World News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Pedro Sanchez, Spain's Prime Minister delivers his speech at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 17, 2024. Spain’s Parliament is set to give its initial approval Thursday March 14, 2024 to a controversial amnesty bill aimed at forgiving crimes — both proved and alleged — committed by potentially hundreds of Catalan separatists. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Spanish parliament set to approve controversial amnesty for Catalan separatists

Spain’s Parliament is set to give its initial approval Thursday to a controversial amnesty bill aimed at forgiving crimes — both proved and alleged — committed by Catalan separatists during a … more

By JOSEPH WILSON | 3/14/24

Britain's Prime Minster Rishi Sunak departs 10 Downing Street to go to the House of Commons for his weekly Prime Minister's Questions in London, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

The British government wants to define extremism. Critics say it's not that simple

The British government on Thursday published an official definition of “extremism.” Groups that get the label will be barred from receiving government funding. It’s unclear who will be on the … more

3/14/24

A supporter for the LGBTQ+ community holds up a poster as plaintiffs speak in front of media members by the main entrance of the Tokyo district court after hearing the ruling regarding LGBTQ+ marriage rights, in Tokyo, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The poster reads, "Legalize the same-sex marriage." The Japanese court on Thursday ruled that not allowing same-sex couples the same marital benefits as heterosexuals violates their fundamental right to have a family, but the current civil law did not take into consideration sexual diversity and is not clearly unconstitutional, a partial victory for Japan's LGBTQ+ community calling for equal marriage rights. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Denying same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a Japanese high court says

A Japanese high court has ruled that denying same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and called for urgent government action to address the lack of any law allowing for such unions. The court does not … more

By MARI YAMAGUCHI | 3/14/24

Police with dogs are seen at a shrine on a farm about 34 kilometers (21 miles) north of the capital, Harare, Wednesday, March, 13, 2024. Zimbabwean police on Wednesday said they arrested a man claiming to be a prophet of an apostolic sect at a shrine where believers stay in a compound and authorities found 16 unregistered graves, including those of infants, and more than 250 children used as cheap labor.(AP Photo)

Zimbabwe police rescue 251 children used as labor and find graves in religious sect compound raid

Zimbabwe police say they have rescued dozens of children used as labor at a religious sect compound. Graves, including of infants whose deaths were not registered, were also found during a raid at … more

By FARAI MUTSAKA | 3/14/24

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un drives a new-type tank in North Korea Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea's Kim drives new-type tank during drills and calls for efforts to prepare for war

North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un has joined his troops in training to operate newly developed battle tanks and called for bigger efforts to prepare for war. The North’s tank training was seen as … more

By HYUNG-JIN KIM | 3/14/24

Nissan Kalderon poses with a photo of his only brother, Ofer, a hostage held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. With each passing day, the relatives of hostages in Gaza face a deepening despair. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Despair deepens for families of hostages in Gaza as Ramadan cease-fire deadline passes

With each passing day, the relatives of hostages held in Gaza since Oct. 7 face a deepening despair. Their hopes were raised that a cease-fire deal was near to bring some of their loved ones home by … more

By JULIA FRANKEL | 3/14/24

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, center, and his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, right, visit City Pillar Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, March 14, 2024. Earlier in February, he was released on parole from a hospital where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Former Thai leader Thaksin makes first public appearances after release from detention

Thailand’s paroled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has launched a series of public appearances with an early morning visit to a holy shrine in the capital Bangkok before flying to his home … more

3/14/24

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during an interview with a Russian state-owned media organization in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. As Vladimir Putin heads for another six-year term as Russia’s president, there’s little electoral drama in the race. What he does after he crosses the finish line, however, is what’s drawing attention and, for many observers, provoking anxiety. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

The drama in Russia's election is all about what Putin will do with another 6 years in power

As Vladimir Putin heads for another six-year term as Russia’s president, there’s little electoral drama in the race. What he does after he crosses the finish line, however, is what’s drawing … more

By JIM HEINTZ | 3/14/24

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks during a press conference on strengthening the Armed Forces, at the State Ministry, Christiansborg, in Copenhagen, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Wednesday the Danish government wants to increase the number of young Danes doing military service by make conscription mandatory for women and by increasing the length of it from the roughly four months to 11 months for both genders. (Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Denmark plans to expand military draft to women for the first time and extend service terms

Denmark's government wants to increase the number of Danes doing military service by making conscription mandatory for women and by increasing the time of service to 11 months for both genders. … more

By JAN M. OLSEN | 3/13/24

People displaced by the ongoing fighting between Congolese forces and M23 rebels gather in a camp on the outskirts of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, as OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) head and representative Ramesh Rajasingham, carries out a working visit to the region. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Congo faces unprecedented crisis as violence displaces 250,000 in the last month, a UN official says

A senior United Nations official says intensifying violence in Congo's eastern region has pushed a humanitarian crisis in the region to “unprecedented” levels. Ramesh Rajasingham, the director of … more

By RUTH ALONGA | 3/13/24

FILE - Catalan President Pere Aragones addresses the media in front of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. The leader of Spain's Catalonia called a snap election for May on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 after his minority government failed to pass a budget for the wealthy northeast region surrounding Barcelona. The election will be held on May 12. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Catalonia calls an early regional election that could add to Spain’s political uncertainty

The regional president of Catalonia has called an early election for May 12 after his minority government failed to pass a budget for Spain’s wealthy northeast region that includes Barcelona. The … more

By JOSEPH WILSON | 3/13/24

FILE - Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right party PVV, or Party for Freedom, talks to the media after a meeting with speaker of the House Vera Bergkamp, two days after Wilders won the most votes in a general election, in The Hague, Netherlands, on Nov. 24, 2023. Two days of behind-closed doors talks between four Dutch political leaders appear to have forced a breakthrough in negotiations to form a new ruling coalition nearly four months after a general election won by Wilders. While the exact contours of a new coalition Cabinet remain unclear, Kim Putters, who led the talks, believes that the parties are now ready to hammer out a deal. Putters was writing up a report Wednesday March 13, 2024 that he will present to lawmakers on Thursday. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Geert Wilders says he doesn't have support of likely coalition partners to become Dutch premier

Geert Wilders says he doesn’t have the support of his prospective coalition partners to become the next Dutch prime minister. Wilders took to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday to say that “I can … more

By MIKE CORDER | 3/13/24

Pedestrians and commuters fill a street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced Tuesday that he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created, bowing to international pressure to make way for new leadership in the country overwhelmed by violent gangs. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Plan to install new leaders in Haiti appears to crumble after political parties reject it

A proposal to install new leadership in Haiti appears to be crumbling as some political parties rejected the plan to create a presidential council that would manage the transition. The panel would be … more

By DÁNICA COTO and EVENS SANON | 3/13/24

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Locke Rasmussen, left, and his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor meet in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday March 5, 2024. The two met for political consultation on Rasmussen two-day visit to the country. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

South Africa's foreign minister says citizens fighting with Israeli forces in Gaza will be arrested

South Africa’s foreign minister says her country’s citizens who fight in the Israeli armed forces or alongside them in Gaza will be arrested when they return home. Her comments deepen the rift … more

By GERALD IMRAY | 3/13/24

FILE -In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, Aviation Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Nicholas Hawkins, signals an MV-22 Osprey to land on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on May 17, 2019. The military has greenlighted its Osprey to return to flight, three months after a part failure led to the deaths of eight service members in a crash in Japan in November. Naval Air Systems Command announced it on Friday. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amber Smalley/U.S. Navy via AP, File)

US and Japanese forces to resume Osprey flights in Japan following fatal crash

Japanese officials say the U.S. and Japanese militaries will resume flights of Osprey aircraft in Japan after completing necessary maintenance and training following a fatal crash last November. The … more

By MARI YAMAGUCHI | 3/13/24

South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk speaks during a briefing on a South Korean citizen arrested in Russia at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. A South Korean citizen arrested in Russia earlier this year on suspicion of spying is to remain in custody until mid-June, Russia's state news agency Tass said Monday. (Hwang Gwang-mo/Yonhap via AP)

South Korean held in Russia on espionage allegation is missionary helping the needy, his group says

A South Korean Christian aid group says that a South Korean national held in Russia on an espionage allegation is one of its missionaries dispatched there to support the needy and spread the gospel. … more

By HYUNG-JIN KIM | 3/13/24

FILE - Then-Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott addresses anti-Brexit supporters in London, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. A major Conservative donor in Britain came under fire Tuesday, March 12, 2024, after he reportedly said a Black member of Parliament made him “want to hate all Black women” and she “should be shot.” The remarks by Frank Hester, chief executive of healthcare software firm The Phoenix Partnership, about Diane Abbott, the first Black woman elected to Parliament, were blasted by opposition parties who said the Tories should return the 10 million pounds ($12.8 million) he donated last year. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

UK's Conservatives say the party's biggest donor made racist comments, but they will keep his money

A minister in Britain’s Conservative government says the party does not plan to give back 10 million pounds ($12.8 million) it received in the past year from a donor who made comments that have … more

By JILL LAWLESS | 3/13/24

FILE - Russia's Leonid Volkov, Chief of staff for the 2018 presidential election for Alexei Navalny's campaign, looks on, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Dec. 15, 2021. Associates of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny reported on Tuesday night that the politician’s close ally and top strategist was attacked near his home in Lithuania. Navalny’s spokesman Kira Yarmysh said the assailant smashed a window of Leonid Volkov’s car, sprayed tear gas into his eyes and started hitting him with a hammer. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)

Ally of late Navalny accuses 'Putin’s henchmen' of attacking him in Lithuania, vows not to give up

Leonid Volkov, the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s close associate and top strategist, has Wednesday Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “henchmen” of being behind a brutal … more

By LIUDAS DAPKUS | 3/13/24

FILE- Rabbi Abraham Cooper, center, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, speaks in front of civic and faith leaders outside City Hall, Thursday, May 20, 2021, in Los Angeles. A U.S. Congress-mandated group cut short a fact-finding mission to Saudi Arabia over officials in the kingdom ordering a Jewish rabbi to remove his kippah in public, highlighting the religious tensions still present in the wider Middle East. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

US-mandated religious freedom group ends Saudi trip early after rabbi ordered to remove his kippah

A U.S. Congress-mandated group cut short a fact-finding mission to Saudi Arabia after officials in the kingdom ordered a Jewish rabbi to remove his kippah in public. The March 5 incident highlights … more

By JON GAMBRELL | 3/13/24

The top strategist of late Russian opposition leader Navalny is attacked in Lithuania's capital

Associates of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny reported on Tuesday night that the politician’s close ally and top strategist was attacked near his home in Lithuania. Navalny’s spokesman … more

3/12/24