Newsletter Archive

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Europe’s populists expected 2017 to be the year that right-wing leaders took charge on the continent, especially after Donald Trump’s surprise triumph at the polls in the United States last November. But that’s not how it’s played out so far, and some believe the US president is to blame.

Witchcraft and poverty make Mozambique a risky place for bald men. Police are warning bald men in the country to be on guard after two bare-headed men were killed for their body parts, which are used in witchcraft rituals. Some in the local community believe bald men are rich and that their body parts can be used to enrich others.

A string of suspicious clergy deaths has sparked calls for a wider investigation in Cameroon. A bishop and two priests, both of whom had recently spoken out against corruption, died in the past month. Religious authorities in Cameroon say the clergy are being persecuted by ‘devilish forces.’

The worst food crisis since World War II is going on right now in parts of Africa and in Yemen. About 28 million people need humanitarian assistance thanks mostly to drought or climate challenges that are being exacerbated by war. With cuts looming in President Trump’s proposed budget, and the need for help growing more dire by the day, US lawmakers say it’s time for non-traditional donors — like China and the Gulf countries —to help carry the load.

On the run: Vietnam’s most wanted human rights and environmental activist is safe and considering leaving the country. Bach Hong Quyen is the subject of a nationwide manhunt after authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in May. Quyen spoke to VOA Vietnamese while hiding out and discussed what he plans to do next.

VIDEO: Once shunned in white neighborhoods, African Americans developed their own vibrant community in Hagerstown, Maryland, more than a century ago. For decades, businesses thrived and out-of-town visitors came to the Jonathan Street neighborhood to experience its dynamic nightlife. While those glory days have faded, some are determined to make sure they are never forgotten.

The single greatest witch hunt in American political history. That’s what President Trump calls the investigation into Russian interference in last year’s presidential election. He also tweeted that those conducting the probe are ‘led by some very bad and conflicted people!’ Just who is on the team being assembled by the special counsel? Robert Mueller has added 13 lawyers to his group of investigators, and plans to hire several more.

Where did Native Americans come from? The general consensus is that a wave of people crossed a long-vanished land bridge from Siberia into Alaska 13,000 years ago. But some Native Americans complain that theory is simplistic and culturally biased, especially since new discoveries and technology suggest Indians arrived much earlier and by different routes.