Newsletter Archive

This Saturday, President Donald Trump marks his first 100 days in office — a measure of success and failure that’s been applied to presidents since Franklin Roosevelt took office in 1933. The 100-day mark is also meaningful for Democrats dealing with a riled-up political base that’s demanding they oppose the president at every turn. This energy on the Democratic side could be problematic for Trump, who will likely need the Democrats’ help to avoid a budget crisis and possible government shutdown.

There’s plenty of speculation the United States might launch a pre-emptive strike against North Korea if it conducts another nuclear test. Pyongyang has conducted five nuclear tests so far, and recently declared it was ready for another. But how likely is it that Washington will launch some sort of strike? We ask the experts.

Nine-year-old Fahad works at a tailor shop in Peshawar, Pakistan, to help provide for his family. He is one of an estimated 3 million children who don’t go to school in the country’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Terrorism and government counter-terrorism measures contribute to the 58 percent of children in the region who receive no formal schooling. Experts worry all of these uneducated children spell disaster for Pakistan’s future.

Malawi has taken the final step to outlaw child marriage. The challenge now will be to enforce the ban in a country with a long tradition of early marriage. In Blantyre, VOA meets a mother of five who wed at 15 and says the new law gives her hope for her three daughters.

VIDEO: There’s more at stake than getting high in the battle to legalize marijuana in the United States. Attorney General Jeff Sessions opposes legalization but polls show about 90 percent of Americans approve using the drug for medical purposes. Critics argue the pro-pot crowd uses medical marijuana as a smokescreen for people who want to use the drug for recreational purposes.

For the most part, Rohingya Muslims have lived quietly in India, scraping out a living as laborers after fleeing persecution in Myanmar. But now Hindu groups are calling for the Rohinyas’ deportation. VOA reports from New Delhi as the fate of an estimated 40,000 Rohingya Muslims scattered through several Indian cities is up in the air.

US officials have toughened their stance toward Iran in recent weeks, but they’ve said almost nothing about the country’s upcoming presidential election. While it might be too soon to expect the 3-month-old Trump administration to express any view on Iran’s electoral process, some believe that silence says a lot.