South Korea’s Yoon replaces the defense minister

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president has replaced his defense minister as opposition parties moved to impeach both men over the stunning-but-brief imposition of martial law that brought armed troops into Seoul streets. Opposition parties are pushing for a vote on motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday evening. They hold 192 seats but need 200 votes for the motion to pass. Yoon’s office said he decided to replace Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun with Choi Byung Hyuk, a retired general who is South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Kim earlier apologized and said he ordered troops to carry out duties related to martial law. The Foreign Ministry also worked to mitigate the backlash and concern over South Korea’s democracy.

Syrian insurgents capture central city of Hama

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian insurgents have swept into the central city of Hama after days of intense clashes with government forces. The Syrian army said Thursday it has withdrawn from Hama after insurgents broke through its defenses. It is yet another setback for President Bashar Assad only days after losing control of Syria’s largest city, Aleppo. The Syrian army said it redeployed from Hama and took positions outside the city to protect civilians. The stunning weeklong offensive appears likely to continue, with the insurgents setting their sights on the central city of Homs, the country’s third largest. Homs is the gate to the capital of Damascus.

France’s Macron vows to stay in office till end of term

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to stay in office until the end of his term in 2027 and announced that he will name a new prime minister within days. In his address to the nation on Thursday, Macron came out fighting, laying blame at the door of his opponents on the far right for bringing down the government of Michel Barnier. He said they chose “not to do but to undo” and that they “chose disorder.” The president also said the far right and the far left had united in what he called “an anti-Republican front.” He said he’d name a new prime minister within days but gave no hints who that might be.

Norwegian court rejects mass killer Anders Behring Breivik’s 2nd bid for parole

OSLO, Norway (AP) — A Norwegian court has rejected a second bid for parole by mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage in 2011. The court last month held a parole hearing for the 45-year-old far-right extremist, who is serving a 21-year sentence. In a written verdict dated Wednesday, it said that Breivik’s request was denied and that it considered it clear that continued detention was necessary in the interest of public safety. Breivik was convicted in 2012 of mass murder and terrorism for a bombing that killed eight people at a government building in Oslo, and a shooting massacre on Utøya island where he gunned down 69 people at a holiday camp for center-left youth activists.