Newsletter Archive

Unable to replace fighters at the rate they’re being lost in battle, Islamic State is beginning to crumble under pressure from Iraqi, Kurdish and Syrian forces backed by U.S.-led coalition air power. But the loss of terrain doesn’t necessarily mean the end of IS as an idea, force and inspiration for some around the world.

The Pentagon has launched a new cyber task force to counter the Islamic State group, and here’s how officials say it’s creating advantages both in cyberspace and on the battlefield.

QUICK TAKE VIDEO: Two would-be child suicide bombers were captured in northern Syria this week. Kurdish military officials say the two boys, aged 10 and 11, were trying to blow themselves up in a residential area.

US mosques are fighting radicalization by teaching young people the dangers of Islamist extremism. Their task includes countering the extremist narrative that America as an anti-Muslim country while affirming there is no contradiction in being both Muslim and American.

After Orlando, Donald Trump appears to have deepened the Republican divide. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee’s divisive rhetoric on Muslims, along with verbal attacks on President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, have reignited talk of denying Trump the nomination at next month’s Republican National Convention.

Running for office is expensive and this presidential election is expected to set spending records by campaigns, political parties and outside interest groups. Wild campaign spending has prompted critics to allege that the dominant corruption in the United States is the shaping and influence of policy to make life easier for the super-rich and corporate class.

Brexit campaigning has been suspended after the killing of Jo Cox, a member of the British Parliament. No motive has been established for the attack, which occurred one week before a referendum to determine whether Britain will leave the European Union. Meanwhile, European Union officials say Britain faces harsh economic repercussions if voters there elect to abandon the 28-member bloc, a move that could leave the EU’s most reluctant member with a hefty price to pay.

Ahmed has spent much of his life trying to become male. In Cairo, VOA visited with the taxi driver who is desperate for the final operation that will fully transform him from a woman to a man, but Egypt has stopped issuing permits for transgender surgeries.

One of South Sudan’s most popular rappers was raised in the United States, but he’s back in his home country using music as an act of political defiance. VOA met up with Lual D’awol in Juba, where his lyrics push the boundaries of free speech in a country where perceived government critics have been jailed, beaten or killed.