Newsletter Archive

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Although victory appears near in Mosul, it comes at a high cost. VOA is on the front lines with soldiers who have witnessed death and destruction firsthand, while enduring personal losses in their own families as well as when comrades fell in battle. For some of these Iraqi warriors, their success after eight months of fighting doesn’t feel like much of a triumph. ‘We’ve won, but look around you,’ says one. ‘Everything is destroyed.’

Donald Trump would have people believe the US is engaged in a titanic struggle with a populist president battling a powerful media empire buoyed by wealthy liberal elites. His critics would say Mr. Trump is a mentally unstable and increasingly unpopular ex-reality TV star lashing out with personal, insulting tweets aimed at diverting attention from his troubled presidency. In a deeply polarized nation where each side is deaf to the other, where does reality end and fake news begin?

Amid pressure from the Trump administration, the UN General Assembly voted Friday to cut more than a half-billion dollars from its nearly $8 billion annual peacekeeping budget. Peacekeepers play a key role in fragile countries where civilians need protection, but have come under fire in recent years for lack of discipline and incidents of abuse of the populations they’re meant to protect. Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, called the budget cuts a victory, saying, ‘we’re only getting started.’

VIDEO: As Hong Kong marks the 20th anniversary of its handover from Britain to China, the city has sworn in its new Beijing-approved leader. While thousands protested in the streets, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for enhanced education and public awareness of the history and culture of the Chinese nation. Many of Hong Kong’s younger citizens have played a key role in protest movements over the years and Beijing seems to think  they need a little patriotic national education to set them straight.

In Indonesia, smoking is a cultural thing. At least that’s what opponents of any efforts to curb cigarette sales have argued. Indonesia has one of the highest smoking rates on the planet and most are puffing on kreteks — clove cigarettes that are deeply embedded in local culture. Kreteks contain nicotine, but fans argue they’re not cigarettes. Really.

VIDEO: Americans celebrate their independence tomorrow on the Fourth of July. But the patriotic party started early for 25 immigrant children who were sworn in as full-fledged US citizens ahead of the holiday. As the nation celebrates its 241st birthday, the children’s true American journey is just beginning.