World News - The Morning Sun

In this photo provided by the Australian Defence Force, navy sailors from HMAS Brisbane prepare to conduct search and rescue operations in the vicinity of Lindeman Island, Australia on Saturday, July 29, 2023, as part of a multi-national and multi-agency search and rescue effort following an Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter ditching in waters near the island. The helicopter hit the water off Australia's northeast coast with a "catastrophic impact" on Friday and there was no chance that that any of the four air crew would be found alive, officials said on Monday, July 31, 2023. (LSEW Hannah LinsleyADF via AP)

4 crew members on Australian army helicopter that crashed off coast didn't survive, officials say

Officials say the Australian army helicopter that crashed during a multinational exercise hit the water with a “catastrophic impact” and there is no chance its four crew members survived. Defense … more

By ROD McGUIRK | 7/31/23

FILE - Pope Francis waves to people from his popemobile along the Copacabana beachfront as he arrives for the Stations of the Cross procession in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, July 26, 2013. When Pope Francis made the first foreign trip of his papacy, to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day in 2013, he urged young people to make a "mess" in their local churches, to shake things up even if it ruffled the feathers of their bishops. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)

As the pope heads to Portugal, he is laying the groundwork for the church's future and his legacy

Pope Francis is embarking this week on a five-day trip to Portugal for World Youth Day. The big Catholic rally is aimed at galvanizing the young generations in their faith. It comes this year as … more

By NICOLE WINFIELD | 7/31/23

FILE - People put red carnations next to photographs during the 87th Spanish Republic anniversary ceremony to pay tribute to people killed in the Spanish Civil War at the Almudena cemetery in Madrid, on April 14, 2018. Spain’s Catalonia regional government says it has identified 357 foreign militiamen who disappeared in the region during the Spanish Civil War. Of these, 212 are Germany, Austria and Netherlands nationals. Researchers have also been able to find the likely exact area where all they died or were badly wounded. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

Spain identifies 212 German, Austrian and Dutch fighters who went missing during Spanish Civil War

Spain’s government researchers say they've identified hundreds of foreign fighters who disappeared in the region during the Spanish Civil War. Of these, 212 are German, Austrian and Dutch … more

By DAVID BRUNAT | 7/30/23

Members of the Palestinian Fateh group take position during clashes that erupted with Islamist militants in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Sunday, July 30, 2023. Palestinian officials say at least five people have been killed and several others wounded during clashes in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

At least 5 dead and 7 wounded in clashes inside crowded Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon

Palestinian officials say at least five people have been killed and seven others wounded during clashes in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp. The officials say fighting broke out in Ein … more

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB | 7/30/23

In this photo provided by Rescue 1122 Head Quarters, rescue workers inspect the site after a bomb explosion in the Bajur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Sunday, July 30, 2023. A powerful bomb ripped through a rally by supporters of a hard-line cleric and political leader in the country’s northwestern Bajur district that borders Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 10 people and wounding more, police said. (Rescue 1122 Head Quarters via AP)

A bomb at a political rally in northwest Pakistan kills at least 35 people and wounds more than 100

Officials say 35 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded when a powerful bomb ripped through a rally by supporters of a hard-line cleric and political leader in the country’s northwestern … more

By ANWARULLAH KHAN and RIAZ KHAN | 7/30/23

FILE - Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces during a military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus, on July 7, 2023. Palestinian factions were meeting Sunday July 30, 2023 in Egypt to discuss reconciliation efforts as violence in the occupied West Bank surged between Israel and Palestinian militants. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed, File)

Palestinian factions meet in Egypt, seeking reconciliation, as violence surges in the West Bank

Palestinian factions are meeting in Egypt to discuss reconciliation efforts amid surging violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank. The official Palestinian news … more

7/30/23

FILE - President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera waves to journalists upon his arrival at Pulkovo International Airport to participate the Russia Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 26, 2023. The Central African Republic went to the polls Sunday July 30, 2023 in a highly anticipated vote on a new constitution, which would remove presidential term limits. (Staniclav Krasilnikov/TASS Host Photo Agency Pool Photo via AP, File)

Constitutional referendum to remove presidential term limits divides Central African Republic

The Central African Republic went to the polls Sunday in a highly anticipated vote on a new constitution, which could remove presidential term limits. The new constitution would replace the one … more

By JEAN FERNAND KOENA and ZANE IRWIN | 7/30/23

A woman prepares food in Niamey, Niger, Saturday, July 29, 2023. The African Union has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the junta in Niger to reinstall the country's democratically elected government just as the coup leaders met with senior civil servants to discuss how they would run the country and as the U.S. and the European Union threatened sanctions against the regime. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

As regional and global powers decry Niger's coup, the country's future remains uncertain

Days after after mutinous soldiers ousted Niger’s democratically elected president, uncertainty is mounting about the country’s future. Some are calling out the junta’s reasons for seizing … more

By SAM MEDNICK | 7/30/23

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on a phone screen as he attends a joint statement with President of Comoros Azali Assoumani at the Russia Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, July 28, 2023. (Pavel Bednyakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

African leaders leave Russia summit without grain deal or a path to end the war in Ukraine

African leaders are leaving two days of meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin with little to show in response to their requests to resume a deal that kept grain flowing from Ukraine and to … more

By CARA ANNA | 7/30/23

FILE - Seed Movement presidential candidate Bernardo Arevalo holds a sunflower during a campaign rally in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala, July 16, 2023. The 64-year-old academic and former diplomat won just 11% of the vote in the June 25th presidential election's first round, but it was enough to give him the second slot in the Aug. 20 runoff ballot. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)

Guatemala presidential candidate rushes to expand base beyond urban youth

Presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo won just 11% of the vote in Guatemala's presidential election’s first round June 25. But it was enough to give him the surprise second slot in the Aug. 20 … more

By SONIA PÉREZ D. | 7/30/23

FILE - Taiwan's military holds drills of the annual Han Kuang military exercises that simulate an anti-landing operations near the coast in New Taipei City, northern Taiwan, Thursday, July 27, 2023. Taiwan military mobilized for routine defense exercises from July 24-28. The U.S. is set to announce $345 million in military aid for Taiwan, two U.S. officials said Friday. It would be the Biden administration's first major package drawing on America's own stockpiles under a new policy intended to speed up military aid to help Taiwan counter China. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

China says US military aid to Taiwan will not deter its will to unify the island

China has accused the United States of turning Taiwan into an “ammunition depot” after the White House announced a $345 million military aid package for Taipei. Taiwan said Sunday it tracked six … more

By HUIZHONG WU | 7/29/23

People hold signs as they gather outside the Russian Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, July 29, 2023, to mark one-year anniversary of the attack on a prison building in Olenivka, eastern Ukraine, that killed dozens of Ukrainian military prisoners. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Official tells AP that Saudi Arabia will host Ukrainian-organized peace summit in August

Saudi Arabia will host a Ukrainian-organized peace summit in early August seeking to find a way to start negotiations over Russia’s war on the country. That's what an official told The Associated … more

By AAMER MADHANI and JON GAMBRELL | 7/29/23

FILE - Ukrainians attend a Christmas mass at an Orthodox Church in Bobrytsia, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 25, 2022. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday July 28, 2023 signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 from Jan. 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

Ukraine moves official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25, denouncing Russian-imposed traditions

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 from Jan. 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it. The … more

By FELIPE DANA | 7/29/23

FILE - Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko addresses journalists following his release from police custody in Dakar, Senegal, on March 8, 2021. Sonko has been charged with conspiracy against the state and calls for insurrections among other offenses, said the public prosecutor on Saturday, July 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui, File)

Senegal's opposition leader charged with conspiracy against the state and calls for insurrection

Senegal’s public prosecutor said the opposition leader has been charged with conspiracy against the state and calls for insurrections, among other offenses. This comes weeks after Ousmane Sonko was … more

By ZANE IRWIN and BABACAR DIONE | 7/29/23

FILE - In this grab taken from video released by Belarus' Defense Ministry on Thursday, July 20, 2023, Belarusian soldiers of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) and mercenary fighters from Wagner private military company attend the weeklong maneuvers conducted at a firing range near the border city of Brest, Belarus. The Polish prime minister says that over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland. Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference Saturday, July 29, 2023 that the mercenaries had moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland. (Belarus' Defense Ministry via AP, File)

Wagner mercenaries in Belarus move closer to the Polish border, Poland's prime minister says

The Polish prime minister says that over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland. Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news … more

7/29/23

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks to Australian Minister of Defense Richard Marles and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong during Session I at Queensland Government House in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 29, 2023. (Pat Hoelscher/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State tells Australia that WikiLeaks founder is accused of 'very serious' crime

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pushed back against Australian demands for an end to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s prosecution, saying the Australian citizen was accused of “very … more

By ROD McGUIRK | 7/29/23

African Union gives 15-day ultimatum to Niger junta to end regime but soldiers seek continuity

The African Union has asked the junta that overthrew the democratically elected government of Niger to return to barracks within 15 days just as the soldiers, facing growing international pressure, … more

BY SAM MEDNICK and CHINEDU ASADU | 7/29/23

Son of Colombia's president arrested as part of money laundering probe

Police have arrested the son of Colombia’s president as part of a high-profile money laundering probe into funds he allegedly collected during last year’s presidential campaign. President Gustavo … more

7/29/23

Women attend the Ashoura mourning ritual, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Tehran, Iran. Millions of Shiite Muslims around the world on Friday commemorated Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, that gave birth to their faith. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader urges Muslims to 'punish' Quran desecrators if governments fail to do so

The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group says that if governments of Muslim-majority nations do not act against countries that allow desecration of the Quran, Muslims should “punish” … more

By ABBY SEWELL | 7/29/23

Smoke is seen from a freight ship in the North Sea, about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the Dutch island of Ameland, Friday, July 28, 2023. Salvage crews were waiting Friday for a chance to board a cargo ship loaded with cars that has been burning for more than two days off the northern Dutch coast. (Kustwacht Nederland/Coast Guard Netherlands via AP)

Burning cargo ship off Dutch coast will be towed to a new location after flames and smoke subsided

The Dutch government says that salvage crews are preparing to tow a car-carrying cargo ship that has been burning for days in the North Sea to a new anchor point after flames and smoke on board … more

By MIKE CORDER | 7/29/23