Sumy region in Ukraine extensively shelled since start of 2024
The city of Sumy, Ukraine, is just 32 kilometers from the Russian border. Sumy and the region have been shelled more times in the first five months of 2024 than during all of last year, yet some villages on the…
Biden allows Ukraine to hit Russia with American weapons near Kharkiv
WASHINGTON — In a shift from his previous position, U.S. President Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to use American-provided weapons to counter Russian attacks in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, located just 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Russia….
Australian researchers find simple, cost-effective desalination method
SYDNEY — Australian researchers say a simpler and cheaper method to remove salt from seawater using heat could help combat what they call “unprecedented global water shortages.” The desalination of seawater is a process where salt and impurities are removed…
Trillions of cicadas pop up in parts of US
It’s an emergence that’s been more than a decade in the making. Trillions of cicadas that have burrowed underground for 13 or 17 years are now emerging in parts of the Midwestern and Southern United States. And, VOA’s Dora Mekouar…
Pakistan launches communication satellite with Chinese assistance
Washington — Pakistan’s space agency on Thursday launched its second satellite in a month from a launch site in China’s northwest Sichuan province. According to Pakistan’s Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), PakSAT-MM1 is a high-power multimission satellite designed…
Situation in southern Gaza ‘horrific and apocalpytic’: WFP
Matthew Hollingsworth, WFP Country Director in Palestine, warned that with limited access to the south “we will no doubt see what we saw happen in the north in the first months of the war”. Mr. Hollingsworth recently spent 10 days…
UN official urges DPR Korea to halt missile activities and return to dialogue
At 10:45 PM local time on 27 May, the DPRK, also known as North Korea, conducted what it described as “the launch of reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1-1 aboard the new-type satellite carrier rocket” from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. According to…
UN humanitarian flight takes vital medical supplies to Haiti
The international airport had been closed due to rampant gang violence in the country. The flight carried nearly 15 metric tonnes of medicine and medical supplies to be added to the resources of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the…
Top UN relief official in Ukraine deplores deadly strikes in Kharkiv
The attacks occurred in the city’s Novobovarskyi district late on Thursday. At least three people were killed and a further 16 injured, according to media reports. The repeated missile strikes caused significant damage to residential buildings. They also affected rescue…
Sudan: as millions face famine, humanitarians plead for aid access
In a bleak assessment of the dire situation in Sudan where conflict is in its second year, the heads of 19 global humanitarian organizations issued an alert that further obstacles to providing aid “rapidly and at scale” will mean that…