Newsletter Archive

Too embarrassed to admit you’re voting for Donald Trump? Many Trump supporters don’t trust polls or pollsters, but others might shy away from identifying themselves because they think Trump voters have a bad reputation. These voters might not want to be lumped in with what Hillary Clinton dubbed ‘a basket of deplorables,’ but the Trump campaign is banking on a silent majority to make itself heard on election day.

‘Most disdained’ religious minority: Last year, anti-Muslim crime in the United States surged to its highest levels since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Muslims might be the most despised religious minority in the country right now, but there’s an ethnic group that has it even worse.

QUICK TAKE VIDEO: Republicans are elephants; Democrats are donkeys. Not literally, of course, but those animals are the political mascots of America’s two major political parties. Both symbols have been around since the 19th century, and we wondered how and why these two famous party animals first emerged on the political scene.

Taiwan wants Google to blur satellite images of its chief islet in the disputed South China Sea. Google Earth shows a clear view of the area in question, including an airstrip, pier and three small clusters of buildings. Google tells VOA that it takes these kinds of requests very seriously, but here’s the catch…

An election approaches; the internet goes dark. That scenario is cropping up more and more in many African nations. Gabon is the latest country to censor the internet during a closely contested election, but other countries, including Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Chad, Mali, Zimbabwe and the Republic of Congo, have used the tactic. Critics say the blockages are intended to prevent opposition members from using the internet as a means of mobilizing supporters.

Even though India outlawed caste discrimination 65 years ago, change has been slow to come. Born into a family of pig farmers, Chandra Bhan Prasad has first-hand experience with the age-old prejudice of upper caste Hindus virtually shunning those from lower castes, people known as Dalits. He hopes to change that with the launch of an online food business, because he believes the path to social justice might just be through people’s stomachs.

Refugee romance:  Even after their lives have fallen apart, some refugees find time for love. Cameroon is home to 300,000 refugees from the Central African Republic, and the Cameroonian government, along with the U.N. refugee agency, is helping the refugees’ romantic dreams come true by hosting group weddings and covering the cost.