Newsletter Archive

Drone border security: Fifteen years ago, Glenn Spencer left his California home — and eventually his marriage — to pursue an obsession to help secure the U.S. border with Mexico. It’s a passion he pursues using drones to track illegal immigrants who have risked it all crossing the Sonoran Desert.

Invite a refugee to dinner. In cities across the United States, local communities are hosting dinners for refugees. The goal is to break barriers by breaking bread together.  VOA attended a dinner in Los Angeles where young Syrian refugees shared their experiences of what it’s like to settle in the United States.

VIDEO EXPLAINER: President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Monday that bars travelers from six countries for three months, and all refugees for four months. A federal appeals court blocked a similar order last month. Trump’s ban triggered many protests, but the truth is that U.S. immigration restrictions date back to the 1800s. We break it down for you.

Speaking of the new travel ban… You’ll recall the original order, issued January 27, was blocked by a federal appeals court which dismissed the administration’s argument that the United States must be protected from individuals from seven predominantly Muslim countries. If you’re wondering how the new order is different from the old one, here’s a easy-to-read chart that explains it.

When images on his phone revealed his homosexual identity at a checkpoint in Damascus, Eliot says he was raped by some of the guards. Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex refugees and migrants in Greece look to Europe for both safety and acceptance.

Asia’s tourism industry is booming, thanks to higher salaries, cheaper flights, a growing middle class, and more visitors from China. Reporting from Bangkok, VOA examines whether countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia — and their infrastructures — can keep up with the explosion in leisure travel in the Asia Pacific region.

Jobs are a hot commodity in China, where a slowing economy is making well-paying work harder to find. Leaders of the world’s second largest economy say they’re aiming to create more than 11 million new jobs this year. VOA goes to a job fair in China’s Rust Belt and speaks to frustrated job seekers.

VIDEO: Seema Azimi is an oddity in Afghanistan. Not only is the 20-year-old the first female practitioner of the Chinese martial art wushu, but she’s also the first woman to run a school teaching the fighting style. Some in Kabul believe sport isn’t for women and Azimi has received threats.