MYKULYCHI, Ukraine (AP) -- This was not where Nadiya Trubchaninova thought she would find herself at 70 years old, hitchhiking daily from her village to the shattered Ukrainian town of Bucha, trying to bring her son's body home for burial. The questions wore her down, heavy like the winter coat and boots she still wears against the chill. Why had the 48-year-old Vadym gone to Bucha, where the Ru...

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian forces accelerated scattered attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine and beyond Saturday in an explosive reminder to Ukrainians and their Western supporters that the whole country remains under threat despite Moscow's pivot toward mounting a new offensive in the east. Stung by the loss of its Black Sea flagship and indignant over alleged Ukrainian aggression on Russian ter...

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine was bracing to battle for control of its industrial east and appealing for more help from the West after Russian forces withdrew from the shattered outskirts of Kyiv to regroup. Authorities were urging people to immediately evacuate from the Donbas region before Russia intensifies its offensive. In Brussels, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged NATO to provide ...

BUCHA -- Police and other investigators walked the silent streets of ruined towns around Ukraine's capital, documenting widespread killings of unarmed civilians and other alleged war crimes by Russian forces that could draw tougher Western sanctions as soon as Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has kept up demands for war-crimes trials for Russian troops and their leaders, while ...

BUCHA -- One blackened body had arms raised in supplication, the face contorted in a horrible scream. The skull of another had a bullet hole in the left temple. The small blackened foot of a child could be seen in the tangle of charred bodies piled together in Bucha, the town outside of Kyiv where graphic evidence of killings and torture has emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces. Th...

Finland has been named the world’s happiest country for the fifth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored index that ranked Afghanistan as the unhappiest, closely followed by Lebanon. The latest list was completed before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The World Happiness Report, now in its 10th year, is based on people’s own assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social dat...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has drawn positive ratings from Americans for his handling of international affairs after Russia invaded his country last month, according to a survey released March 30. The Pew Research Center poll found that 72 percent of Americans have “a lot” or “some” confidence in Zelenskyy, higher than any other world leader included in the survey, while only 6 pe...

Many Americans have taken significant steps back from once-routine coronavirus precautions, with less than half now saying they regularly wear face masks, avoid crowds and skip nonessential travel. Americans are letting down their guard even as experts warn a new wave of COVID-19 cases is coming. A new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows fewer people ta...

The proportion of US adults identifying as LGBT has increased to a high of 7.1 percent, double the figure from 2012 when Gallup first started measuring it, reflecting a generational shift, the polling firm said. Gallup asks Americans whether they personally identified as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual, as part of the demographic information it ...

US President Joe Biden’s approval rating has fallen to the lowest levels of his presidency over concern for his handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and rising inflation, an NBC poll found. Just 40 percent of those who responded to the survey said they approved of Biden’s job performance overall, the poll results show. His job approval rating has gradually fallen since April 2021 when 5...

PARIS (AFP) -- Scientists have discovered microplastics in human blood for the first time, warning that the ubiquitous particles could also be making their way into organs. The tiny pieces of mostly invisible plastic have already been found almost everywhere else on Earth, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains as well as in the air, soil and food chain. A Dutch study published in the...

MOSCOW (AFP) -- President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday Russia will only accept payments in rubles for gas deliveries to "unfriendly countries", which include all EU members, after Moscow was hit by unprecedented sanctions over Ukraine. "I have decided to implement a set of measures to transfer payment for our gas supplies to unfriendly countries into Russian rubles," Putin said during a televis...

The world has changed overnight with the war in Ukraine. As European nations and the US are expected to make respective gigantic shifts in re-armaments and foreign policies –- Asian countries are on high alert to assess the situation and interpret what these mean to them. The Korea Herald has co-organized a webinar with some of the members of the Asia News Network on the topic of “Europe’s Geopo...

From waking up to sirens, to their 3 day escape from Ukraine, Olha and Tetiana share their heartbreaking journey of leaving their husbands and how they are supporting their country from Poland as refugees.

Fremont, California, is the happiest city in the United States, according to a new survey from WalletHub based on some 30 key indicators for happiness, ranging from depression rates to income growth and average use of leisure time each day. WalletHub said the coronavirus pandemic has left one-third of US residents so stressed that it‘s difficult to make basic decisions. WalletHub said it dep...