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This is VOA News. I'm Joe Ramsey.
Washington is working to coordinate a multinational effort to set up a maritime aid corridor into Gaza, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. "The bottom line is we need to see - as we've described it, we need to see flooding the zone when it comes to humanitarian assistance for Gaza." President Joe Biden last week announced plans for the U.S. military to set up a dock on Gaza's Mediterranean coast that will enable distribution of up to 2 million meals a day in Gaza. The United States is paying close attention to the latest round of nuclear threats from Russia, worried they could bring Moscow and Washington a small step closer to a nuclear conflict. VOA national security correspondent Jeff Seldin reports from Washington. The latest warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Of course, we are ready," Putin says asked about the prospects of a nuclear war. The White House says such comments are reckless and irresponsible. A senior U.S. official says despite Putin's threats, the U.S. has not seen any reason to adjust its own nuclear posture. Earlier this week, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers Russia's ongoing struggles in its war against Ukraine are reason for worry. Jeff Seldin, VOA News, Washington. Kenya's President William Ruto says the country will still lead a U.N.-backed multinational police force to help quell gang violence in Haiti once a transitional presidential council is formed in the Caribbean country. Ruto's announcement on Wednesday came a day after Kenyan officials had announced the country had put on hold its deployment of 1,000 of its policemen until a clear administration is in place in Haiti. This is VOA News. Hundreds of Peruvian police officers raided dozens of properties around the country on Wednesday, arresting 18 people as part of an investigation into illegal arms trafficking and its role in the murder of an Ecuadorian presidential candidate last year. Some 700 officers raided houses and offices in four districts of the capital Lima and in regions on Peru's border with Ecuador, said the head of Peru's prosecutors office against organized crime. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill cracking down on TikTok. If it were to become law, the measure would force the short-video app's Chinese owner to sell off its U.S. assets in six months or face a ban. Reuters correspondent Freddie Joyner reports. American lawmakers from both parties have raised alarms that through the Chinese-based parent company ByteDance, the Chinese government could gain access to the personal data of more than 170 million American users. Democratic congresswoman Anna Eshoo: "They can weaponize this data to exploit and manipulate Americans through surveillance and disinformation." The vote comes a little over a week since the bill was proposed, and after action in Congress had stalled for more than a year. Ahead of Wednesday's vote, Beijing accused Washington of bullying. Reuters correspondent Freddie Joyner. A judge dismissed some of the charges against former U.S. President Donald Trump in the state of Georgia 2020 election interference case. AP correspondent Mike Hempen reports. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote that six of the counts in the rackets hearing indictment must be quashed, including three against Trump. But he left in place 10 others against Trump and says prosecutors can seek a new indictment on the charges he dismissed. The indictment charges Trump and more than a dozen other defendants with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act. This is the first time in any of Trump's four criminal cases that charges have been dismissed, with the judge ruling prosecutors failed to provide enough details about the alleged crime. The ruling is a blow for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. She's facing an attempt to have her removed from the prosecution due to her Romantic relationship with her colleague. I'm Mike Hempen. Geert Wilders says he doesn't have the support of his prospective coalition partners to become the next Dutch prime minister. Wilders took to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday to say "I can only become premier if ALL parties in the coalition support that. That wasn't the case." That [sub...] sets up the likelihood of some sort of technical cabinet made up of experts. Find more online at voanews.com. I'm Joe Ramsey. |