From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting.

A Syrian cease-fire brokered by the U.S. and Russia appeared to be generally holding.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the top diplomats from both countries talked Wednesday.

"I think there was agreement between the two of them that as a whole, despite sporadic reports of violence, as a whole, the arrangement is holding."

A distribution to besieged towns and areas remained mostly on hold Wednesday.

President Obama has set a goal of admitting 110,000 refugees into the United States during the 2017 fiscal year. That number is about 10,000 more than his original goal and about 30 percent higher than this year.

Media reports say Secretary of State John Kerry announced the new resettlement goal during a closed session with members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees Tuesday.

President Obama has announced that the United States is prepared to lift economic sanctions on Myanmar following talks at the White House with the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

"There is a broader process of transformation, reconciliation and hope that has emerged in a country that for decades was burdened by a military dictatorship and closed off from the world." :President Obama.

European football's governing body elected Slovenian soccer head Aleksander Ceferin as its new president in an overwhelming 42-13 vote Wednesday. Ceferin will take over UEFA from disgraced former President Michel Platini.

This is VOA news.

The president of the European Commission has called for a European headquarters for a common EU military force. Jean-Claude Juncker made the call in his annual state of the union speech. He said Europe's "soft' power" was no longer sufficient to meet the challenges of the modern world.

The state of New York has opened an investigation into the family foundation of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The investigation follows published reports that he has not donated any money to the charity since 2008 and that he once used the foundation's money to buy a life-sized portrait of himself.

On another topic, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's doctor says she is "recovering well" from pneumonia and remains "fit to serve as president of the United States."

In a letter released Wednesday by the Clinton campaign, her doctor, Lisa Bardack, said the Democratic contender underwent a chest exam that revealed she had "mild, non-contagious bacterial pneumonia."

Clinton plans to resume campaigning on Thursday.

Republican Trump, meanwhile, plans to release medical information about himself Thursday during an appearance on the Dr. Mehmet Oz program.

The United States and Israel signed a landmark 10-year military assistance agreement Wednesday.

The memorandum of understanding promises to provide Israel with a record $38 billion from 2019 through 2028.

White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice underscored what she called the "ironclad bond" between the United States and Israel at a signing ceremony at the State Department.

"This marks a significant increase over our existing funding, and it will ensure that Israel has the support it needs to defend itself, by itself, and to preserve its qualitative military edge." :Susan Rice.

Israeli elder statesman Shimon Peres is in "serious but stable" condition after suffering a major stroke Tuesday.

Yitzhak Kreiss is the director of the Sheba Medical Center: "I can say that he is still in a critical condition, stable, but we can see some improvement."

Peres is 93 years old and despite suffering a mild heart attack in January, he has been quite active in public life.

Brazil's former president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has been charged with money laundering and corruption.

Federal investigators announced the charges Wednesday in connection with the investigation of corruption at the state-run oil company, Petrobras.

The former president, his wife and several others are accused of benefiting from upgrades to a beach front property made by a construction firm connected to the Petrobras kickback scandal.

Lula denies the charges.

In Washington, I'm David DeForest.

That's the latest world news from VOA.