World

TBILISI — Georgia's president said on Monday that pro-EU protests involving tens of thousands of people showed no sign of stopping after police fired water cannon and tear gas on a fourth night of demonstrations.

The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the governing Georgian Dream Party claimed victory in October 26 parliamentary elections that the pro-European opposition said were fraudulent.

More rallies were planned on Monday and strikes and other protests also started. Ukraine joined countries that have condemned the government crackdown on rallies that has left injuries and arrests.

"Another powerful night of Georgians standing firm to defend their constitution and their European choice," President Salome Zurabishvili posted on X.

"The determination in the streets shows no signs of stopping!" the pro-EU leader wrote.

Troubles deepened after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced Thursday that Georgia was shelving accession talks with the European Union until 2028. There has been a wave of protests in the capital, Tbilisi, and other cities.

Kobakhidze further angered protesters Sunday by ruling out new elections, saying "the formation of the new government based on the October 26 parliamentary elections has been completed".

The opposition is boycotting the new parliament, and Zurabishvili has asked the constitutional court to annul the election result, declaring the new parliament and government "illegitimate".

Critics accuse Georgian Dream, in power for more than a decade, of having steered the country away from the European Union and moving closer to Russia, an accusation it denies.

Russia on Monday defended the crackdown on protesters, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying authorities are taking "measures to stabilise" the situation, accusing protesters of trying to "stir up" unrest.

Russia sees "the most direct parallel" with Ukraine's "Maidan" protest that ousted a Kremlin-backed leader in 2014 after he suspended talks on closer EU ties, Peskov said.

Tens of thousands rallied outside parliament in Tbilisi on Sunday waving European and Georgian flags.

Some demonstrators threw fireworks and stones at riot police, while others built barricades from dustbins and set them ablaze.

During the night, riot police moved in using tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds.

Dozens have been injured since Thursday including demonstrators, police and journalists, according to officials and activists, though the exact numbers were unclear.

'Systematic beatings' 

Zurabishvili said on Monday that those detained by police "have been subjected to systematic beatings" after arrest.

The "majority of the arrested protesters have injuries to their heads and faces, broken face bones, eye sockets, open wounds," she said.

The leader of the opposition United National Movement party, Levan Khabeishvili, told journalists he was attacked by around 15 masked police attempting to detain him but managed to escape with the help of protesters.

The interior ministry said Monday that 21 police were injured.

Some police suffered "dangerous injuries", health minister Mikheil Sarjveladze said, accusing protesters of throwing "heavy metal objects".

The interior ministry said 224 people have been detained during the rallies.

More protest rallies are planned on Monday in Tbilisi and other cities, the interior ministry said.

Monday also saw strikes break out in protest at companies and educational institutions, national media reported.

"After universities, it is the turn of schools to express their solidarity with the protests, all over Georgia," Zurabishvili said.

Lasha Matishvili, a 35-year-old sociology professor, told AFP he would go on strike Monday in a "symbolic act of resistance".

Ukraine's foreign ministry said it "strongly condemns" the Georgian government's use of force that would lead to "consequences".

Brussels has not recognised the outcome of the October elections, and demanded an investigation into "serious electoral irregularities".

The European Parliament has called for a re-run and for sanctions against top Georgian officials, including Kobakhidze.

Constitutional law experts have questioned the legitimacy of the new parliament.

Earlier last week, Georgian Dream nominated a far-right former football international, Mikheil Kavelashvili, to replace Zurabishvili in the largely ceremonial post of president.

But Zurabishvili told AFP in an interview on Saturday that she would not step down until new parliamentary elections are held.

BUSAN, South Korea — Dozens of countries warned on Sunday that a handful of nations were obstructing efforts in South Korea to reach an ambitious landmark global treaty to curb plastic pollution.

With hours until negotiations are scheduled to end, delegates say a group of mostly oil-producing “like-minded countries” have refused to compromise on key sticking points.

Those include setting targets for reducing plastic production and phasing out chemicals known or believed to be harmful to human health.

“We also are worried by the continuing obstruction by the so-called like-minded countries,” Olga Givernet, France’s minister delegate for energy, told reporters.

Finding an agreement on an ambitious treaty “remains an absolute priority”, Givernet said, and “we are planning on pushing it”.

Plastic production is on track to triple by 2060, and over 90 per cent of plastic is not recycled.

But while everyone negotiating in Busan agrees on the problem, they disagree on the solution.

Countries including Saudi Arabia and Russia insist the deal should focus only on waste, and reject calls for binding global measures.

They have made their position clear in documents submitted in negotiations and during public plenary sessions, though neither delegation responded to repeated AFP requests for comment.

“It is disappointing to see that a small number of members remain unsupportive of the measures necessary to drive real change,” said Rwanda’s Juliet Kabera.

“We still have a few hours left in these negotiations, there is time to find common ground, but Rwanda cannot accept a toothless treaty,” she warned.

Fiji’s Sivendra Michael also called out a “very minority group” for “blocking the process.”

The latest draft text for the treaty contains a range of options, reflecting the ongoing divisions. A promised new version has been repeatedly delayed.

The talks are supposed to be the final round of negotiations after two years of discussion.

The venue has only been rented until mid-morning Monday, sources told AFP.

Portuguese delegate Maria Joao Teixeira said there were real fears talks could collapse and have to be extended to another round elsewhere.

“We are really trying to not have a weak treaty,” she told AFP.

Environmental groups have pushed ambitious countries to call a vote if progress stalls.

But observers caution that risks alienating even some countries in favour of a strong treaty.

Another option would be for the diplomat chairing the talks to simply gavel through an agreement over the objections of a handful of holdouts, they said.

That too holds risks, potentially embittering the remaining diplomatic process and jeopardising adoption of a treaty down the road.

Mexico’s head of delegation Camila Zepeda said she did not favour calling a vote.

“We have hope in consensus. The multilateral process is slow, but there is a possibility of having critical mass to move forward,” she told AFP.

“Showing this critical mass helps us so that the more contentious issues can be unblocked.”

German delegate Sebastian Unger also said many countries would prefer to avoid a vote.

“If you would leave out many important countries that you want to have on board, then the effects of the treaty [are impacted],” he told AFP.

Over 100 countries now support setting a target for production cuts, and dozens also back phasing out some chemicals and unnecessary plastic products.

But representatives of China and the United States, the world’s two top plastics producers, were absent from the stage at a press conference urging ambition.

“They are still considering and we are hopeful that there will be some interest on their part,” said Mexico’s Zepeda.

“This coalition of the willing is an open invitation. And so it’s not like it’s them against us.”

Panama’s Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez meanwhile told colleagues that “history will not forgive us” for leaving Busan without an ambitious treaty.

“This is the time to step up or get out.”

TBILISI — Violent clashes erupted on Saturday outside Georgia’s parliament between police and demonstrators protesting the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis, AFP reporters witnessed.

Thousands of people gathered in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi on Saturday for a third night of protests that saw dozens arrested.

The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream Party claimed victory in an October 26 parliamentary election that the pro-European opposition said was fraudulent.

Chaotic scenes unfolded for hours as police chased defiant protesters through the streets of central Tbilisi, beating them and making arrests.

Masked officers in riot gear fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons as they moved in to disperse protesters hurling fireworks, while flames were seen coming from a window of the parliament building.

Demonstrators erected barricades on Tbilisi’s main avenue.

“I am afraid — I won’t hide it — that many people will get injured, but I am not afraid to stand here,” 39-year-old Tamar Gelashvili told AFP near the parliament building earlier in the day.

Protests were also held in numerous cities across Georgia.

The interior ministry said “the actions of some individuals present at the protest became violent” and that police would “respond appropriately and in accordance with the law to every violation”.

More than 100 people have been arrested in the last two days.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement on Thursday that Georgia would not seek accession talks with the EU until 2028 ignited a furious reaction from the opposition.

Critics accuse Georgian Dream — in power for more than a decade — of having steered the country away from the EU in recent years and of moving closer to Russia, an accusation it denies.

Hundreds of public servants, including from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence and education, as well as a number of judges, issued joint statements protesting Kobakhidze’s decision.

Some 160 Georgian diplomats criticised the move as contradicting the constitution and leading the country “into international isolation”.

A number of Georgia’s ambassadors resigned in protest.

‘Stable transition’ 

On Friday, AFP reporters saw riot police fire water cannon and tear gas at pro-EU protesters gathered outside parliament who tossed eggs and fireworks.

Clashes broke out later between protesters and police, who moved in to clear the area, beating demonstrators — some of whom threw objects — and journalists, deliberately targeting those clearly identified as members of the media.

Georgia’s special investigation service said it had opened a probe into “allegations of abuse of official authority through violence by law enforcement officers against protesters and media representatives”.

More than 100 schools and universities suspended academic activities in protest.

Pro-Western opposition parties are boycotting the new parliament, while President Salome Zurabishvili — who is at loggerheads with Georgian Dream — has sought to annul the election results through the country’s constitutional court.

In an exclusive interview to AFP on Saturday, Zurabishvili said that she will not step down until last month’s contested parliamentary elections are re-run.

The Paris-born former French diplomat said that on Saturday she had set up a “national council” consisting of opposition parties and civil society representatives, which will ensure “stability in this country”.

“I will be the representative of this legitimate, stable transition.”

US suspends ‘strategic partnership’ 

After the October vote, a group of Georgia’s leading election monitors said they had evidence of a complex scheme of large-scale electoral fraud.

Brussels has demanded an investigation into what it said were “serious” irregularities reported by election monitors.

Georgian Dream MPs voted unanimously on Thursday for Kobakhidze to continue as prime minister, even as the opposition boycotted parliament, deepening a serious legitimacy crisis at the legislature and the government.

The crackdown on protests has provoked international condemnation.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “We condemn excessive force used against Georgians exercising their freedom to protest and have suspended our Strategic Partnership with Georgia.”

“Georgian Dream’s decision to suspend EU accession is a betrayal of the Georgian constitution.”

France, Britain, Ukraine, Poland, Sweden and Lithuania were among the countries to voice concern.

The human rights office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said: “The action of law enforcement officials while policing peaceful protests in Georgia is of deep concern and a serious breach of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.”

SEOUL — Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and agreed to boost military cooperation between the two isolated nations, Pyongyang state media said on Saturday.

The United States and South Korea have accused the nuclear-armed North of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine, with experts saying Kim is eager to gain advanced technology, and battle experience for his troops, in return.

Kim, who met Belousov on Friday, blasted the recent decision by Western powers to permit Kyiv to strike inside Russia with their weapons, saying it constituted a "direct military intervention in the conflict", according to KCNA.

"It is an exercise of the right to self-defence for Russia to take resolute action to make the hostile forces pay the price," Kim was quoted as saying.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim signed a strategic partnership treaty in June that obligates both states to provide military assistance "without delay" in the case of an attack on the other and jointly oppose Western sanctions.

KCNA said on Saturday that Belousov's visit "would greatly contribute to bolstering up the defence capabilities of the two countries and... promoting the friendly, mutual cooperation and development of the relations between the two armies."

Belousov, in a statement, expressed gratitude for the two countries' deeping bonds and praised North Korea's "absolutely independent foreign policy".

Analysts have suggested Pyongyang could be using Ukraine as a means of realigning its foreign policy.

By sending soldiers, North Korea is positioning itself within the Russian war economy as a supplier of weapons, military support and labour - potentially even bypassing traditional ally, neighbor and main trading partner China, they say.

Russia also offers access to vast natural resources, such as oil and gas, they say.

Belousov is well-placed to help with such arrangements, Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP, calling the Russian "an economic expert without a military background".

As Russia's defense chief, he specialises in "long-term strategies for securing weapons and military supplies, evading sanctions, and overseeing post-war reconstruction," Hong said.

Invariable support 

Russia and North Korea have strengthened their military ties since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Both countries are under rafts of UN sanctions -- the former for its nuclear weapons programme and the latter for the Ukraine conflict.

Since US President-elect Donald Trump's victory earlier this month, the Joe Biden administration has stepped up its support for Kyiv, transferring more weapons and giving Ukraine permission to fire long-range missiles onto Russian territory.

Kim said on Friday that his government, army and people would "invariably support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Earlier this month, Pyongyang said it had ratified the landmark defence pact with Russia, after lawmakers in Moscow voted unanimously in favour of the deal, which Putin later signed.

South Korea and Ukraine said on Wednesday they would deepen security cooperation in response to the "threat" posed by the deployment of North Korean troops, but there was no mention of potential arms shipments.

President Yoon Suk -yeol said earlier this month that Seoul was "not ruling out the possibility of providing weapons" to Ukraine, which would mark a major shift to a long-standing policy barring the sale of weapons to countries in active conflict.

STRASBOURG, France — European lawmakers on Wednesday gave Ursula von der Leyen's new executive team the green light to start work, as the EU chief warned there was "no time to waste" to boost the bloc's defences and competitiveness.

From supporting Kyiv against Russia's invasion to war in the Middle East, China's economic rivalry and the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House, the incoming European Commission takes office at a time of escalating challenges.

"We have no time to waste. And we must be as ambitious as the threats are serious," von der Leyen told European Union lawmakers in Strasbourg ahead of the confirmation vote.

"Our freedom and sovereignty depend more than ever on our economic strength," said the commission chief, who announced a headline push on competitiveness within 100 days, and vowed to personally helm a "strategic dialogue" on the future of Europe's struggling car industry.

"Our security depends on our ability to compete, innovate and produce," she said.

The new EU executive has been in preparation since the 27-nation bloc held European elections in June.

It is to formally start its mandate on Sunday, after lawmakers gave it the final all-clear with 370 votes in favour, 282 against and 36 abstentions.

After the vote, a smiling von der Leyen hugged members of her team and some of the political leaders that supported her.

Right, centrist and centre-left groups in the EU parliament last week struck a deal to back the new 27-member commission, skippered by the 66-year-old German, for a second term.

That came after all nominees put forward by member states were — for the first time in decades — cleared individually, though only after political horse-trading.

Weapons and tariffs

The top roles in the new commission speak of the priorities for the next five years.

Estonia's ex-premier Kaja Kallas is to become the bloc's top diplomat, while Lithuania's Andrius Kubilius landed a new role overseeing the EU's push to rearm.

Both are hawkish Russia critics.

Von der Leyen said Wednesday there was "something wrong" when Moscow is spending up to nine percent of GDP on defence against the EU's 1.9 percent.

"Our defence spending must increase. We need a single market for defence. We need to strengthen the defence industrial base," she said.

She has previously said the bloc needs to invest 500 billion euros ($526 billion) over the next decade to keep up with Russia and China.

This has become more urgent since Trump was re-elected as US president, amid fears he might reduce the US commitment to European security and support for Ukraine.

Similarly, trade policy — under Maros Sefcovic of Slovakia — has shot up the agenda as the bloc will contend with a tariff-loving US president who could push for the EU to buy more American products or face higher duties.

Von der Leyen did not name Trump in her speech, but said Europe had to close the "innovation gap" with the United States for its economy to thrive.

Stephane Sejourne of France is to take charge of industrial strategy at a time when manufacturing is struggling amid competition from China, high energy costs and weak investment.

The former French foreign minister will have to work with Spain's Teresa Ribera, the new competition and green transition chief, to reconcile economic growth with climate ambitions.

"We urgently need more private investments," von der Leyen said, adding work was needed to "make it easier" for companies to grow in Europe.

'Strengthened' chief 

With weakened political leadership in France and Germany, von der Leyen might play an even larger role in shaping Europe's future in her second term, analysts say.

The former German defence minister has significantly "strengthened her power and her profile as a political actor" over the past five years, said Luigi Scazzieri of the Centre for European Reform think tank.

She has weeded out commissioners she did not agree with, such as France's Thierry Breton, and benefited from a political alignment that has seen countries fill her new team with fellow conservatives.

In her first term, she also pushed the boundaries of what the EU can do.

Under her leadership, the commission shepherded efforts to purchase COVID-19 vaccines, use joint borrowing to finance post-pandemic economic recovery, ship weapons to Ukraine and wean Europe off Russian gas.

"Let's get to work," von der Leyen said, closing her remarks to lawmakers.

BUENOS AIRES — Argentine ex-president Alberto Fernandez appeared in court on Wednesday for questioning in a case of alleged corruption relating to insurance policies taken out by government departments during his 2019-2023 rule.

Fernandez, 65, is suspected of fraudulent administration over his government's use of brokers, one of which had ties to his office, to contract insurance policies that could have been negotiated directly.

The main broker was the husband of Fernandez's personal secretary.

Fernandez, a senior member of the center-left Peronist movement led by polarising ex-president Cristina Kirchner, has not yet been charged in the case.

He did not seek reelection after serving a single term in office and handed the keys of the presidential palace to self-described "anarcho-capitalist" President Javier Milei in December.

The corruption allegations emerged when the court ordered an examination of his secretary's phone while investigating assault claims made against Fernandez by his ex-partner Fabiola Yanez.

Yanez in August filed a complaint accusing Fernandez of having beaten her during their relationship, which ended after he left office.

The insurance case involves policies taken out with Nacion Seguros, the insurance arm of state-owned Banco Nacion, which Fernandez chose to cover government departments against various types of risks.

Nearly 40 people have been called to give evidence in the case, including the secretary, her husband and former officials from Nacion Seguros.

Fernandez, a lawyer by training, had appealed against his summons to appear in court but it was rejected.

The Peronist movement, which dominated Argentine politics for most of the country's post-war history, has been dogged by allegations of corruption.

Earlier this month, an appeals court upheld Kirchner's conviction for corruption over the awarding of public works contracts while she was president from 2007 to 2015.

She has been sentenced to six years in prison and declared ineligible to hold elected office but has not yet exhausted all avenues of appeal.

FIUGGI, Italy — G7 foreign ministers said Tuesday they "will comply with our respective obligations" regarding the arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Group of Seven industrialised nations brings together Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, host Italy and the United States.

"We reiterate our commitment to International Humanitarian Law and will comply with our respective obligations," the ministers said in a joint statement issued following two days of talks near Rome.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last week, prompting outrage from Israel and its allies -- including the US, which is not a member of the ICC and has rejected its jurisdiction.

All of the other G7 countries are members of the ICC -- meaning they would have to arrest Netanyahu if he travelled there.

The ICC also issued warrants for Netanyahu's former defence minister and for Hamas's military chief Mohammed Deif, whom Israel claimed was killed in an air strike in Gaza in July. Hamas has not confirmed his death.

The G7 statement said the foreign ministers "underline that there can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the State of Israel".

"In exercising its right to defend itself, Israel must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including International Humanitarian Law," the statement said.

The Hague-based ICC says the warrants for Netanyahu and his former minister were "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024".

'Legal doubts' 

Italy had asked for a discussion on the ICC warrants at the G7, after apparent splits within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government over what it meant for Netanyahu.

A diplomatic source said the discussion in Fiuggi was "much broader and more strategic" than what ended up in the final statement, without revealing details.

"We found a common position that was what we had asked for," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a press conference after the talks.

He said there were "many legal doubts" regarding the warrant, saying "we need to understand the rules".

"Can a head of state be arrested? Who is going to arrest him?" he asked.

"Netanyahu will never go to a country where he could be arrested," he added.

War has raged in Gaza since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in 1,207 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 44,249 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

BERLIN — Germany's former chancellor Angela Merkel gives a spirited defence of her 16 years at the helm of Europe's top economy in her memoir "Freedom", released in 30 languages on Tuesday.

Since she stepped down in 2021, Merkel has been accused of having been too soft on Russia, leaving Germany dangerously reliant on cheap Russian gas and sparking turmoil and the rise of the far right with her open-door migrant policy.

Her autobiography is released as wars rage in Ukraine and the Middle East, Donald Trump is headed back to the White House and Germany faces snap elections after its ruling coalition collapsed this month.

Merkel, 70, remembered for her calm and unflappable leadership style, rejects blame for any of the current turmoil, in the 736-page autobiography co-written with longtime adviser Beate Baumann.

After years out of the public eye, she has given multiple media interviews, reflecting on her childhood under East German communism and tense encounters with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, who she felt "was captivated by politicians with autocratic and dictatorial tendencies".

In the full memoir, she gives further insights into her thoughts and actions — including during the 2015 mass refugee influx, which came to define the final years of her leadership.

Refugee crisis 

Critics have charged that Merkel's refusal to push back large numbers of asylum-seekers at the Austrian border led to more than one million arrivals and fuelled the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD(.

Merkel, who at the time posed for a selfie with one Syrian refugee, says she "still does not understand ... how anyone could have assumed that a friendly face in a photo would be enough to encourage entire legions to flee their homeland".

While affirming that "Europe must always protect its external borders", she stresses that "prosperity and the rule of law will always make Germany and Europe ... places where people want to go".

In addition, she writes in the French edition of the book, fast-ageing Germany's "lack of manpower makes legal migration essential".

Her bold declaration at the time — "wir schaffen das" in German or "we can do this" — was a "banal" statement with the message that "where there are obstacles, we must work to overcome them", she argues.

And on the AfD, she cautions Germany's mainstream parties against adopting their rhetoric "without proposing concrete solutions to existing problems", warning that with such an approach mainstream movements "will fail".

Russia ties 

Merkel, who speaks Russian, also defends her engagement over the years with Putin, who speaks German — despite her misgivings about the former KGB agent who once allowed a labrador into a meeting between them, apparently playing on her fear of dogs.

She describes the Russian leader as "a man perpetually on the lookout, afraid of being mistreated and always ready to strike, including by playing at exercising his power with a dog and making others wait".

Nevertheless, she says that "despite all the difficulties" she was right "not to let contacts with Russia be broken off ... and to also preserve ties through trade relations".

The reality is, she argues, that "Russia is, with the United States, one of the two main nuclear powers in the world".

She also defends her opposition to Ukraine joining NATO at a 2008 Bucharest summit, considering it illusory to think that candidate status would have protected it from Putin's aggression.

After the summit, she remembers flying home with the feeling that "we in NATO had no common strategy for dealing with Russia".

Energy policy 

Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022, and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, cut Germany off from cheap Russian gas, with the taps' closure a key driver of its ongoing economic malaise.

But Merkel rejects criticism for having allowed the Baltic Sea pipelines in the first place, pointing out that Nord Stream 1 was signed off on by her predecessor, the Social Democrat Gerhard Schroeder, long a friend of Putin.

On Nord Stream 2, which she approved after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, she argues that at the time it would have been "difficult to get companies and gas users in Germany and in many EU member states to accept" having to import more expensive liquefied natural gas from other sources.

Merkel says the gas was needed as a transitional energy source as Germany was pursuing both a switch to renewable energy and the phase-out of nuclear power following Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster.

On nuclear power itself, she argues that "we do not need it to meet our climate goals" and that the German phase-out can "inspire courage in other countries" to follow suit.