Newsletter Archive

Games played by children of war are different than typical kids’ games. More than two years under Islamic State rule has changed everything for Mosul residents, including the activities their children engage in to pass the time. Some youngsters pretend they have an all-important paper that gives them access to government food and clothing. Others, instead of playing ‘Cops and Robbers,’ pit villainous IS fighters against heroic Iraqi soldiers.

Syrian rebels vow to fight on even as they lose their grip on Aleppo, the country’s second largest city. Their commanders say they’ll continue a guerrilla war of hit-and-run attacks and bombings against President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia. They vow the loss of Aleppo is not the beginning of the end of the five-year-old rebellion.

Donald Trump’s foreign business interests extend from the Dominican Republic, to India, Indonesia and beyond. While the president-elect says he’ll leave the running of his businesses to three of his adult children, the situation could still be complicated. For example, America’s next president has significant business interests in China, which has some people questioning whether Trump the businessman, or President Trump, will negotiate trade deals with China.

INTERACTIVE: Check out this graphic to get a sense of how vast President-elect Donald Trump’s worldwide real estate empire really is.

VIDEO: More than half of the startups in Silicon Valley are founded by immigrants. Two men from Pakistan have made it big in the tech capital of the world; one runs his own business, while the other is a venture capitalist and investor. Both credit Silicon Valley’s unique culture for providing a platform where immigrants can turn their dreams into reality.

Fidel Castro leaves a complicated legacy in Africa. Many remember the former Cuban leader as a key ally of African independence movements, and as a generous man who provided doctors and teachers to poor societies. While not everyone in Africa has positive feelings about Castro, most agree he had a deep, lasting impact on the continent as Africa shook off the yoke of colonialism.

A funeral was held today for the 18-year-old who drove into a crowd and stabbed several bystanders at Ohio State University this week. VOA’s Somali Service spoke with the Islamic cleric who conducted the ritual cleansing of Abdurazak Ali Artan’s body before the burial.

While the rate of HIV infections in Europe shrinks, the number of Russians infected with HIV grows annually by 10 percent. Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova this month said the spread of HIV has become critical in 10 Russian regions. Critics say the country’s focus on moral arguments for abstinence, instead of education and services, makes for a weak and ineffective HIV policy.