Voice of America’s immigration news

Samuel Bateman, whose small group was an offshoot of the sect once led by Warren Jeffs, had pleaded guilty to a yearslong scheme to transport girls across state lines for his sex crimes, and later to kidnap some of them from protective custody

Biden campaigned for the White House as an opponent of the death penalty and the Justice Department issued a moratorium on its use at the federal level after he became president

A multifaceted look at Syria, the day after Bashar Assad fled to Russia. Rebels are celebrating in Damascus; politicians are eager in Istanbul, and the U.S. readies for many possibilities. In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks of diplomacy, and BRICS countries are thinking about a new currency to replace the dollar. Plus, it’s the end of an era for Taylor Swift.

The fall of Damascus has raised concerns about what’s next for U.S. troops based in the war-torn country, who have been working with allies to keep Islamic State from resurging. VOA’s Carla Babb has more from the Pentagon.

Ghost guns have increasingly turned up at crime scenes around the U.S. in recent years

President Joe Biden is making last-ditch efforts to appoint more federal judges before he leaves the White House. But where does he stand on appointments compared to President-elect Donald Trump?

washington — U.S. diplomats and military officials have intensified their outreach to groups vying to chart a new course for Syria, as well as to Syria’s neighbors, in an effort to ensure the fall of the regime of former President Bashar Assad does not give way to a more unstable and dangerous future. A number of key meetings took place Monday in Jordan, where senior U.S. diplomatic officials held consultations with their Jordanian counterparts following similar meetings a day earlier in...

Nevada official concludes that Murdoch and son Lachlan acted in 'bad faith' in their effort to amend irrevocable trust, New York Times reports, citing sealed document 

Elderly people were targeted by a gang leader who suspected his child had been made ill using witchcraft

Throngs of Syrian refugees express joy at Assad’s downfall

Eswatini's sugar industry depends heavily on a terminal at the port of Maputo to export its raw sugar to the European Union and the United States

Capture of last army outpost in strategic western town of Maungdaw by Arakan Army makes group’s control of northern part of Rakhine state complete, marks another advance in its bid for self-rule there

Ukraine reports destroying 18 Russian drones

Analysts say young people’s ongoing struggle to secure stable, full-time jobs is forcing them to diversify their work patterns

Since winning the election, President-elect Donald Trump has begun a complex transition process involving a carefully selected team to ensure an orderly handover. Members of this group are tasked with assisting in making key appointments, identifying candidates for top Cabinet and federal agency positions and defining public policy priorities. See the full story here.

Following the overthrow Sunday of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Israel has seized control of a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights and attacked weapons factories near Damascus. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem.

The Biden administration is shoring up its CHIPS Act funding agreements before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. Trump has previously disparaged the CHIPS Act and called for higher tariffs instead of subsidies to incentivize companies to build semiconductor factories. What would be the future of TSMC under the Trump administration? See the full story here.

Damascus stirred back to life on Monday at the start of a hopeful but uncertain era after rebels seized the capital and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, following 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family's brutal rule. Tens of thousands of people held in Syria's notorious prisons have been freed. We talk with Sirwan Kajjo from VOA’s Kurdish Service.