Voice of America’s immigration news

These incidents include the abduction and assassination of dissidents in various countries worldwide

VOA Russian spoke to OVD-Info, Russia's most trusted watchdog dealing with political arrests and trials. It said 620 people were persecuted in Russia on political grounds in 2024, with court cases involving terrorism charges rising sharply. Journalists became the most persecuted part of the society in the past year, while numerous arrests of LGBTQ+ people formed a worrying trend in 2024. Click here for the full story in Russian. 

Support for Russia's war against Ukraine among Russian society remains consistently high at 60–70%, according to a study

This is Xi Jinping's third visit to Macau as president of the People's Republic of China

A worker at a voting center in Venezuela disguises her identity because after the election, her children were arrested. "I think it was like revenge against me, because I am the political one of the house," she said. Click here for the full story in Spanish.

Analysts say new government’s characterization of China as a challenge and some recent events make it hard for Vilnius to fundamentally recalibrate relations with Beijing

Senate must now pass the bill, and President Biden must sign it

Rostislav Panev was arrested in Israel in August and awaits extradition to US, Justice Department says

Already targeted by military junta accused of genocide, they are now enduring forced recruitment of their young men to fight Arakan Army

After Donald Trump reaffirmed his intention to carry out mass deportations, there is concern in shelters in the border areas in Mexico about the large number of deported immigrants they could receive.  Click here for the full video in Spanish. 

Iranian American journalist and former Radio Farda reporter Reza Valizadeh remains confined in the quarantine ward of Evin Prison, unable to have in-person visits with his family.  Click here for the full story in Persian. 

JetBlue Airlines, which used to connect Haiti with Florida and New York, has not resumed its activities in Haiti because of the unrest there.  "Due to the unrest in Haiti, we have made the decision to suspend all flights to the country until April 30," Selma Garcia, a spokesperson for JetBlue Airlines, said.  Click here for the full story in Creole.

Igor Kirillov had overseen the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine and regularly spread disinformation about the West developing bioweapons prior to being killed on Dec. 17.

Authorities suspect the incident was an attack

Donald Trump seemed poised to inherit a relatively strong economy when he begins a second term in the White House in January. Then the Federal Reserve signaled that it would have fewer than expected interest rate cuts next year, sending the stock market tumbling, and Trump added to the uncertainty by blowing up a spending bill. But how much can the government actually control with short term measures? We talk to Larry Kotikoff, a professor of economics at Boston University.

Thirteen states have reported high or very high levels of flu-like illness last week, about double from the week before

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathered to discuss the Five-Point Consensus the bloc agreed to in April 2021, two months after Myanmar’s military seized power

Ankara seeks to isolate Kurds who have long fought alongside US troops

Analysis shows that China is burdening poor African countries with debt while taking collateral in the form of natural resources. Through ''debt trap diplomacy,'' China has become the single largest shareholder of African resources and infrastructure.