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I'm VOA's Joe Ramsey with your worldwide news update.
The president of South Korea has lifted the martial law he imposed on the country bending to political pressure after a tense night in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule. President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law late Tuesday out of frustration with the opposition. He vowed to eliminate, quote unquote, "anti-state forces" as he struggles against opponents who control parliament and whom he accuses of sympathizing with Communist North Korea. Police and military personnel were seen leaving the grounds of parliament following the bipartisan vote to overrule the president. The declaration was formally lifted around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday during a cabinet meeting. The White House said it was pleased Yoon had backed down. A White House spokesperson said, quote, "We are relieved President Yoon has reversed course on his concerning declaration of martial law and respected the National Assembly's vote to end it." Earlier, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the United States was watching events in South Korea with grave concern. Nearly 30,000 troops are stationed in South Korea to guard against the nuclear armed North. AP correspondent ??? has more. This really hogs back to South Korea's previous history of dictatorship, which ended in the 1980s. It's unbelievable for many people in the region to see this happening in South Korea again because the country over the past decades has become such a(n) economic and cultural powerhouse. It's a friendly place which people don't associate with martial law, dictatorship or soldiers on the streets. AP correspondent ???. This is VOA News. U.S. President Joe Biden says the end of his administration also marks the beginning of a new relationship between the United States and the African continent. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Luanda, Angola, where Biden is making a historic visit. This is Joe Biden's first trip to the African continent as president, and also his last. He landed in Angola late Monday for a two-day trip with the packed agenda ss he told President João Lourenço when they met at Luanda's pink-hued presidential palace. "I'm very proud to be the first American president to visit Angola, and I'm deeply proud of everything we have done together to transform our partnership thus far. There is so much ahead of us, so much we can do." Biden wraps his visit Wednesday with a trip to the port city of Lobito, where a new U.S.-financed rail line brings raw materials from Africa's interior to this bustling port. Anita Powell, VOA News, Luanda. Amid violence in Mexico and uncertainty over U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's immigration policies, some migrants say they're considering returning to the countries they fled. Reuters correspondent Jillian Kitchener reports. As Donald Trump's incoming administration plans strict measures for the U.S. southern border, migrants waiting in Mexico for appointments to seek asylum face a difficult decision. Do they press ahead with diminished odds of entering the United States after Trump takes office, or do they go back to a place they were so desperate to leave? Yuleidi Moreno, who traveled to Mexico from Venezuela recently, told Reuters it may not be worth waiting in Mexico for a chance at life in the U.S. "I cry every day. I want to go back to my country. I don't want to stay here anymore. I suffer a lot. Men treat us badly and it's hard. They sometimes mistreat us. Sometimes people die." Sources told Reuters Trump is expected to take a slew of executive actions on his first day in office, which would give federal immigration officers more latitude to arrest people with no criminal records and surge troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. Reuters correspondent Gillian Kitchener. Namibia has elected its first female leader as Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Tuesday was declared the winner of last week's presidential election as the long-ruling party remains in power. Official results show the 72-year-old won with 57 percent of the vote. Her ruling SWAPO party has had a 34-year hold on power since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website, voanews.com. I'm Joe Ramsey, VOA News. |