Newsletter Archive

Somalia has opened its first forensic lab dedicated to investigating rapes. Rape and sexual assault are widespread in Somalia, according to human rights groups, but few victims come forward and not many attackers are punished. The blame and shame survivors face deters many from reporting rapes and assaults. The new forensic lab is being hailed as a step in the right direction toward ending impunity for gender-based violence.

Myanmar is the victim of fake news regarding the Rohingya, the country’s ambassador to the United States tells VOA. Nearly 390,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh, many of their villages were burned and looted after the country’s security forces responded to attacks by Rohingya militants. The United Nations calls the exodus ‘ethnic cleansing,’ but Myanmar’s ambassador blames the ‘false media’ reports on Rohingya propaganda.

When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Jim McIngvale wasted no time opening the doors to his furniture stores to shelter evacuees. While McIngvale was helping people — and potentially losing money — other businesses in the area were accused of price gouging, essentially making money off other people’s misery. But the true cost of helping people during a crisis isn’t that easy to calculate. Companies who respond in times of disaster can not only bolster their image, but also their bottom line. 

VIDEO EXPLAINER: Every fall, world leaders meet in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting. President Trump is scheduled to speak when the conference’s general debate session opens on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know about UNGA.

In the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, people speak Kurdish, listen to Kurdish music, marry Kurdish spouses and eat Kurdish food. For many people there, the upcoming referendum on Kurdish independence from Iraq is a no-brainer. In Erbil, VOA learns that, like many things in the Middle East, the issue of Kurdish independence isn’t a simple one.

President Trump — bipartisan deal maker? Recent compromises with Democrats seem to be part of a concerted Trump strategy shift to work more with opposition Democrats, something he avoided during his first eight months in office. The president says working with Democrats is not a fleeting gesture on his part. But getting cozy with the opposition could hurt Trump with fellow Republicans.

When your bank comes to you. More banks in Vietnam are going to where their clients are. One bank sends its employees out on scooters to meet clients where they live, while another parks ATM-equipped vans near factories to reach laborers. These moves are an effort to heed a government call for financial inclusion across Vietnamese society as the economy becomes increasingly digitized.

Muslim relief workers answered the call to help out after both Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Many of those impacted by disaster embrace the work of relief volunteers from the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), while others might be a little hesitant, based solely on religion. But regardless of their reception, ICNA answers the call to assist, and changes some minds in the process.