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The Pentagon is now releasing details of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s secretive hospitalization: Austin was treated for prostate cancer in late December, according to medical officials at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and made an emergency trip to its intensive care unit on Jan. 1 due to complications from the procedure. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has details.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Violence in Ecuador erupted Tuesday as a group of armed people took over a live TV broadcast, five police officers were kidnapped and explosions were reported nationwide. New information about U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization is released. And using mushrooms to fight wildfires

The White House continues to reject mounting calls for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, sending mixed signals amid President Joe Biden’s efforts to appease some Americans’ calls for a cease-fire. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.

Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Aaron Zelin on how Islamic State terror group staged Jan. 3 suicide bomb attack that was Iran’s worst since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israeli attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner on her plan to sue Iran and North Korea for colluding to arm Hamas terrorists.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

new york — The Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday that a post sent from the agency's account on the social platform X announcing the approval of a long-awaited bitcoin exchange-traded fund was "unauthorized," and that the agency's account was hacked.  The price of bitcoin briefly spiked more than $1,000 after the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, claimed "The SEC grants approval for #Bitcoin ETFs for listing on all registered national securities exchanges." Cryptocurrency investors had already driven bitcoin's price above $46,000 in anticipation of the approval.  An ETF would provide a way to invest in bitcoin without having to buy the cryptocurrency outright on a crypto exchange such as Binance or Coinbase.  But soon after the initial post appeared, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler said on his personal account that the SEC's account was compromised and, "The SEC has not approved the listing and trading of spot bitcoin exchange-traded products." Gensler called the post unauthorized without providing further explanation.  "Welp," wrote Cory Klippsten, CEO of Swan Bitcoin, on X. Like many bitcoin investors, Klippsten had been expecting the agency to approve bitcoin ETFs potentially as soon as this week.  The price of bitcoin swung from about $46,730 to just below $48,000 after the unauthorized post hit, then dropped to around $45,200 after the SEC's denial. It was trading around $46,150 at 6:15 p.m. ET.  It was unclear how the SEC's social media account was hacked. Shortly after Gensler's statement, it appeared that the SEC had gotten control over the account.  Politicians, particularly Republicans who have long expressed frustration at how Gensler operates the SEC, quickly expressed anger at the SEC's lax security controls over its accounts.  "Just like the SEC would demand accountability from a public company if they made a colossal market-moving mistake, Congress needs answers on what just happened," said Senator Bill Hagerty, who sits on the Senate Banking Committee.  This is not the first time there has been false market-moving information about the future of bitcoin on regulated exchanges. A false report in October implied that fund manager BlackRock had gotten approval for bitcoin ETF, causing bitcoin prices to jump sharply.  Elon Musk gutted Twitter's content moderation and security teams after taking over the platform in late 2022. And while internet watchdog groups have complained about a spike in toxic content, including antisemitic and other hate speech on X, many also worry about account integrity.  "The consequences of account takeovers could potentially be significant, and especially during an election year," said Brett Callow, an analyst with the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.  A spokesperson for X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that Israel has agreed to allow the United Nations to conduct an assessment of conditions in northern Gaza, as displaced Palestinian civilians taking refuge in the south of the enclave are begging to return to their homes. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department

kyiv, ukraine — For nearly two years, some of Ukraine's largest broadcasters have worked together under the United TV Marathon.    But as the fight against Russia's full-scale invasion enters its third year, critics are questioning the usefulness and multimillion-dollar budget that goes into the broadcast.    Formed in February 2022, the coalition of six major broadcasters produces 24/7 coverage during the war. Each broadcaster — Suspilne, 1+1, Starlight Media, Media Group Ukraine, Inter Media Group, and the parliamentary Rada TV Channel — airs content for a set number of hours, with prime-time slots rotating between stations.     See related video by Cristina Caicedo Smit: When the Marathon — as the united broadcaster is called — was first announced, Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said the broadcasts were needed to consolidate resources and provide round-the-clock information objectively and promptly from across the country.  But journalists are starting to question whether the Marathon still offers value. Its relevancy was among the questions presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference in late December.     A journalist from Life magazine noted that viewership is low and asked Zelenskyy's press secretary why the state allocates large sums to support it.       The state budget for 2024 allocates more than $45 million for the Marathon, along with the production of TV programming.  The Marathon restricts certain freedoms of journalists, said Iryna Sampan, a freelancer who works with outlets including Hromadske Radio and the Butusov Plus YouTube channel.       "It is possible to work freely and independently, but basically everything rests on the United Marathon," Sampan said. "The journalists themselves are already saying that it is not needed in the second year of the war."     She added that research showed the Marathon is "no longer needed. It has exhausted itself."    But Orest Drymalovsky, a TV presenter at Marathon member Starlight Media, defended the production.    "The Marathon played a very important role at the beginning of the Russian invasion, in the first days when chaos — people are running, lack of information, Russian PSYOPs, a lot of fakes," said Drymalovsky, host of the program "Vikna."     "Broadcasting was not interrupted," he said. "It was not possible to hack our system."  With the war in its second year, "we are doing important things," Drymalovsky said. "We can look at the information and coverage of events at the front. There are certain specifics that we can exhibit so as not to harm our defense force."   'Necessary' at the start Otar Dovzhenko, an expert at the nongovernmental Lviv Media Forum and chair of the Independent Media Council, agrees that in the early months, the Marathon was "relevant and necessary."       At the start of the full invasion, the Marathon "was seen as an effective tool for countering disinformation, a central official source of information that could replace people's less reliable sources," Dovzhenko said.      But "by the summer of 2022, the situation stabilized, and the need for the Marathon disappeared," he said.  Criticism of the broadcasts are less focused on the budget it takes to sustain it, and more that it is now seen as ineffective, Dovzhenko said, adding that some in the media "see it as a tool with which the government tries to influence society."   Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Information Policy did not respond to VOA's request for comment.  Some media outlets are excluded from the Marathon. Neither 5 Kanal nor Priamyi, which are associated with former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, nor the opposition Espreso TV channel, are part of the Marathon.    Ukraine also took steps to close or sanction outlets with Russian affiliations.    In 2021, Zelenskyy signed a decree sanctioning ZIK, NewsOne and 112 Ukraine — three television stations believed to be affiliated with pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk.    Olha Bereziuk, a journalist at the English-language news website Gordon, said she believes the closure of media from Medvedchuk's circle "is a step that provides security and protects the information space."   But, she said, "There are doubts about the control of the opposition media, in particular from Poroshenko's circle. I don't know if they will be represented and in what quantity. But it is felt that they need to allocate a little more airtime, and the Marathon itself is a little questionable about its existence, its purpose and its financing."    In a study published in August by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, half of the respondents said they did not watch the Marathon, and only 13% said they watched regularly. Of those who did watch, only 14% said they had complete trust in the information.    

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

state department — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on his latest mission to contain the Gaza war, said displaced Palestinians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow, and Israel has agreed to allow a United Nations mission to evaluate the situation in war-ravaged northern Gaza. "As Israel's campaign moves to a lower intensity phase in northern Gaza and as the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] scales down its forces there, we agreed today on a plan for the U.N. to carry out an assessment mission,” Blinken told reporters during a Tuesday news conference in Tel Aviv. “It will determine what needs to be done to allow displaced Palestinians to return safely to homes in the north. The top diplomat also urged Israeli leaders to prevent further harm to Palestinian civilians. "The daily toll on civilians in Gaza, particularly on children, is far too high," he said. International Court of Justice hearings Later this week, the International Court of Justice will conduct hearings on a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and seeking an emergency suspension of its military campaign. The United States believes the case is meritless and that it distracts from Israel's efforts to fight threats from Hamas militants and other Iran proxies, including Hezbollah and the Houthis, according to Blinken. "We want this war to end as soon as possible," he said. "But it's vital that Israel achieves its very legitimate objectives of ensuring that October 7 can never happened again." Israeli President Isaac Herzog has rejected the genocide charge filed at the International Court of Justice, calling the accusation "atrocious and preposterous." Gaza's future On Tuesday, Blinken held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Herzog, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, and other senior officials from Israel's war Cabinet in Tel Aviv. "The Secretary and Prime Minister discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages and the importance of increasing the level of humanitarian assistance reaching civilians in Gaza," according to a statement from the State Department. "In this regard, the Secretary welcomed the appointment of Sigrid Kaag as the UN's Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, pledging close cooperation with her in this new capacity," the statement added. Blinken has stressed the potential for Israel to win acceptance from Arab neighbors by seeking a path toward establishing a Palestinian state as a means to resolve the longstanding conflict. Netanyahu has firmly rejected the two-state solution. The West Bank and Gaza should be united under a Palestinian-led governance that Hamas militants play no role in, according to the postwar roadmap envisioned by Washington. But some analysts are skeptical and play down the prospect. "I don't see how the Palestinian Authority will go back into Gaza and assume any kind of meaningful control over what is left of Gaza. They're having a very hard time maintaining control, even in the West Bank," Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told VOA on Tuesday. Blinken also met on Tuesday with the families of some of the hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza. And he relayed to Israeli leaders some of what he heard from other leaders in the region during stops in Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Gaza health officials say more than 23,000 Palestinians, a large percentage of them women and children, have been killed in Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip. In a statement following talks with Blinken on Monday, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman underscored the importance of halting military operations in the Gaza Strip and the need to create conditions for restoring peace and stability. When asked about U.S.-led talks to normalize the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Blinken said there is "a clear interest" in Saudi Arabia, as well as in the region, in pursuing that goal but that "it will require that the conflict end in Gaza, and it will also clearly require that there be a practical pathway to a Palestinian state." Saudi Arabia has paused the diplomatic talks to normalize ties with Israel amid the military conflict between Hamas militants and Israeli forces. Escalation in no one's interest After an Israeli airstrike killed a key Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon on Monday — the latest sign of a possibly widening conflict in the Middle East — Blinken told reporters it is clearly not in the interest of Israel, Lebanon or Hezbollah to see an escalation outside Gaza. Hezbollah has identified the commander as Wissam al-Tawil. Last week, senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a drone strike in Beirut. Hamas and Hezbollah are both U.S. designated terrorist organizations, and both are backed by Iran, whose militant allies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have been carrying out longer-range attacks against Israel. The United States has urged Israel to shift to smaller-scale military operations in Gaza but has continued to support Israel in refusing Arab demands for a cease-fire in the three-month war. Israel has vowed to continue the war until it believes the threat of Hamas attacks has been eradicated and the militant group no longer controls Gaza, a narrow strip of territory along the Mediterranean Sea. Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on October 7. Israel said about 1,200 people were killed and about 240 captives taken in the terror attack. Cindy Saine contributed to this report. Some material for this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the country’s ability to engage with Russia militarily has depended on Western support. With some of that aid now in limbo or drying up, this year could be especially difficult for Kyiv. VOA’s Andriy Borys spoke with military and diplomatic analysts about where the war stands, and where it could be headed. Anna Rice narrates the story.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

washington — A group of armed men stormed a public television station in Ecuador during a live broadcast Tuesday and threatened staff. At least one person is believed to have been injured, according to one regional media analyst. The attack on TC Television network in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, was captured by the station's own broadcast before the live feed was cut about 15 minutes into the raid. At around 2 p.m. local time, masked individuals broke into the headquarters, yelling that they had bombs. Sounds that appeared to be gunshots could be heard and footage circulated on social media showing journalists crouched on the studio floor. The raid comes one day after President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency amid the kidnappings of at least seven police officers by gang members and a prison break by a gang leader. Adolfo Macias, who heads a gang known as Los Choneros, disappeared on Sunday from a maximum-security prison. In the TC Television case, police were deployed to the studio and made around a dozen arrests, according to the news outlet Teleamazonas. At least two suspects are believed to have fled, the media group said. Footage shared on social media by the police showed several suspects cuffed and face down on the studio floor. Cesar Ricaurte, executive director of the press freedom group Fundamedios, told VOA that at least one person is believed to be seriously injured. While the footage feed of the station was cut early into the raid, audio could still be heard. "You could hear the audio .... of gunshots, shouts from the workers. After about 30 minutes, members of the police and the armed forces entered and tried to take control of the channel," Ricaurte said. Journalists urged to take safety steps Earlier Tuesday, Ecuadorian authorities confirmed that a series of attacks had occurred around the country, including explosions and the kidnapping of several police officers. Ricaurte told VOA there had been requests to reinforce security of media groups but added that he did not know of any "explicit and concrete threat." Fundamedios on social media condemned the raid and called for the country's journalists to take safety measures. Media should try "not to expose themselves unnecessarily, and to act in the most responsible way in the dissemination of information regarding the critical security situation in our country," a statement by the group on X said. Some information in this report came from Reuters and the Associated Press.

new york — The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations said Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority could seek full United Nations membership this year. “This is an investment in peace and an investment in saving the two-state solution,” Ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters at the United Nations. In November 2012, the U.N. General Assembly voted to upgrade the Palestinians’ status to that of a nonmember observer state, allowing its envoy to participate in debates and U.N. organizations but without a vote. The Palestine Liberation Organization was recognized as an observer entity in 1974. Mansour said the Palestinian Authority, with the backing of Arab states, would start mobilizing support to go to the U.N. Security Council, which holds the key to membership because it must back a request before it can go to the General Assembly for a final decision. That means at least nine council members must vote in favor of the move, and none of the permanent five members can veto it. The United States is a permanent council member and has overwhelmingly used its veto over the decades to block actions that would negatively impact Israel or that Israel does not support. Washington’s longstanding policy has been that final status issues must be resolved through direct negotiations between the parties in order to reach a two-state solution. In 2012, when the Palestinians’ status was upgraded in the General Assembly, the U.S. was one of only nine countries, including Israel, and the only permanent council member that voted against it. “The obstacle is in the Security Council,” Mansour acknowledged. “We need to find a solution to that obstacle and to remove it from the path so that the State of Palestine assumes its rightful place as member state of the United Nations.” Mansour said Arab foreign ministers will meet in mid-March, which could be an important moment in deciding when they would move toward the Security Council. He noted that the U.S. is in an election year, which would also play a role in timing. “Maybe things need to be done before May, before we go into full swing of elections,” he said of the U.S. presidential race. But as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its fourth month, Mansour said the top priority remains achieving a cease-fire. “If you want peace, start with a cease-fire. Cease-fire. Cease-fire. And cease-fire, now,” he said at a related meeting in the General Assembly, holding up a small sign with the words. At the same meeting, Israel’s envoy said a cease-fire would only help keep Hamas in power in the Gaza Strip, which it has ruled since 2007. “A cease-fire is a victory for Hamas. Nothing more,” said Ambassador Gilad Erdan. “It is an opportunity for Hamas to rearm, regroup and recommit as they declare the atrocities of October 7 a greenlight for Hamas to continue their reign of terror in Gaza.” He lashed out at the United Nations, saying it does not care about Israeli victims of Hamas, only the Palestinians in Gaza. The U.S.-designated terror group triggered the war with Israel when its fighters infiltrated southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 240 others hostage. About 100 hostages have since been freed. “To the U.N., Israeli victims are probably not victims,” Erdan said. “The U.N. has become another tool of war in the arsenal of terrorists, and every single U.N. agency and body has been weaponized against Israel.” Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Guterres is “obsessed” with protecting all civilians caught in the conflict. “He has been calling for the protections of all civilians from the beginning,” Dujarric said. “He has been calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages. And as you know, he met with families, and he has been doing whatever he can to facilitate their return. I think our work on behalf of civilians in Gaza is also fairly transparent to all.” The situation in Gaza is dire. The Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 60,000 injured. The United Nations says 1.9 million people have been displaced, hunger is severe, and disease is on the rise. On Tuesday, the U.N. department of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) said that since January 1, its partners have requested 20 aid convoys for clearance to move in Gaza. Fifteen were denied, and two were unable to proceed because of delays or routes that were impassable. When VOA asked who denied the requests, Dujarric said it was the Israeli authorities. OCHA said three convoys went to northern Gaza but with modifications to the plans, which impacted their operations. The U.N. Security Council is due to discuss the situation in Gaza on Friday in an open meeting. On January 23, the council will also hold a ministerial-level meeting on the crisis. Several Arab and Muslim foreign ministers are expected to fly in for the session as they press for a cease-fire, more humanitarian aid to Gaza and an end to the forced displacement of nearly 2 million Palestinians.

London — China's arrest of a man allegedly working as a spy for Britain could be retaliation, analysts say.   The case, which was announced on Monday by China's Ministry of State Security, comes amid growing and vocal concern in Britain over Beijing and the security threat the communist country poses. It also follows last year's arrest of a British parliamentary researcher on suspicion of spying for China.  According to a post Monday on the ministry's official WeChat social media account, Britain's MI6 intelligence agency recruited a man surnamed Huang in 2015, who has since then passed 17 pieces of intelligence to and recruited personnel for the agency using spy equipment provided by the British government.  Chinese authorities did not reveal Huang's nationality or gender but said the alleged spy was from an unspecified "third country" and underwent recruitment and training in Britain and other locations. They also said the individual was working under the guise of being an overseas consultant. The ministry did not provide evidence to support the claims nor disclose Huang's current condition or whereabouts. But it did say that state security "promptly reported and arranged consular visits, protecting Huang's lawful rights in accordance with the law." When contacted by VOA, Britain's Foreign Office on Tuesday replied: "It is our longstanding policy to neither confirm nor deny claims relating to intelligence matters." Peter Humphrey, a former journalist who later worked for more than a decade as a fraud investigator for Western firms in China, said the case looks like "a complete joke." "Firstly, I think this is the continuation of Beijing's attack on Western consultancies. Secondly, I think Beijing is trying to find a case to throw back at us because we have caught them doing things in the U.K., America, Belgium, etc.," Humphrey told VOA in a telephone interview. "Beijing is desperately looking for a case to throw back at us." The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday said a Chinese American U.S. Navy service member was sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay a $5,500 fine after pleading guilty in October to taking bribes to give sensitive military information to a Chinese intelligence officer. Britain has accused Chinese spies of targeting officials in key ministries, while China has unveiled multiple cases accusing foreign citizens, including British and Americans, of espionage. In September, The Times newspaper reported that Britain's intelligence agency arrested British parliamentary researcher Chris Cash on suspicion of spying for China. Cash has close ties to Minister of Parliament Alicia Kearns, the current chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Tom Tugendhat, the former defense secretary and security minister. Another policy researcher working in the British Parliament, who asked to remain anonymous in an interview with VOA because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue, said the level of security at parliament has changed since Cash was arrested.  "Within about a month, they changed their entire security protocols. And so now the application process is completely different," the researcher said, adding that the golden age of British-China relations is dead.  Benedict Rogers, co-founder and chair of the Britain-based rights group Hong Kong Watch, told VOA the accusations made by China not only worsen Sino-British relations but also significantly impact foreign citizens and companies operating in China.  "Whether there is any truth in China's allegations or whether it is a tit-for-tat retaliation in response to allegations of Chinese espionage activities in Westminster remains to be seen, but either way, this incident contributes to a more risky and dangerous environment for British citizens doing business in or traveling to China," he said.  David Moore, a policy researcher at the British Parliament, said Britain shouldn't fear retaliation from the Chinese government. "About time we need to crack down on Chinese espionage, whether it be trying to infiltrate our institutions or on our streets with Chinese police stations that have been operating across the Western world," he told VOA referring to alleged policing by Chinese security forces in foreign countries including the U.S.  In a speech in July at the British Embassy in Prague, the head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service said China was their single most important strategic focus. "We now devote more resources to China than anywhere else, reflecting China's increasing global significance." VOA reached out to the Chinese Embassy in London for comment, but by the time of publication, no response had been received.  Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.