Newsletter Archive

America’s future first lady hails from the tiny European country of Slovenia. Melania Trump, then Melanija Knavs, spent her childhood in the town of Sevnica before finding success as a model. Excitement has swept the country and Mrs. Trump’s hometown, where some have found unique ways to honor the town’s most famous daughter.

‘They’re not going to refuse me’ is what Candidate Donald Trump said when asked what he’ll do if military leaders decline orders to use harsh interrogation methods that are illegal under international law. Who can say no to a presidential command? The United States has a system of checks and balances designed to prevent the president, or any other branch of government, from exercising too much power.

President-elect Donald Trump’s hints of improved ties with Moscow have provoked heated debate in the United States. It is also an increasing source of hand-wringing and worry across the Pacific, in China, where some officials worry improved relations between Russia and the U.S. could only be bad for Beijing.

President Obama called him ‘one of the most consequential vice presidents’ in American history. Joe Biden exits the political stage after 44 years in public service. The role of a vice president varies from one administration to another and Obama often relied on and consulted with Biden. What is the role of vice president and how does Biden stack up with the ones who came before him?

Saudi Arabia is quietly spreading its puritanical brand of Islam in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Since 1980, the Saudi regime has used education to quietly spread Salafism, an ultra-conservative reform movement that advocates a return to Koranic times. VOA reports from Jakarta, where these ‘Saudi alumni’ are now visible in many arenas of Indonesian public life, including the government.

Entering the areas where Islamic State once ruled, remnants of the terror group are evident in destroyed neighborhoods, on people’s bodies and seared into their minds. Women toss the IS-mandated veils, while men head to the nearest barber to shave their IS-required beards. VOA is in Mosul, Iraq, where it is the everyday items, like discarded schoolbooks and newspapers, that reveal how deeply entrenched IS became as it terrorized people.

In Nigeria, young techies are trying to inject new life into that country’s struggling economy. Nigeria is facing its worst recession in two decades. Although startups are feeling the squeeze, economists are optimistic the new technological businesses could help lift Nigeria out of the economic doldrums.