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The Panama Papers are likely to spark new prosecutions of people accused of providing funds to terror groups, and boost political pressure to tighten financial rules in the United States. As VOA’s Jim Randle reports, efforts to block terrorist financing are said to be getting more effective, but they are also causing collateral damage.
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Beirut’s Armenian district of Bourj Hammoud has long been recognized as a center of high-quality jewelry. However, with growing international competition and instability domestically, these craftsmen have been suffering. John Owens speaks to those who hope that reintroducing Armenian traditions and bringing cutting edge techniques into the sector will not just help save a community, but a help preserve an Armenian identity threatened by long-term displacement.
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British physicist Stephen Hawking, Russian-born billionaire Yuri Milner and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of the U.S. announced Tuesday they are launching an ambitious space exploration program to find out if there is life in the rest of the cosmos. Milner is providing $100 million for the project that will help develop spacecraft the size of a computer chip that would travel to another star system and send information back to Earth within a generation. Zlatica Hoke has more.
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After more than a decade, Cambodia has resumed rail passenger service from the capital, Phnom Penh, to the beach resort town of Sihanoukville. Although this marks a small step for the country’s blossoming tourism industry, much larger challenges lie ahead for Cambodia’s transport sector. VOA's Daniel de Carteret reports.
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On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram militants abducted 219 schoolgirls from their dormitory in the town of Chibok in northeastern Nigeria. The girls appeared in a militant propaganda video a month later, but have not been seen since. Now as we mark two years since the girls' abduction, the parents say their lives have been upended. Chris Stein has this report for VOA from Mbalala, Nigeria.
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Airport travel is often stressful, especially during busy holidays. That’s why United Airlines created a program, United Paws, that brings comfort dogs to seven airports in the United States to help relieve anxiety during those times. VOA’s Deborah Block reports.
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In February of this year, Syrian Democratic forces, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, freed the town of Shaddadi in northeastern Syria from Islamic State militants. But months after their liberation, local residents say their lives are still far from being normal -- due to the havoc IS caused during its occupation. VOA’s Zana Omar has more from Shaddadi, in this report narrated by Bronwyn Benito.
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A Somali refugee who fled her nation's civil war at age 17 is due to return to advise the government on ending the practice of female genital mutilation, or FGM – a cultural or religious practice carried out in large parts of Africa and the Middle East. VOA’s Henry Ridgwell spoke to Ifrah Ahmed ahead of her trip and reports from London.
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For nine young female musicians in Ivory Coast, breaking into the male-dominated music industry wasn’t easy. But their group, Bella Mondo, is now a household name in Abidjan and is booking shows abroad. Emilie Iob has more for VOA from Abidjan.
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British Prime Minister David Cameron has admitted that he had profited from a so-called "shell" company set up by his late father. This follows revelations about the scale of offshore wealth exposed by a leak from a Panama-based law firm earlier this week. But it’s Britain’s wider role in the system of offshore finance that is coming under greater scrutiny - as Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
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Foreign investors are rushing into Cambodia's frontier property market. Phnom Penh is rising upward almost overnight, but the rate of construction is raising questions about where all the investment is coming from and what effect it will have on the local market. David Boyle reports from the Cambodian capital.
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The Panama Papers — documents leaked from a Panamanian law firm — reveal a shady side to the global financial system, in which the world’s elite routinely hide money to remain anonymous or to avoid paying taxes. While some argue there’s nothing illegal about the practice, others say the lack of transparency and controls in many tax haven countries comes with a heavy price tag, especially in countries where development money is needed most. VOA's Mil Arcega reports.