World News - The Morning Sun

From left, Italian Senators Walter Verini, Ilaria Cucchi, and Ivan Scalfarotto exit a migrants repatriation center in Ponte Galeria, in the outskirts of Rome after a surprise visit, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Pressure is building on Italy authorities to close the notorious migrant detention center of Ponte Galeria where Ousmane Sylla, a Guinean migrant, hung himself last month and visiting opposition senators described inhuman conditions for people ordered to leave Italy but still awaiting repatriation. (Valentina Stefanelli/LaPresse via AP)

Italy's migrant detention centers in spotlight after death of Guinean and calls to close them down

Pressure is building on authorities in Italy to close a notorious Rome migrant detention center where a 19-year-old Guinean allegedly hanged himself last month. Rome's city assembly and a group … more

By PAOLO SANTALUCIA | 3/9/24

Njeri Migwi, a woman human rights defender and the Co-Founder of Usikimye (Swahili word for 'Don't be Silent'), an organization working towards ending the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) holds her phone in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Migwi, is on the frontline of a war against a silent epidemic of Gender Based Violence or GBV in Kenya that also afflicts many Sub-Saharan African countries, with devasting consequences on individuals, societies and even the countries’ economies. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenyan activists are on a mission to end gender-based violence as attacks on women surge

Njeri Migwi is the co-founder of a community-based organization called Usikimye, which means “Don't be silent” in Swahili. The organization helps women escape violent relationships, puts them up … more

By TOM ODULA | 3/9/24

FILE - Artyom Kamardin, left, and Yegor Shtovba, right, stand behind a glass in a cage in a courtroom in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. Artyom Kamardin was given a 7-year prison sentence Thursday for reciting verses against Russia's war in Ukraine, a tough punishment that comes during a relentless Kremlin crackdown on dissent. Yegor Shtovba, who participated in the event and recited Kamardin's verses, was sentenced to 5 1/2 years on the same charges. (AP Photo, File)

A lonely radio nerd. A poet. Vladimir Putin's crackdown sweeps up ordinary Russians

A lonely man jailed for criticizing the government on his ham radio. A poet assaulted by police after he recited a poem objecting to Russia’s war in Ukraine. A low-profile woman committed to a … more

By DASHA LITVINOVA | 3/9/24

A pelican follows program officer Ganesh Koirala as he arrives at the animal kitchen at Nepal’s Central Zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal, Feb. 21, 2024. At the stroke of 10 every morning, the pelican arrives at the entrance of the animal kitchen, waiting patiently for Koirala to arrive. The pelican knows that with Koirala will come his breakfast - a one kilogram 2.2 pound) fish. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A 41-year-old pelican and other animals wait for their food at Nepal's only zoo

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — At the stroke of 10 every morning at the only zoo in Nepal, a 41-year-old pelican arrives at the entrance of the animal kitchen, waiting patiently for program officer Ganesh … more

By NIRANJAN SHRESTHA | 3/8/24

Women hold up green bandanas, a symbol of abortion rights in Latin America, during an International Women's Day march in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, March 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Facing historic shifts, Latin American women bathe streets in purple on International Women's Day

Women across Latin America are bathing their city streets in purple in commemoration of International Women’s Day at a time when gender rights advocates in the region face both historic steps … more

By MEGAN JANETSKY and DÉBORA REY | 3/8/24

FILE - People board a truck as they leave Khartoum, Sudan, on June 19, 2023. The U.N. human rights office said in a new report Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, that scores of people, including children, have been subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence in the ongoinng conflict in Sudan, assaults that may amount to war crimes. (AP Photo, File)

UN Security Council urges Sudan's warring parties to halt hostilities during holy month of Ramadan

The U.N. Security Council is urging Sudan’s warring parties to halt hostilities during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and allow desperately needed aid to reach 25 million people. Ramadan is … more

By EDITH M. LEDERER | 3/8/24

In this screen grab taken from video, a woman cries as she calls out to the government to help and rescue school children that were kidnapped by gunmen in Chikun, Nigeria, Thursday, March. 7, 2024. Gunmen attacked a school in Nigeria's northwest region Thursday morning and abducted at least 287 students, the headteacher told authorities, marking the second mass abduction in the West African nation in less than a week. (AP Video)

They went to school but ended up as hostages. 287 children are missing in Nigeria's forests

Security forces are searching large forests in Nigeria’s northwest region for nearly 300 children who were abducted from their school a day earlier. It is the second mass kidnap in the country in … more

By CHINEDU ASADU | 3/8/24

FILE - U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk speaks at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. The U.N. human rights office says in a report published Friday, March 8, 2024, that the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem amount to a war crime. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP, File)

UN rights office says Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas amount to a 'war crime'

The U.N. human rights office says in a report that the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem amount to a war crime. The report covers the one-year … more

3/8/24

FILE - Chinese FAW V2 car is displayed at the Moscow International Automobile Salon in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 31, 2012. The divide between China and Europe over the war in Ukraine was on display this week. As a Chinese envoy crisscrossed Europe for talks on ending the war, the Chinese foreign minster trumpeted the export of Chinese cars to Russia and Russian natural gas to China. The sharp rise in China-Russia trade is something the West sees as undermining its sanctions on Russia. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File)

China trumpets rising car exports to Russia as its envoy holds talks in Ukraine

The divide between China and Europe over the war in Ukraine was on display this week. As a Chinese envoy crisscrossed Europe for talks on ending the war, the Chinese foreign minister trumpeted the … more

By KEN MORITSUGU | 3/8/24

UNICEF: 230 million females are circumcised globally, 30 million more than in 2016

Over 230 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation, most of whom live in Africa, according to a report issued on Friday by the United Nations children’s agency. In the last … more

By NOHA ELHENNAWY | 3/8/24

FILE - In this photo provided by the French Army, a soldier gestures before air-dropping some material over the Gaza Strip, on Jan. 4, 2024. A top European Union official is Cyprus on Friday, March 8, 2024, to inspect preparations for sending desperately needed aid to war-ravaged Gaza by sea, just hours after President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. military will set up a temporary port off Gaza's Mediterranean coast in support of such efforts. (Etat Major des Armees via AP)

A top EU official visits Cyprus to inspect preparation to supply to Gaza by sea

A top European Union official is in Cyprus on Friday to inspect preparations to send desperately needed aid to war-ravaged Gaza by sea. Just hours earlier, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. … more

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS | 3/8/24

FILE - A woman holds a placard with a picture of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini during a protest against her death, in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 28, 2022. Iran is responsible for the "physical violence" that led to the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 and sparked nationwide protests against the country's mandatory headscarf, or hijab, laws and its ruling theocracy, a U.N. fact-finding mission said Friday, March 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Iran is responsible for the 'physical violence' that killed Mahsa Amini in 2022, UN probe finds

A U.N. fact-finding mission says Iran is responsible for the “physical violence” that led to the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 and sparked nationwide protests against the country’s mandatory … more

By JON GAMBRELL | 3/8/24

Greek author Petros Hadjopoulos, who uses the pen name Auguste Corteau, hugs his husband, lawyer Anastasios Samouilidis, before their wedding at Athens City Hall, Greece, on Thursday, March 7, 2024. A Greek novelist and his partner on Thursday became the first male couple to be married in Athens' city hall following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Orthodox Christian Greece. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

In rights landmark, Greek novelist and lawyer are the first same-sex couple wed at Athens city hall

A Greek novelist and his partner have become the first same-sex couple to be married in Athens’ city hall following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Orthodox Christian Greece. The Greek … more

3/8/24

Li Shuce, bottom right, whose son was onboard the missing Malaysian Airline MH370, speaks to journalists near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Friday, March 8, 2024. Ten years on, families of Chinese passengers who were on a vanished Malaysian Airline flight still are searching for answers. Friday marks the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of flight MH370. The Boeing 777 left Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing with 239 people on board on March 8, 2014, but took a sharp turn south and fell off the radar. It never made it to Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

10 years on, parents of Chinese passengers on MH370 are still asking: what happened to my child?

Ten years on, families of Chinese passengers on the missing Malaysian Airline flight still are searching for answers. On Friday, a few dozen relatives of the passengers in Beijing went to meet with … more

By HUIZHONG WU | 3/8/24

Muscovites write letters to political prisoners in the office of the liberal party Yabloko in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. Yabloko hosts monthly letter-writing evenings in cities across the country. With protests all but stifled, more and more Russians at home and abroad are seeking to channel their activism by writing letters to political prisoners. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

With dissent stifled, some Russians help political prisoners by writing them letters of support

Russians who are too fearful to protest in the streets are finding an outlet for their activism by writing letters to political prisoners. Whether it is simply withing them a happy birthday or a … more

By DASHA LITVINOVA | 3/8/24

FILE - President Nicolas Maduro flashes victory signs during an event commemorating a 2004 speech by the late President Hugo Chavez, that is considered a key anti-imperialist moment by his supporters in the history of his Bolivarian Revolution, in Caracas, Venezuela, Feb 29, 2024. Maduro is the only candidate with a guaranteed spot on the ballot in Venezuela’s upcoming presidential election. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

With Venezuela's election set for late July, President Nicolás Maduro holds all the cards

Venezuela’s presidential election so far is a one-horse race for incumbent President Nicolás Maduro. That’s not for a lack of potential challengers, or because of any great affection from … more

By REGINA GARCIA CANO | 3/8/24

FILE - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar gets out of his car as he goes to meet Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Feb. 5, 2024. Irish voters will decide Friday - International Women's Day - whether to change the 87-year-old document to remove passages the government says are outdated and sexist. The twin referendums are on deleting a reference to women's domestic duties and broadening the definition of the family. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)

Ireland's constitution says a woman's place is in the home. Voters are being asked to change that

Irish voters will vote in twin referendums on Friday to decide whether to amend the constitution and remove passages the government says are outdated and sexist. The twin referendums on International … more

By MICHAEL KEALY and JILL LAWLESS | 3/8/24

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, center, waves to delegates after the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Hong Kong proposes life terms for treason and insurrection in new national security bill

Hong Kong's new national security bill proposes up to life imprisonment for offenses like treason and insurrection. The proposed law unveiled Friday deepens worries over further erosion of the … more

By KANIS LEUNG and ZEN SOO | 3/7/24

Pedestrians run for cover after hearing gunshots in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A timeline of Haiti's gang violence and how the country got to where it is

Haiti is once again facing a wave of chaos fueled by ongoing gang wars. Haiti's security crisis has spiraled since the 2021 assassination of the country’s president. Gang leaders have grown … more

EVENS SANON | 3/7/24

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Britain's Defence Secretary Grant Shapps shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 7, 2024. Britain said Thursday that it would provide 10,000 drones to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russia. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Britain says it will provide 10,000 drones to Ukraine in its fight against Russia

Britain says it's providing 10,000 drones to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russia. U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps made the announcement Thursday during a visit with Ukraine President … more

3/7/24