Newsletter Archive

For VOA’s reporter in Iraq, talking about the U.S. election can be its own kind of minefield. Everyone has an opinion — including those who believe Donald Trump is strong and will destroy all terrorists, or that a vote for Hillary Clinton was a vote for Islamic State. Others give the former secretary of state a thumbs up. Then there are the realists, who admire Trump for being smart enough to win, even if it was by using anti-Muslim rhetoric.

How easy would it be for President-elect Donald Trump to repeal Obamacare? Experts say an outright repeal, or a cutting-and-pasting of the health care elements Trump likes and dislikes, could present complications, including possibly wiping out insurance for 22 million people.

As president, Donald Trump will work closely with leaders of NATO’s top member states, who happen to be women. During the campaign, Trump was accused of having a disrespectful attitude toward women, and there are questions about whether he’ll sustain America’s commitment to defend members of the world’s most powerful alliance. Observers anticipate some awkward moments.

After the fall, comes revenge. The finger pointing has already begun as the territory controlled by the Islamic State shrinks. VOA is in Mosul, where there are fears that people who suffered under the terror group’s control could now go looking for revenge, leading to a bloodbath in Iraq’s second largest city.

When Islamic State captured his town, Abu Yousef’s nightmare began. Once a police officer in the town of Bashiqa, the 30-year-old was jailed, tortured and told he’d be executed. VOA met Abu Yousef at the Khazir refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan, and learned that although the father of four survived, the psychological damage lingers.

The rich are getting richer in China, despite an economic slowdown there. Mainland China now has more billionaires than the United States. Reporting from Beijing, VOA looks at how the increased wealth of a few hundred individuals and families has resulted in massive capital flight.

A famous fat cat is taking on cybersecurity. Garfield, the cartoon character best known for his lazy cynical ways, is teaming up with an online safety group to protect children from online predators.

South Africans can now ‘pass go’ while feeling completely at home. The makers of Monopoly have come out with a modern-day South African version of the iconic board game. Instead of Boardwalk or Park Place, or apartheid-era streets and landmarks, players can snatch up famous landmarks like the Kruger National Game Park and Robben Island, where former president Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.