Articles with 400-600 Words

Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, shows no signs of abating. After being forced to withdraw from the northern cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy, the Russian army focused its military efforts on the port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine. Their relentless bombardment has destroyed 80 percent of the city's infrastructure and killed as many as 10,000 civilians....

Ramadan, which began on April 2, 2022, is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. It was during this ninth month that Jibril (the archangel Gabriel in the Judeo-Christian faith) revealed the first verses of the Quran — Islam's holy text — to the Prophet Muhammad. The auspicious month's start is based on the appearance of the super-slim young crescent Moon, which generally appears one night after the new Moon....

On April 7, 2022, the U.S. Senate voted 53-47 to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The 51-year-old is the first African American woman and only the sixth female to serve on the nation's highest court....

A flamingo on the "run" from a Wichita, Kansas, zoo for 17 years was recently spotted in Texas. No. 492 and its buddy, No. 347, escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo in 2005. While No. 347 has disappeared since, No. 492, nicknamed Pink Floyd by Texas officials, has been a frequent visitor to the Lone Star State. The famous fugitive's latest sighting, posted online on March 28, 2022, by the Texas Coastal Fisheries Division, is making headlines worldwide....

In 2020, Stan, one of the world's largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex (T. rex) skeletons, was auctioned for a record $27.5 million ($31.8 million with fees and costs). The precious fossil, bought by an anonymous private buyer, led many paleontologists to fret that the T. rex was lost to science forever. As it turns out, they had nothing to worry about....

The search for famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance, which sank in 1915, is finally over. On March 9, 2022, the Endurance22 expedition team announced the wreck had been found in the Weddell Sea off the coast of Antarctica....

On March 27, 2022, Troy Kotsur became the first Deaf male actor to win an Oscar. The 53-year-old, who won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Frank Rossi in "CODA," is only the second Deaf actor to attain the prestigious award. In 1987, Marlee Matlin took home the Best Actress award for her role as Sarah in the movie "Children of a Lesser God."...

The Southern Tropical Andes, which comprises areas of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, is one of the world's most biodiverse regions — especially when it comes to amphibians. The area is home to about 980 amphibian species, including over half of the 150-known glass frog species. Now, two new members of the tiny frogs have joined this ever-growing list....

Dr. Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright, the first female US Secretary of State, passed away on March 23, 2022. A statement released by her family revealed that the 84-year-old had been suffering from cancer. The highest-ranking woman in the history of the American government at the time of her appointment, Dr. Albright played a crucial role in shaping US foreign policy in the 1990s....