Georgia's outgoing president refuses
to quit as successor takes oath
TBILISI, Dec 29: Thousands of Georgians protested in the capital Tbilisi as a new president allied with the ruling Georgian Dream party was inaugurated. Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former pro-footballer, has been sworn in during a critical political period for the country after the government suspended its application to join the European Union. Georgian Dream won parliamentary elections in October, but the victory was mired in allegations of fraud which have since sparked several street protests. — BBC
Yoon defies summons for third time
SEOUL, Dec 29: South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol refused a summons to appear for questioning on Sunday, the third time he has defied investigators' demands in two weeks. Investigators probing Yoon had ordered him to appear for questioning at 10 am (GMT 0100) on Sunday, a demand he rejected. Yoon, a former prosecutor, also failed to attend a hearing he was summoned to last Wednesday, giving no explanation for his absence. —AFP
Three die attempting to cross Channel
LONDON, Dec 29: Three people have died attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat on Sunday morning, the French coastguard says. People ended up in the water after trying to board a boat off the coast of Sangatte, near Calais, at about 06:00 local time (05:00 GMT). The three people later declared dead were recovered from the water by helicopter, while a further 45 were given treatment on the beach, many suffering from hypothermia. — BBC
Kim vows toughest anti-US policy
SEOUL, Dec 29: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to implement the "toughest" anti-U.S. policy, state media reported Sunday, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president. Trump's return to the White House raises prospects for high-profile diplomacy with North Korea. During his first term, Trump met Kim three times for talks on the North's nuclear program. During a five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party that ended Friday, Kim called the U.S. "the most reactionary state”. — AP
Sudan rejects UN famine declaration
CAIRO, Dec 29: The Sudanese government rejected on Sunday a report backed by the United Nations which determined that famine had spread to five areas of the war-torn country. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) review, which UN agencies use, said last week that the war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces had created famine conditions for 638,000 people, with a further 8.1 million on the brink of mass starvation. — AFP
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