Newsletter Archive

The victims of acid attacks in India are celebrating their re-emergence into the social mainstream after years of hiding their scarred faces from the public. VOA is in Agra for a firsthand look at the profound impact of the Sheroes Hangout, a cafe specifically designed to bring acid attack survivors out of isolation while creating awareness of these girls and women who vanished from public view.

Candidate Donald Trump talked tough on immigration. He called for a wall along the United States southern border with Mexico, the removal of 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, and blocking all Muslim immigrants. However, as president-elect, Mr. Trump is softening some of his immigration stances.

College classrooms are known to be forums for open debate and free expression. Professors have their own political opinions. Some keep their feelings to themselves, while others express them both in and outside the classroom. Now a conservative-leaning website is targeting professors who are believed to support ‘extremist’ ideas.

Iraqi villagers were terrified when Shia militias came to liberate them from Islamic State.  That’s because the terror group had told the tiny Sunni Muslim community that the militias — which work with Iraqi forces — rape and murder Sunnis in the IS-held territories they capture. VOA visits the village of Bashmana to learn what really happened when the militias arrived.

Turkey’s ruling party wants to replace the country’s nearly century-long parliamentary rule with a powerful executive presidency. VOA is in Istanbul, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has pushed for the sweeping reforms, would essentially control Turkey’s central bank. Is this centralization of power the first step toward a dictatorship?

Thailand’s decision to amend its computer crime laws isn’t going over well with critics who say the move is a setback for free speech. The amendments impose hefty fines and jail sentences in cases related to national security, defamation and online fraud, with jail terms of up to five years. VOA reports from Bangkok as opponents respond with protests and cyber-attacks on government websites.