Russian missiles slam into a Ukraine city and kill 17 people

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Local officials say three Russian missiles have slammed into the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, hitting an apartment building and killing at least 17 people. Emergency services say at least 61 people were wounded. Chernihiv is about 150 kilometers or 90 miles north of the capital Kyiv near the border with Russia and Belarus. The city has a population of around 250,000 people. The latest Russian bombardment came as the war approaches what could be a critical juncture. A lack of further military support from Ukraine’s Western partners increasingly leaves it at the mercy of the bigger Kremlin forces.

UN report points to gap of inequality in sexual and reproductive health

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. population fund says in a new study that an African woman is roughly 130 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than a woman in Europe or North America. UNFPA’s latest “State of World Population” report, released Wednesday, also estimates that nearly 500 maternal deaths per day occur in countries with humanitarian crises or conflicts, and shows that women of African descent in the Americas are more likely to die giving birth than white women. UNFPA decried widening inequality in sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide.

Death toll from 4 days of rains rises to 63 in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Lightning and heavy rains led to 14 deaths in Pakistan, officials said Wednesday, bringing the death toll from four days of extreme weather to at least 63. Most of the deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan’s northwest. Collapsing buildings have killed 32 people, including 15 children and five women. Pakistan is seeing heavier rain in April due to climate change, said Zaheer Ahmed Babar, a senior official at the Pakistan Meteorological Department. In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and at one point flooded a third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people and $30 billion in damages, from which Pakistan is still trying to rebuild.

9 are facing charges in what police in Canada say is the biggest gold theft in the country’s history

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police say nine people are facing charges in the biggest gold theft in Canadian history from Toronto’s Pearson International airport a year ago. Authorities say 6,600 gold bars worth more than 20 million Canadian dollars or $14.5 million was stolen and the gold was melted down and used to purchase illegal firearms. Police said Wednesday that those charged include a Air Canada warehouse employee, a former Air Canada manager and jewelry store owner.