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The Wagner Group made Russian mercenaries infamous. With its co-founder Yevgeny Prigozhin dead, the Russian state is strengthening its control over the fighters, researchers say

Efforts to negotiate a ceasefire have yielded scant progress

Media rights group urges reversal of verdict

Russian attacks hammer Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

After the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of online shopping, the sales event no longer creates midnight crowds or doorbuster mayhem

Ukraine's Interior Ministry said infrastructure facilities were damaged in nine regions across the country after Russia's latest attack. Cryptocurrency investors have big hopes for the approaching presidency of Donald Trump, who campaigned this year as a champion of digital currencies. Australia approved on Thursday a ban on social media for children younger than 16 after an emotional debate that has gripped the nation and set a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the...

Chad's foreign ministry says nation wants to fully assert its sovereignty after more than six decades of independence  

Competition Bureau wants company to sell off two of its services and pay a penalty

Former Moscow lawmaker Alexei Gorinov, serving a seven-year prison sentence for criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine, unfurled an anti-war banner in a courtroom cage as he went on trial on new, more severe charges of justifying terrorism. Gorinov was the first individual jailed in Russia for openly opposing the war. Human rights activists demand his release. See the full story here.  

Alam Saleh and Ben Sabti, two prominent experts on Iran and Israel affairs, joined VOA Persian’s evening analytical program on Wednesday to explore the implications of the ceasefire in Lebanon. They also assessed which of the two sides emerged as the true winner in the conflict and the subsequent peace efforts between Israel and Hezbollah. See the full story here.

His brutal tactics shocked the world

News agencies in Iran have reported the death of Kiumars Pourhashemi, a senior officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in Aleppo, Syria. The Student News Network, linked to the Student Basij Organization and considered a state-run media outlet, announced the news Thursday. See the full story here.

Police found no evidence of bombs

On Thursday, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense confirmed that Miao Hua, a member of the Central Military Commission and the chief of the PLA Political Work Department, is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline. Earlier this year, Taiwanese media referred to Miao as a "tiger in the military." Analysts believe that Miao's downfall can be seen as Chinese President Xi Jinping's directing his anti-corruption campaign at the PLA's political work system. See...

Previously all-powerful, the Wagner Group has slowly been reduced in size and dismantled in many of the countries it operated in since the death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in August 2023. VOA Russian spoke to U.S. and Russian researchers who have written books about the Wagner Group in the past year, and they tell a story of the military group now narrowly focused only on certain countries in Africa where they continue to serve the Kremlin's interests. See the full story here.  

The Biden administration recently brokered a prisoner swap with China, resulting in the release of three Americans — Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung — who had been imprisoned in China for years. In exchange, the U.S. released Chinese intelligence officer Xu Yanjun and former U.S. Army reservist Ji Chaoqun. This article profiles the individuals involved, examining their backgrounds, cases and the broader implications of the swap for U.S.-China relations. See the full story here.

Bill, approved by National Assembly, implicitly targets leading opposition leaders

Small but growing number of H5N1 avian influenza infections have been detected in humans around the world in recent years