Newsletter Archive

Angered by the deaths of Muslims abroad, Samy Hamzeh contemplated carrying out a shooting rampage at a Wisconsin Masonic temple. The 25-year-old seemed to believe discredited claims that Masons had created the Islamic State extremist group for the purpose of destroying Islam and killing Muslims. But Hamzeh was conflicted, so he consulted with a local Islamic cleric. What the imam told him changed the course of an FBI sting.

It’s not easy to separate malicious bots from opinionated human users. Just ask the internet companies that are under pressure to crack down on automated accounts after Russian-backed efforts to influence the last US presidential election. Two University of California, Berkeley students say they’ve developed a software program that looks for 100 characteristics that are common among Twitter bots. Here’s how they spot bot behavior.

Cambodia’s government is exploiting superstitions and manipulating public trust in local village officials as it tries to consolidate power ahead of the July general election. Stunned by a strong opposition showing in last June’s commune elections, the ruling party is rustling up support in rural areas by using cash, oaths and holy water to win voters over.

Houston’s poorest residents continue to struggle to find affordable housing and work more than two months after hurricane-turned-tropical storm Harvey flooded parts of the city. Within a circle of trailer homes, where a mix of native-born Houstonians and immigrants live, every day is a struggle. In one of Houston’s worst-hit areas, which had no luxuries to begin with, VOA finds stories of tragedy and ruin among residents who feel the city has forgotten them.

At age 82, the Dalai Lama says he’s ready to scale back on international travel. Citing increasing physical fatigue, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader plans to appoint trusted friends as his official emissaries. But can the Dalai Lama’s physical absence from the world stage be effectively substituted via proxy?

VIDEO: What’s more universal than food? That’s what the owner of a Brooklyn, New York eatery asked herself before coming up with a plan to harness the knowledge, experience and culture of immigrants, refugees and asylees in a way that benefits American society. Emma’s Torch restaurant offers an 8-week training course where learning fresh food preparation helps give newcomers a fresh start in their adopted country.