MELBOURNE (Al-Jazeera) -- On the eve of King Charles’s coronation, Indigenous leaders from around the globe have called on the British monarch to apologize and make amends for what they call ‘genocide’. A joint letter published on Friday by 12 Indigenous advocacy groups in former British colonies demanded the new king “acknowledge the horrific impacts on and legacy of genocide and colonization of the Indigenous and enslaved peoples of Antigua and Barbuda, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines”. The letter also listed key demands, including a formal apology, the repatriation of the remains and cultural artefacts of Indigenous peoples, financial reparations, and requests the king to “help our communities recover from centuries of racism, oppression, colonialism and slavery”.

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LONDON (Reuters) -- The World Health Organization on Friday declared an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency, marking a major step toward the end of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.9 million people, disrupted the global economy and ravaged communities. The WHO’s Emergency Committee met on Thursday and recommended the UN-agency declare an end to the coronavirus crisis as a “public health emergency of international concern”, which has been in place for over three years. The WHO’s emergency committee first declared that COVID represented its highest level of alert on Jan. 30, 2020. The status helps focus international attention on a global health threat, as well as bolstering collaboration on vaccines and treatments.

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ROME -- Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called off a trip to Paris on Thursday, saying the French interior minister had offended Italy and its Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with unacceptable “insults”. Earlier, the French minister, Gerald Darmanin, told RMC radio that Meloni was “unable to solve the migration problems on which she was elected” and accused her of “lying” to voters that she could end a crisis over growing numbers of boat migrants. News of his comments came as Tajani was preparing to fly to Paris to see his French counterpart - a trip that was aimed partly at improving relations between the two European Union countries that have grown increasingly brittle.

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LONDON (The Guardian) -- The number of potential victims of modern slavery in England and Wales is at the highest levels since records began, according to official statistics. A total of 4,746 people were referred to the Home Office from January to March as potential victims of exploitation, figures show – a rise of more than a quarter compared with the same period last year. The figures have been released as the government prepares to fight attempts in the House of Lords to alter the illegal migration bill, which critics say will make it harder to rescue modern slavery victims.

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BUSHUSHU, DR of Congo (Reuters) -- At least 176 people have died in flash floods in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a regional governor said on Friday, as heavy rain destroyed buildings and forced aid workers to gather mud-clad corpses into piles. The rainfall in Kalehe territory in South Kivu province caused rivers to overflow on Thursday, inundating the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi. South Kivu governor Théo Ngwabidje Kasi put the death toll at 176 and said that others were still missing. A local civil society member, Kasole Martin, said 227 bodies had been found.