April 26, 2022

*) Ukraine fires at Russian village - Russian official Russia says several buildings have been damaged in the Golovchino village in Russia's Belgorod province which came under fire from Ukraine. Hours earlier, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov [Veeyacheslav Gladkov] said at least two people were hurt in an attack on another village, Zhuravlyovka. He did not specify whether the two attacks were cases of artillery or mortar shelling or missile strikes. *) Erdogan, Guterres reaffirm goal to end conflict in Ukraine Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres have reaffirmed their "common objective" of ending hostilities in Ukraine in a meeting in Ankara. The two leaders "stressed the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians and deliver much needed assistance". Guterres also expressed his support for Türkiye's "on-going diplomatic efforts in relation to the war in Ukraine." The UN chief and Erdogan "agreed to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives." *) Kim vows to 'strengthen' North Korea's nuclear weapons North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to strengthen the country's nuclear weapons programme during a speech at a high-profile military parade in Pyongyang. Kim said his country would continue to take steps to strengthen and develop the nation's nuclear capabilities at the fastest pace. Pyongyang has carried out more than a dozen weapons tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017. *) UN: World to be hit harder by disasters A disaster-weary globe will be hit harder in the coming years by even more catastrophes colliding in an interconnected world, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction warned in a report. If current trends continue, the world will go from around 400 disasters per year in 2015 to an onslaught of about 560 catastrophes a year by 2030, according to the report. Report authors added that disasters are hitting poorer count