From VOA Russian: White House confirms Ukraine approved to use ATACMS on targets deep in Russia
The White House this week officially confirmed Ukraine’s use of U.S.-made ATACMS missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. White House National Security Advisor John Kirby told reporters that Ukraine can use ATACMS to defend itself on “an immediate-need basis.”…
Trump to name retired Army lieutenant general as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate retired Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg was chief of staff on Trump’s National Security Council during…
US inflation gauge ticks higher with price pressures still stubborn
Washington — Consumer price increases accelerated last month, the latest sign that inflation’s steady decline over the past two years has stalled. According to the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, consumer prices rose 2.3% in October from a year earlier,…
Trump picks vaccine skeptic to lead top US public health department
President-elect Donald Trump says he intends to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy disagrees with much of the scientific community on subjects including vaccines and HIV/AIDS. VOA’s Anita Powell has…
One of India’s largest conglomerates under suspicion following US fraud charges
New Delhi — Nearly two years after one of India’s biggest conglomerates was hit by allegations of wrongdoing by a U.S. investment firm, it is again in the eye of a storm as it faces charges of fraud, which analysts…
Afghanistan: Surge in synthetic drugs could threaten public health
The Mapping of Facilities for Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in Afghanistan report, conducted in collaboration with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), is the first comprehensive survey of the country’s treatment capacity. While services are operational in 32 of Afghanistan’s…
Lebanon ceasefire deal: displaced communities start to return home
“Immediately after the ceasefire came into force at 4am, residents of south Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa (valley) began their return after months of forced displacement,” said the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. “Heavy traffic [was] observed…
Guterres: Lebanon ceasefire deal ‘first ray of hope for peace’
“It is a moment of great importance, especially for the civilians who were paying an enormous price for the fact that this conflict is not only dragging on, but is also gaining increasingly worrying dimensions,” he said. The Secretary-General was…
Arrest warrant sought for Myanmar Commander-in-Chief for Rohingya crimes
The move, announced on Wednesday, follows a comprehensive investigation by the ICC into the 2016 and 2017 waves of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine province targeting the minority Muslim Rohingya community. “My Office has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to…
‘Reverse dangerous cycle of escalation’ in Ukraine, UN official urges, amid ballistic missile strike
“The latest developments follow the already disturbing reports of troops from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) being deployed to the conflict zone,” Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told ambassadors. He said the Ukrainian city…