Newsletter Archive

When one of Mosul’s most prominent restaurants reopened its doors after more than two years of Islamic State rule, it felt to many like Mosul itself was back in business. After months of street battles and arial bombardments, customers and staff at the ‘My Beautiful Lady’ eatery were excited life was starting to get back to normal. But then, last week during lunch hour, suicide bombers walked into the restaurant and shattered that illusion.

When President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later today, they’ll have a busy agenda. Middle East analysts expect both men will want to set in motion a chain of events that could block Iran, redefine Israel’s relationship with the Arab world, and try to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Is President Donald Trump’s determination to restrain immigration crimping commerce at the busiest land crossing on the country’s southern border? VOA visits the normally bustling border between San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, where business seems to have dropped off in the past few weeks. Is it some kind of fear effect?

VIDEO: Schools in Baltimore, Maryland, have come up with an old/new way to help calm and focus students. Children and teachers at several city schools are starting the day with yoga and meditation. The aim is to make them more mindful of their actions, one breath at a time.

A wrestling princess. A super-genius mathematician. Move over Cinderella and Snow White, there’s a new kind of princess in town. A writer who got bored with the traditional — beautiful, kind and lucky — fairy tale princess types, searched history for a new kind of modern-day heroine, including some who’ve ruled empires.

A new conservative far-right coalition is forming in South Korea and American flags are proudly displayed at their rallies. The far right is fight against what they say is the ‘illegal’ impeachment of the duly elected president, Park Geun-hye. Park is suspended from office while the impeachment motion is reviewed. Her far-right supporters blame the ‘lying media’ and ‘establishment elites.’