World News - The Morning Sun

People talk as they sit on sofas during Israel's Independence Day celebrations at a park in Tel Aviv, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Israelis are marking 76 years since Israel's creation. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg).

Israelis mark a subdued Independence Day under the shadow of war in Gaza

Israel's Independence Day is normally a raucous affair, celebrated with day parties and barbecues in parks, but this year, celebrations — from Monday evening through Tuesday — were muted. In the … more

By MELANIE LIDMAN | 5/14/24

Thai activists hold a portrait of Netiporn Sanesangkhom, a member of the activist group Thaluwang, known for their bold and aggressive campaigns demanding reform of the monarchy and abolition of the law that makes it illegal to defame members of the royal family outside of Criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Netiporn who went on a hunger strike after being jailed for her involvement in protests calling for reform of the country's monarchy system died Tuesday in a prison hospital, officials said. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A monarchy reform activist in Thailand dies in detention after months of a hunger strike

A young Thai activist who went on a hunger strike after being jailed for advocating reform of the country’s system of monarchy has died in a prison hospital. Netiporn Sanesangkhom was a member of … more

By NAPAT KONGSAWAD | 5/14/24

FILE - Migrants aboard a rubber boat end up in the water while others cling on to a centifloat before being rescued by a team of the Sea Watch-3, around 35 miles away from Libya, Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. European Union nations will discuss on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, sweeping new reforms to the bloc's failed asylum system as campaigning for Europe-wide elections next month gathers pace, with migration expected to be an important issue. (AP Photo/Valeria Mongelli, File)

EU agrees on a new migration pact. Mainstream parties hope it will deprive the far right of votes

European Union nations have officially endorsed a major overhaul of the bloc’s failed asylum system. Tuesday's move wraps up years of work and comes just as campaigning for next month's Europe-wide … more

By LORNE COOK | 5/14/24

Migration tracking group says 76 million people were displaced within their countries in 2023

A top migration monitoring group says conflicts and natural disasters left nearly 76 million people displaced within their countries last year, a new record. Violence in Sudan, Congo and the Middle … more

By JAMEY KEATEN | 5/14/24

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with members of the Security Council via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 13, 2024. (Aleksey Babushkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian president Putin to make a state visit to China this week

The Chinese Foreign Ministery says Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a two-day state visit to China this week. Putin will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his visit starting on Thurday, … more

5/14/24

Whistleblower David McBride arrives at the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. McBride, 60, was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to three charges including theft and sharing with members of the press documents classified as secret.( Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

Army whistleblower who exposed alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan is sentenced to prison

A former Australian army lawyer has been sentenced to almost six years in prison for leaking classified information that exposed allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. David McBride was … more

By ROD McGUIRK | 5/14/24

FILE - Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks at a reception following a flag raising ceremony for the celebration of 74th National Day of the People's Republic of China at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, 2023. Hong Kong's leader on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, urged foreign governments to respect the duties of its overseas-based trade offices after a staff member in its London branch was charged in Britain for allegedly helping the city's intelligence service gather information. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei, File)

Hong Kong calls for respect of its overseas-based trade offices after UK charged its London staffer

Hong Kong's leader has urged foreign governments to respect the duties of its overseas-based trade offices after a staff member in its London branch was charged in Britain for allegedly helping the … more

By KANIS LEUNG | 5/14/24

Heavy monsoon rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island have triggered flash floods. Officials said on Sunday that at least 37 people were dead and more than a dozen others were missing.

Indonesian rescuers search through rivers and rubble after flash floods that killed at least 50

Rescuers are searching in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible, survivors of flash floods that hit Indonesia’s Sumatra Island over the weekend. Monsoon … more

By KASPARMAN PILIANG | 5/14/24

Rescuers look for victims under a billboard that collapsed following heavy rain and thundershowers in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 13, 2024. Scores of people were thought to be trapped after the collapse in the suburb of Ghatkopar, Mumbai police said on social media platform X. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Billboard collapses onto people in Mumbai, India, killing at least 14 but others may be trapped

A large billboard collapsed onto people during heavy rain and thunderstorms in India’s western city of Mumbai, killing at least 14 and injuring 74 others. A rescue operation was ongoing Tuesday … more

5/13/24

Notorious people smuggler wanted in Europe arrested in northern Iraq

One of Europe’s most notorious human smugglers has been arrested in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, security officials said. The regional government’s security agency said it … more

By ABDULRAHMAN ZEYAD | 5/13/24

Dark clouds hang over during a pre-monsoon thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds and rain in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Collapsing billboard kills 3 and hurts 59 in heavy rains in Mumbai. Scores might be trapped

A billboard has collapsed and killed three people and injured 59 in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, in thunderstorms and heavy rain. That's according to Press Trust of India. Police say scores … more

5/13/24

Sinead Marmion, asylum and immigration solicitor at Phoenix Law, poses outside Belfast High Court in Belfast, Monday May 13, 2024. The United Kingdom's law to deport asylum-seekers shouldn't apply in Northern Ireland because parts of it violate human rights protections, a Belfast judge ruled Monday. While the prime minister’s office said the ruling wouldn’t derail or delay Rwanda deportations it expects to begin in July, Sinead Marmion, a lawyer whose client prevailed in bringing the case said the law wouldn't apply in Northern Ireland. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)

Belfast judge says parts of the UK's migrant deportation law shouldn't apply to Northern Ireland

A Belfast judge says that the United Kingdom's law to deport asylum-seekers shouldn't apply in Northern Ireland because parts of it violate human rights protections. A High Court judge on Monday said … more

By BRIAN MELLEY | 5/13/24

This UGC photo provided by the People’s Defense Force shows a truck transporting bodies of victims allegedly killed by soldiers of Myanmar’s military government, to be buried outside of Let Htoke Taw village in Sagaing region’s Myinmu township, Myanmar, Saturday, May 11, 2024. Reports that soldiers of Myanmar’s military government last week carried out a massacre of more than 30 civilians in a village in central Myanmar were supported Monday in interviews with a local administrator and a man who claims to have survived the killings. (People’s Defense Force via AP)

Reports of army killing of villagers in Myanmar supported by photos and harrowing tale of a survivor

Reports that soldiers of Myanmar’s military government last week carried out a massacre of more than 30 civilians in a village in central Myanmar have been supported in interviews with a local … more

By GRANT PECK | 5/13/24

A US museum curator was detained in Turkey on claims of spider smuggling. He says he has permits

Turkish media say a curator at the American Museum of Natural History has been detained in Istanbul while allegedly attempting to smuggle spider and scorpion samples. Lorenzo Prendini, an expert on … more

5/13/24

FILE - Members of a group of some 30 migrants seeking asylum are seen in Bialowieza, Poland, on May 28, 2023. Refugee rights activists on Monday May 13, 2024 criticized Poland's pro-European Union government for plans to toughen measures along the border with Belarus and for continuing a policy initiated by the previous populist government of pushing migrants back across the border there. (AP Photo/Agnieszka Sadowska, File)

Polish activists criticize Tusk's government for tough border policies and migrant pushbacks

Refugee rights activists are criticizing Poland’s pro-European Union government for plans to tighten security at the border with Belarus. They are also unhappy that it's continuing a policy … more

By VANESSA GERA | 5/13/24

People are seen near to their damaged homes after heavy flooding in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, May 11, 2024. Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed dozens of people on Friday, a Taliban official said. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)

Families still looking for missing loved ones after devastating Afghanistan floods killed scores

Survivors of the devastating floods that struck northern Afghanistan last week are still searching for their missing loved ones and burying their dead. Farmer Abdul Ghani recounted on Monday how he … more

By RAHIM FAIEZ | 5/13/24

The annual re-plastering of Mali’s Great Mosque of Djenne was held on Sunday, an important step in maintaining the integrity of the world’s largest mud-brick building which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger list since 2016.

In Mali, thousands replaster the Great Mosque of Djenne, under threat from conflict

Thousands of Malians joined the annual replastering of the world’s largest mud-brick building this weekend, a key ritual that maintains the integrity of the Great Mosque of Djenne in central Mali. … more

Associated Press | 5/13/24

FILE - Museums employees walk down an aisle of the Vatican Museums as they prepare to open the museum, at the Vatican, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. Forty-nine employees of the Vatican Museums have filed a class-action complaint with the Vatican administration demanding better seniority, leave and overtime benefits in an unusual, public challenge to Pope Francis’ governance. The complaint, dated April 23, 2024, was made public the weekend of May 10, 2024, in Italian newspapers. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

Vatican Museums staff challenge the pope with a legal bid for better terms and treatment

Forty-nine employees of the Vatican Museums have filed a class-action complaint with the Vatican administration demanding better seniority, leave and overtime benefits. The complaint also alleges … more

By NICOLE WINFIELD | 5/13/24

Rescue workers search the site of a building collapse in George, South Africa, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Rescue teams are searching for dozens of construction workers missing after a multi-story apartment complex collapsed in the coastal city have brought out more survivors as the operation entered a second night of desperate work to find anyone alive in the mangled wreckage. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Rescue effort for dozens missing in South Africa building collapse are boosted by 1 more survivor

Rescue teams in South Africa are searching for any survivors still trapped under rubble a week after an apartment building that was under construction collapsed. Their hopes were boosted over the … more

By GERALD IMRAY | 5/13/24

Ukrainian military medics of the 47th Brigade shift an injured comrade to a stretcher at the field hospital in Avdiivka direction, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukraine's Zelenskyy says his army is locked in 'fierce' border battles amid a Russian assault

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his troops are locked in intense battles with the advancing Russian army in two border areas. He said “fierce battles” are taking place near the … more

By ILLIA NOVIKOV | 5/13/24