Newsletter Archive

Islamic State continues to gain ground in cyberspace, despite military setbacks in Iraq and Syria. The terror group’s operatives aggressively employ the latest online technologies to spread their chilling propaganda. That’s got U.S. officials in ‘crisis mode’ over one particular threat on American soil.

Is an ‘unconscious bias’ to blame for the shooting deaths of two African-American men at the hands of police? The killings, over the last couple of days, have reignited public furor over the deaths of men of color at the hands of law enforcement. One expert says both the officers and the victims are prisoners of history.

A monument to President Obama is beginning to take shape. The tradition of creating a presidential library — to house important papers and serve as a museum dedicated to the life and service of a particular president— has been around for a long time. But thanks to competition among the former commanders in chief, it’s an increasingly expensive proposition. And you won’t believe how much the Obama Presidential Center could cost.

Yes, America really does have political parties other than the Democrats and Republicans, and one of them is trying to make a serious play for Bernie Sanders supporters. But before it can do that, the Green Party says it has to fight for basic access to voters in a ‘rigged political system’.

If a new structure in Kentucky looks a lot like Noah’s ark, that’s because its builders tried to make an exact replica of the biblical barge, calling it ‘one of the greatest Christian outreaches of this era in history’. Should the religious-themed project have received tax incentives worth $80 million over the next 20 years?

On second thought… Serbia has fought long and hard — 16 years to be exact —to join the European Union but, thanks to Brexit, the 28-member economic and political bloc might be losing some of its luster. VOA went to Belgrave to find out what the people there think now that Britain wants out.

This African Startup Brought to You by Mark Zuckerberg. VOA visited a company in Lagos, Nigeria, where software engineers learn the skills they need to work for companies like IBM and Microsoft. The effort just got a major boost from the Facebook founder and his wife, Priscilla Chan.

Thailand is a popular tourist destination, but what about Laos? VOA traveled to the Southeast Asian nation, which is working hard to draw tourists to its beaches and natural, unspoiled wonders. But it’s fighting some serious competition.