South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government early Wednesday lifted the martial law he imposed during a tense night of political drama in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Police and military personnel were seen leaving the grounds of parliament following the bipartisan vote, and the declaration was formally lifted around 4:30 a.m. during a Cabinet meeting. Yoon imposed martial law late Tuesday, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls parliament and that he accuses of sympathizing with communist North Korea.

Senate Democrats reelected Chuck Schumer as party leader on Tuesday as the party moves into a deeply uncertain time, with no real consensus on a strategy as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. Schumer faced no opposition in the party leadership elections, in which Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin was also reelected to the No. 2 spot and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar became the new No. 3. In a statement, Schumer, of New York, said he was honored to move the party forward “during this crucial period for our country.” “Our preference is to secure bipartisan solutions wherever possible and look for ways to collaborate with our Republican colleagues to help working families,” Schumer said.

France’s minority government appeared to be in its final hours Tuesday as opposition lawmakers from the left and the far right vowed to topple Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s Cabinet. A no-confidence vote is scheduled Wednesday in parliament in the wake of a divisive budget debate, with a strong chance of being successful. If the motion passes, Barnier’s Cabinet would be the shortest-lived government in France’s modern history, marking an unprecedented period of political instability. President Emmanuel Macron would be in charge of appointing a new prime minister. Why is the situation so volatile?

The family of Keith Siegel, a 65-year-old US-Israeli hostage still held by Hamas, has announced the death of his mother while he remains in captivity. Siegel was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the October 7 Hamas attack, which devastated the community. Siegel’s daughter, Elan, expressed her grief in a Facebook post, lamenting her father’s inability to bid farewell to his mother. “My father can’t stand with us tomorrow in the cemetery, he can’t say goodbye to the woman who loved him and raised him his whole life,” she wrote.

The number of job postings in the United States rebounded in October from a 3 1/2 year low in September, a sign that businesses are still seeking workers even though hiring has cooled. Openings rose 5% to 7.7 million from 7.4 million in September, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Still, the latest figure is down significantly from 8.7 million job postings a year ago. Last month, job openings rose sharply in professional and business services, a category that includes engineers, tech employees and accountants, as well as in the restaurant and hotel and finance industries. The pickup in job openings suggests that the job market could be stabilizing at a modest level.

Chris Cuomo and Stephen A. Smith have publicly urged President Joe Biden to pardon President-elect Donald Trump following Biden’s controversial decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, over the weekend. During a Monday evening discussion on Cuomo’s show, Smith and Cuomo analyzed the backlash Biden has faced for the pardon, particularly since the president had previously pledged not to take such actions. Cuomo suggested Biden should extend his clemency to Trump, saying, “If I were he, I would pardon Trump. I would say, this has got to stop.” Smith echoed Cuomo’s stance, urging Democrats to focus on future elections. “Enough’s enough,” Smith said.

Israeli officials are concerned that the recent Syrian rebel advances, including the capture of military sites belonging to the Assad regime, could lead to chemical weapons falling into dangerous hands, Haaretz reported. The primary fear is that either Syrian rebels or Iran-backed militias could gain access to advanced weaponry, such as missiles or chemical agents, which would pose a significant threat to Israel. Should such a scenario occur, Israel may be compelled to take actions that could have far-reaching consequences for Syria and the wider Middle East, the report warns. Israel has reportedly sent messages to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through Russian intermediaries, urging him to maintain control over his territory and prevent Iranian forces from operating within Syria.

The Group of 20 has sufficient “shock absorbers” to function effectively if the incoming Donald Trump administration promotes an America First policy at the expense of international cooperation, South Africa’s leader said Tuesday as his country took over the bloc’s presidency. South Africa assumed the rotational leadership of the group of the world’s leading economies on Sunday from Brazil and will hand it over to the United States at the end of 2025. Those three countries will work together over the next 12 months as per the G20 protocol. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he would elevate the impact of climate change on developing countries during South Africa’s G20 presidency — the first by an African nation. U.S.

The U.S. Commerce Department has expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The 140 companies newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. But some are Chinese-owned businesses in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. The revised rules were posted Monday on the website of the U.S. Federal Register for publication later this week. They also limit exports of high-bandwidth memory chips to China. Such chips are needed to process massive amounts of data in advanced applications such as artificial intelligence. China’s Commerce Ministry protested and said it would act to protect its “rights and interests,” without giving any details.

A young girl’s destructive rampage through a Walmart has gone viral, with a jaw-dropping video capturing her smashing bottles, wrecking displays, and wreaking havoc while stunned onlookers questioned where her guardians were. The video begins with the girl, appearing to be without supervision, pulling items off shelves and hurling them to the floor. Her antics culminated at the deli counter, where she writhed on the ground as two women attempted to restrain her. Their efforts were met with protests from a bystander, possibly the child’s guardian, who defended the girl’s behavior with the remark: “You don’t know what she’s going through!” The chaos escalated when the girl reached a Kedem sparkling grape juice display.