Other tools include facial recognition, app

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.

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

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

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.

The U.S. president sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader to restart talks on Iran’s nuclear program, but Iran refused. Experts think Iran is preparing for war, as shown by its military drills. The U.S. has added new sanctions, and President Donald Trump says military action is still possible, although he hopes for a new deal. Click here for the full story in Kurdish.

The on-again, off-again tariffs between the United States and other countries are again under scrutiny, with the U.S. president not budging. VOA White House Correspondent Carolyn Presutti reports.

All G7 foreign ministers agree with the US proposal of a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war

Urgent conservation efforts are needed

Iran-flagged ship Jairan departs southern China port on Monday with new cargo load, according to analysis of ship-tracking websites

The Russian leader says his forces have trapped the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk

Three revised regulations that dictate everything from the Chinese military’s broad mandate to soldiers’ day-to-day life are slated to take effect on April 1. The revisions have placed an emphasis on the PLA’s combat readiness and wartime conduct, the latter of which appears 49 times. Analysts say the revised regulations show the priority of the PLA’s future reform and its challenges. Click here for the full story in Mandarin.

Reza Valizadeh, a dual-citizen Iranian American journalist imprisoned in Iran, ended his hunger strike after six days on Thursday out of concern for his mother, who went on the hunger strike with him. Valizadeh said family members asked him to end the strike because his mother’s physical and mental condition had severely deteriorated, and he had developed motor impairment and a weakened physical condition. Click here for the full story in Persian.

Haitian armed gangs set fire overnight to Radio Television Caraibes building in downtown Port-au-Prince, not far from the National Palace. RTVC had moved its daily operations to the suburb of Petionville because of a spike in gang violence. However, its downtown office contained equipment and a series of television and radio studios.  Click here for the full story in Creole.

The Republican-majority Senate needs Democratic votes to pass spending measure to avert shutdown

Western politicians have repeatedly called on China to limit or cease tacit support for Russia’s bloody war against Ukraine

The change of system came after years of criticism that conservative voices were being censored or stifled under the guise of fighting misinformation

It topped the previous record $1.047 trillion from October 2020 to February 2021

Several Israeli hostages released from Gaza speak about the hardship they endured during 16 months of captivity by U.S.- designated terror group Hamas. Some credit U.S. President Donald Trump for winning their freedom. Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen.