Newsletter Archive

Many in China initially viewed the election of Donald Trump as a win for Beijing, thanks to the president-elect’s straight-forward nature and businessman-like approach. But one phone call and a few tweets later, that view is starting to change. VOA is in Beijing, where there is concern Trump’s presidency could lead to serious diplomatic and economic blowback in the US-China relationship.

Changing times: VOA is in Paris where President Francois Hollande’s decision not to run for a second term might not change the outcome of French elections, but it could reflect a broader upheaval in Western politics: a populist backlash that’s upending politics in the United States and Europe, possibly extending to Italy, the Netherlands and Germany.

The so-called Trump bump did not help a far-right presidential candidate in Austria, where centrists and leftists are breathing easier now that anti-immigrant Euroskeptic Norbert Hofer has admitted defeat. Hofer’s calls for the protection of Austrian culture and identity, and concerns about an eventual Islamization of Austria were, for many, reminiscent of Austria’s Nazi past. VOA reports from Vienna where many viewed the race Hofer ran in as a test of the strength of populist movements in Europe.

There are more guns in America than ever before, but they are in the hands of fewer people, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. About 3 percent of the U.S. population owns half the nation’s guns. These 7 million people own an average of 17 guns each. They are America’s gun ‘super-owners.’

One of the places that got slammed by Europe’s refugee crisis is a small Greek fishing village that VOA visited on the north coast of Lesvos. Back in August of 2015, 12,500 refugees arrived daily by boat. A growing political gulf between the European Union (EU) and Turkey could lead to a new surge in arrivals but, in Skala Sikamineas, the compassion for arriving refugees remains undimmed.

VIDEO: A transgender activist in Pakistan hopes to find wider community acceptance by bringing everyone in the neighborhood together to worship at a mosque that is now under construction. In Islamabad, VOA sees how neighbors are reacting to the plan to nurture equality and acceptance through an Islamic house of worship.

An Iranian-American hopes he’s come up with Silicon Valley’s next big thing. Flipagram is a social media app that combines music by well-known singers with a user’s personal pictures and video. Farhad Mohit, who’s found success with other startups like BizRate.com and Shopzilla, attributes much of his drive and accomplishments to his immigrant background.