World News - The Morning Sun

The carcass of a Bryde's whale is seen in the waters of Hong Kong, Monday, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Hong Kong official vows to mull legal changes after discovery of whale carcass sparked anger

A Hong Kong government official has vowed to mull legal changes and set up protocols to better protect whales after the discovery of a carcass sparked anger on social media and speculation that … more

By KANIS LEUNG | 8/1/23

FILE - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese briefs the media during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Monday, July 10, 2023. Albanese said Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, his government stands firm against the United States over the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, an Australian citizen fighting extradition from Britain on U.S. espionage charges.(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Australia's prime minister stands firm against the US on WikiLeaks founder's prosecution

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government is standing firm against the United States over the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Albanese’s center-left Labor … more

By ROD McGUIRK | 8/1/23

Nigeriens participate in a march called by supporters of coup leader Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, pictured, in Niamey, Niger, Sunday, July 30, 2023. Days after after mutinous soldiers ousted Niger's democratically elected president, uncertainty is mounting about the country's future and some are calling out the junta's reasons for seizing control. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

France planning an evacuation of people seeking to leave Niger after the coup in its former colony

The French Foreign Ministry says France is planning an imminent evacuation of people seeking to leave Niger after the coup last week in the former French colony. In a brief statement to The … more

8/1/23

In this handout photo from the U.S. Navy, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan travels through Atlantic Ocean on July 20, 2023. Thousands of Marines backed by the United States' top fighter jet, warships and other aircraft are slowly building up in the Persian Gulf. It's a sign that while America's wars in the region may be over, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program only continues to worsen with no solutions in sight. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Danilo Reynoso/U.S. Navy, via AP)

Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict

Thousands of Marines backed by advanced U.S. fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, … more

By JON GAMBRELL | 8/1/23

FILE - People gather at the beach area of the Black Sea, in Balaklava's bay, a part of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015. The Crimean Peninsula's balmy beaches have been vacation spots for Russian czars and has hosted history-shaking meetings of world leaders. And it has been the site of ethnic persecutions, forced deportations and political repression. Now, as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its 18th month, the Black Sea peninsula is again both a playground and a battleground. (AP Photo, File)

The Crimean Peninsula is both a playground and a battleground, coveted by Ukraine and Russia

The Crimean Peninsula's balmy beaches have been vacation spots for Russian czars and Soviet general secretaries. It has hosted history-shaking meetings of world leaders and boasts a strategic naval … more

By DASHA LITVINOVA | 8/1/23

People march to demand the freedom of New Hampshire nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter, who have been reported kidnapped, in the Cite Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, July 31, 2023. Dorsainvil works for the El Roi Haiti nonprofit organization and the U.S. State Department issued a "do not travel advisory" ordering nonemergency personnel to leave the Caribbean nation amid growing security concerns. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Fate of American nurse and daughter kidnapped by armed men in Haiti remains uncertain

The fate of an American nurse and her daughter kidnapped in Haiti last week remains unknown as the State Department refused to say whether the abductors made demands. Hundreds of Haitians marched in … more

By EVENS SANON and MICHAEL CASEY | 8/1/23

FILE - A Bumphead parrotfish swims above corals on Moore Reef in Gunggandji Sea Country off the coast of Queensland in eastern Australia on Nov. 13, 2022. The Australian government on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, welcomed a draft UNESCO decision to a lift a threat of downgrading the Great Barrier Reef to an endangered World Heritage site. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil, File)

Australia welcomes lifting of UNESCO threat to list Great Barrier Reef as World Heritage in danger

The Australian government has welcomed a draft UNESCO decision to a lift a threat of downgrading the Great Barrier Reef to an endangered World Heritage site. The U.N. cultural agency and the … more

By ROD McGUIRK | 7/31/23

14 workers killed in the collapse of a crane being used to build a bridge in India

Officials say at least fourteen workers are dead in the collapse of a crane at a highway construction site in western India. The crane was being used for the construction of a bridge on the highway … more

7/31/23

An apartment building after it was hit during a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Monday, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)

The $3.9 billion UN humanitarian appeal for Ukraine is only 30% funded, UN aid official says

The $3.9 billion humanitarian appeal for war-torn Ukraine is less than 30% funded as the country starts preparing for a second winter with more residential buildings damaged and destroyed and … more

By EDITH M. LEDERER | 7/31/23

UN chief welcomes Kenya's offer to `positively consider' leading police force to combat Haiti gangs

The United Nations chief has welcomed Kenya’s offer to “positively consider” leading a multinational police force to help combat Haiti’s gangs and improve security in the violence-wracked … more

By EDITH M. LEDERER | 7/31/23

FILE - Migrants line up to take a boat after walking across the Darien Gap from Colombia, in Bajo Chiquito, Panama, May 7, 2023. The nation has also become the epicenter of a steady flow of migration through the perilous jungles of the Darien Gap running along the Colombia-Panama border. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

Nearly 250,000 migrants crossed Panama's Darien Gap so far this year, more than in all of 2022

The number of migrants crossing Panama's dangerous, jungle-clad Darien Gap has swelled to almost 250,000 in the first seven months of 2023, surpassing the number that crossed in all of 2022. It is a … more

7/31/23

Discovery of a whale carcass in Hong Kong sparks anger over the possible damage done by sightseers

The discovery of a whale carcass in Hong Kong waters has sparked an outpouring of grief on social media. Many comments blamed the mammal’s death on sightseeing activities. A scientific officer of … more

By KANIS LEUNG | 7/31/23

In this photo from The Military True News Information Team, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, center left, chairman of State Administration Council, speaks with members the National Defense and Security Council including Myint Swe, center, Pro Temporary President of the military government, and Vice President Henry Van Thio, center right, Monday, July 31, 2023, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Myanmar’s military-controlled government has extended the state of emergency it imposed when the army seized power from an elected government 2 1/2 years ago, forcing a further delay in elections it promised when it took over. (The Military True News Information Team via AP)

Myanmar's military-led government extends state of emergency, forcing delay in promised election

Myanmar’s military-controlled government has extended the state of emergency it imposed when the army seized power from an elected government 2 1/2 years ago, forcing a further delay in elections … more

7/31/23

FILE - The sun rises over the headquarters of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. headquarters that dominates the skyline in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 7, 2016. The state-run oil giant in the United Arab Emirates, ADNOC, said Monday July 31, 2023 it has moved up its target for achieving net zero emissions in its operations to 2045, as the country prepares to host U.N. climate talks later this year. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

UAE state oil firm moves up net zero climate target to 2045

A state-run oil giant in the United Arab Emirates says it has moved up its target for achieving net zero emissions in its operations to 2045. The UAE, which is an OPEC member and major oil producer, … more

7/31/23

FILE - A police officer escorts British David Hunter from the grounds of the courthouse complex after a trial on a premeditated murder charge in the death of his wife, in Paphos, Cyprus, on July 21, 2023. A Cyprus court on Monday July 31, 2023 sentenced Hunter who killed his ailing wife in their retirement home to two years in prison, rejecting a defense request to hand down a suspended sentence after convicting him earlier of manslaughter. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, File)

Cyprus court hands British man a 2-year prison term for killing his ailing wife to spare her pain

A Cyprus court has sentenced a British man who killed his ailing wife in their retirement home to two years in prison, rejecting a defense request to hand down a suspended sentence after convicting … more

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS | 7/31/23

Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, third from left, walks toward the media for a news conference outside the Shevchenskivskyi court in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. A man brought to court to stand trial blew himself up in the courthouse. The accused was attempting to escape custody at the time, according to a statement from the Kyiv city administration. He used an "unidentified explosive device" the statement said. Two Ukrainian security personnel were wounded. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Ukraine says Russian missiles hit another apartment building and likely trapped people under rubble

Ukraine's interior minister says Russian missiles have slammed into a central Ukrainian city and killed at least one person and likely trapped others beneath rubble. The minister said Monday that the … more

By FELIPE DANA | 7/31/23

In this photo provided by the Australian Defence Force, navy sailors from HMAS Brisbane prepare to conduct search and rescue operations in the vicinity of Lindeman Island, Australia on Saturday, July 29, 2023, as part of a multi-national and multi-agency search and rescue effort following an Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter ditching in waters near the island. The helicopter hit the water off Australia's northeast coast with a "catastrophic impact" on Friday and there was no chance that that any of the four air crew would be found alive, officials said on Monday, July 31, 2023. (LSEW Hannah LinsleyADF via AP)

4 crew members on Australian army helicopter that crashed off coast didn't survive, officials say

Officials say the Australian army helicopter that crashed during a multinational exercise hit the water with a “catastrophic impact” and there is no chance its four crew members survived. Defense … more

By ROD McGUIRK | 7/31/23

FILE - Pope Francis waves to people from his popemobile along the Copacabana beachfront as he arrives for the Stations of the Cross procession in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, July 26, 2013. When Pope Francis made the first foreign trip of his papacy, to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day in 2013, he urged young people to make a "mess" in their local churches, to shake things up even if it ruffled the feathers of their bishops. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)

As the pope heads to Portugal, he is laying the groundwork for the church's future and his legacy

Pope Francis is embarking this week on a five-day trip to Portugal for World Youth Day. The big Catholic rally is aimed at galvanizing the young generations in their faith. It comes this year as … more

By NICOLE WINFIELD | 7/31/23

FILE - People put red carnations next to photographs during the 87th Spanish Republic anniversary ceremony to pay tribute to people killed in the Spanish Civil War at the Almudena cemetery in Madrid, on April 14, 2018. Spain’s Catalonia regional government says it has identified 357 foreign militiamen who disappeared in the region during the Spanish Civil War. Of these, 212 are Germany, Austria and Netherlands nationals. Researchers have also been able to find the likely exact area where all they died or were badly wounded. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

Spain identifies 212 German, Austrian and Dutch fighters who went missing during Spanish Civil War

Spain’s government researchers say they've identified hundreds of foreign fighters who disappeared in the region during the Spanish Civil War. Of these, 212 are German, Austrian and Dutch … more

By DAVID BRUNAT | 7/30/23

Members of the Palestinian Fateh group take position during clashes that erupted with Islamist militants in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Sunday, July 30, 2023. Palestinian officials say at least five people have been killed and several others wounded during clashes in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

At least 5 dead and 7 wounded in clashes inside crowded Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon

Palestinian officials say at least five people have been killed and seven others wounded during clashes in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp. The officials say fighting broke out in Ein … more

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB | 7/30/23