World News - The Morning Sun

Pilgrims crowd St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Saturday, May 30, 1998, on Pentecost Day. The Vatican crosses a key milestone Thursday, May 9, 2024, in the run-up to its 2025 Jubilee with the promulgation of the official decree establishing the Holy Year: a once-every-quarter-century event that is expected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to Rome and has already brought months of headaches to Romans. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Vatican and Rome enter final dash to 2025 Jubilee with papal bull and around-the-clock construction

The Vatican is crossing a key milestone in the runup to its 2025 Jubilee with the promulgation of the official decree establishing the Holy Year. Pope Francis will preside over a ceremony Thursday in … more

By NICOLE WINFIELD | 5/9/24

Edgard Leblanc Fils, left, and Smith Augustin prepare to pose for a group photo with the transitional council after it named Fils as its president in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The transitional council will act as the country’s presidency until it can arrange presidential elections sometime before it disbands, which must be by February 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Transitional council in Haiti embraces new changes following turmoil as gang violence grips country

A transitional council tasked with choosing new leaders for Haiti is changing the way it operates in a move that is surprising many as gang violence consumes the country. Two members who were not … more

By DÁNICA COTO | 5/8/24

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) conducts routine underway operations while transiting through the Taiwan Strait Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd class Ismael Martinez/U.S. Navy via AP)

China criticizes US for ship's passage through Taiwan Strait, weeks before new leader takes office

China's military is criticizing the U.S. as hyping its warship's passage through the Taiwan Strait. The guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey passed through the waterway between mainland China and … more

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN | 5/8/24

Chinese national flags are placed next to Hungarian flags on the Elisabeth Bridge in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

China's Xi arrives in Hungary for talks on expanding Chinese investments

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Hungary, the final stop on his five-day European tour. During his two-day visit from Wednesday to Friday, he’s expected to finalize a number of … more

By BELA SZANDELSKY | 5/8/24

Labour leader Keir Starmer, left, speaks with former Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke in his parliamentary office in the House of Commons, London, Wednesday May 8, 2024. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was accused Wednesday of leading a “chaotic” government as another one of his Conservative lawmakers defected to the main opposition Labour Party ahead of a looming general election. In a stunning move just ahead of weekly prime minister's questions, Elphicke crossed the floor of the House of Commons to join the ranks of Starmer's Labour Party, which appears to be heading to return to power after 14 years in opposition. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

UK Prime Minister Sunak suffers further blow as another Conservative lawmaker defects to Labour

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been accused of leading a “chaotic” government as another one of his Conservative lawmakers defected to the main opposition Labour Party ahead of a looming … more

By PAN PYLAS | 5/8/24

In this photo released by Russian Embassy in London/Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Colonel Maxim Elovik, Russia's military attaché to the United Kingdom and Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrey Kelin, right, attend a laying wreaths ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe, at the Soviet war memorial in London, Britain, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Britain says it is expelling the attaché after accusing him of being a spy. The move announced Wednesday was one of several measures taken by the U.K. against Moscow over what it said were malicious activities. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

Britain to expel Russian attaché in response to 'reckless and dangerous activities' by Moscow

Britain says it is expelling Russia’s defense attaché after accusing him of being a spy. The move announced Wednesday was one of several measures taken by the U.K. against Moscow over what it said … more

By BRIAN MELLEY and EMMA BURROWS | 5/8/24

People gather in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Monday, May 6, 2024, to mourn the victims of the Mugunga Camp attack three days earlier. The signs read: 'Yes to peace, No to war' and 'Attacking civilians is a war crime.' (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Families of the victims of attacks on displaced people in Congo mourn their dead

Families of the victims of last week's bombings at two camps of displaced people in eastern Congo, which killed at least sixteen people, have mourned their loved ones at a ceremony in the city of … more

By RUTH ALONGA and MARK BANCHEREAU | 5/8/24

FILE - Rattapon Sanrak founder of the Highland Cafe prepares a flower bud of marijuana for a customer, at Highland cafe shop in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. The Prime Minister of Thailand said Wednesday, May 8, 2024 that he wants cannabis to be officially classified as a narcotic drug, a rollback from the complete decriminalization of the plant two years ago. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Thailand's prime minister wants to outlaw cannabis, 2 years after it was decriminalized

The prime minister of Thailand says he wants to outlaw the cannabis over concerns the lack of regulation had made it available to children and increased crimes. Thailand became the first country in … more

5/8/24

FILE - Medical staff prepares an AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine during preparations at the vaccine center in Ebersberg near Munich, Germany, Monday, March 22, 2021. The pharma giant AstraZeneca has requested that its European authorization for its COVID vaccine be pulled, according to the EU medicines regulator on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, FILE)

European Medicines Agency pulls authorization for AstraZeneca's COVID shot, at company's request

The pharma giant AstraZeneca has requested that the European authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine be pulled. In an update on the European Medicines Agency’s website Wednesday, the regulator said … more

5/8/24

People stand on a bridge, as they watch houses in riparian land being demolished in the Mukuru area of Nairobi, Tuesday, May. 7, 2024. The government ordered the demolition of structures and buildings, illegally constructed along riparian areas. Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by flooding. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenya declares public holiday to mourn flood victims

Kenya’s President William Ruto has declared Friday a public holiday to mourn the 238 people who have died due to ongoing flooding. The president on Wednesday said the day will be observed by … more

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI | 5/8/24

A rescue worker walks with a sniffer dog at the site of a building collapse in George, South Africa, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Rescue operations continue for dozens of construction workers missing. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

Dozens still missing after Monday's South Africa building collapse. 7 confirmed dead

Rescue teams are continuing to search for dozens of construction workers who are believed to be buried in the rubble of an unfinished five-story apartment building that collapsed in South Africa on … more

By NQOBILE NTSHANGASE and GERALD IMRAY | 5/8/24

This satellite photo taken by Planet Labs PBC shows two Chinese corvettes docked at the Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Cambodia's Defense Ministry insisted Wednesday that the monthslong presence of two Chinese warships at a strategically important naval base that has been newly expanded with funding from Beijing does not constitute a permanent deployment of the Chinese military in the country. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Chinese warships have been docked in Cambodia for 5 months, but government says it's not permanent

Cambodia’s Defense Ministry is insisting that the months-long presence of two Chinese warships at a strategically important naval base that is being expanded with funding from Beijing does not … more

By SOPHENG CHEANG and DAVID RISING | 5/8/24

FILE - Local residents sing a theme song written by protesters "Glory to Hong Kong" at a shopping mall in Hong Kong on Sept. 11, 2019. An appeals court Wednesday, May 8, 2024 granted the Hong Kong government's request to ban a popular protest song, overturning an earlier ruling and deepening concerns over the erosion of freedoms in the once-freewheeling global financial hub. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

Protest song 'Glory to Hong Kong' now banned in city after appeals court overturns ruling

An appeals court has granted the Hong Kong government’s request to ban a protest song, overturning an earlier ruling and deepening concerns over the erosion of freedoms in the city. “Glory to … more

By KANIS LEUNG | 5/8/24

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers work at a damaged building after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)

Russia launches wide attack on Ukrainian energy facilties

Ukraine's president says Russia has launched aerial attacks on energy facilities throughout Ukraine, targeting seven regions with more than 50 missiles as well as drones. Officials said the attacks … more

5/8/24

Ukrainian Anastasiya Sereda paints a canvas in an art class for women bereaved by war, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Grit, humor, grief and gloom mix as Ukrainians face a dangerous new phase in the war

Grief, anger, humor, defiance and fear are some of the emotions Ukrainians are grappling with as they face a third year of war. Opinion researcher Anton Grushetsky says an increasing number of … more

By JILL LAWLESS | 5/8/24

U.S. marines carry equipment at the Paredes Air Station at Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte province during a joint military exercise in northern Philippines on Monday, May 6, 2024. American and Filipino marines held annual combat-readiness exercises called Balikatan, Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder, in a show of allied military readiness in the Philippines' northernmost town facing southern Taiwan. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

US, Australian and Philippine forces sink a ship during war drills in the disputed South China Sea

Military forces from the United States, Australia, and the Philippines launched a barrage of high precision rockets and artillery as part of large scale war drills in the South China Sea that have … more

JIM GOMEZ AND AARON FAVILA | 5/7/24

FILE - North Korean Chief delegate Kim Ki Nam leaves after paying a silent tribute for the late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung during a memorial service at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 21, 2009. Kim Ki Nam, a North Korean propaganda chief who helped build personality cults around the country’s three dynastic leaders, has died at 94, the North’s state media said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

The North Korean official whose propaganda helped build the Kim dynasty dies at 94

North Korea says Kim Ki Nam, the propaganda chief who helped build personality cults around the country’s three dynastic leaders, has died at 94. State media said leader Kim Jong Un visited the … more

5/7/24

FILE - Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski addresses reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday Feb. 14, 2024. Polish prosecutors opened an investigation Monday, May 6, after a Polish judge fled to the autocratic state of Belarus and asked for protection there. Sikorski described the judge as a traitor. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)

Poland's Tusk calls secret services meeting to address judge's defection to Belarus

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk says he is calling a special meeting of the secret services to discuss alleged Russian and Belarusian influence. The hastily organized meeting comes after a … more

5/7/24

Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike on residential building in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

Scenes from Israel and Gaza reflect dashed hopes as imminent cease-fire seems unlikely

An announcement by Hamas that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal sent people in the streets of Rafah into temporary jubilation. Palestinian evacuees in the jam-packed town felt late Monday their … more

By JULIA FRANKEL and JACK JEFFERY | 5/7/24

Anguish as Kenya's government demolishes houses in flood-prone areas and offers $75 in aid

Kenya’s government has begun bulldozing homes built in flood-prone areas and promising evicted families the equivalent of $75 to relocate after a deadline passed to evacuate amid deadly rains. In … more

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI | 5/7/24