Newsletter Archive

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He was a nuclear engineer back in Iraq, but these days Houston resident Ammar Alobaidi refers to himself simply as a local artist. Although Texas stopped resettling refugees in 2016, the Houston YMCA still welcomes the newcomers by providing resettlement and legal support in more than 20 languages — and giving people like Alobaidi a chance to discover a new side to himself.

Pakistan is cozying up to China and Russia despite once being viewed as a key ally in the US war on terrorism. Islamabad has grown more distant from Washington amid allegations that it harbors terror groups. As President Trump forms his foreign policy in the strategic region, both of America’s primary rivals are taking advantage of Pakistan’s paranoia about India as well as gaps in Washington’s global influence.

Six months into his time in office, President Trump has nominated 20 ambassadors, and had a total of six confirmed. While the Trump administration has been slow to nominate US ambassadors for posts around the world, there is increasing attention on one post in particular — the absence of an American ambassador in Afghanistan, where nearly 10,000 U.S. troops are deployed.

The last Islamic State fighters left in Mosul are fighting to the death as Iraq celebrates its victory over IS. VOA is near the front lines with Iraqi forces, where a few rag-tag IS fighters are rounded up. While West Mosul is mostly destroyed, recovery looks more promising in bustling East Mosul.

A top suspected human trafficker accused of helping to smuggle thousands of people across East Africa to Libya, in hopes of eventually reaching Europe, is now in Somalia awaiting prosecution. Abdulkadir Omar Abdulle, who was arrested in South Sudan and handed over to Somalia for prosecution, is wanted on numerous charges, including rape and murder.

Terrorists have killed nearly 20,000 people across Africa in the past five years, with two groups, Boko Haram and al-Shabab, accounting for a vast majority of fatalities. But, while militant groups remain active, fatal terror attacks across the continent are expected to fall for a second straight year, with the total number of attacks running far below 2012 levels.

QUICK TAKE VIDEO: Californian Thomas Lawrence Lowers says he’s been to more than 70 countries. Of all the places he’s been, Lowers decided to settle down in Russia. Here’s what life’s like for an American living of St. Petersburg.

Is computer coding a second language that children must learn in order to succeed in the future? Some parents think so and there’s a new game that shows children how to write computer code. Players quickly learn it takes more than math and logic to excel at coding. It also takes something just as important: creativity.