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Before a congressional committee Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson defended his city’s status as a “sanctuary city” — a jurisdiction that guides local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more.

Exiled Russian analysts say Moscow is reframing Europe as its primary adversary with long-held certainties about US military support now in doubt 

US leader says his tariffs might cause 'a little disturbance' for consumers, businesses

As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, it must now deal with clearing landmines across more than an estimated one-quarter of its surface. From Kyiv, Lesia Bakalets reports on the challenges Ukraine faces removing the mines and finding the resources to do it. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianets.

Customs officials at the Port of Haina in the Dominican Republic seized a weapons cache hidden in a container bound for Haiti. Items seized included Glock pistols, automatic rifles and bullets. Officials say the weapons were shipped from Miami and were detected using x-ray technology. Click here for the full story in Creole.

An attorney for Iranian musician and singer Mehdi Yarrahi said that the dissident artist's sentence of 74 lashes was carried out at the Tehran Morality Security Prosecutor's Office, officially closing his case. In September 2023, Yarrahi was arrested at his home by intelligence agents for performing the protest song "Rosarito" (Take Off Your Scarf). Click here for the full story in Persian.

President Donald Trump delivered a major speech Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress. He said, "America is back" and listed the measures and achievements he had made in the first six weeks of his second term. Trump's speech mainly focused on U.S. domestic issues, but many of the topics he spoke about were closely related to China. Click here for the full story in Mandarin.

Ukraine's armed forces have spent three years learning how to wage a modern drone war. And the country's top drone commander says it's a kind of combat the armies of NATO are not yet prepared to fight and need to be. We talk to Stephen Biddle Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Defense Policy, Council on Foreign Relations.

The move came one day after the US General Services Administration posted a list of 443 properties it said it might sell

Kazakhstan is cooperating with the United States on ensuring nuclear and biological security. As part of this cooperation, a laboratory for studying extremely dangerous infections has been built in Kazakhstan. This center is mainly engaged in medical and biological research. However, the Russian press continues to spread disinformation about the research.  Click here for the full story in Uzbek. 

Russians are carefully watching U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for an end to the war in Ukraine after his heated encounter last week with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates our report from Moscow.

The former head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Strategic Research Center warns that while most Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters are likely to disarm if a peace agreement with Turkey comes to fruition, some may break away and continue the group's armed struggle. He also emphasized that while Kurds generally support the agreement, no single leader, including jailed PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan, represents all Kurds, as they remain divided by international borders. Click here...

US president has signaled he has no intention of pushing Israel's prime minister away from return to combat if Hamas doesn't agree to terms of new ceasefire proposal

The US agriculture department is ordered to reinstate fired probationary employees for 45 days while a challenge to their terminations plays out

The Somali region’s leaders vow to keep pressure on the IS hub, which is seen as a key spoke in the Islamic State network

Mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City, all Democrats, say restricting local officials in helping enforce federal immigration regulations make all their residents safer

U.S. oil company Chevron will have until April 3 to cease operations in Venezuela, according to the most recent license published by the U.S. Treasury Department, days after President Donald Trump announced his decision to reverse concessions to Venezuelan oil. Click here for the full story in Spanish.

The Mexican government says it will not remain passive in response to the 25% tariffs that the United States has begun to impose on Mexico and Canada.  Click here for the full story in Spanish. 

Although Trump's speech to Congress looked like a State of the Union address, it really wasn't. Why was this year different and what does the law say about it? Click here for the full story in Spanish.