Newsletter Archive

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Fight or die. Half of Syria’s population is displaced after more than six years of war. At a camp about 30 miles outside of Raqqa, where a fierce battle is being waged against Islamic State, young men tell VOA how they faced the impossible decision of fighting for IS or fleeing their homes, leaving wives, children and other family members behind.

Instant Muslim divorce is now outlawed in India. VOA is in New Delhi, where the country’s Supreme Court just ruled that the controversial practice is unconstitutional and un-Islamic. Up until now, ‘Triple talaq’ allowed Muslim men to unilaterally divorce their wives by saying the word ‘talaq’ — the word for divorce in Arabic — three times. While the decision is being hailed as a major victory for Muslim women, some clerics and other Muslim leaders argue the campaign to overturn the practice was a political ploy by Hindu nationalists to take away Muslim identity.

Prolonged drought is forcing Kenyan children as young as 12 into prostitution to support their families in the countryside. Rural families face soaring food prices at a time when their livestock and crops are diminished or even decimated. With grim prospects for survival, young girls find themselves in early marriages, child labor and forced prostitution.

VIDEO: Still made in America. Paul Reed Smith started out by handcrafting one guitar per month when he launched his business in 1985. Today, his company makes more than 11,000 of the instruments each year. While many companies have moved operations overseas, the multinational electric guitar manufacturer still produces one-third of its instruments here in the US.

QUICK TAKE VIDEO:  Excitement is building in Angola ahead of tomorrow’s historic election. Longtime President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is stepping down after 38 years in power. VOA is in Luanda speaking with some Angolans who are preparing to vote for the first time.

Ordinary Russians are expressing frustration over the US decision to suspend the processing of non-immigrant visas at its consulates in Russia. The move comes after Moscow retaliated against US sanctions by expelling US Embassy staff from diplomatic property and demanding their numbers be reduced. Russia’s foreign minister accused US authorities of trying to stir discontent among Russians over the actions of the Russian authorities.