World News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Syrian President Bashar Assad, center, waves to his supporters at a polling station during the Presidential elections in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, May 26, 2021. President Bashar Assad will head to China later this week in his first visit to Beijing since the country's conflict started 12 years during which China was one of his main backers, his office said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Syrian President Bashar Assad arrives in China on first visit since the beginning of war in Syria

Chinese state media says Syrian President Bashar Assad has arrived in China on his first visit to the country since the start of Syria’s 12-year conflict. Beijing has been one of his main backers. … more

9/21/23

President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Iran's president says US should ease sanctions to demonstrate it wants to return to nuclear deal

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi says that relations with the United States can move forward if the Biden administration demonstrates it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, and a first step … more

By EDITH M. LEDERER | 9/21/23

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

Russian strikes cities from east to west Ukraine, starting fires and wounding at least 14

Explosions rocked Ukrainian cities overnight, as a massive Russian attack started fires and injured at least 14 people. Seven people were injured in Kyiv, including a 9-year-old girl, reported Mayor … more

9/21/23

Guatemala's President-elect Bernardo Arévalo greets the crowd as he arrives at a march by Indigenous people to demand the resignation of Guatemala's Attorney General Consuelo Porras, outside the Supreme Court building in Guatemala City, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. Arévalo has called people to protest efforts to derail his presidency before he can take office and for the attorney general's resignation. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemalans rally on behalf of president-elect, demonstrating a will to defend democracy

Protests by thousands of Guatemalans this week supporting President-elect Bernardo Arévalo suggest that the efforts by some officials to derail his presidency have awakened a new will among many … more

By SONIA PÉREZ D. and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN | 9/21/23

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada wasn't looking to escalate tensions, but asked India on Tuesday, Sept. 19, to take the killing of a Sikh activist seriously after India called accusations that the Indian government may have been involved absurd.(Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada gets muted allied support after alleging India may have been involved in killing of Canadian

Canada is making an explosive allegation that India may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, but thus far Canada’s allies are voicing measured concern about … more

By ROB GILLIES | 9/21/23

FILE - Mist gathers on the horizon at Dud's Corner World War I Cemetery in Loos-en-Gohelle, France, on March 13, 2014. On Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, First World War cemeteries and memorial sites in Belgium and France were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List during the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

World War I remembrance sites in Belgium and France have been added to UNESCO's heritage registry

UNESCO has added World War I funerary and memorial locations across the Western Front to its prestigious World Heritage registry, expanding its list of landmarks of monumental importance. The World … more

By THOMAS ADAMSON | 9/20/23

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, listens as Security Council President and Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama speaks during a high level Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

UNGA Briefing: Permanent observers, more Security Council and what else is going on at the UN

It’s Day 3 of the U.N. General Assembly high-level meeting that brings world leaders together at U.N. headquarters in New York. Here are the highlights of what happened Tuesday at the U.N. and what … more

9/20/23

FILE - Jimmy Lai, center, exits his building to go for exercise at the Stanley prison in Hong Kong, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. The son of jailed Hong Kong media mogul and prominent pro-democracy activist Lai said Wednesday, Sept. 20, he did not want to see his father die in detention, as his lawyers raised the prospect that his long-delayed trial may be pushed back indefinitely. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)

Jimmy Lai's son fears media mogul may die in detention while awaiting trial

The son of jailed Hong Kong media mogul and prominent pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai says he doesn't want to see his father die in detention, as his lawyers raised the prospect that his … more

9/20/23

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Forum, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Behind all the speechmaking at the UN lies a basic, unspoken question: Is the world governable?

At the United Nations, “multilateralism” is always the goal, however fragmented and complex. Yet so is the quest for a coherent storyline that unites all 193 member states and their ideas. Those … more

By TED ANTHONY | 9/20/23

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

South Korean leader warns Russia against weapons collaboration with the North

South Korea’s president sounded a warning to fellow world leaders about the recent communication and possible cooperation between North Korea and Russia. He said that any action by a permanent U.N. … more

By TED ANTHONY | 9/20/23

FILE - People look for survivors after flooding in Derna, Libya, Sept. 13, 2023. The devastating storm that dumped torrential rains along the Libyan coast this month was up to 50 times more likely to occur and 50% more intense because of human-caused climate change, according to an analysis released Tuesday, Sept. 19. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad, File)

Communication outage hits flood-stricken city in Libya, further complicating search efforts

A day-long communication outage in a flood-stricken city in eastern Libya has further complicated the work of teams searching for bodies under the rubble and at sea. Libya’s state-owned … more

By SAMY MAGDY | 9/20/23

Same-sex couples take part in a public blessing ceremony in front of the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Several Catholic priests held a ceremony blessing same-sex and also re-married couples outside Cologne Cathedral in a protest against the city's conservative archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Catholic priests hold a ceremony blessing same-sex couples in defiance of a German archbishop

Several Catholic priests have held a ceremony blessing same-sex couples outside Cologne cathedral in a protest against the city’s conservative archbishop Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki. Their protest … more

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER | 9/20/23

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a high level Security Council meeting during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Ukraine, Russia and the tense U.N. encounter that almost happened — but didn't

It was a moment the diplomatic world was watching for — but didn’t get. In the end, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov avoided staring each other … more

By JENNIFER PELTZ | 9/20/23

Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the head of U.S. Air Force Central, speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Iran's supplying of bomb-carrying drones to Russia could see Moscow help Tehran's program become more lethal, raising risks across the wider Middle East, the top U.S. Air Force commander in the Middle East said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

Top US Air Force official in Mideast worried over possible Russia-Iran 'cooperation and collusion'

Iran’s supplying of bomb-carrying drones to Russia could see Moscow help Tehran’s program become more lethal, raising risks across the wider Middle East. That's according to the top U.S. Air … more

By JON GAMBRELL | 9/20/23

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, second left, with other lawmakers walks in a procession to enter the new Parliament building, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Sept.19, 2023. The new building was built at an estimated cost of $120 million. It's part of a $2.8 billion revamp of British-era offices and residences in central New Delhi. (AP Photo)

India moves toward reserving 33% of the seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women

India’s Parliament has taken a major step toward reserving 33% of the seats in its powerful lower house and in state legislatures for women to ensure more equal representation, an issue that … more

By ASHOK SHARMA | 9/20/23

This Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Nigel gathering strength in the Atlantic Ocean. (NOAA via AP)

Rough surf batters Bermuda as Hurricane Nigel charges through open waters

Forecasters in Bermuda are warning of dangerous swells and rip currents as Hurricane Nigel spun through open waters in the northern Atlantic. The Category 1 hurricane was located about 650 miles … more

9/20/23

Translators prepare for a high level Security Council meeting on the war in Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

As UN Security Council takes up Ukraine, a potentially dramatic meeting may be at hand

All eyes will be on Ukraine’s president and Russia’s top diplomat at a U.N. Security Council meeting Wednesday on the 19-month war in Ukraine: Will they clash? Will they speak? Will they avoid … more

By EDITH M. LEDERER and JENNIFER PELTZ | 9/20/23

FILE -Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro points while meeting Colombia's new ambassador to Venezuela, at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. United Nations human rights experts are criticizing Venezuela’s government for stepping up efforts to curtail democratic freedoms with use of threats, surveillance and harassment as President Nicolás Maduro faces reelection next year. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

UN rights experts report a rise of efforts in Venezuela to squelch democracy ahead of 2024 election

United Nations human rights experts are criticizing Venezuela’s government for stepping up efforts to curtail democratic freedoms. A report issued by the Human Rights Council Wednesday said the … more

9/20/23

FILE - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau upon his arrival at Bharat Mandapam convention center for the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. Canada has expelled a top Indian diplomat on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, as it investigates what Prime Minister Trudeau called credible allegations that India’s government may have had links to the assassination in Canada of a Sikh activist. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Sikh separatism long strained Canada-India ties. Now it's sunk them to their lowest point in years

Canada-India relations have sunk to their lowest point in years as the two countries swap allegations after the killing of a Sikh activist, but experts said it remains to be seen if it will create a … more

By KRUTIKA PATHI and SHEIKH SAALIQ | 9/20/23

Oxfam's Rishi Sunak 'big head' protests outside the Parliament in London, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. On the eve of the UN Climate Ambition Summit, Oxfam's Rishi Sunak 'big head' staged a protest on top of a giant oil barrel, amongst dozens of real oil drums, supporting the Make Polluters Pay campaign. Calling for oil and gas giants, such as BP and Shell, to pay more tax to raise critical funds to help communities devastated by climate change. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

UK leader Rishi Sunak signals plan to backtrack on some climate goals

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to water down some of Britain’s climate commitments, saying the country must fight climate change without penalizing workers and consumers. Sunak says he'll … more

By JILL LAWLESS | 9/20/23