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South Korean former President Yoon Suk-yeol attends a hearing for his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Feb. 13, 2025. Credit - SeongJoon Cho—Bloomberg/Getty Images

South Korea's former President Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment Thursday after being convicted of abusing his authority and leading an insurrection related to his imposition of martial law in late 2024.

Presiding judge Ji Gwi-yeon from the Seoul Central District Courtsaidthat Yoon "directly and proactively planned the offense," which "resulted in enormous social costs," and that "it has been difficult to find any indication that the defendant has expressed remorse regarding this." Ji also convicted former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun for participating and planning the insurrection with Yoon.

Ji blamed Yoon and Kim for causing "incalculable" harm to South Korea's international reputation as well as domestic public trust in institutions, including the police.

But Ji also said that Yoon's insurrection plan was not "extremely meticulous" and that there appeared to be efforts to restrain the use of physical force, such as the lack of live ammunition fire. He also referenced Yoon's "advanced age." Yoon is 65.

While prosecutors sought a death sentence for Yoon, expertspreviously told TIMEthat he would likely not have actually faced execution even if he received it. Despite the sentence continuing to be handed out on rare occasions, South Korea has had an effective moratorium on carrying out capital punishment since 1997. Yoon also could still appeal the ruling, which would escalate the case to a higher court and could take months to resolve.

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Yoon's lawyer expressed concerns about the conviction to reporters outside the court, saying that it appeared to be predetermined before the trial even took place. "We are witnessing a reality," the lawyer claimed, "in which the rule of law is collapsing."

If his appeals are unsuccessful, Yoon will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He has been jailed since July 2025 and has already been sentenced to five years in prison onseparate charges. After Thursday's ruling, he still facessix more trials.

Yoon had declaredmartial lawon Dec. 3, 2024, though it was reversed several hours later by the legislature, who went on toimpeach himfor his blatant bid to seize power during the final months of his lame-duck presidency.

Several South Korean leaders have been prosecuted and jailed after leaving office, but Yoon, a staunch conservative and former prosecutor-general, became the first President in the country's history to bedetained on criminal chargeswhile still in office.

Yoon, in his defense, has denied charges of insurrection, instead accusing the rival Democratic Party of obstructing his agenda, which he says forced him to declare martial law to maintain order. Democratic Party leaderLee Jae-myungwas elected in June last year to succeed Yoon.

Still, Yoon, who was unpopular during his presidency, has become a figurehead for South Korea's populist right. Outside his hearing on Thursday, hundreds of supporters gathered to protest his prosecutions as political persecution, as simultaneous anti-Yoon rallies took place nearby. According to reports, some pro-Yoon supporters were in tears after the verdict.

Contact usatletters@time.com.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and the United States leaned into gunboat diplomacy Thursday asnuclear talks between the nationshung in the balance, with Tehran holding drills with Russia and the Americans bringing another aircraft carrier closer to the Mideast.

United States-Iran-Military

The Iranian drill and the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea underscorethe tensions between the nations. Iran earlier this week also launched a drill that involved live-fire in theStrait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes.

The movements of additional American warships and airplanes don't guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran — but it does give President Donald Trump the ability to carry out one should he choose to do so. He's so far held off on striking Iran after setting red lines over the killing of peaceful protesters and Tehran holding mass executions, while reengaging Tehran in nuclear talks earlier disrupted by the Iran-Israel war in June.

"Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime," Trump wrote on his Truth Social website, seeking to pressure the United Kingdom over its plans to settle the future of the Chagos Islands with Mauritius.

Meanwhile, Iran struggles with unrest at home followingits crackdown on protests, with mourners now holding ceremonies honoring their dead 40 days after their killing by security forces. Some of the gatherings have included anti-government cries, despite threats from authorities.

Iran holds drill with Russia

The drill Thursday saw Iranian forces and Russian sailors conduct operations in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported. The drill will be aimed at "upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences," IRNA added.

China had joined the "Security Belt" drill in previous years, but there was no acknowledgment it participated in this round. In recent days, a vessel that appeared to be a Steregushchiy-class Russian corvette had been seen at a military port in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas.

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Iran also issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots in the region, suggesting they planned to launch anti-ship missiles in the exercise.

Meanwhile, tracking data showed the Ford off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean midday Wednesday, meaning the carrier could transit through Gibraltar and potentially station in the eastern Mediterranean with its supporting guided-missile destroyers.

Having the carrier there could allow American forces to have extra aircraft and anti-missile power to potentially protect Israel and Jordan should a conflict break out with Iran. The U.S. similarly placed warships there during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip to protect against Iranian fire.

Anti-government chants made at mourning ceremonies

Mourning ceremonies for those killed by security forces in the protests last month also have increased. Iranians traditionally mark the death of a loved one 40 days after the loss. Both witnesses and social media videos showed memorials taking place at Tehran's massive Behesht-e Zahra cemetery. Some memorials included people chanting against Iran's theocracy while singing nationalistic songs.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 at Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, initially over the collapse of Iran's currency, the rial, then spread across the country. Tensions exploded on Jan. 8, with demonstrations called for by Iran's exiled crown prince,Reza Pahlavi.

Iran's government has offered only one death toll for the violence, with 3,117 people killed. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran, puts the death toll at over 7,000 killed, with many more feared dead.

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

US immigration authorities deported a 2-month-old baby with bronchitis to Mexico along with his family, a US representative from Texas said.

The child was so sick he had been unresponsive "in the last several hours" but was discharged from the hospital anyway, US Rep. Joaquin Castro said Tuesday in anX post.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported the baby along with his 16-month-old sister, his mother and his father, Castro said. The Democratic lawmaker said he confirmed this with the family's attorney.

"To unnecessarily deport a sick baby and his entire family is heinous," Castro said.

He vowed to "hold ICE accountable for this monstrous action."

A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said Wednesday that the child was in "stable condition and medically cleared for removal" and that pediatricians gave the parents a nasal saline spray with a nasal bulb syringe to continue care.

McLaughlin said Border Patrol apprehended the child's mother, Mireya Stefani Lopez-Sanchez, crossing the border illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, on January 21.

Lopez-Sanchez chose to take her child with her when Border Patrol transferred her to ICE custody, McLaughlin said.

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"All of her claims were heard by a judge and found not to be valid," McLaughlin said.

A judge issued Lopez-Sanchez a final order of removal on February 8, and she was removed from the US with her child on Tuesday, McLaughlin said.

"She received full due process," McLaughlin said.

The detention of children by US immigration authorities has come under heightened scrutiny since President Donald Trump's administration began itsimmigration enforcement crackdown.

Images of5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramoswearing a bunny hat and being surrounded by ICE officers in Minnesota last month sparked an outcry. The boy and his father were released shortly after on a judge's orders.

The father and son were held at a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, which is where Castro said Lopez-Sanchez and her baby were held.

Last year, court filings said families and monitors at federal facilitiesreported contaminated foodand a lack of access to medical care or sufficient legal counsel. The filings said hundreds of immigrant children also lingered in federal detention beyond a court-mandated limit, including some who were held more than five months.

Bronchitis is a condition that develops when airways in the lungs become inflamed and cause coughing, the National Institute of Health said on its website.

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By Sabine Siebold and Mike Stone

BERLIN/WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Germany is considering ordering more U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, two sources told Reuters, a move that would deepen Berlin's reliance ‌on American military technology as its joint next-generation fighter program with France falters.

One source said ‌Berlin was in talks that could lead to the purchase of more than 35 additional jets. A second source did not ​specify the number. Both sources cautioned the outcome was still uncertain.

In 2022, Germany purchased 35 of the aircraft, which are due to begin delivery later this year.

The potential acquisition of more Lockheed Martin stealth fighters, at a cost of more than $80 million each, comes as Germany and France are deadlocked on their Future ‌Combat Air System (FCAS) program.

The 100-billion-euro-project, launched ⁠in 2017 to replace France's Rafales and Eurofighters from 2040, has been stalled by industrial rivalries.

Insiders expect Germany and France to abandon the development of a joint ⁠fighter jet but continue cooperation on drones and the so-called combat cloud, the digital backbone linking manned and unmanned platforms within the FCAS system.

Purchasing more F-35 jets would buy Germany time to figure out a solution for ​the ​development of a sixth-generation fighter jet and finding a ​partner for such a project.

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Germany's Defence Ministry ‌did not immediately comment while a Pentagon spokesperson referred questions to Germany.

A spokesperson for defence contractor Lockheed Martin said the company was focused on building F-35s already ordered by Germany.

Expansion of Germany's F-35 fleet would mark a significant strategic shift toward deeper military integration with the United States and away from European defence autonomy, a priority for fellow European Union member France.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz questioned on Wednesday whether developing ‌a manned sixth-generation jet, as FCAS has sought to do, ​still made sense for his country's air force.

"Will we still ​need a manned fighter jet in 20 ​years' time? Do we still need it, given that we will have to ‌develop it at great expense?" Merz said on ​the Machtwechsel podcast published on ​Wednesday.

The F-35 aircraft will succeed the Tornado jets in their role of carrying U.S. nuclear bombs stored in Germany in the event of a conflict.

The F-35 is the only Western fighter ​jet certified to carry the ‌most modern B61 nuclear bombs.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said last week the fate of ​FCAS would become clear within days.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington and Sabine Siebold ​in Berlin; Editing by Chris Sanders and Cynthia Osterman)

GENEVA (AP) — A "campaign of destruction" in October by Sudanese rebels against non-Arab communities in and neara city in Sudan's western region of Darfurshows "hallmarks of genocide," U.N.-backed human rights experts reported Thursday, a dramatic finding in the country's devastating war.

UN Sudan Genocide

The Rapid Support Forces carried out mass killings and other atrocities inel-Fasherafter an 18-month siege during which they imposed conditions "calculated to bring about the physical destruction" of non-Arab communities, in particular the Zaghawa and the Fur communities, the independent fact-finding mission on Sudan reported.

U.N. officials say several thousand civilians were killed in the RSF takeover of el-Fasher, the Sudanese army's only remaining stronghold in the Darfur.Only 40% of the city's 260,000 residents managed to fleethe onslaught alive, thousands of whom were wounded, the officials said. The fate of the rest remains unknown.

Sudanplunged into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital Khartoum and spread to other regions including Darfur.

The devastating warhas killed more than 40,000 people, according to U.N. figures, but aid groups say that is an undercount and the true number could be many times higher.

The RSF and their allied Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, overran el-Fasher on Oct. 26 and rampaged through the city. The offensive was marked by widespread atrocities that included mass killings and summary executions, sexual violence, torture, and abductions for ransom, according to the U.N. Human Rights Office.

They killed more than 6,000 peoplebetween Oct. 25 and Oct. 27 in the city, the office said. Ahead of the attack, the rebels ran riot in the Abu Shouk displacement camp, just outside of the city, and killed at least 300 people in two days, it said.

The RSF did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment. The group's commander, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has previously acknowledged abuses by his fighters, but disputed the scale of atrocities.

At least 3 criteria for genocide were met, team says

An international convention known colloquially as the "Genocide Convention" — adopted in 1948, three years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust — sets out five criteria to assess whether genocide has taken place.

They are: killing members of a group; causing its members serious bodily or mental harm; imposing measures aimed to prevent births in the group; deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the "physical destruction" of the group; and forcibly transferring its children to another group.

The fact-finding team, which doesn't have final say on the matter, said it found at least three of those five were met in the actions of the RSF. Under the convention, a genocide determination could be made even if only one of the five were met.

The RSF acts in el-Fasher included killing members of a protected ethnic group; causing serious bodily and mental harm; and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction in whole or in part — all core elements of the crime of genocide under international law, according to the fact-finding team.

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The report cited a systematic pattern of ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence and destruction and public statements explicitly calling for the elimination of non-Arab communities.

'Not random' excesses of war, chair says

Team chair Mohamed Chande Othman, a former chief justice of Tanzania, said the RSF operation were not "random excesses of war" but pointed to a planned and organized operation that bore the characteristics of genocide.

El-Fasher's residents were "physically exhausted, malnourished, and in part unable to flee, leaving them defenseless against the extreme violence that followed," the team's report said. "Thousands of persons, particularly the Zaghawa, were killed, raped or disappeared during three days of absolute horror."

The fact-finding mission pointed to mass killings, widespread rape, sexual violence, torture and cruel treatment, arbitrary detention, extortion, and enforced disappearances during RSF's takeover of el-Fasher in late October.

The report documented cases of survivors quoting its fighters as saying things like: "Is there anyone Zaghawa among you? If we find Zaghawa, we will kill them all" and "We want to eliminate anything black from Darfur."

The report pointed to "selective targeting" of Zaghawa and Fur women and girls, "while women perceived as Arab were often spared."

A call for accountability

The fact-finding team was created in 2023 by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, the U.N.'s leading human rights body, which has 47 member countries drawn from membership in the world body.

The team called for accountability for perpetrators and warned that protection of civilians is needed "more than ever" because the conflict is expanding to other regions in Sudan.

Over the course of the conflict, the warring parties were accused of violating international law. But most of the atrocities were blamed on the RSF: The Biden administration, in one of its last decisions, said it committedgenocidein Darfur.

The RSF has been supported bythe United Arab Emiratesover the course of the war, according to U.N. experts and rights groups. The UAE has denied the allegations.

The RSF grew out of the Janjaweed militias, who became notorious for atrocities in the early 2000s in a ruthless campaign against people identifying as East or Central African in Darfur. That campaign killed some 300,000 people and drove 2.7 million from their homes.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.

Several of the victims who died in abackcountry avalanche disasterin California's Lake Tahoe Region were members of an elite skiing academy, according to a statement from the school released Feb. 18.

"Multiple members of theSugar Bowl Academycommunity and others with strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, and the backcountry community died,"the statement said,referring to the avalanche on Tuesday. "Sugar Bowl Academy is focused on supporting its athletes, students, staff, and families through this tragedy."

The accident is being calledthe deadliest avalanche in the U.S. in four decades. On the last and third day of the trip deep into Sierra Nevada ski country,an avalanche came crashing down, killing three guides and five guests, and leaving six survivors. A ninth person was not found and is presumed dead.

The area where the avalanche occurred is known for its beauty, its skiing and its danger. The Donner Land Trust, which owns the Frog Lake area,says on its websitethat "all areas are uncontrolled avalanche terrain that require appropriate avalanche education and equipment."

Neither local officials or Sugar Bowl Academy leaders have identified any of the victims by name.Sugar Bowl Academyis an independent, coed boarding and day school for competitive skiers in grades 8-12 located inNorden, California, near Lake Tahoe. It offers specialized ski training in alpine alongside a college preparatory curriculum.

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The academy focuses on developing high-caliber athletes, with graduates frequently moving on to U.S. Ski Teams and NCAA Division I programs. It has produced numerous elite skiers, particularly for the U.S. and international ski teams, with eight alumni named to the 2022 Winter Olympics. Notable alumni includeWorld Cup winner Alice Robinson,U.S. OlympianLuke WintersandFreeride World Tour Champion Isaac Freeland.

"The Sugar Bowl Academy community will continue to be there in the months and years ahead for the families that have lost loved ones," the school said in its statement on the avalanche tragedy.

"We are an incredibly close and connected community. This tragedy has affected each and every one of us. The depth of support for the families whose lives have been changed forever reminds us of how special this community is", said Executive Director Stephen McMahon. "The best thing we can do is surround our athletes and families with care and support while providing the necessary space and time for grief and healing."

Search and rescue teams were dispatched at about 11:30 a.m. local time after receiving reports of an avalanche incident involving a group of skiers in steep backcountry terrain in the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, according to theNevada County Sheriff's Office.

Blackbird Mountain Guides, now under scrutiny for its role inthe avalanche,had multiple social media posts that acknowledged possible avalanche threats in the region.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Some who died in avalanche disaster were part of elite skiing academy

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell

CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Hamas is cementing its hold over Gaza by placing loyalists in key government roles, collecting taxes and paying salaries, according to an Israeli military assessment seen by Reuters and sources in the Palestinian enclave.

Hamas' continuing influence over key Gaza power structures has fuelled widespread scepticism about the prospects of U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, which requires the militant group to give up its weapons in exchange for an Israeli military withdrawal from the territory.

Trump's international Board of Peace, which is ‌meant to supervise Gaza's transitional governance, is holding its inaugural meeting in Washington on Thursday.

"Hamas is advancing steps on the ground meant to preserve its influence and grip in the Gaza Strip 'from the bottom up' by means of integrating its supporters in government offices, security apparatuses and local ‌authorities," the military said in a document presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late January.

Hamas says it is ready to hand over administration of the enclave to a U.S.-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats headed by Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority official in the occupied West Bank. But it says Israel has not yet allowed committee members to enter Gaza to assume their responsibilities.

Netanyahu did ​not respond to Reuters' questions about Hamas' control over Gaza. An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, dismissed any notion of a future role for the group as "twisted fantasy", saying, "Hamas is finished as a governing authority in the Gaza Strip."

The Israeli military declined to comment on Hamas' assertions.

Israeli military officials say Hamas, which refuses to disarm, has been taking advantage of an October ceasefire to reassert control in areas vacated by Israeli troops. Israel still holds over half of Gaza, but nearly all its 2 million people are in Hamas-held areas.

Reuters could not determine the full scope of Hamas' appointments and attempts to replenish its coffers.

NEW GOVERNORS

Hamas has named five district governors, all of them with links to its armed al-Qassam Brigades, according to two Palestinian sources with direct knowledge of its operations. It has also replaced senior officials in Gaza's economy and interior ministries, which manage taxation and security, the sources said.

And a new deputy health minister was shown touring Gaza hospitals in a ministry video released this month.

"Shaath may have ‌the key to the car, and he may even be allowed to drive, but it is a Hamas car," ⁠one of the sources told Reuters.

Israel's military appears to have reached a similar conclusion.

"Looking ahead, without Hamas disarmament and under the auspices of the technocrat committee, Hamas will succeed, in our view, to preserve influence and control in the Gaza Strip," it said in its assessment, which was first reported by Israel's Channel 13 news. This is the most complete account of the document's contents.

Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-controlled government's media office, denied these were new appointments, saying temporary replacements had been found for ⁠posts left vacant during the war to "prevent any administrative vacuum" and ensure residents receive vital services while negotiations continue over next steps in the peace process.

The U.S. State Department and Shaath's National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A source close to the 15-member NCAG said it was aware of Hamas' actions and was not happy about them.

On Saturday, the committee issued a statement urging international mediators to step up efforts to resolve outstanding issues, saying it would not be able to carry out its responsibilities "without the full administrative, civilian, and police powers necessary to implement its mandate effectively".

TRUMP'S BOARD OF PEACE HOLDS FIRST MEETING

The appointment of Shaath's committee in January marked the start of ​the ​next phase of Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, even as key elements of the first phase - including a complete cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas - remain unfulfilled.

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The ​Board of Peace is expected to receive reports on the committee's work on Thursday.

Trump is also expected to announce countries ‌that will commit personnel for a U.N.-authorized stabilization force and help train a new Palestinian police force, which the NCAG is expected to manage.

Hamas is looking to incorporate 10,000 of its police officers in the new force, Reuters reported in January. They include hundreds of members of its powerful internal security service, which has merged with the police, two sources in Gaza said.

Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this assertion.

Asked whether Israel would raise concerns about Hamas' entrenchment in Gaza at Thursday's meeting, Netanyahu's office did not comment.

Israel has said repeatedly it opposes any role for Hamas in Gaza after it attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's air and ground assault on the enclave has killed more than 72,000 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

One of the stated goals of this campaign was "dismantling Hamas governing capabilities" in Gaza.

The group seized control of the territory in a brief civil war with its political rival, Fatah, in 2007. Since then, appointments to government ministries and municipal offices there have been decided by Hamas' political wing. It also set up its own civil service, which employs tens of thousands of people.

At least 14 of Gaza's 17 ministries are now operating, compared with five at the height of the ‌war, according to the Israeli military document. At least 13 of its 25 municipalities have also resumed operations, it says.

Hamas' Thawabta said "this relative recovery" was not a product of "political considerations".

"The ​organisational measures taken during the past period were necessary to prevent the collapse of the service system and do not conflict with any future arrangements agreed upon," he said in a statement ​to Reuters.

According to the two sources, Hamas appointed the five governors along with four mayors to replace people killed or dismissed during the war. The ​selection of people with ties to its armed wing for the governors' roles was to crack down on armed gangs, they said, adding some had received weapons and financing from Israel.

Netanyahu acknowledged Israeli backing for anti-Hamas clans in June, though Israel has provided ‌few details.

TAXES ON SMUGGLED CIGARETTES, PHONES

Since a violent campaign against its opponents in the first weeks of the truce, Hamas ​has focused on maintaining public order and collecting taxes in its side of the "yellow ​line" agreed to demarcate Israeli- and Hamas-controlled areas, according to Israeli military officials and Gaza sources.

"There is no opposition to Hamas within the yellow line now, and it is taking over all economic aspects of daily life," an Israeli military official told Reuters.

Mustafa Ibrahim, a political commentator in Gaza, said looting and robbery had stopped.

"Hamas is trying to organise markets and streets through the traffic police," Ibrahim said. "Police stations have reopened ... The tax department and economy ministry are working and collecting."

Hamas collects taxes mainly from the private sector, the Israeli military document says. They include fees levied on Gaza ​merchants bringing in smuggled goods, such as cigarettes, batteries, solar panels and mobile phones, according to three other sources, including ‌a merchant.

Hamas has earned hundreds of millions of shekels by taxing smuggled cigarettes since the war began, according to an Israeli indictment filed this month against a suspected smuggling ring, which includes Israeli reservists serving in Gaza.

Hamas has also continued to pay salaries to public servants ​and fighters, which average around 1,500 shekels (around $500) a month, according to at least four Hamas sources.

"Every moment of delay in allowing the technocratic committee to enter the Gaza Strip leads to the imposition of a de facto reality," said Reham Owda, a Palestinian political analyst, "increasing ​the administrative and security control of the Hamas government in Gaza."

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem;Editing by Rami Ayyub and Alexandra Zavis)