UN credits better preparation for fewer disaster deaths
As climate change makes disasters such as cyclones, floods and droughts more intense, more frequent and striking more places, fewer people are dying from those catastrophes globally because of better warning, planning and resilience, a top United Nations official said….
China probe successfully lands on far side of moon
Beijing — China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe successfully landed on the far side of the moon to collect samples, state news agency Xinhua reported Sunday, the latest leap for Beijing’s decades-old space program. The Chang’e-6 set down in the immense South…
WHO extends talks to reach pandemic accord
Geneva, Switzerland — The World Health Organization annual assembly on Saturday gave member countries another year to agree on a landmark accord to combat future pandemics. Three years of effort to reach a deal ended last month in failure. But…
Panama prepares to evacuate first island in face of rising sea levels
GARDI SUGDUB, Panama — On a tiny island off Panama’s Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings in preparation for a dramatic change. Generations of Gunas who have grown up on Gardi Sugdub in a life dedicated to…
Zelenskyy attends security meeting, seeks support for Ukraine peace summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is attending the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference Saturday in Singapore, where he will try to raise support from Asia-Pacific countries for the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland later this month. That summit will focus on the…
Uganda tackles yellow fever with new travel requirement, vaccination campaign
KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda has rolled out a nationwide yellow fever vaccination campaign to help safeguard its population against the mosquito-borne disease that has long posed a threat. By the end of April, Ugandan authorities had vaccinated 12.2 million of…
Russian air attack damages Ukrainian energy infrastructure in 5 regions
KYIV — Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drones on Saturday, damaging energy facilities in five regions across Ukraine, officials said. Ukraine’s national grid operator Ukrenergo said the attack damaged energy facilities in the eastern Donetsk, southeastern Zaporizhzhia, and…
White House Q&A: US policy evolves with threats against Ukraine
THE WHITE HOUSE — Less than a day after U.S. President Joe Biden granted Ukraine authorization to strike inside Russia with American weaponry, Michael Carpenter, senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, spoke with VOA’s Iuliia Iarmolenko to…
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….