Newsletter Archive

‘All roads to the White House go through Florida.’ That popular saying often proves prophetic because the Sunshine State can play a pivotal role in presidential elections. This year is no exception. Florida is a must-win for Donald Trump, who could also be a key factor in House races in the state. Several congressional contests in central Florida — like many across the country — have turned into a referendum on Trump and could impact the makeup of the next Congress.

New York City wants to be the next great American tech powerhouse, while also helping to close the tech gender gap. To achieve that goal, the state is tripling its investment in computer science programs, including ones specifically for women, in hopes the ladies can help power the Big Apple tech boom.

Beauty comes in many colors, but finding the right makeup shade can be a challenge. A Haitian-American chemist is out to change that. Balinda Atis is mixing science with beauty after accepting her boss’s challenge to find the perfect foundations for women of color.

Dump all things Trump? Donald Trump was in Washington, D.C. yesterday to celebrate the official opening of his latest signature hotel. The campaign’s fiery rhetoric has prompted some critics of the Republican presidential candidate to call for a boycott of all Trump products, including shoes and clothing from daughter Ivanka’s eponymous line. All of this makes us wonder what effect running for president is having on the Trump brand.

VIDEO: Boko Haram’s littlest victims are children who have lost both parents in attacks by the terror group. In the northeast Nigerian state of Borno, VOA’s Hausa Service visits a boarding school for these orphans to see how the children are coping.

India’s economy is booming, but laborers are struggling to find jobs. New construction, along with factories that make garments, leather products and other goods for exports, are facing tough times due to the global slowdown. VOA talked to desperate workers in New Dehli, where finding a job is a daunting task.

Iraqis are on the move. They’re fleeing the fighting, abandoning their villages, and returning home to areas formerly controlled by Islamic State. Aid workers are bracing for the one million people who could be displaced by the battle for Mosul. VOA ventures into some of the recaptured villages and towns that remain virtually empty, littered with bombs and booby traps that make it too dangerous for people to return home.

Groundbreaking Zarok TV was a first in Turkey. A children’s channel broadcasting in the Kurdish language, its mix of popular international and homegrown programs was an instant hit. But Zarok TV — and numerous other Kurdish television and radio stations — are now off the air under emergency rules imposed after July’s failed coup attempt. In Turkey, VOA examines whether shuttering the children’s channel is evidence the Turkish government is targeting the Kurdish language, rather than terrorism.