WORLD NEWS

South Korea’s Lawmakers Question Military About Yoon’s Martial Law Order

Protesters urging President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down held a candlelight vigil in Seoul on Thursday.

Gazans With Disabilities Face ‘Impossible Times’ of Chaos and War

Destruction after an airstrike west of Gaza City in October 2023. The war has been punishing for people with disabilities and their families.

For Macron, Notre-Dame’s Reopening Offers Respite From Political Crisis

President Emmanuel Macron of France speaking inside the renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral during a sneak-peek tour last week.

Brazil’s Most Common Surname Has a Grim Past

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, in São Paulo in 2022, considers himself “just another Silva” according to his official biographer, Fernando Morais.

Syrian Rebels Storm Hama as Government Forces Withdraw

A rocket launcher firing against Syrian government forces on the outskirts of the city of Hama, Syria, on Wednesday.

For Opponents Hiding from Venezuelan Government, No Food, Water or Power

Venezuelan security forces outside the Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas, where six leading government opposition figures have taken shelter for eight months.

Ukraine Makes a Case to Trump’s Team as Its Officials Visit U.S.

Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, in Washington in July. Ukrainian officials have been appealing to both Democrats and Republicans since before the election.

Roommate Convicted in Murder of Kenyan Gay Rights Activist

Relatives carrying portraits of a Kenyan activist whose killing caused international outrage among rights groups.

Amnesty International Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza

A neighborhood in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, after an Israeli airstrike this month.

Coming for Selfies, Staying for Art: Dakar’s Biennale Draws Young Crowd

Posing for a photo beneath “Cotton Blues,” an art installation by Laeila Adjovi. Young people have flocked to this edition of the Dakar Biennale.

Deadly Israeli Strike Hits Gaza Humanitarian Zone

Palestinians running for cover as an explosion from an Israeli strike occurs near a makeshift camp in Gaza’s Al-Mawasi area on Wednesday.

Where Is Assisted Dying Legal? And What Countries Are Considering It?

On Friday, as British lawmakers engaged in an emotional debate over a proposal to legalize assisted death for some people with terminally illnesses, supporters of the bill rallied in Parliament Square in London.

China Slaps Sanctions on 13 U.S. Defense Firms

Taiwanese military during a live-fire drill in Pingtung, Taiwan, in 2022. As tensions rise with China, the United States has kept supplying arms to Taiwan.

South Korea’s Defense Minister Steps Down Over Martial Law Decree

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun of South Korea in October.

Prince Johnson, 72, Warlord Who Executed Liberia’s President, Dies

Prince Johnson in 2008. He was accused of committing atrocities in Liberia’s civil wars, but he was never prosecuted.

How Global Conflicts Helped Reignite Syria’s Civil War

American Kidnapped in Philippines Is Believed to Be Dead, Police Say

The police inspecting the area in Sibuco, the Philippines, where Elliot Eastman was kidnapped in October.

The Civil War in Ethiopia That Never Really Ended

From left, Mekdes, 21, and Tihune, 22, are members of Fano, which is fighting against the central government, in Amhara. Mekdes, who joined more than a year ago, said her family supported her decision.

Old Photos Tell the Story of South Korea’s 1980 Unrest

Thursday Briefing

Prime Minister Michel Barnier of France after the no-confidence vote.

Rohit Bal, Exuberant Star of Indian Fashion, Dies at 63

Rohit Bal at his showroom in 1997. His fashion design “created a path that people are now flamboyantly following,” said the filmmaker Mira Nair.

U.S. Defends Paris Climate Accord as ‘Best Hope’ at International Court of Justice

Margaret L. Taylor, a legal adviser for the State Department, at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday.

Mexican Authorities Seize 20 Million Doses of Fentanyl in Record Haul

Mexican soldiers deployed on a highway in Sinaloa state in October. Authorities said officers confiscated 800 kilograms of fentanyl in a house in Sinaloa state, home of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel and a hub of fentanyl production.

Thursday Briefing: An Impeachment Motion in South Korea

Members of South Korea’s opposition parties protesting on the steps of the National Assembly in Seoul yesterday.

France’s Prime Minister Michel Barnier Loses No-Confidence Vote

Prime Minister Michel Barnier of France after the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly in Paris on Wednesday.

Biden Hopes Train Project in Angola Defines Africa Legacy

President Biden during a visit to the Lobito Port Terminal in Angola, on Wednesday.

Israel’s Military Says Hostages Were Likely Killed by Hamas as Airstrike Hit

Ruti Munder at the grave of her husband, Avraham Munder, in Israel in August.

Researchers Release Hawaiian Crows Back Into the Wild

Only about 110 ʻalalā, or Hawaiian crows, remain on Earth.

South Korea’s Martial Law Turmoil Threatens Pacific Alliance With U.S. and Japan

President Biden with President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, left, and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan, right, in Peru last month. Their countries have been strengthening their ties, largely to counter China.

Map: Where Rebels Have Advanced in Syria

FIFA Secures $1 Billion Broadcast Deal With DAZN for Club World Cup

DAZN is paying close to $1 billion to broadcast the inaugural Club World Cup, a soccer tournament featuring 32 men’s teams gathered from leagues across the globe.

South Korean Lawmakers Move to Impeach President Yoon After Failed Martial Law Bid

Members of South Korea’s opposition parties protesting on the steps of National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday.

Georgia Tumbles Deeper Into Crisis as Government Detains Opposition Figures

A still image taken from a video shows Nika Gvaramia, an opposition leader, surrounded by police officers before being detained in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday.

Elite Sumo Wrestlers Will Compete in London, a Rarity Outside Japan

The sumo wrestlers Kitanowaka Daisuke and Fukutsuumi Akira of Japan outside Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday.

Zelensky Offers $24 One-Off Payment to Win Over War-Weary Ukrainians

A butcher in Myrnohrad, Ukraine, in November. The grant is a modest sum compared to the average monthly salary in Ukraine of roughly $500.

Iran Releases Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Laureate, From Prison for 21 Days

Why President Yoon Made a Fateful Decision by Declaring Martial Law

Protesters blocking a military vehicle outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday, after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law.

Syrian Forces Battle Rebels Outside Government Stronghold

Syrian military equipment abandoned on the road near Suran, north of Hama, on Tuesday.

With Assad Challenged, a Push to Cut Syria’s Ties to Iran Grows More Unlikely

Images of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, center, and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, south of Damascus, in March.

Stripping Down for a Night at a French Museum

Visitors attended “Naturist Paradise” at the Museum of the Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean in Marseille, France.

Writers Silenced by Stalin Get New Life Amid War in Ukraine

A performance of “You [Romance],” a play chronicling the lives of the “Executed Renaissance” directed by Oleksandr Khomenko, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in October.

Tapped by Trudeau to Steer Foreign Affairs, She’s Now His Possible Successor

Mélanie Joly, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, at her home in Montreal in July.

Who Would Replace South Korea’s President Yoon?

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the National Assembly in Seoul in November.

Wednesday Briefing

Outside the National Assembly in Seoul last night.

For Some Koreans, Martial Law Stirs Harrowing Memories of Gwangju Uprising

Police officers outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday night.

Nearly 300 Troops Stormed South Korea’s National Assembly, Official Says

South Korean troops at an entrance to the National Assembly in Seoul early Wednesday. Some protesters tried to push their way in.

South Korea Stock Markets Wobble After Martial Law Turmoil

Analysts and investors on Wednesday were trying to gauge how long South Korea’s outbreak of political turmoil would persist.

South Korean History Is Scarred by Martial Law

Soldiers with bound pro-democracy protesters in Gwangju, South Korea, in 1980.

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea Declares Martial Law, Then Backs Down

Protesters outside the National Assembly in Seoul demanding an end to martial law on Tuesday.

Timeline: How Yoon’s Presidency in South Korea Led to Martial Law Order

President Yoon Suk Yeol being sworn into office in May 2022.

Who is Lee Jae-myung, South Korea’s Opposition Leader?

Lee Jae-myung, center, the opposition leader, speaking at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday.

Namibia Elects Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as Its First Female President

Supporters of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah during a campaign rally in Windhoek, Namibia, last month.

Wednesday Briefing: A Brief Martial Law in South Korea

Outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, yesterday.

Italian Sentenced in Killing of Ex-Girlfriend, Giulia Cecchettin

A demonstrator holding a photo of Giulia Cecchettin at a march in Milan last year.

NATO Chief Urges More Weapons for Ukraine Ahead of Any Peace Talks

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, right, with Ukrainian foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, in Brussels on Tuesday.

Biden, in Angola, Warns That Slavery’s History Should Not be Erased

President Biden outside the National Museum of Slavery in Luanda, Angola, on Tuesday.

Martial Law in South Korea Tests Biden and a Key U.S. Alliance

President Biden has put a special emphasis on South Korea, and invited President Yoon Suk Yeol to the White House last year.