Voice of America’s immigration news

Rubio: Trump administration determined to end Russia-Ukraine war ‘as soon as possible’ 

Duterte was arrested after arriving from Hong Kong and police took him into custody

Hard-liners in Israel have welcomed President Donald Trump’s plan for the future of Gaza, which calls for many of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians to leave the enclave. They say encouraging emigration does not violate international law. Palestinians have rejected the plan.

Major stock markets lost value on Monday after President Donald Trump declines to rule out a recession. This as threats of trade wars with allies appear imminent. Russia makes further military advances in Kursk, as U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators meet in Saudi Arabia. Syria’s interim president speaks out against sectarian violence. Plus, an introduction to the next prime minister of Canada.

Theft of coffee has been reported in producing countries such as Brazil and Vietnam, usually in farms where the beans are temporarily stored after the harvest. In the US, coffee is stolen by gangs posing as transportation companies

Mahmoud Khalil was arrested Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents

Operation Restoration has more than a dozen programs including providing housing, work training, education, food, clothing, and legal advocacy

Some of the department's responsibilities include reporting the US unemployment rate, regulating workplace health and safety standards, investigating minimum wage, child labor and overtime pay disputes, and applying laws on union organizing and unlawful terminations

One of the oldest traditions of Ramadan is waking people up with the sound of drums before the pre-dawn meal. Although this custom has faded over the years, in Mosul, a young man is working to revive it by volunteering to walk through neighborhoods and waking residents each morning with his drum. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. 

In an effort to gain international recognition for their cases as genocide, the relatives of the Anfal victims, Kakais, Halabja chemical attack survivors, and Yezidis are joining forces. The collaboration, led by Yezidi activist and human rights advocate Mirza Danaei, who received the 2019 Aurora Humanitarian Award, seeks to overcome the deep-rooted religious and ethnic divisions that have historically kept these Kurdish communities apart. Click here for the full story in Kurdish.

An indiscriminate shooting by security forces in Tehran resulted in the death of a young man, according to a human rights group. The Human Rights Activists in Iran said the man, who was allegedly suspected of carrying smuggled goods, was shot by officers while passing through a street. Click here for the full story in Persian.

The Central Asia Program at George Washington University recently had a special exhibition for Central Asian women and art during the International Women's Day celebrations. Carpets and other items woven by Afghan women at home sell well in U.S. markets, businesspeople who spoke to VOA said. One vendor said online sales aren’t bad. Click here for the full story in Uzbek.

As the Iranian Rial continues to depreciate, livelihood protests erupted across Iran on Monday. Telecommunication retirees, nurses, oil industry workers, and a number of recruitment applicants in public sector staged demonstrations, voicing their economic grievances. The surge in protests comes as the Rial hits a new low, following Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks against negotiations with the United States. Click here for the full story in Persian.  

U.S. President Donald Trump, in a speech last week, vowed to take “historic action” to “dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths.” The latest announcement came as the Democratic Republic of Congo approached the United States to strike a Ukraine-like minerals deal. Experts say the U.S .could offer a viable alternative to the DRC and check China’s influence while ensuring access to critical minerals for Washington. But they caution that a mineral agreement is also...

Russian documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky produces Artdocfest, an annual film festival that showcases documentary features from independent film directors. He says most documentary films reflect the negative impact of the war in Ukraine, from resettling Ukrainian refugees to daily struggles of Russians who fled the war and try to set up their life anew in other countries. Click here for the full story in Russian. 

During China's Two Sessions, Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan. On Sunday, a People’s Liberation Army delegate warned that “Taiwan independence is a dead end,” and Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s claim that “Taiwan's only designation at the UN is China’s Taiwan Province” was echoed by several Taiwanese celebrities on Weibo. In response, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council took an unusually tough stance, condemning these celebrities and vowing to investigate them under relevant...

The two ships were still ablaze 12 hours after the collision, British coast guards said

Flack's intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after

U.S. had pledged $17.5 million when fund was agreed upon in 2022