Aging farmers face extreme temperatures as they struggle to maintain Japan’s rice crop
KAMIMOMI, Japan — In the remote village of Kamimomi in Japan’s western Okayama prefecture, a small group of rice farmers began their most recent harvest in sweltering heat, two weeks sooner than usual. The prefecture is called “the Land of…
Pressure grows for nations to deliver on promised biodiversity targets at UN conference
Two years after reaching a historic biodiversity agreement, countries will gather next week to determine whether they are making progress on efforts to save Earth’s plant and animal life. The agreement signed by 196 countries at the United Nations Biodiversity…
Dense breasts can make it harder to spot cancer on a mammogram
When a woman has a mammogram, the most important finding is whether there’s any sign of breast cancer. The second most important finding is whether her breasts are dense. Since early September, a new U.S. rule requires mammography centers to…
Drone maker DJI sues Pentagon over Chinese military listing
WASHINGTON — China-based DJI sued the U.S. Defense Department on Friday for adding the drone maker to a list of companies allegedly working with Beijing’s military, saying the designation is wrong and has caused the company significant financial harm. DJI,…
Russia, Ukraine each bring home 95 prisoners of war in swap brokered by UAE
Russia and Ukraine carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war on Friday, each side bringing home 95 prisoners in an agreement in which the United Arab Emirates acted as mediator. Russia’s Defense Ministry, in a post on the…
Ukraine media outlets, businesses targeted with false bomb threats
Emails threatening terror attacks led to the evacuation of hundreds of businesses, media outlets and foreign embassies in Ukraine this week. Ukrainian national police searched dozens of properties targeted by the threat, including the Kyiv office of VOA sister network…
Russia returns bodies of 501 soldiers; Western allies weigh Zelenskyy victory plan
Russia returned to Ukraine the bodies of 501 soldiers on Friday, Ukrainian authorities said. The move appeared to be the biggest repatriation of war dead since Russia invaded in February 2022. Most of the soldiers were killed in the fighting…
African port growth hindered by poor road, rail networks, report says
NAIROBI, KENYA — Africa has seen the capacity of its ports grow significantly over the years, but a report from the Africa Finance Corporation says the expansions, upgrades and investments have not led to better inland logistics and supply chains….
Ukranian fighter finds US-made M224 mortar effective on front lines
When it comes to military equipment being sent to Ukraine, big-ticket items like Patriot missiles and F-16 fighter jets come to mind. But for many Ukrainian soldiers, the U.S.-made 60-millimeter M224 mortars, also used by the U.S. Marine Corps, have…
Gaza at a ‘critical juncture’ as top UN officials call for a ceasefire now
“Although he does not comment on events of this nature, the Secretary-General is interested that this now leads to an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza,” Farhan Haq told the…