Analysis: How Russia looked the wrong way as Ukraine invaded
LONDON/KYIV, UKRAINE — In the hours before Ukrainian soldiers stormed across Russia’s western border, there was no sign from Moscow that anything was amiss. At midnight at the start of August 6, the Russian Defense Ministry posted good news: More…
Ukraine: Deteriorating safety at Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant following drone blast nearby
Situated in southern Ukraine, Zaporizhzhya is Europe’s largest nuclear plant and has been under Russian control since shortly after the launch of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. An IAEA team located there was informed that an explosive carried by…
Sudan: UN chief welcomes decision to reopen key border crossing for aid delivery
The Adre border crossing with Chad has been closed for most of the year. It is the most direct and efficient route for humanitarian aid to reach millions in Sudan’s Darfur region who are facing record levels of acute hunger….
DR Congo’s humanitarian crisis helped mpox spiral into a global health emergency
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Sarah Bagheni had a headache, fever, and itchy and unusual skin lesions for days, but she had no inkling that her symptoms might have been caused by mpox and that she might be another…
Europe warned to prepare for mpox as Pakistan reports first case
Stockholm — Health authorities warned Friday that Europe must be ready for more cases of a deadly strain of mpox that has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization urged pharmaceutical firms to…
Zelenskyy: Ukraine strengthens positions in Russia’s Kursk region
KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday his troops had strengthened positions and expanded territory in Russia’s Kursk region nearly two weeks into their incursion. Ukraine says it has seized more than 80 settlements over 1,150 square…
As climate change spurs more wildfires, smoke threatens farmworkers, study says
LOS ANGELES — As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, sending ash flying and choking the air with smoke, Maria Salinas harvested grapes. Her saliva turned black from inhaling the toxins, until…
What is mpox, where are the outbreaks and will the virus spread?
london — The World Health Organization declared Wednesday that the increasing spread of mpox in Africa is a global health emergency, warning the virus might ultimately spill across international borders. The announcement by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus came after…
Survey shows disaster-prone Southeast Asia is also best prepared
BANGKOK — Southeast Asia is among the regions most prone to natural disasters, but a new analysis released Thursday shows its people also feel the best equipped to deal with them. It seems logical that the countries in and around…
COVID-19 cases in US surge; experts suggest keeping vaccinations current
COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests it’s on the upswing around the country. “We’ve seen these summer increases every summer that COVID-19 has been with us,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a…