Wed, Dec 24, 2014
In August, al Nusra Front jihadists took control of Syria's side of the border crossing with Israel and kidnapped over 40 United Nations peacekeepers - who have since been released. But al Nusra Front, an al Qaeda-affiliate, isn't Israel's only threat from Syria. President Bashar al-Assad's military, in a possible effort to bait Israel into its civil war to shore up Arab sympathies, has been lobbing mortars across the border. Just a few weeks ago, the Israeli military shot down a Syrian plane flying over the Golan Heights - the first time it has done so since the 1980s. VICE News travels to Israel's "quiet border" in the Golan Heights, where members of al Nusra Front are now a visible threat.
Sat, Feb 7, 2015
On the International Day for Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, VICE News reports on a little-known surgery that restores sexual function to the clitoris for women who had their genitals mutilated as children. We meet and follow a 32-year-old prospective patient who was mutilated at the age of six in Somalia, and who now lives and works as a nurse in the United States. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a cultural tradition that affects millions of women worldwide. Sometimes referred to as female circumcision or female genital cutting, the practice varies in severity depending on where it is performed. The procedure can range from minor nicks to the clitoris to the total removal of the clitoris and labia. In its severest form, the two sides of the vulva are sewn together, leaving only a small hole for menstruation and urination. While the practice has been outlawed in many of the 29 countries where FGM is concentrated, it persists in some rural areas as a centuries-old cultural tradition, where it is usually performed by women elders as a part of a coming-of-age ritual. The tradition is sometimes believed to "purify" a woman and performed to preserve virginity before marriage. The World Health Organization estimates that some 6,000 girls undergo FGM around the world every day. The procedure is often performed in unsafe and unsanitary conditions on girls between the ages of four and 12. FGM can be fatal, and can lead to immediate complications such as infections and urine retention, as well as long-term complications such as severe pain and tearing during intercourse and major complications during childbirth. VICE News saw the result of the severest form of FGM first-hand in Dr. Marci Bowers' operating room in San Mateo, California, and watched as she performed a defibulation procedure - the re-opening of genitalia that had been sewn shut - and clitoroplasty, the reconstruction and restoration of sexual function to the clitoris.
Tue, Jul 7, 2015
An insight into the largest European test center - BPRC. At this facility in the Netherlands, scientists experiment on live primates with the goal of inventing new cures for diseases. Scientists say they provide maximum care to the animals. On the contrary, animal rights activists regularly stand outside the gates of the facility and demand its closure. In doing so, they support the development of alternative testing methods that do not use animals.
Fri, Feb 27, 2015
During the devastating 50-day war in Israel and Gaza this past summer, around 18,000 homes in Gaza were destroyed or severely damaged, leaving around 120,000 residents homeless. Now, with trouble in neighboring Sinai and infighting between Palestinian factions, reconstruction efforts in the beleaguered Gaza Strip are moving slowly. With the UN warning of a growing humanitarian crisis for the people of Gaza, many fear that another armed conflict is imminent. Six months after the end of fighting, VICE News returns to the region to investigate the progress on reconstruction.
Fri, Aug 15, 2014
The Islamic State, a hardline Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has announced its intention to reestablish the caliphate and has declared its leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the caliph. The lightning advances the Islamic State made across Syria and Iraq in June shocked the world. But it's not just the group's military victories that have garnered attention - it's also the pace with which its members have begun to carve out a viable state. Flush with cash and US weapons seized during its advances in Iraq, the Islamic State's expansion shows no sign of slowing down. In the first week of August alone, Islamic State fighters have taken over new areas in northern Iraq, encroaching on Kurdish territory and sending Christians and other minorities fleeing as reports of massacres emerged.
Wed, Feb 4, 2015
Bangladesh is one of the few Muslim nations where prostitution is legal, and the country's largest brothel is called Daulatdia, where more than 1,500 women and girls sell sex to thousands of men every day. Daulatdia is infamous for drug abuse and underage prostitution, and many of its sex workers are victims of sexual slavery who were trafficked into the area and sold to a pimp or a madam. They are forced to work off the fee that was paid for them, a debt that takes years to clear because they receive as little as a dollar for sex. VICE News correspondent Tania Rashid visited the notorious Bangladeshi brothel - where human trafficking, underage prostitution, and drugs are commonplace - and met the traffickers and the trafficked, as well as the clientele.
Thu, Feb 6, 2014
The Olympics are as much about money as they are about sports. Between merchandising, sponsorships, broadcasting rights, and construction of the Olympic venues themselves, there's a lot of money to be made. In the case of Russia's Winter Olympics in Sochi, there's more money to be made than ever before-especially if you're a friend of President Putin. The 2014 Winter Games have cost Russia about $50 billion, making them the most expensive in history. Corruption watchdogs say it's ordinary Russians who will end up footing the bill for this excess, not private investors as Putin has suggested. We went to Sochi to investigate the claims of corruption and kickbacks, tour the some of the most expensive Olympic venues ever built, and talk to Sochi residents who have been pushed aside to make room for Putin's man-made mountains of money.
Mon, Jul 28, 2014
In Jamaica, attacks, murder, and rape are common occurrences against LGBTI people, with little to no retribution or justice brought against those responsible. After being forced from shacks, derelict buildings, and their own families, many homeless LGBTI Jamaicans have found refuge in the storm drainage systems of Kingston - known locally as the gully. For trans girls and gay men unable or unwilling to hide their sexuality, the sense of community and relative safety the gully provides acts as a welcome sanctuary, and for many, a hope of change to come. VICE News traveled to the New Kingston area to see what LGBTI life is like in Jamaica - where just being who you are can mean living a life underground.