursday that Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister, arrived in Switzerland on Wednesday evening and met with Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, his Omani counterpart.
Araghchi during that meeting “stressed that the success of the negotiations depends on the seriousness of the other side and its avoidance of contradictory behavior and positions,” according to Iran.
Questions remained about the current state of Iran’s nuclear program, despite Trump saying it had been “obliterated” in June. Senior Israeli officials told ABC News in July that some enriched uranium may have survived the powerful U.S. strikes. Washington maintains that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran has denied.
Araghchi on Tuesday appeared to agree with the White House’s efforts to stop it from building a nuclear weapon, but stopped short of saying there would be no future enrichment of any kind.
“Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people,” Araghchi said in a social media post.
Witkoff in an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News said that Tehran was “probably a week away from having industrial-grade, bomb-making material, and that’s really dangerous.”
Witkoff and Kushner have been given an extensive remit by the White House, which has also tapped them as lead negotiators for other high-stakes talks, including those related to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
That approach has drawn some criticism, including from Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican of North Carolina, who said on Wednesday that it was “suspect” that “the same two people” would have the time to effectively manage the workload.
“It’s just not the way to project steady, strong leadership which the world needs from the United States on these very dangerous hot spots,” Tillis said.
Iran has a “positive outlook” on the talks and hopes to “move beyond this ‘neither war nor peace’ situation,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in public remarks in Farsi on Wednesday in Sari, Iran.
“Hopefully, we can move beyond this ‘neither war nor peace’ situation,” he added. “If that happens, we will then be able to remove obstacles from our path much more easily.”
Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on April 20, 2025 in Windsor, England. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — formerly known as Prince Andrew and the younger brother of King Charles III — was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has since been released under investigation and has not been charged.
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said it had “arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.”
“We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance,” the statement said.
Police confirmed that searches being conducted in Norfolk have now concluded, while searches in Berkshire remain underway.
Photos from Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in eastern England showed what appeared to be police officers arriving in several unmarked vehicles. Thursday marks Andrew’s 66th birthday.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Charles said, “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.”
“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation,” Charles added.
“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales issued a statement supporting the king.
President Donald Trump called the news of former Prince Andrew’s arrest on Thursday over ties to Jeffrey Epstein a “shame.”
“I think it’s a shame. I think it’s very sad and I think it’s so bad for the royal family. It’s very, very sad,” Trump said.
Andrew’s arrest on Thursday follows the emergence of documents detailing communication between Andrew and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew has previously denied wrongdoing with respect to Epstein.
If convicted, misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
There have been no senior royals arrested in recent history. In November 2002, Princess Anne pleaded guilty to having a dog dangerously out of control and was fined £500.
The palace confirmed to ABC News that it was not informed ahead of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
Thames Valley Police told ABC News last week that it was assessing reports of Andrew’s alleged misconduct in office as trade envoy.
“We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures,” a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said in a statement on Feb. 9.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Workers clear damaged pipework at the Darnytsia Thermal Power Plant following Russian air strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Trilateral talks between American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators concluded in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, following a first round of meetings on Wednesday that a White House official told ABC News was “productive.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he received a report from the delegation in Abu Dhabi. Zelenskyy said that Kyiv is expecting a new exchange of prisoners of war with Russia “in the near future.”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, posted to X on Thursday morning with more details of the planned exchange, which he said will involve 314 prisoners. It will be, Witkoff said, the first such exchange for five months.
“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive,” Witkoff wrote. “While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy’s office told ABC News that Thursday’s talks had ended by around 4 p.m. local time — 7 a.m. ET.
The Ukrainian delegation included Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Kyrylo Budanov, formerly the head of Ukrainian military intelligence and now serving as the head of Zelenskyy’s presidential office, and and Andrii Hnatov, the chief of the General Staff.
The Russian team included Kiril Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and Igor Kostyukov, the head of the GRU military intelligence service.
The U.S. delegation was led by presidential peace envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Umerov said in a post to Telegram that Wednesday’s “work was substantive and productive, with a focus on specific steps and practical solutions.”
Dmitriev — who has been a leading figure in Moscow’s direct negotiations with the Trump administration through Witkoff — told reporters after Wednesday’s talks that there “is certainly progress, and good, positive movement forward,” as quoted by Russia’s state-run Tass news agency.
Dmitriev also criticized what he said were “warmongers from Europe, from Britain,” who he alleged “are constantly trying to hinder this process.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged patience when speaking with reporters. “For the first time in a very long time we have technical military teams from both Ukraine and Russia meeting in a forum that we’ll also be involved with,” Rubio said in a video posted to the State Department’s X page.
“Progress is probably not going to be known, even via leaks, until we really have a breakthrough. Our goal is to remain committed,” Rubio added.
Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Kyiv is focused on a clear and lasting end to the war. “Russia must be ready for this. And partners must also be ready to ensure it in real terms with their real guarantees — security guarantees — and their real pressure on the aggressor,” he said in an evening address.
“It must be felt now — people in Ukraine must feel that the situation is genuinely moving toward peace, toward an end to the war, and not toward a scenario in which the Russians exploit everything to their advantage and continue their strikes,” he added.
“There must be no rewards for the aggressor — if any reward is given to the aggressor, Russia will, over time, break any agreement,” Zelenskyy said.
Both Moscow and Kyiv described the first round of trilateral talks last month as constructive.
Among the key areas of divergence are the fate of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, which Russia has partially occupied and from which Moscow is demanding a full Ukrainian military withdrawal.
Also under discussion is control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine, which was occupied by Moscow’s forces since March 2022.
So too are post-war Western security guarantees for Ukraine, without which Kyiv says Moscow will be able to launch a new round of aggression in the future.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange long-range missiles and drone attacks overnight into Thursday morning.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched two missiles and 183 drones into the country overnight, of which 156 drones were shot down or suppressed. The missiles and 22 drones impacted across 16 locations, the air force said.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES) reported drone impacts in several districts of Kyiv. City Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two people were injured. The SES also said attacks were recorded in the northeastern border city of Sumy and the central Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 95 Ukrainian drones overnight.
At least one person was injured in Russia’s southeastern Rostov, local Gov. Yuri Slyusar said in a post to Telegram.
Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement that its forces struck targets on Russian-controlled territory including a training site in occupied Zaporizhzhia, a logistics hub in occupied Donetsk and an electronic warfare facility in Russia’s western Bryansk region.
Meanwhile, both Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers reported that unauthorized Starlink satellite communications terminals in use by Russian forces had been disrupted or disconnected, following a public appeal by Kyiv to Starlink producer SpaceX and its owner Elon Musk.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Telegram that Kyiv has been working with SpaceX to verify Starlink terminals in use by Ukrainian forces, allowing them to remain operational.
Starlink terminals have been widely used by both sides during the ongoing conflict to enhance battlefield connectivity. Ukrainian officials have also accused Russia of using Starlink’s network to guide attack drones in strikes deep inside Ukraine, including on civilian targets.
