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It is 00:30 universal time, now the news in VOA Special English. I'm Christopher Cruise reporting from the VOA news center in Washington.
The United States Senate has approved a nuclear arms control agreement with Russia. The agreement further limits the number of nuclear weapons held by Russia and the United States. It also establishes a joint system for confirming that each country honors the agreement. President Obama had said approval of this Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was a top national security goal. The START agreement needed 67 votes for approval. It received 71. The agreement must still be approved by Russian lawmakers before it goes into effect. They are expected to vote on it by the end of this week.
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