World News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani listens to questions during a press conference on G7 at the Foreign Ministry in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. Group of Seven foreign ministers are holding a three-day meeting on the Italian resort island of Capri, starting Wednesday, April 17, with soaring tensions in the Mideast and Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine. Tajani said he spoke to Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz, on Tuesday, and urged Israel to not only de-escalate any reaction to Iran’s attack but to stave off a planned offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis, File)

Italy seeks G7 message to de-escalate Mideast tensions as foreign ministers meet in Capri

Group of Seven foreign ministers are meeting on the resort island of Capri. Soaring tensions in the Mideast and Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine are topping the agenda of the three-day meeting … more

By NICOLE WINFIELD | 4/17/24

FILE - Palestinians line up for a meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. The United Nations appealed for $2.8 billion on Tuesday, April 17, 2024, to provide desperately needed aid to 3 million Palestinians, stressing that tackling looming famine in war-torn Gaza requires not only food but sanitation, water and health facilities. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)

UN appeals for $2.8 billion to help 3 million Palestinians in desperate need of food and other aid

The United Nations is appealing for $2.8 billion to provide desperately needed aid to 3 million Palestinians, stressing that tackling looming famine in war-torn Gaza requires not only food but … more

By EDITH M. LEDERER | 4/17/24

Voters board the already overcrowded Fair Glory ferry in Honiara, Solomon Islands, Saturday, April 13, 2024, heading to Malaita Island to vote in a national election. The country in which China has gained most influence in the South Pacific, Solomon Islands, goes to the polls on Wednesday in an election that could shape the region's future. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

Solomon Islanders cast votes in an election that will shape relations with China

Voting has begun across the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiances from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret … more

4/16/24

A seller waits for customers despite not having electricity due to a programed power cut by the ministry of energy, in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Ecuador faces electricity rationing due to a prolonged drought and high temperatures that have reduced flows to the main hydroelectric plants. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Ecuador rations electricity as drought persists in the northern Andes

Ecuador has started to ration electricity in its main cities as a drought linked to the El Niño weather pattern depletes reservoirs and limits output at hydroelectric plants. “We urge Ecuadorians … more

By GONZALO SOLANO and MANUEL RUEDA | 4/16/24

FILE - Authorities escort Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman from a plane to a waiting caravan of SUVs at Long Island MacArthur Airport, in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Jan. 19, 2017. Guzmán wrote a letter to District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan in the Eastern District of New York in late March 2024, claiming he cannot get phone calls or visits in the maximum security U.S. prison where he is serving a life sentence. (U.S. law enforcement via AP, File)

Mexican drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán claims he can't get calls or visits in a US prison

Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán now claims he can’t get phone calls or visits in the maximum security U.S. prison where the once most powerful Mexican drug lord is serving a life sentence. Guzmán … more

4/16/24

FILE - A battery of Israel's Iron Dome defense missile system, deployed to intercept rockets, sits in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Aug. 7, 2022. Israel is vowing to retaliate against Iran, risking further expanding the shadow war between the two foes into a direct conflict after an Iranian attack over the weekend sent hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

Israel says it will retaliate against Iran, despite the risks

Israel is vowing to retaliate against Iran even though such a mission carries many risks. Any direct attack on Iranian soil would risk prompting an all-out war between the two foes at a time when … more

By JULIA FRANKEL and JACK JEFFERY | 4/16/24

Police stand guard outside the front entrance of the event venue as the National Conservatism conference takes place in Brussels, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Sylvain Plazy)

Belgian police shut down a far-right conference as it rallies ahead of Europe's June elections

Belgian police have shut down a gathering of far-right politicians and supporters, citing concerns about public order. Attendees protested curbs on free speech and vowed to find another venue for … more

By LORNE COOK | 4/16/24

FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro attends a meeting at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Feb. 20, 2024. Maduro on April 16, 2024, ordered the closure of his country’s embassy and consulates in Ecuador in solidarity with Mexico in its protest over a raid by Ecuadorian authorities on the Mexican embassy in Quito. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

Venezuela closes embassy in Ecuador to protest raid on Mexican embassy there

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the closure of his country’s embassy and consulates in Ecuador in solidarity with Mexico in its protest over a raid by Ecuadorian authorities on the … more

By REGINA GARCIA CANO | 4/16/24

FILE - Bleached coral is visible at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico, Sept. 16, 2023. The world is not doing enough to protect coral reefs — vital marine ecosystems that protect biodiversity, produce some of the oxygen we breathe, slow erosion and sustain underwater life — the United Nations’ special envoy for the ocean said Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

UN envoy says of the threat to coral reefs: 'Are we faced with a colossal ecosystem tragedy? Yes'

The world is not doing enough to protect coral reefs. That's according to the United Nations’ special envoy for the ocean. In an interview, he defended the marine ecosystems that protect … more

By ELENA BECATOROS | 4/16/24

A Ukrainian serviceman from the Azov brigade known by call sign Chaos, right, carries mortar shell, while he waits for a command to fire, at positions of 122 mm HM 16 mortar around one kilometer away from Russian forces on the frontline in Kreminna direction, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, April 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Ukrainian president signs controversial law to boost conscription to fend off Russia's aggression

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a controversial law, days after it was passed by parliament, potentially helping Kyiv to boost conscription to replenish depleted forces to fend off … more

By HANNA ARHIROVA | 4/16/24

An SUV splashes through standing water on a road with the Burj Al Arab luxury hotel seen in the background in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding out portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai. Meanwhile, the death toll in separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18 with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

Heavy rains lash UAE and surrounding nations as the death toll in Oman flooding rises to 18

Heavy rains have lashed the United Arab Emirates, flooding out portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai. Meanwhile, the death toll in separate heavy flooding … more

By JON GAMBRELL | 4/16/24

FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets students taking part in a personal development lesson as he visits Haughton Academy to outline plans for the banning of single use vapes, in Darlington, England, on Jan. 29, 2024. British lawmakers will on Tuesday April 16, 2024 debate and vote on the government's plans to introduce a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking. (Ian Forsyth/Pool Photo via AP, File)

UK lawmakers will vote on a landmark bill to gradually phase out smoking

British lawmakers are set to vote on the government’s plans to introduce a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking. The bill will make it illegal to sell tobacco … more

By SYLVIA HUI | 4/16/24

FILE - In this Monday, May 25, 2020 photo, medical staff in a dinghy leaves from the Aegean Sea island of Milos to Sikinos island, Greece. Greece aims to create two large marine parks as part of a 780 million euro program to protect biodiversity and marine ecosystems, with the plans to be formally announced at an international oceans conference starting in Athens Tuesday. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

Greece plans 2 marine protected areas as part of an $830 million environmental protection program

Greece aims to create two large marine parks as part of an $830 million program to protect biodiversity and marine ecosystems, with the plans to be formally announced at an international oceans … more

By ELENA BECATOROS | 4/16/24

A boat that was carrying decomposing corpses is lifted to shore by authorities at the Vila do Castelo port in Braganca, Brazil, early Monday, April 15, 2024. Security forces and forensics were dispatched to the area after fishermen reported on Saturday spotting the boat off the coast of Para state. (AP Photo/Raimundo Pacco)

9 corpses found adrift in boat off Brazil were likely migrants from Mauritania and Mali, police say

Brazilian police investigating the discovery of a boat full of corpses say the dead were likely African migrants from Mali and Mauritania. Fishermen off Brazil’s northern coastal state of Pará had … more

By RENATA BRITO | 4/16/24

Fire and smoke rise out of the Old Stock Exchange, Boersen, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Fire rages through the 17th-century old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen and its spire has collapsed

One of Copenhagen’s oldest buildings is on fire and its iconic spire has collapsed. The roof of the 17th-century old Stock Exchange, or Boersen, that was once Denmark’s financial center, was … more

4/16/24

Police and forensics officers remained at the scene as investigations continued on Tuesday into a knife attack at a church in Sydney.

Second high-profile stabbing to rock Sydney in recent days is declared a terrorist attack

A teenager has been accused of wounding a Christian bishop and priest during a church service in a second high-profile knife attack to rock Sydney in recent days. Authorities have declared the church … more

By MARK BAKER and ROD McGUIRK | 4/16/24

In this handout photo provided by the Batangas Public Information Office, Philippine President. Ferdinand Jr., third from left, talks to reporters as he visits Alitagtag town in Batangas province, Philippines on Tuesday April 16, 2024. Marcos Jr said Tuesday police seized the largest haul of methamphetamine in the country in years without anybody killed, in a subtle criticism of his predecessor's notoriously deadly crackdown on illegal drugs. (Batangas Public Information Office via AP)

Philippines' Marcos says 'not one person died' as police make huge drug bust, in dig at predecessor

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says police have seized the largest haul of methamphetamine in the country in years without anybody being killed, in a subtle criticism of his … more

4/16/24

This combo photograph shows Indian voters, top row left to right, Raj Sud, 94, Niranjan Kapasi, 89 , Kuldip Chadha, 79, Ajay Sud, 63, Dhiren Singh, 58, and in second row, left to right, Ajay Jasra, 56, Retha Singh, 49, Shruti Sud, 34, Manya Sachdev, 22 and Anita Jasra, 18, as they talk to the Associated Press about the national elections, in New Delhi, India, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

AP PHOTOS: What's on the voters’ minds as India heads into a 6-week national election

NEW DELHI (AP) — Raj Sud, 94, has voted in almost every election held in independent India, bearing witness to the eventful journey of a diverse, and now the world’s most populous, democracy over … more

By MANISH SWARUP | 4/16/24

Israel deciding on its response to Iran's weekend attack, AP explains

Israel’s military chief says that Israel will respond to Iran’s weekend missile attack

Israel’s military chief says Israel will respond to Iran’s weekend missile strike. But he has not elaborated on when and how. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Monday that Israel is still considering … more

By JOSEF FEDERMAN | 4/15/24

FILE - The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, is seen in the background of the shallow Kakhovka Reservoir after the dam collapse, in Energodar, Russian-occupied Ukraine, Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Officials at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant said that the site was attacked Sunday April 7, 2024, by Ukrainian military drones, including a strike on the dome of the plant’s sixth power unit. (AP Photo/Libkos, File)

IAEA warns that attacks on a nuclear plant in Russian-controlled Ukraine put the world at risk

Russia and Ukraine are trading blame before the United Nations Security Council for the attacks on Europe's largest nuclear power plant. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says the … more

By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN | 4/15/24