At least 40 civilians killed by al-Qaida-linked rebels, UN rights office says

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 40 civilians were killed last weekend by al-Qaida-linked rebels trying to take control of a besieged town in Burkina Faso’s hard-hit northern region, the United Nations’ rights office said, calling the attack a war crime. In one of the largest clashes in recent years in the West African nation under threat from fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, a large number of fighters tried to take control of Djibo near Mali’s border. The town, located 130 miles from the capital, Ouagadougou, has been under blockade by rebels for more than a year, often struggling to provide essential services.

Five journalists were shot in one day in Mexico, officials confirm

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Wednesday that two of four news photographers who were shot Tuesday are in serious condition, as prosecutors confirmed that a fifth journalist was shot and wounded the same day. The four photojournalists were shot near a military barracks in the southern Guerrero state after they returned from a crime scene. They had been covering one of the many homicides that occur on a near-daily basis in the violence-wracked city of Chilpancingo.

Couple becomes the 1st to officially register same-sex marriage in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A gay couple in Nepal on Wednesday became the first in the nation to receive official same-sex marriage status. The Himalayan nation is one of the first in Asia to allow it. “After 23 years of struggle we got this historic achievement, and finally Maya and Surendra got their marriage registered at the local administration office,” said Sunil Babu Pant, an openly gay former parliamentarian and leading LGBTQ+ rights activist. Pant was present with Surendra Pandey and Maya Gurung when they registered their marriage at the Dorje village council office, located in the mountains west of the capital, Kathmandu.

Vatican: Pope Francis is still having trouble breathing due to lung inflammation

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is still having trouble breathing as a result of a lung inflammation that forced him to cancel his scheduled address at the U.N. climate conference in Dubai and to delegate the reading of his weekly catechesis lesson and other remarks to aides, the Vatican said Wednesday. Francis told his general audience Wednesday morning that he still didn’t feel well and that his voice was “not pretty.”