Newsletter Archive

The first 100 days of an American president’s first term in office are traditionally a time when major policy proposals might encounter less partisanship from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and possibly even have a head start on being voted into law. That’s especially true when the president’s party controls both houses of Congress. But, after about two months in office, major components of President Donald Trump’s agenda have stalled.

What if you threw a meeting on African trade and no Africans came? That’s the situation the University of Southern California is facing. Each year, the university hosts delegations from Africa to meet with business leaders, government officials and others in the United States. But this year, all of the Africans were denied visas.

VIDEO: The United Nations is already stretched to capacity, and now the international body’s largest donor, the United States, is reducing funding. President Donald Trump is seeking a 28 percent budget cut for diplomacy and foreign aid, which includes an unspecified reduction in funding to the United Nations and its agencies. The question now is — who will fill that gaping hole?

Syrian refugee Nael Zaino’s first attempt to enter the United States to join his wife and son was blocked by President Donald Trump’s first travel ban. With some help from California Senator Kamala Harris, Zaino finally made it to Boston. To his surprise, he was not only admitted into the country, he was also warmly welcomed.

Indonesia recognizes more than 1,000 ethnic groups scattered across its 17,000 islands. Between 50 and 70 million people are considered to be members of indigenous communities. VOA is in Sumatra for a meeting of Indonesia’s indigenous people where some are saying the movement for indigenous rights is at a breaking point.

Boxed in. South Sudanese women fleeing civil war and food insecurity in their native land are banding together to survive in neighboring Uganda. VOA is in Kampala, where the  concept of ‘sanduk,’ or box, is in play. Each person in a group of women contributes a small amount of money monthly, and one member gets all of that cash each month.

China appears to be Islamic State’s latest target. The terror group released a video earlier this month explicitly threatening China with attacks on its soil. Here’s why China is on IS’s radar.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian government is struggling with an increasingly violent insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula targeting Egyptian police, security forces and Christians. Several militant groups, including one that pledges allegiance to Islamic State, are controlling large swaths of Sinai, and have established rule separate from the government in Cairo.