Newsletter Archive

A small town in Indiana has some big ideas about solar power. The residents of Fremont, in America’s upper Midwest, rely on the sun to warm their fields and draw tourists to their lakes. Now they’re counting on the sun to also power their schools. The project could end up being an economics lesson for the town’s students because it might generate enough electricity to sell some back to the power company at a profit.

VIDEO: US Veteran Melissa Stockwell, who was wounded in Iraq, says she’s accomplished more with one leg than she ever did with two. Her former commander-in-chief, President George W. Bush, noticed; Stockwell’s story inspired the artwork behind Bush’s latest focus on America’s veterans.

The family of a former FBI agent who vanished while visiting Iran in 2007 is suing Tehran for ‘unlawful acts of hostage taking, torture and other torts.’ Iranian officials deny knowing anything about the disappearance of Robert Levinson. In 2013, several U.S. news outlets reported that Levinson was part of a rogue CIA intelligence mission.

VIDEO: PFC Maria Daume is the first female Marine to join the US infantry through the traditional entry-level training process that was previously unavailable to women. Born in a Russian prison, Daume was adopted by an American couple when she was four years old. Speaking to VOA in her first interview since completing the School of Infantry, Daume says she’s determined to be the best.

Japan is beefing up its influence and presence in the South China Sea, the most widely contested body of water in Asia. In an effort to curb Chinese expansion, Tokyo plans to send a warship to the South China Sea for three months before the ship heads to the Indian Ocean for drills with the United States.

China is unhappy about South Korea’s plan to deploy a US anti-missile system that Beijing worries will peer into its territory and survey its military. Next month, President Donald Trump plans to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a two-day summit. Experts tell VOA that meeting is an opportunity for the US to send a clear message that the US action is not intended to be aggressive.

India will give women a generous paid maternity leave of six months or more, joining a handful of countries, such as Canada and Norway, that already provide the benefit. Earlier this month, India’s parliament passed a landmark bill doubling maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. Experts hope the longer maternity leave will help close a growing gender gap in the workforce.