Voice of America’s immigration news

Employees should get their jobs back, but administration is appealing 

Since Holi is one of India's biggest festivals, millions of people make nostalgic journeys to their hometowns to celebrate with loved ones by lighting bonfires on festival eve

Armenia and Azerbaijan finalized the text of a peace agreement Friday aimed at establishing formal relations that would end decades of conflict. We get insights on the significance with Ben Dubow, Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis. Also, President Donald Trump openly challenged U.S. allies by increasing tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% as he vowed to take back wealth “stolen” by other countries, drawing...

Relations between Russia and China are indeed closer than at any point since the 1950s, but they are shaped more by pragmatism, economic necessity and shared opposition to Western influence than by deep trust or historical affinity.

 Day honors the numbers of the mathematical constant of pi

The families of political prisoners executed in the 1980s held a commemoration ceremony on Friday. The families of the prisoners wrote a letter to Iran’s president saying they considered the "right to mourning" a basic right, but they received no response other than the continued closure of the Khavaran cemetery's doors. Click here for the full story in Persian.

After U.S. President Donald Trump urged Moscow to accept the ceasefire deal agreed to by the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that "the ball is in Russia's court," experts polled by VOA Russian said Vladimir Putin's first reaction was to try to swing matters back to Trump. Click here for the full story in Russian.

The government will shut down at midnight Eastern time if lawmakers do not pass a spending resolution

Researchers say role of West Africa’s oral history should be taken more seriously within global academic record

Armenia and Azerbaijan finalized the text of a peace agreement Friday aimed at establishing formal relations that would end decades of conflict. In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "The United States commends Armenia and Azerbaijan for concluding negotiations on a historic peace treaty. This is an opportunity for both countries to turn the page and move in line with President [Donald] Trump's vision for a more peaceful world. We speak with Ben Dubow, Nonresident Senior...

Iraqi leader announces the death of the IS deputy caliph on social media; Iraqi forces say he was targeted in an airstrike in the Anbar desert

The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration in northern and eastern Syria was the first to reject the constitution, calling it exclusionary

Islamabad blames Afghanistan and India for attack; both countries deny the charge

Release of hostage was condition of US 'bridge' proposal

This week, BlackRock, one of the largest U.S. asset management firms, signed an agreement with CK Hutchison Holdings to acquire 90% of Panama Ports Company, which operates the crucial Balboa and Cristobal ports. The acquisition comes amid U.S. concerns that the Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison could create a strategic foothold for China in the Panama Canal. The deal also addresses some of the U.S.’s strategic anxieties for now, yet the implications extend beyond the Canal’s waters. The agreement...

Uzbekistan "has made significant progress in eliminating widespread state-imposed forced labor," according to the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights. The group is urging the Uzbek government to implement its promised reforms and create an enabling environment for freedom of association and civil society, which play a key role in monitoring and reporting violations and abuses. Click here for the full story in Uzbek.

Former Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani spoke to Mazlum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, to discuss the recent agreement between SDF and the Syrian interim government. Barzani encouraged broader participation from other Syrian Kurdish parties, including the Kurdish National Council in Syria, to strengthen Kurdish representation beyond the SDF alone. Click here for the full story in Kurdish.

Three Kurdish and Lorestan prisoners have been told they may soon have four fingers cut off as punishment for theft. The Iranian court says they must get forgiveness from the people who accused them by next month, or the punishment will go forward. The men have spent nine years in prison. Human rights groups say this kind of punishment is like torture and goes against international laws. Click here for the full story in Kurdish.