World News - The Morning Sun

Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. European Union leaders, in a two-day summit will discuss the latest developments in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and continued EU support for Ukraine and its people. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Ireland's prime minister urges EU leaders to call for Gaza cease-fire at their summit

Ireland’s prime minister Leo Varadkar says the European Union is losing its credibility because of a lack of a strong position in the war between Israel and Hamas, urging his counterparts to call … more

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN | 12/14/23

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerhskovich, arrested in Russia on espionage charges, will remain in detention until Jan. 30, a court in Moscow ruled on Thursday. The hearing took place behind closed doors because authorities say details of the criminal case against the American journalist are classified. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

WSJ reporter Gershkovich to remain in detention until end of January after court rejects his appeal

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested in Russia on espionage charges, lost an appeal on Thursday to be released from jail and will remain in custody at least until Jan. 30. … more

12/14/23

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, right, poses with EU leaders from left, Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer during a group photo at an EU-Western Balkans summit in Brussels, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. European Union and Western Balkans leaders meet in Brussels Wednesday to discuss political and policy engagement, economic foundations and the impact of Russian aggression against Ukraine. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

The European Union is sorely tested to keep its promises to Ukraine intact

European Union leaders are struggling to keep their two most elementary promises to Ukraine at war intact — to give it the wherewithal to stave off the Russian invasion and maintain its hope of … more

By RAF CASERT | 12/14/23

FILE - Taliban fighters ride in the back of a vehicle during a night patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 12, 2021. Taliban officials are sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence, according to a U.N. report published Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

Taliban sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence, says UN report

A U.N. report says Taliban officials are sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence. Before the Taliban seized power in 2021, there were 23 state-sponsored specialized … more

12/14/23

Kathleen Folbigg, right, is embraced by friend Tracy Chapman outside the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. An appeals court has overturned all convictions against Folbigg, 20 years after a jury found her guilty of killing her four children. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)

An Australian court overturns a woman's 2-decade-old convictions in the deaths of her 4 children

An Australian appeals court has overturned all convictions against a woman 20 years after a jury found her guilty of killing her four children. Kathleen Folbigg was pardoned at the New South Wales … more

By ROD McGUIRK | 12/14/23

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with judges of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation marking the national holiday celebrated on December 12 - Constitution Day, at the Novo-Ogaryovo State residence outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. (Mikhail Tereshchenko, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Putin is taking questions from ordinary Russians along with journalists as his reelection bid begins

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his end-of-year news conference Thursday — and this year, ordinary citizens are getting the chance to phone in their questions along with those asked by … more

By HARRIET MORRIS | 12/14/23

Britain's Defense Minister Grant Shapps, right, Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, left, and Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, center, shake hands prior a trilateral meeting at the defense ministry Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan. (David Mareuil/Pool Photo via AP)

Japan, UK and Italy formally establish a joint body to develop a new advanced fighter jet

The defense ministers of Japan, Britain and Italy have signed an agreement to establish a joint organization to develop a new advanced jet fighter, as the countries push to bolster their cooperation … more

By MARI YAMAGUCHI | 12/14/23

Members of the pro-Ukrainian Russian ethnic Siberian Battalion rest at a military training close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. Ukraine's military has formed a battalion of soldiers made up entirely of Russian citizens who want to fight against Russian invasion.(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Dismayed by Moscow's war, Russian volunteers are joining Ukrainian ranks to fight Putin's troops

The Siberian Battalion is unique in many ways. It's soldiers are Russians who have joined Ukraine's military ranks to fight against their homeland, hoping someday to help oust Russian President … more

By VASILISA STEPANENKO | 12/14/23

Britain's Minister for Climate Graham Stuart speaks during a plenary session at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Heard at UN climate talks: Quotes that tell the story

Over 14 days of U.N. climate talks, delegates from nearly 200 countries debated, made proposals, lobbed criticisms and did their best to convince each other how best to stop the planet from warming … more

By PETER PRENGAMAN | 12/13/23

Rina Gonoi, former member of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces, attends the press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Tokyo. A Japanese court on Tuesday convicted three former soldiers in a sexual assault case that authorities had dropped until Gonoi came forward demanding a reinvestigation and prompting a military-wide harassment probe. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

She won her sexual assault case. Now she hopes the Japanese military changes so others don't suffer

A former soldier who won a sexual assault case against three of her former colleagues says she hopes Japan’s Self Defense Force makes it easier for others to speak up. Rina Gonoi came forward in … more

By MARI YAMAGUCHI | 12/13/23

Displaced Congolese sit outside their tents in the Kanyaruchinya camp outside Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. As Congo prepares to hold elections on Dec. 20, a record 6.9 million people are internally displaced across the vast Central African nation, according to the United Nations. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Congo's presidential election spotlights the deadly crisis in the east that has displaced millions

Congo's presidential election is a week away, and the major issue is the deadly conflict in the nation's east that has forced millions of people to flee their homes. There are concerns that the … more

By JUSTIN KABUMBA and KRISTA LARSON | 12/13/23

Rohingya child bride, B, age 14, sits on a bed in an apartment in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 4, 2023. B came to Malaysia in 2023 to marry an older man. Her husband wants her to get pregnant, but she says she doesn't feel ready. "I still feel like a girl." Deteriorating conditions in Myanmar and in neighboring Bangladesh’s refugee camps are driving scores of underage Rohingya girls to Malaysia for arranged marriages with Rohingya men who frequently abuse them, The Associated Press found in interviews with 12 young Rohingya brides who have arrived in Malaysia since 2022. The youngest was 13. (AP Photo/Victoria Milko)

'I feel trapped': Scores of underage Rohingya girls forced into abusive marriages in Malaysia

Scores of underage Rohingya girls fleeing violence and starvation in their homeland of Myanmar and in the refugee camps of neighboring Bangladesh are being forced into arranged marriages with older … more

By KRISTEN GELINEAU | 12/13/23

A worker fumigates a neighborhood against dengue-promoting mosquitoes, in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Millions infected with dengue this year in new record as hotter temperatures cause virus to flare

Dengue is sweeping across the Western Hemisphere in numbers not seen since record-keeping began in 1980 as experts warn that rising temperatures and rapid urbanization are accelerating the pace of … more

By DÁNICA COTO | 12/13/23

A man walks past menorah after lighting candles marking the fifth night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah on Independence square in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Multiple injuries reported in nighttime missile attack on Ukrainian capital

Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Kyiv has resulted in multiple injuries and has damaged buildings. A series of loud explosions could be heard in Kyiv at 3 a.m. Wednesday as air … more

12/12/23

Palestinian United Nations Ambassador Riyad Mansour, right, speaks during a press conference ahead of a U.N. General Assembly vote on a resolution calling for a cease fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Palestinians expect a high vote in UN General Assembly demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza

The Palestinians are expecting a high vote for a U.N. General Assembly resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. They say it will demonstrate widespread global support for … more

By EDITH M. LEDERER | 12/12/23

People take part in a protest against scrapping the Special Prosecutor's Office organised by the Slovakian opposition parties in front of the Government Office in Bratislava, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. (Lukas Grinaj/TASR via AP)

Thousands rally in Slovakia to condemn the new government's plan to close top prosecutors' office

Thousands have rallied in the capital and other major cities in Slovakia to denounce a plan by the new government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to amend the country’s penal code. The … more

12/12/23

Pilgrims sleep outside the Basilica of Guadalupe on her feast day in Mexico City, early Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Devotees of Our Lady of Guadalupe gather for one of the world's largest religious pilgrimages on the anniversary of one of several apparitions of the Virgin Mary witnessed by an Indigenous Mexican man named Juan Diego in 1531. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Thousands gather to honor Mexico's Virgin of Guadalupe on anniversary of 1531 apparition

Thousands of people sang the traditional Mexican birthday song “Las mañanitas” at Mexico City’s Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe to honor the virgin on the 492th anniversary of her … more

By FERNANDA PESCE | 12/12/23

FILE - Dutch counter terrorism police prepare to enter a house after a shooting incident in Utrecht, Netherlands, on March 18, 2019. The Dutch counterterrorism agency lifted the country's threat alert to its second-highest level on Tuesday Dec. 12, 2023, saying the possibility of an attack in the country is now “substantial.” (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

The Dutch counterterror agency has raised the national threat alert to the second-highest level

The Dutch counterterrorism agency has lifted the country’s threat alert to its second-highest level and says the possibility of an attack in the country is now “substantial.” The announcement … more

By MIKE CORDER | 12/12/23

Rina Gonoi, former member of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces, speaks to the media after a ruling at the Fukushima District Court in Fukushima, northeastern Japan, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. A Japanese court on Tuesday convicted three former soldiers in a sexual assault case that authorities had dropped until the victim, a former service member, came forward demanding a reinvestigation, prompting a military-wide harassment probe.(Kyodo News via AP)

A court in Japan convicts three former soldiers in groundbreaking sexual assault case

A Japanese court has convicted three former soldiers in a sexual assault case that authorities had dropped until the victim came forward demanding a reinvestigation and prompting a military-wide … more

By MARI YAMAGUCHI | 12/12/23

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, walks with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., right, during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Ukraine faces heavy attack from air and cyberspace while Zelenskyy in US presses for more funding

Local officials say Ukraine has came under heavy attack from the air and from cyberspace. Nearly 600 Russian shells, rockets and other projectiles rained down on the southern Kherson region. And … more

By ILLIA NOVIKOV | 12/12/23