UN report: Illegal wildlife trafficking is stubbornly prevalent
Illegal trafficking of plant and animal wildlife remains stubbornly prevalent, according to a U.N. report on Monday, and it is critical governments focus on more than just “iconic” species like elephants, where progress had been made. While seizures reported in…
Russia reports destroying 47 drones and missiles from Ukrainian attacks
Russia’s defense ministry said Monday the country’s air defenses destroyed 31 drones and 16 missiles launched by Ukraine in overnight attacks. The ministry said seven drones and four guided missiles were shot down over Russia-occupied Crimea, eight drones were destroyed…
Ukrainians flee border areas as Russian forces advance near Kharkiv
More than 4,000 people have fled from areas around Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region since Friday, when Russia launched a surprise counteroffensive, the local governor said Sunday. “In total, 4,073 people have been evacuated,” Oleg Syniehubov wrote on his social media…
Russia blames Ukraine for lethal strike on Belgorod apartment block
Russia blames fragments of a falling Ukrainian missile for a deadly strike on an apartment building in Belgorod. Ukraine so far has offered no comment. This, as Russian forces continue the capture of territory in Ukraine’s northeast. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi…
US vows to stay ahead of China, using AI for fighter jets, navigation
Washington — Two Air Force fighter jets recently squared off in a dogfight in California. One was flown by a pilot. The other wasn’t. That second jet was piloted by artificial intelligence, with the Air Force’s highest-ranking civilian riding along…
In photos: stunning displays of aurora borealis
A solar storm hitting Earth produced stunning displays of color across the sky this weekend. Brilliant purple, green, yellow and pink were seen in Germany, Switzerland, London, Canada, Russia, and the U.S. Here are a few images showing what the…
First patient to get gene-edited pig kidney transplant dies
Washington — The first living patient to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the procedure, the US hospital that carried it out said. “Mass General is deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Mr….
UN teams dispatch aid as deadly flash floods hit northern Afghanistan
Flash floods in the area have reportedly killed at least 300 people, including 51 children, with many more injured, with these figures expected to increase as additional reports come in, according to UN agencies. UN chief António Guterres expressed his…
Japan: Safeguarding a mother tongue and mother nature
Even though both Nami and Tomoyuki were born on Okinoerabu Island (currently home to only 12,000 inhabitants), neither learned to speak Shimamuni – a local variety of the Kunigami language – fluently as children. Kunigami was added to UNESCO’s Atlas…
Gaza: We must prevent a large-scale offensive in Rafah, UN pleads
The warning comes as the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, reported that over the past week that nearly 300,000 people have now fled Rafah following the Israeli military’s orders for further evacuations from area. “There is nowhere safe to go,”…