NewsOvernight reports: South Korea's military standoff heightens in presidential clash
Overnight reports: South Korea's military standoff heightens in presidential clash
It happened while you were sleeping. Here's what global agencies reported overnight from Thursday to Friday.
ed. Kamila Gurgul
- The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that a military unit in South Korea blocked investigators attempting to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol. Officers from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials entered the president's residence, but were stopped by the military. An arrest warrant was issued by a court in Seoul after Yoon declared martial law at the start of December. The president has repeatedly refused to appear for questioning, complicating the investigation into the legality of his actions. Yoon's lawyer described the arrest attempt as "illegal."
- The Venezuelan authorities announced a reward of £80,000 for information that could lead to the capture of Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, an opposition leader residing in exile in Spain. This information was conveyed by the Venezuelan police on Thursday. Urrutia, who ran in the Venezuelan presidential elections in July last year, left for Spain after Nicolas Maduro declared victory. The opposition claims that Urrutia won the elections, which led to protests brutally suppressed by the authorities. At least 28 people were killed and over 2,000 were detained in the unrest. Urrutia received asylum in Spain. Posters with his image and the word "Wanted" have appeared at airports and police stations in Venezuela. Urrutia is set to meet with Argentine President Javier Milei on Saturday; relations between Buenos Aires and Caracas remain tense.
- The Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported that a record number of illegal immigrants arrived in the Canary Islands in 2024. Almost 700 boats carrying nearly 48,000 people landed there, a rise of more than 7,000 compared to 2023. A total of almost 64,000 illegal immigrants arrived in Spain, an increase of 12.5% compared to the previous year. Despite efforts by the government of Pedro Sanchez, which is focusing on cooperation with countries of origin and transit, and tackling human trafficking mafias, these numbers have not diminished. In the last week of the past year, 34 boats carrying nearly 2,200 immigrants arrived in the Canary Islands. In the first days of 2025, three boats with over 275 people, two of whom died, arrived on the shores of Tenerife and El Hierro. According to Caminando Fronteras, over 10,000 immigrants died trying to reach Spain last year.
- The U.S. Department of State has designated seven African countries as extremely dangerous due to armed conflicts, terrorism, and crime. The list includes Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. In Burkina Faso, terrorism and kidnappings are commonplace, and in Libya, foreigners are often kidnapped for ransom. Somalia, with anti-Western sentiments, is the site of numerous terrorist attacks. South Sudan and Sudan are struggling with armed violence, and the Central African Republic is controlled by armed groups.
