Newsletter Archive

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At first, New Zealander Mark Taylor appears to be an eligible bachelor. The attributes he lists on a dating site include work as a teacher and a good sense of humor. But warning bells might go off once you realize the divorced 43-year-old lives in Raqqa, the de facto Syrian capital of the Islamic State’s self-styled caliphate. Taylor is one of many IS followers looking for love and marriage online.

QUICK TAKE VIDEO: For Adiba Ahmed, the scars from Islamic State rule run deep. The former government worker says IS killed her husband and three sons. In Mosul, she tells VOA how she’s now struggling to provide and care for her six grandchildren.

There are expected to be 1.4 million unfilled software development jobs by 2020, according to the US Department of Labor. This gap drives the demand for foreign workers because not enough Americans can perform high demand jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to IT companies VOA spoke to, who insist the skills gap is real, which is why foreign worker visas are critical.

For Iranian refugees, hard work has paid off in America. The Jamalrezas were granted refugee status and came to the US about 11 years ago. Today, they own a business and their home.

The United States usually sees itself as the standard-bearer of free speech and a model for countries around the world. However, President Donald Trump’s verbal attacks on journalists have prompted media rights groups to brand him as an ‘unprecedented threat’ to global media freedom, accusing him of engaging in ‘hate speech’ against journalists.

The election victories of India’s ruling nationalist party have sparked more sectarian attacks against minority groups in the Hindu-majority country, according to minority community leaders. The Muslim and Christian leaders point out that most of the anti-Muslim and anti-Christian attacks are taking place in states ruled by the right wing party.

A lost set of ancient Angkorian gold jewelry is being returned to Cambodia. During decades of war, countless priceless historical artifacts were stolen by looters and smugglers who targeted ancient sites. Now, the jewelry set that found its way to a London art dealership is returning to Cambodia after the government intervened to stop a planned sale. While the looted artifacts are costly, the true value of their return lies in their contribution to helping preserve Khmer heritage.