The World Health Organization says nearly half of the world’s population is at risk of contracting malaria. Efforts to fight the disease take two paths, fighting the disease itself and fighting the mosquitos that carry the disease. University of Maryland researchers are testing a novel new way to kill mosquitos in Burkina Faso. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …

Muslims started settling in America in the 1600s. From the Northeast to Midwest, they have left their mark on U.S. history. Even in some Midwestern states where few Muslims live, there are historic milestones of their presence. Muslim homesteaders in Ross, North Dakota, built a mosque in the 1920s, making it one of the first mosques built in America. Saqib Ul Islam gives us a look in this report. …

This Sunday, Istanbul votes again in a mayoral election, after authorities voided an opposition victory that ended 15 years of control by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP Party.  Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, on an election that has become more than just about who runs the city. …

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has defended the continued detention of a blogger who has served jail time for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Cheikh Ould Mohamed Ould Mkheitir came to world prominence when he was sentenced to death in December 2014 for blasphemy. He then repented, and an appeal court in November 2017 downgraded the sentence to a two-year jail term. His lawyers say he should have been released immediately, having spent four years behind bars, but he is still in custody. Speaking at a press conference late Thursday ahead of presidential elections, Abdel Aziz defended Mkheitir’s continued detention, saying it was justified by “his personal security as well as the country’s.” “We know that from the point of the view of the law, he should be freed, but for security reasons, we cannot place the life of more than 4 million Mauritanians at risk,” he said. “Millions of Mauritanians took to the streets to demand his execution. His release would mean that chaos would be allowed to take root in the country,” he added. Mkheitir’s lawyer, Fatimata Mbaye, told AFP that the president’s comments were “shocking.” Her client, she said, was being held in “arbitrary detention. … …

Pakistan’s Punjab province Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) this week said it killed two prominent Islamic State (IS) operatives in the province and closed “a big chapter” in the history of Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) in the country. The CTD statement Thursday said security forces acted based on credible intelligence and raided a house where the suspects were staying. It added the ensuing nighttime shootout led to the death of Rizwan and Saqi, members of IS’s Khorasan branch. “CTD Team Multan got a credible source information from a secret agency on four to five terrorists belonging to the Terrorist Organization DAESH (IS-K) including most wanted Red Book POs (Proscribed Persons) Rizwan and Saqi,” the statement said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.  The “CTD team raided the place and challenged the terrorists to surrender, but the terrorists started firing at CTD officers,” the statement added. Officials say three other suspected IS members fled, leaving behind a large cache of weapons. The group, staying in Multan city’s Royal Orchard Housing Society neighborhood, was allegedly planning a terror attack against Pakistan’s security forces, according to officials. Officials said a search continues for the other suspects. The CTD statement traces the IS group to the kidnapping …

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he intends to nominate Army Secretary Mark Esper to be secretary of defense, the White House said in a statement. Esper takes over as acting defense secretary Monday following the resignation of Patrick Shanahan, who is stepping down after media reports emerged this week of domestic violence in his family. Trump said Tuesday he would likely nominate Esper to lead the Pentagon. Trump also said he plans to nominate David Norquist, who currently serves as the Pentagon’s comptroller, to be deputy defense secretary.   …

This article originated in VOA’s Persian service. The United States and more than 30 other nations belonging to a group that seeks to protect the global financial system have agreed to toughen their supervision of Iran’s financial institutions. In a statement released Friday after a meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Orlando, Fla., the 36 governments plus the Gulf Cooperation Council and European Commission said they have agreed on a requirement for “increased supervisory examination for branches and subsidiaries of financial institutions based in Iran.” A warning to Iran The FATF said it was disappointed that Iran has not yet taken a series of actions to address concerns about money laundering and financing of terrorism in the Islamic Republic. The group also warned that it will reimpose countermeasures on Iran if it does not enact the Palermo and Terrorist Financing Conventions in line with FATF standards by October. The threatened countermeasures include “enhanced relevant reporting mechanisms; systematic reporting of financial transactions; and increased external audit requirements for financial groups with respect to any of their branches and subsidiaries located in Iran.” The FATF suspended those measures in June 2016 when Tehran agreed to address anti-money laundering and …

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered immigration enforcement officials to conduct a mass roundup of migrants who have received deportation orders, in an operation that is expected to begin Sunday, according to The Washington Post. The newspaper said the operation would target up to 2,000 families in large cities that are major immigration destinations, including Houston, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. It said the information about the raids was based on three U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Trump tweeted Monday that the United States would start deporting “millions of illegal aliens” from the country next week, but the announcement appeared to catch the country’s immigration officials by surprise. Administration officials said the deportation plans have been under consideration for months, but immigration officials said earlier this week that raids on migrant families were not imminent. The Post said discussions about the scope of the operation continued Friday at the White House, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan has warned that an operation to arrest migrants in their homes and at work sites risks separating children from their parents. Acting ICE Director Mark Morgan told reporters …

Editor’s note: We want you to know what’s happening, why and how it could impact your life, family or business, so we created a weekly digest of the top original immigration, migration and refugee reporting from across VOA. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. Safety in Guatemala? U.S. action over the growing number of unauthorized border crossings is shifting away from the border with Mexico, and much, much farther south. Last week, VOA immigration reporter Ramon Taylor broke news about a possible “safe third country” deal brokered by Guatemala. President Donald Trump acknowledged this week there’s an agreement in the works that would require asylum seekers heading toward Mexico or the U.S. to seek asylum in Guatemala. At the same time, the Trump administration is cutting humanitarian aid to the Northern Triangle countries over migration policy issues.  US falling short on LatAm, Middle East refugee admissions The United States is resettling fewer refugees, and the cuts to the permanent resettlement program are hitting migrants from some areas harder than others.  Under the Trump administration, the U.S. is on track to resettle only about one-fifth of the refugees from Latin America and the Middle East that it could …

This story originated in VOA’s Georgian service.  Georgia and Russia are blaming each other for a series of overnight clashes that erupted in Tbilisi after a visiting Russian lawmaker, Sergei Gavrilov, addressed Georgia’s parliament from the speaker’s chair, outraging protesters gathered outside the building who breached police cordons and raided the chamber. Police tried to quell the melee, but as news of Gavrilov’s action spread Thursday, thousands flooded surrounding streets to call for the speaker’s and interior minister’s resignations and early parliamentary elections. By midnight, officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds, sparking violent unrest that flared into the early morning hours of Friday, sending an estimated 240 demonstrators, journalists and police officers to the hospital. Some protesters suffered up to 10 rubber-bullet wounds to their legs and upper bodies, and footage from different TV broadcasters show that the bullets were fired directly at people rather than at the ground per crowd-dispersal protocol. Radio Tavisupleba footage showed special forces workers violently beating individuals on the ground. Resignations, castigations, bad blood Georgian parliamentary speaker Irakli Kobakhidze and the deputy parliamentarian who planned the event to which Gavrilov’s Russian delegation had been invited — a session of the Interparliamentary Assembly on …

Two camps opened to host those who fled the 2011 famine in Somalia have been closed and handed to the Kenyan government. Kenya said the action was part of its effort to close Dadaab, the huge camp complex that has hosted refugees for nearly three decades.  The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR turned the Kambios and Ifo II camps over to Kenyan control on Friday.  As for the refugees who lived in the camps, some have gone back to Somalia, and some have been resettled in three other camps: Hagardera, Dagahley and Ifo. More than 80,000 Somalis have been repatriated in the past five years despite criticism from rights groups that said they were being forced to return. Kenya’s principal secretary of immigration, Gordon Kihalangwa, said the Dadaab camp presented security challenges to Kenya and had lost its status as a place of refuge. “We still have al-Shabab in that end, and look at the proximity,” Kihalangwa said. “They have almost made this camp like it has lost its human character. It has lost the human character because there are certain insecurity activities that are taking place here. … I think it’s good we continue the voluntary repatriation and at a appropriate time … this camp …

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If you want to know what’s trending in news, health, sports and lifestyle, then tune in to Africa 54. Airing Monday through Friday, this 30-minute program takes a closer look at the stories Africans are talking about, with reports from VOA correspondents, and interviews with top experts and analysts. Africa 54 also serves viewers with timely information about health, education, business and technology. And for the young and young at heart, Africa 54 provides a daily dose of pop culture, including music, fashion and entertainment. On our Programs: Watch for more political, health, sports, and feature stories on YouTube. Meet the Team: Vincent Makori is the Managing Editor of Africa 54, Voice of America’s daily TV program for Africa. He also serves as a producer and writer for Africa 54. Vincent is a versatile journalist with 20 years of experience, working in Africa, Europe and the U.S. He has been at VOA for more than 11 years. Vincent has covered a wide range of stories including the Africa Union Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, The U.N. General Assembly in New York, International Trade and Technology Fairs in Berlin and Hanover Germany. The International AIDS Conference, in Mexico City, Mexico, and the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, …

Join us every Wednesday as Shaka and his guests discuss topics of special interest to Africans, including politics, economic development, press freedom, health, social issues and conflict resolution.   Broadcast Schedule Straight Talk Africa is broadcast live every Wednesday from 1830-1930 UTC/GMT simultaneously on radio, television and the Internet.   Join the Discussion Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Watch us on YouTube Contact Us: E-mail africatv@voanews.com Postal Mail Voice of America TV to Africa – Suite 1613 330 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20237 USA Internship Opportunities In the competitive and changing television industry, nothing is more valuable for job-seekers than “real world” experience. The Straight Talk Africa internship program offers motivated and outstanding students exciting opportunities to experience practical journalism.  In addition to helping to get our weekly studio programs on-the-air, interns also produce a final project for their portfolios. Projects include writing and producing promos, stories, and even full-length documentary or magazine shows. Watch our interns in action For more information and/or send your resume to: africatv@voanews.com Attention to Roblyn Hymes. …

If you want to know what’s trending in news, health, sports and lifestyle, then tune in to Africa 54. Airing Monday through Friday, this 30-minute program takes a closer look at the stories Africans are talking about, with reports from VOA correspondents, and interviews with top experts and analysts. Africa 54 also serves viewers with timely information about health, education, business and technology. And for the young and young at heart, Africa 54 provides a daily dose of pop culture, including music, fashion and entertainment. On our Programs: Watch for more political, health, sports, and feature stories on YouTube. Meet the Team: Vincent Makori is the Managing Editor of Africa 54, Voice of America’s daily TV program for Africa. He also serves as a producer and writer for Africa 54. Vincent is a versatile journalist with 20 years of experience, working in Africa, Europe and the U.S. He has been at VOA for more than 11 years. Vincent has covered a wide range of stories including the Africa Union Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, The U.N. General Assembly in New York, International Trade and Technology Fairs in Berlin and Hanover Germany. The International AIDS Conference, in Mexico City, Mexico, and the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, …

If you want to know what’s trending in news, health, sports and lifestyle, then tune in to Africa 54. Airing Monday through Friday, this 30-minute program takes a closer look at the stories Africans are talking about, with reports from VOA correspondents, and interviews with top experts and analysts. Africa 54 also serves viewers with timely information about health, education, business and technology. And for the young and young at heart, Africa 54 provides a daily dose of pop culture, including music, fashion and entertainment. On our Programs: Watch for more political, health, sports, and feature stories on YouTube. Meet the Team: Vincent Makori is the Managing Editor of Africa 54, Voice of America’s daily TV program for Africa. He also serves as a producer and writer for Africa 54. Vincent is a versatile journalist with 20 years of experience, working in Africa, Europe and the U.S. He has been at VOA for more than 11 years. Vincent has covered a wide range of stories including the Africa Union Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, The U.N. General Assembly in New York, International Trade and Technology Fairs in Berlin and Hanover Germany. The International AIDS Conference, in Mexico City, Mexico, and the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, …

Each morning, Daybreak Africa looks at the latest developments on the continent, starting with headline news and providing in-depth interviews, reports from VOA correspondents, sports news as well as listener comments. …

Each morning, Daybreak Africa looks at the latest developments on the continent, starting with headline news and providing in-depth interviews, reports from VOA correspondents, sports news as well as listener comments. …

Each morning, Daybreak Africa looks at the latest developments on the continent, starting with headline news and providing in-depth interviews, reports from VOA correspondents, sports news as well as listener comments. …

Each morning, Daybreak Africa looks at the latest developments on the continent, starting with headline news and providing in-depth interviews, reports from VOA correspondents, sports news as well as listener comments. …

Each morning, Daybreak Africa looks at the latest developments on the continent, starting with headline news and providing in-depth interviews, reports from VOA correspondents, sports news as well as listener comments. …

Online data is at risk. Hackers are getting smarter and companies across the globe are facing a shortage of trained professionals who can help protect their data. To fill this gap, the U.S. government is beefing up its efforts to recruit the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. VOA’s Sahar Majid has more. …