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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

Citizens killed by Russian air strikes, human rights observer says

Botswana will certify rough diamonds entering G7 markets as part of efforts to keep out gems mined in Russia

Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. There are three main elements to the holiday; 1) A parade in New York City, 2) Professional football games, and 3) a giant feast featuring a uniquely American bird – Turkey. We talked with historian Raffi Andonian about how it all began.

Opposition parties called for a halt to the vote counting and said they had lost confidence in the process

stockholm — One of two Baltic subsea cables that were damaged earlier this month in a suspected sabotage is back online, a spokesman for operator company Arelion said. The cable connecting Sweden and Lithuania was repaired as of Thursday and traffic had resumed at full capacity, spokesman Martin Sjogren said. Two subsea cables, the other linking Finland and Germany, were damaged in less than 24 hours on November 17-18, prompting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to say he assumed...

British and American authorities are investigating why several drones were flying over four U.S. air bases in England in recent days. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Britain has deployed troops around the bases amid concerns such drones could be used to disrupt operations or carry out acts of sabotage.

Trade deals concluded at this month’s meetings in Brazil focused on food security and economic cooperation

Opinion polls show that around 80% of Georgians support EU membership

Amnesty's findings come amid growing concerns of shrinking civic space in Nigeria