Europe

US Treasury transfers $20 billion in Ukraine loan funds to World Bank

The timing of the disbursement is aimed at protecting the funds from being clawed back by President-elect Donald Trump after his Jan. 20 inauguration

VOA Russian: Chechen wars and the formation of the political model of the Russian state

VOA Mandarin: Protesters in London call for accountability for China's human rights violations 

Belarus says it has dozens of Russian nukes, is ready for new missile

Leaders of Belarus and Russia signed a treaty that gave security guarantees to Belarus, including the possible use of nuclear weapons

VOA Russian: Fake American media linked to Russia is behind Zelenskyy and 'Hitler's car'

France flies 2 fighter jets from Chad to signal start of military withdrawal

France has about 1,000 troops in the African nation

New generation must take up fight against nuclear weapons, Nobel laureate group says

The average age of Japan's atomic bomb survivors is now 85

Zelenskyy: Ukraine lacks enough air defense systems to protect itself from Russian missiles

Polish PM Tusk: Ukraine-Russia peace talks could begin ‘in the winter’

Assad’s downfall marks loss of Moscow’s main ally in Middle East

Russian state media say Moscow has granted asylum to ousted Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, who reports say landed in Moscow after escaping from Damascus Sunday. The Kremlin was a key supporter of Assad in his government's brutal attempts to defeat rebels.

VOA Kurdish: Fall of Syrian currency impacting economy in Derik

VOA Kurdish: 3 members of the security forces were killed in Turkish airstrikes near Manbij