Newsletter Archive

It was hard to tell the good guys from the bad guy last week in Texas during the sniper killings of five police officers. That’s because more than 20 rally participants openly —and legally — carried rifles and handguns. Law enforcement opposed the open carry law from the start, because of the problems it could create for police. Now, in the wake of the devastating shootings, will Texas lawmakers reconsider the state’s open carry law?

Last week, the FBI announced that no charges would be filed against Hillary Clinton in connection with her use of private email while she served as secretary of state. The presumptive Democratic nominee hopes to refocus her campaign and move past the controversy. Former political rival Bernie Sanders might just be the person who can help her do that.

Even before Brexit, Scotland was already a bit on the fence about staying unified with Britain. In a referendum two years ago, the Scots elected to remain as part of Britain. But now that England has voted to leave the European Union, the Scottish government wants a redo. Meanwhile, current Prime Minister David Cameron is on his way out while the nation’s first female prime minister since Margaret Thatcher is on her way in.

Hunted at home, beaten abroad. There have been more than 800 assaults on refugees in Germany, but the refugees, who have no place to call home, say most of the attacks go unreported. Almost every refugee VOA talked with deep in eastern Germany knows someone who has been punched, beaten or assaulted with a bottle.

A Saudi prince who met with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey seems to be in a rush to shake up the desert kingdom. The 30 year old, known as MBS, is pushing an ambitious plan to transform Saudi Arabia’s economy and society. Here’s what the ‘new’ Saudi Arabia could look like.

Cambodia is reeling from the murder of a popular democracy activist, gunned down in broad daylight. VOA was on the scene in Phnom Penh as Kem Ley’s body remained in a pool of blood at the Caltex coffee shop for hours while protesters refused to let police remove the corpse. In perhaps his last interview, with VOA on Friday, Ley spoke out against government corruption.

If you’re fuzzy on exactly what’s going on with that South China Sea dispute, here’s the quick scoop: Tomorrow, an international tribunal rules on the territorial squabble between China and the Philippines. The decision won’t determine sovereignty of the territory in question, but here’s why the ruling could still have wide-ranging impact.