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Kyaukme, Myanmar — Residents of Kyaukme in northern Myanmar are counting their dead and picking through rubble following fresh fighting that shredded a Beijing-brokered ceasefire between the junta and an alliance of armed ethnic groups. Last week fighters from the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) took control of the town of 30,000 — on the main trade route to China — in the latest setback for the military as it battles opponents across the country. But air and artillery strikes, as well as rocket attacks, have gutted parts of the northern Shan State town, leaving buildings without roofs or windows, and residents desperate to flee.  Burned-out cars stood in front of one shattered four-story building, its corrugated roofing strewn about the streets. TNLA soldiers in combat fatigues stood guard outside the police station, while others carried out patrols and checked vehicles. Kyaukme resident Kyaw Paing told AFP his home was damaged by a huge blast after he saw a military plane fly overhead. "Pieces of body — head, hands and legs — were scattered on my roof when the bomb hit some houses nearby," he said. "Seven people were killed here, and there was huge damage. "I don’t want to live this poor, miserable life in the war... I feel so sad." Myriad armed groups Myanmar's borderlands are home to myriad armed ethnic groups who have battled the military since independence from Britain in 1948 for autonomy and control of lucrative resources. Some have given shelter and training to opponents of the military's 2021 coup that ousted the government of Aung San Suu Kyi and plunged the country into turmoil.  In January, China brokered a ceasefire between the military and the "Three Brotherhood Alliance," made up of the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the TNLA. The truce ended an offensive launched last October by the alliance that seized a swath of territory in Shan state — including lucrative trade crossings to China — dealing the biggest blow to the junta since it seized power. Other towns along the highway that runs from China's Yunnan province to Myanmar's second city of Mandalay have also been rocked by the fighting. On Thursday, TNLA fighters attacked the government military’s northeastern command, located in Lashio, around 85 kilometers from Kyaukme. One Lashio resident who did not want to be named told AFP she heard artillery firing and airstrikes on Monday morning, but that the town had since been quiet, with some shops open. A worker at Lashio's bus station said there were lines of vehicles queuing to leave, but traffic was slow because of damage to the road outside the town. Local rescue workers say dozens of civilians have been killed in the latest clashes. AFP was unable to reach a junta spokesman for comment, but the military has said some civilians were killed in shelling by the alliance. China diplomacy Amid the new fighting, top general Soe Win traveled to China to discuss security cooperation in the border regions, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar. China is a major ally and arms supplier to the junta, but analysts say Beijing also maintains ties with Myanmar's armed ethnic groups holding territory near its border. Ties between the junta and Beijing frayed in 2023 over the junta's failure to crack down on online scam compounds in Myanmar's borderlands targeting Chinese citizens. Analysts suggest Beijing gave tacit approval to the October "Three Brotherhood" offensive, which the alliance said was launched partly to root out the scam compounds. The threat of further military air strikes had caused many residents of Kyaukme to try to flee, although fuel is scarce and food prices are soaring. "We don't have extra money," said Naung Naung, another resident. "We have faced many difficulties — not only our family, but the whole town.                      "All residents are very worried about how long this war will go on."

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

A daytime Russian missile strike hit the main children's hospital in Kyiv Monday, as well as other cities across Ukraine, killing at least 36 civilians in one of the deadliest airstrikes in months. Deliberate attacks on civilians violates the Geneva Convention. We talk to Matthew Evangelista, professor of history and political science emeritus at Cor nell University. A Russian court sentenced a playwright and a theater director each to six years in prison on Monday for "justifying terrorism," concluding a trial that rights campaigners had said demonstrated Russia's intolerance of artistic freedom

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Nairobi, Kenya — Some Kenyan church leaders are calling on President William Ruto to dissolve his Cabinet as protests of his administration continue. Ruto withdrew proposed tax increases that set off the protests, but many Kenyans blame Ruto's Cabinet for the country's debt and economic problems. The National Council of Churches of Kenya, which represents some of the country’s biggest churches and religious organizations, has added its voice to protests, saying Ruto’s administration is marred by bad governance and allegations of corruption. Council of Churches general secretary, Reverend Chris Kinyanjui called for Ruto to fire his ministers.  "The president has himself said that his Cabinet is incompetent," Kinyanjui  said. "Kenyans are saying he has an incompetent Cabinet, and in addition, many members of his Cabinet are also corrupt.” Ruto’s government recently proposed tax increases to offset the country’s debt. The proposals sparked protests which killed at least 40 people and injured more than 380. Ruto withdrew the tax hikes after protesters stormed the parliament buildings, forcing legislators to flee. On Friday, Ruto announced new measures to reduce government expenditures, including merging key ministries and state corporations, banning the purchase of government vehicles for 12 months, and suspending nonessential travel by state and public officers. Kenyan political commentator Dismas Mokua noted that none of Ruto’s Cabinet members have been convicted on corruption charges and told VOA that Ruto will be reluctant to dismiss them. "If the courts have not pronounced one guilty of anything, the probability of President Ruto firing somebody from the Cabinet merely on the account of people demanding he should be fired is almost zero," Mokua said. "But the key consideration here is really the cost of living. If he is able to turn around the economy and ensure the public debt is not a burden on the majority of Kenyans ... then people will settle down and they will wait for 2027."  Some protesters are also demanding the formation of a new, independent electoral commission. Mokua said the demands of the Kenyan protests – which have been dubbed Generation Z protests for the age of their organizers — are far reaching. "The pressure which is going to be applied by Gen Z is not going to be limited to the national government. It will go down to county governments, it will go down to the members of the national assembly and it will go down to churches," Mokua said. The secretary-general of Kenya's ruling United Democratic Alliance, Cleophas Malala, said the party will start a program of government outreach and engagement.  He said political leaders must not come to the people only when they want their votes.  Some experts blame the recent protests on a lack of space for Kenyans to air their grievances, and the government's failure to engage with the public on laws being considered.  The constitution requires citizens' input before a law is passed, something that successive Kenyan administrations have made little effort to obtain.   

President Joe Biden welcomes members of the newly enlarged NATO alliance this week for a summit aimed at planning for Ukraine’s future defense — and, some observers say, “Trump-proofing” it if Biden loses the November poll amid growing doubts over his future. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from the White House.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

LIMA, Peru — The preserved body of an American mountaineer — who disappeared 22 years ago while scaling a snowy peak in Peru — has been found after being exposed by climate change-induced ice melt, police said Monday. William Stampfl was reported missing in June 2002, aged 59, when an avalanche buried his climbing party on the mountain Huascaran, which stands more than 6,700 meters (22,000 feet) high. Search and rescue efforts were fruitless. Peruvian police said his remains were finally exposed by ice melt on the Cordillera Blanca range of the Andes. Stampfl's body, as well as his clothes, harness and boots had been well-preserved by the cold, according to images distributed by the police. His passport was found among his possessions in good condition, allowing police to identify the body. The mountains of northeastern Peru, home to snowy peaks such as Huascaran and Cashan, are a favorite with mountaineers from around the world. In May, the body of an Israeli hiker was found there nearly a month after he disappeared. And last month, an experienced Italian mountaineer was found dead after he fell while trying to scale another Andean peak.

death valley, california — A searing heat wave gripped large parts of the United States on Monday, with record daily high temperatures in Oregon suspected to have caused four deaths in the Portland area following a motorcyclist's death in dangerous heat over the weekend in Death Valley, California. More than 146 million people around the U.S. were under heat alerts Monday, especially in the Western states. California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Idaho on Monday were under an excessive heat warning, the National Weather Service’s highest alert, while parts of the East Coast as well as Alabama and Mississippi were under heat advisories. The early U.S. heat wave came as the global temperature in June reached record warmth for the 13th straight month and marked the 12th straight month that the world was 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial times, the European climate service Copernicus said. Dozens of locations in the West and Pacific Northwest tied or broke previous heat records over the weekend and are expected to keep doing so into the week. In Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, the medical examiner is investigating four suspected heat-related deaths recorded Friday, Saturday and Sunday, officials said. Three of the deaths involved county residents who were 64, 75 and 84 years old, county officials said in an email. Heat also was suspected in the death of a 33-year-old man transported to a Portland hospital from outside the county. Portland broke daily record temperatures Friday, Saturday and Sunday and was on track to do so again on Monday with a forecast high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 Celsius), National Weather Service meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley said. High temperatures were expected in Portland through Tuesday evening. “We are looking at the potential for breaking more records,” she said. The temperatures aren’t expected to reach as high as they did during a similar heat wave in the Pacific Northwest in 2021, which killed an estimated 600 people across Oregon, Washington and western Canada. But the duration could be problematic because many homes in the region lack air conditioning. Round-the-clock hot weather keeps people from cooling off sufficiently at night, and the issue is compounded in urban areas where concrete and pavement store heat. Heat illness and injury are cumulative and can build over the course of a day or days, officials warn. In San Jose, California, a homeless man died last week from apparent heat-related causes, Mayor Matt Mahan reported on the social platform X, calling it “an avoidable tragedy.” San Jose police said the man's body had no obvious signs of foul play. In eastern California's sizzling desert, a high temperature of 128 F (53.3 C) was recorded Saturday and Sunday at Death Valley National Park, where a visitor, who was not identified, died Saturday from heat exposure. Another person was hospitalized, officials said. They were among six motorcyclists riding through the Badwater Basin area in scorching weather, the park said in a statement. The other four were treated at the scene. Emergency medical helicopters were unable to respond because the aircraft cannot generally fly safely over 120 F (48.8 C), officials said. More extreme highs are in the near-term forecast, with a high of around 127 F (52.7 C) expected in Death Valley on Monday, and possibly 130 F (54.4 C) around midweek. The largest national park outside Alaska, Death Valley is considered one of the most extreme environments in the world and is among the hottest during the summer. The hottest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was 134 F (56.67 C) in July 1913 in Death Valley, though some experts dispute that measurement and say the real record was 130 F (54.4 C), recorded there in July 2021. “While this is a very exciting time to experience potential world-record-setting temperatures in Death Valley, we encourage visitors to choose their activities carefully, avoiding prolonged periods of time outside an air-conditioned vehicle or building when temperatures are this high,” park Superintendent Mike Reynolds said. Across the desert in Nevada, Las Vegas set a record high of 120 F (48.8 C) Sunday and was forecast to hit a record high of 115 F (46.1 C) Monday. The National Weather Service forecast a high of 117 F (47.2 C) in Phoenix. People flocked Monday to the beaches around Lake Tahoe, especially Sand Harbor State Park, where the record high of 92 (33.3) set Sunday smashed the old record of 88 (31.1 ) set in 2014. For the fifth consecutive day, Sand Harbor closed its gates within 90 minutes of opening at 8 a.m. because it had reached capacity. “It’s definitely hotter than we are used to,” Nevada State Parks spokesperson Tyler Kerver said.

pentagon — The Pentagon says it plans to re-anchor a temporary pier to the Gaza coast that the U.S. military built to deliver aid to civilians, after detaching it late last month because of rough seas. “It's tentatively scheduled to be re-anchored this week,” Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters Monday. The U.S. announced that the floating pier, known as Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS), had been moved to the Israeli port at Ashdod on June 28 to keep it protected from weather damage. At the time, officials said there was a chance that it would not be reattached. More than 8,800 metric tons of aid have been brought into Gaza since pier operations began, according to the U.S. The pier allowed aid to enter Gaza via a sea route from Cyprus, a delivery method that officials deemed a “temporary” fix as land routes to get aid into Gaza stalled, with long backups of vehicles at Israeli inspection points. The arrangement was part of an effort to boost what humanitarian organizations said was a vastly insufficient amount of aid for Palestinian civilians. Fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group, had prevented the aid from leaving the Gaza beach and making it to civilians in need, but Ryder said the World Food Program had been able to distribute a “significant amount of that aid” to its warehouses in recent days. Once reattached, the pier could be used to deliver additional aid still in Cyprus to the Gaza beach, Ryder told reporters. The late-June pier detachment was not the first time the temporary pier had been taken offline because of rough seas. Following its completion in mid-May, the pier operated for just a few days before it was damaged by stormy weather in late May. That damage stopped operations until June 8. U.S. Central Command again detached the pier in late June to prevent expected rough seas from causing fresh damage to it.